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There was a sound and everyone looked up. It was Rusty, and Pearl of course, with the freight train.
The three coaches made faces, the freight train was coming their way. If there way anything that annoyed them, it was those trucks.
Rusty puffed as he came down the tracks. The freight train was longer and much heavier then the coaches. Pearl quickly unhitched to join the coaches.
"Freight is great," the trucks chanted, "Freight is great. We carry weight, 'coz we are freight, and freight is great."
The coaches giggled, watching the freight train. The trucks pointedly ignored the coaches, silly noisy things.
"Freight is great, freight is great," the trucks chanted in rhythm with their motion, "We never sulk, we hulk the bulk 'coz freight is great."
Rusty winked at Pearl as he passed the coaches. He wanted to slow but the cars behind him banged, telling him to go faster.
"We never make a fuss," the trucks continued, "We've got the goods on us. We take the loads from off the roads," they turned to the coaches, "And freight is great!"
Pearl waved to Rusty, who quickly unhitched the trucks and picked up the coaches, pulling them around much faster then the trucks.
"Couldn't stand gravel and sand, being ignored, no one aboard," the coaches sang, "Nobody complaining we were late again. I should hate carrying freight, nobody living in me, got to be a living breathing passenger train."
"Freight is great!" the trucks shouted, reminding Rusty that he was supposed to be pulling them, "Freight is great!"
Rusty sighed and reversed until the two trains were even.
"Freight!" the trucks started.
"Couldn't stand gravel and sand," the coaches sang, "being ignored, no one aboard."
"Is great!" the trucks shouted.
"Nobody complaining we were late again," the coaches added.
"We carry weight," the trucks sang.
"I should hate carrying freight," the coaches said, horrified at the thought, "nobody living in me."
"And freight is great!"
"Got to be a living breathing passenger train," the coaches finished.
They glared at the trucks, which were now being pulled by Rusty.
"It's mommas and poppas," the coaches said.
"It's commerce and hoppers," the trucks countered.
Pearl waved Rusty over, and without thinking he switched trains again.
"It's daughters and sons," the coaches argued.
The trucks shook their heads, "It's quarters and tons, they get in your hair."
"It's the fun of the fare!"
"Freight!"
"Folks!"
"Tares!"
"Fares!" the coaches sang, "Passengers, commuters and mail."
"Trees and meat, gravel and shale."
Rusty looked up to see the freight train veering off course, and they didn't seem to notice.
"Are great, are great, are great..." the coaches and trucks sang.
Rusty unhitched the coaches and ran over to the trucks.
Suddenly engineless the coaches also lost control, but they also didn't realize it
"Are great, are great!"
Rusty winced as the first truck scraped against the side a split second before Rusty managed to grab him. The coaches, a little miffed at being abandoned, had managed to get tangled up. Rusty looked back and forth between the two trains in distress and sighed. He caught hold of the last car in the freight train and tugged them free before going over to the coaches.
He sank to his knees next to Pearl, making sure she was alright.
Control sighed, "Control, Control! You wagons and passenger cars just cut it out!"
Rusty looked up guiltily. He was supposed to be pulling the freight train. He stood up and ran back over to them.
"Trucks will identify themselves," Control commanded, "Boxcars."
Rusty pulled the first four cars out. They were each a different color, but other then that they were identical.
"I'm Rocky, I got no equal," the first car said, "If you miss me, catch the sequel." He indicated the next car.
"I'm Rocky two," the next said, "And there's more."
"I'm Rocky three!"
"I'm Rocky four!"
"The only time we get sick inside is when some bum hitches a ride," the boxcars chanted, "We wait for a sharp corner to come."
"And open the door," Rocky finished, "Bye-bye bum!"
"Freight is great!"
"Brick Truck!" Control ordered.
"Flat Top!" the truck said glaring around at everyone, "Who you lookin' at? Yeah there's bricks what's wrong with that? No, you're right, they don't all match. Yeah they're heavy?quot; Suddenly he whirled and let a brick fly, "Here catch!"
The coaches fled from the flying brick and Flat Top retrieved it from the ground with a smile.
"Freight is great!"
