#Bitterfeld 1977

[klein-sodor-bahn]

The lost express engine

Gordon on his way encounters an engine. At first all seems fine, but then the engine becomes more and more distressed until she suddenly races away into the next station: Bitterfeld.

Let me tell you a story about a lost engine which was even forgotten by her own sisters. Based on the story of a German pacific that met a terrible fate.

The lost express engine

Gordon loved visiting Germany. He was traveling down from Berlin. The night pitch black. Neither moon nor stars were visible. Gordon’s lamps cut through the dark like mighty blades of light. “I can’t wait to see Henry again.”, chuffed the big engine excitedly. Then from afar they heard an engine approaching behind them. Its barking chuffs were deep and powerful. “Who has to haul a train so late at night”, wondered the engine. The noise got louder and soon Gordon’s crew could recognize its shape. It was an 01, the sort which had been rebuilt in East Germany. “Hello”, called out Gordon. The engine looked over and Gordon couldn’t help but feel uneasy. “Hallo”, a female voice responded it was like a whisper. “Where are you heading?” “To Leipzig” “Oh I’m heading there as well, but in Dresden I’ll take on water and rest”, remarked Gordon. “Water”, gasped the other engine, “I… I need water”. Gordon was alarmed. “Hey, stop your engine is running out water”, his driver called over, but no response. “Hilf mir, bitte”, the Black Engine began to whimper. Gordon and his crew shouted and shouted, but the men on the footplate didn’t react. Suddenly the engine accelerated and rushed past Gordon. He gave chase. “You have to stop! You have to stop!”, the blue engine yelled desperately. On the horizon lights of a city appeared. The screeching of the brakes cuts through the air. But to Gordon’s horror he heard the other engine scream in agony: “STOP! STOP! SOMETHING IS WRONG!?!” Then Boom and a gut wrenching scream shatters the nightly silence. “Noooo”, cried Gordon. He slowly crept into the station, but there was nothing. Just silence. Gordon stops. He looks around. The rails were empty. Not even a hint of steam was in the air, beside his own. Only a cold wind that made him shiver “You saw it too, didn’t you”, whispered the engine. “We did”, his crew replied. Gordon slowly continued his journey. In Dresden he took on water, before going to rest in the sheds. Beside him snored Viktoria. She looked just like the engine Gordon had seen.

The next morning Gordon awoke to the other engines chatting and sizzling in their berths. “Good morning, Gordon”, greeted Viktoria him. A warm smile on her smoke box. “We didn’t hear you arrive” “We?”, he looked around and to his shock four other engines that looked just like Viktoria sat in the other berths of the shed. “Are. Are these your sisters?”, Gordon asked rather stunned. “Indeed they are”, chuckled Vicky. “Are you sure those are all your sisters?”, Gordon asked suspiciously. “What do you mean?”, asked the engine right next to Vicky, “Only five of our sort survived” “Oh” “Good Morning, ladies”, chortled Heinrich who had just woken up. Gordon jumped. He hadn’t noticed the massive green pacific. “Don’t be frightened, Gordon. It’s only me”, Heinrich laughed. “Only you, haha so funny scaring me like that”, Gordon scoffed. Heinrich glanced confused at Viktoria who looked equally as helpless. “What has gotten into you”, she asked confused. The other 01s stopped their conversations and looked at Gordon. Gordon with a lump in his throat recalled last night’s event. When he had finished the German engines were pale and gave each other nervous looks. “I think you might have met 01 1516”, Heinrich spoke up with a shaky voice, “I…I met her a couple of times…one time I chased after her and arrived at Bitterfeld before her…” The usually so straight forward and powerful engine stared horrified into the distance. “She…exploded right before my eyes” Gordon couldn’t believe what Heinrich had said, but he felt deep down the big engine was right. But then Gordon frowned: “Viktoria” “Ja- Err yes?” “What was her name?” “Her name? Who’s name?” “The name of engine that died at Bitterfeld”, Gordon pressed her. “I- We-“, her eyes dart to her sisters who just sit there like fish in the water, “We don’t know.” “What?!”, Gordon fumed, “She was your sister!” “That’s enough Gordon”, hissed one of Viktoria’s sisters, “Don’t meddle in our matters. You have kicked up enough dust for the day.” Gordon wanted to retort something, but kept it to himself and decided to just glare at the 01 that had spoken up. She just snorted.

Later Gordon visited Henry who began to ponder after Gordon told him what had happened: “Odd…maybe my driver knows someone who knows that engine’s name” Gordon and Henry explained Johanna Drachenzorn the situation. The young woman had heard of the story of 01 1516. “I’ll see what I can do”, she promised. Throughout the day Gordon couldn’t help, but feel the burning glares of Viktoria’s sisters on his boiler when he met one of them. They didn’t even whistle a quick greeting. This went on until it was Gordon’s time to leave. He sat again with all five 01.5s in the same shed. But to his surprise Johanna Drachenzorn came to the shed, a piece of paper in hand. “I found her name”, she smiles. “You did what?!”, Viktoria gasped and her sisters began to whisper. “Gordon asked me”, Mrs. Drachenzorn continued, “ Do you wanna hear it?” “Yes”, Viktoria was on the verge of tears. “01 1516-2 died in 1977 due to her crew mishandling her leading to a boiler explosion. She went by the name Alix” “Alix…why did we forget her”, Viktoria wept. “It’s okay”, soothed Gordon. The other 01.5s looked down at the rails. “Maybe she can rest now”, one wondered.

This evening Gordon left for Hamburg so he could return to England the following day. And when he approached Bitterfeld he noticed a black shadow sitting on the platform. As he drew closer he recognized the engine. It was Alix softly smiling surrounded by thick clouds of steam. Henry’s driver had shown him a picture of her. So Gordon was sure it was her. “Thank you, Gordon”, she said as he raced past. But as his driver turned to look back. The German express engine was no longer there. Gordon could sense a set of buffers touching his own for a brief second. He lets out a sigh of relief as he puffs along the line. Leaving Bitterfeld behind.

[locomotive-idiot]

undefined

yeah uh

don’t brake your steam locomotive too quickly if you don’t have enough water

[benkaden]

Ansichtskarte

Bitterfeld An der Walther-Rathenau-Straße

PLANET-VERLAG BERLIN, 1977

Foto: Melzer

[russellvmaccready]

There could also have been 150 victims: In November 1977 human error and a lack of maintenance at the Bitterfeld train station led to a fatal "kettle bang". The driver hadn't taken care of one thing. 

[locomotive-idiot]

people are still reblogging my locomotive doing a frontflip