"The big hopper," Control called.
Rusty puffed as he pulled out the large heavy car.
"Dustin that's you," Flat Top said encouragingly.
"Come on the big hopper!" Control repeated.
"Come on Dustin," Flat Top said gently.
"I'm the big hopper," Dustin said softly, "I'm not a box."
"Yeah your head is full of rocks," the boxcars teased.
"They're not rocks, they're bits of gravel," Dustin answered. For his great size the hopper was rather shy, "Gravel's got a right to travel!"
Dustin and Flat Top hitched behind Rusty.
"Travelin' with gravel in," they sang, "Praying that we don't get wet. Water and mortar do things they didn't oughtta, empty me before I set."
The freight cars cheered each other on as Rusty picked up the last car.
Control sighed, and announced the next car, "The red caboose."
"At the back, on every piece of track I'm right behind you," the caboose sang. He looked around, "Can I be of help at all?" he asked, "Then simply call on me."
Everyone smiled, the red caboose was always around to lend a hand.
"Hello Caboose," the trucks sad.
"Hello," the caboose answered with a smile, "The red caboose would like to be of use to every truck and show the world that..."
"Freight is great!" the trucks shouted, "Freight is great!"
"It's mommas and poppas!" the coaches shouted.
"It's commerce and hoppers!" the trucks argued.
"It's daughters and sons!"
"It's quarters and tons, they get in your hair."
"It's the fun of the fare!"
"Freight!"
"Folks!"
"Tares!"
"Fares!"
Rusty had pulled the two trains with each other again.
"Passengers, commuters and mail!"
"Trees and meat, gravel and shale!"
The two trains joined together.
"On the rails, on the rails, on the rails, on the rails," they all sang, "Are great, are great, are great, are great, are great!"
All of the national engines wandered in and Rusty pulled the trains, one at a time, over to the selection grid, off to the side.
There, that was the last of his errands, Rusty thought satisfied, Control just had to let him race now. He wanted to win, to with the Silver Dollar. And he could imagine how Pearl would be when they won. She'd... He smiled and took a step closer to her.
"This is Control. This is Control." Control called, "Listen up, because these are the rules. We have two eliminator heats and the first two trains in each heat make the final. You got that?" Control asked, "Two heats, two qualifiers from each heat."
Control started to say something else, but was interrupted by a burst of static, accompanied by flickering lights. The engines and cars looked up.
"Sorry, we have a technical problem," Control apologized, "A..a..a little interference."
The lights flickered again, before going off entirely. There was a low rumbling sound. The coaches gathered around Rusty, frightened.
Rusty was scared as well but he wasn't about to admit it. He stood protectively in front of Pearl and the others.
"Oh boy," Control said a little nervously, "I think we have a super star challenger for the Silver Dollar."
Rusty swallowed as a dark figure emerged from the shadows. It wasn't an engine, but that didn't make the car any less odd looking.
The car didn't seem to notice the others.
"Clear Electra," he said, "Verify."
He was joined by several other cars, one at a time.
"Go to Electra," the next car said, "Load." Her voice, like the first car's, was strangely robotic.
"Shift Electra," the next black and blue car purred.
"Space Electra!" a red and white car exclaimed.
"Enter Electra, Run Electra," the last car said.
The five cars suddenly seemed to notice Rusty and the others. They looked at him with an expression he couldn't read, but it made him feel cold inside.
The cars looked up and turned towards the bridge.
"Confirm, confirm, enter," the last car said.
The five cars began to circle as the bridge started to move.
"Electra... Electra..." they sang, "Electra... Electra..."
Rusty squinted through the darkness, there was someone or something on the bridge.
On the last note, the bridge reached the ground and the yard lit up.
"I am electric," the figure on the bridge sang, coming to life, "Feel my attraction. Feel my magnetism you will agree. I am electric, I have the contacts, I am electric the future is me!
AC, DC, it's OK by me. I can switch and change my frequency."
Rusty looked back, all of the coaches and trucks were staring at the electric engine with blank expressions. Something was pulling at Rusty, making it difficult to move.
The five cars that had arrived with Electra circled their engine.
"I am electric, mind how you touch me," the engine, Electra sang, "I can shock you, I can set you on fire! I can reach up and pluck down the lightning, watch the conductor, see the live wire!"
Electra held out his hands, and a bolt of electricity flashed, shocking the five cars around him.
Several coaches behind Rusty gasped, but the cars around Electra didn't have much of a reaction.
"AC, DC, it's OK by me," Electra and his cars, his components, sang, "I can switch and change my frequency!"
Behind him, Rusty heard the others singing along with the components.
Electra drew his components, one at a time, in closer while the rest circled around. The other trucks and coaches slowly started rolling towards him. Rusty caught hold of Pearl and pulled her back before trying to catch the others.
The blank look in their eyes unnerved him almost as much as the electric engine did.
"Electra... Electra..." they all sang, "Electra... Electra!"
"I am electric, I'm a computer," Electra sang in a robotic voice, "Don't attempt to keep no secrets from me. If you make me bored I'll hit my keyboard."
Rusty cringed at the scrambled sound that came from Electra.
"You'll be erased from my memory!" Electra exclaimed, "AC, DC, it's OK by me. I can switch and change my frequency."
He looked over at the other cars. His eyes narrowed when he saw Rusty trying to hold them back.
Rusty gasped suddenly the pulling had increased and it was nearing impossible to move.
"AC, DC, it's OK by me," Electra repeated, "I can switch and change my frequency!" Suddenly he whirled, sending a thunderbolt towards the national engines, "Can switch and change my frequency!" he zapped the trucks and coaches, "Can switch and change my frequency!"
Rusty gasped and sank to the ground as the electricity surged through his frame. There he sat, unable to move or stop the others from moving over to Electra.
Electra looked at the large group of cars circling him, pleased. One pretty pink and cream coach caught his eye.
"Electra... Electra..."
To Rusty's dismay Electra reached out and pulled Pearl in closer. The other coaches closed in around him as well.
"Electra... Electra!"
Someone else had been watching the proceedings and he wasn't too happy either. Greaseball the diesel engine roared in and round the yard, pushing Rusty out of his way and breaking Electra's spell.
"Ouch we've got big trouble!" Control exclaimed, "The reigning champion doesn't like this one bit."
Abandoning Electra, the coaches turned their attention to Greaseball.
"It's Greaseball, it's Greaseball, it's Greaseball the diesel!" the coaches chanted.
The three female components joined the coaches.
Electra growled, drew in his remaining components, and went back to the bridge. The two cars didn't, or couldn't protest.
Now that he could move again Rusty righted himself, but remained back in the shadows. His heart sank a little at the sight of his competition, but then he relaxed, he and Pearl would show them who was the best.
"Choose me Greaseball," the coaches begged, "Race with me!"
"Back off girls," Dinah said with a smile, "He's mine."
All of the girls let out a disappointed groan, but that didn't stop them from dreaming.
Greaseball skated over to the coaches.
"Here comes the diesel train, with it's steel refrain, hear me knocking," he sang, "The diesel's here to stay, it's gonna win the day, hear me knocking.
Listen to the chatter of the diesel force," he sang, flexing his muscles, to the delight of the girls, "Generating twenty-seven hundred horse."
The coaches closest to him could hear his engine purring.
"Camshaft rolling while the rockers rock, hear me knock. See me hustle, feel my muscle," he called, "Pumping iron, tryin' to build my body..."
One of the coaches let out a shout.
"Tryin' to lose my mind," Greaseball continued, "see me straining, I'm in training, pumping iron. I'm a diesel engine. I'm knocking, I'm knocking, I'm knocking, I'm pumping iron."
"Well he's the one they'll chose," the coaches sang adoringly, "You know he just can't lose, hear him knocking. There ain't another rig that's even half as big, hear him knocking."
Greaseball was dancing with all the girls and enjoying it.
"Everybody's gonna say 'that train is smart'," they continued, "The mighty diesel engine is a work of art. The undisputed leader of the rolling stock, so hear him knock."
Greaseball grabbed the nearest coach and started dancing with her, before moving on to the next one, giving equal time to each.
Electra shifted position angrily, seeing Greaseball dance with his components.
Dinah was last, pushing Pearl out of her way. She remained with Greaseball for as long as possible.
"See me hustle, feel my muscle," Greaseball and the coaches sang.
"Pumping iron," Greaseball added.
The coaches sang wordlessly as he continued, "Stretching my bullworker, heaving on my weights."
"See me flex my delts and pecs, I'm pumping iron," all sang.
"I'm a diesel engine," Greaseball sang, "I'm knocking, I'm knocking, I'm knocking, I'm knocking, heading for the rally..."
"Heading for the rally," the coaches echoed.
"Gonna win the first race!" he declared.
"Gonna win the first race!"
"Gonna run the longest!" all sang, "The biggest and the strongest."
"I'm knocking, I'm knocking, I'm knocking, I'm knocking, I'm knocking?quot; Greaseball stopped and looked at the seven girls gathered around him and sighed happily, "I'm so beautiful," he said, "I'm pumping iron!"
The girls all swooned happily.
Electra strode over and drew his other components over to him.
"You, you're overloaded," Greaseball said.
"I'm electric! Taking over!" Electra exclaimed.
Greaseball shook his head. There was no way anyone could beat him, he was the best and he had the Silver Dollar from last year to prove it, "You'll have to beat diesel."
Dinah peeked out from behind her engine, "Take on diesel."
"Take on diesel!" Greaseball and the coaches shouted.
Electra and his train skated around Greaseball and the coaches, "E-lec-tri-city is taking charge," they sang.
Electra pulled up in front of Greaseball, "I will enter, I will win, win, win!"
"You'll never win, you'll never win," Greaseball responded, glaring at the electric engine, "I'm gonna beat you, I'm gonna beat you!"
"I'm gonna win!" one of the other nationals called.
Greaseball shook his head, "Haven't a chance, haven't a chance. I'm gonna win it, yes I'm gonna win!"
Around him the other engines all had their own victory chants.
Greaseball growled, they should all give up now, there was no reason for them to race, he was the champion, the Silver Dollar belonged to him.
"I'm gonna win, I'm gonna win," he chanted, "I'm gonna beat you, I'm gonna win the race?quot;
"I'm gonna win the race," Electra and the other engines sang.
"I'll be victorious, I'm gonna win!"
Rusty tapped Pearl on the shoulder and she hitched behind him. Right where she's supposed to be, Rusty thought, and then when we win together...
"Earth, water, air, fire," Rusty sang skating around the other engines.
Greaseball rolled his eyes, he hadn't wanted to bother with Rusty this year, but the little steamer was making it very difficult.
"You'll never win, you'll never win," the other engines chanted, "I'm gonna beat you, I'm gonna beat you."
"See the steam rise higher!" Rusty sang, ignoring the others. He was fast and tonight they would show them all.
"Haven't a chance, haven't a chance. I'm gonna win it, yes I'm gonna win."
"Earth, water, air, fire..."
"I'm gonna win, I'm gonna win. I'm gonna beat you."
"See the steam rise higher!" Rusty shouted.
"I'm gonna win the race," the other engines sang, "I'll be victorious I'm gonna win."
As Rusty and Pearl passed the other three coaches they pulled Pearl back into their group.
"Lo-co-mo-tion," Greaseball and the other engines chanted, "Lo-co-mo-tion."
"Go elec-tri-city," Electra and his train chanted, counter to the others, "Go elec-tri-city."
"It's mommas and poppas!" the coaches sang
"It's commerce and hoppers!" the trucks shouted.
Rusty sighed, here we go again, he thought.
"It's daughters and sons!"
"It's quarters and tons, they get in your hair."
"It's the fun of the fare!"
"Freight!"
"Folks!"
"Tares!"
"Fares! Passengers, commuters and mail!"
"Trees and meat, gravel and shale!"
"On the rails, on the rails, on the rails, on the rails?
Beware of the engine intent on avenging
Defeat of a rival who's bent on survial
Look out for the carriage who's out to disparage
The wagons who battle and rattle and prattle
Are great, are great, are great, are great, are great!"
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