Episode 15
The Little Engine That Could
One day at the wharf, Mr. Percival recieved a letter from Sir Robert Norramby. He wanted an engine from the Narrow Gauge Railway to pull a train to Ulfstead Castle. Sir Robert Norramby asked for visitors, coal, cables, some letters from his friends, and family, and nails.
"We need to get this train set up right away." Mr. Percival told one of the workmen, "Find an engine to get the job done, and quickly."
"Right away sir." Said the workman. The only engine in the wharf was Makenzie, and she was shunting cars for the other engines. "Mr. Percival has a job for you." He told her, "Please meet him at the depot."
"Yes sir." Said Makenzie. She went to a turntable, and went to the depot to collect her train. "Makenzie, I need you to get two coaches, a coal car, a flat car, a mail car, and a boxcar." Said Mr. Percival. "Sir Robert Norramby has a list of things he needs at the castle."
"Yes sir." Said Makenzie, and she went to collect the cars she needed for her train. Once she got them, she waited at the depot to have her cars loaded up. The passengers got on board, the freight was loaded, and the conductor climbed into the caboose.
Now Makenzie is capable of pulling trains that weigh 12,000 pounds. Her train weighed 11,815 pounds, so it would be difficult for her to start.
"All aboard." Said the conductor as he waved his green flag. "All aboard." Replied Makenzie as she blew her whistle. She tried to pull the train, but her wheels slipped a quarter of a way, then stopped. At her second attempt of pulling the train, her wheels did the same thing. On her third attempt, her wheels spun very quickly, and went around forty times. She tried five more times, then she got it moving. "Woohoo!" Shouted Makenzie in excitement, as her wheels slipped fiercely while moving out of the depot.
It was a long way from the Wharf to Ulfstead Castle. She would arrive at the castle by nightfall. However, every signal she passed was green. "Hello Makenzie" Said Duke who was resting in a siding with the picnic. "Hello Duke." Said Makenzie.
Shortly after Makenzie passed, Sir Handle stopped by him. "Hi Granpuff. Did you see that train Makenzie was pulling?"
"Yes. That train looks very heavy for her."
"It makes you feel lucky not to pull heavy trains like that in your old age, eh granpuff?"
"Ah, shut up." Scolded Duke, and as soon as his signal turned green, he puffed out of his siding.
Meanwhile, Mr. Percival was talking about the same thing with Sir Robert Norramby.
"I hope you're bringing the supplies to me safely." Said Robert. "I am indeed." Replied Mr. Percival, "But I am concerned about the engine pulling the train."
"Whatever for?" Wondered Robert.
"It's Makenzie. She's not good at pulling heavy trains, and I'm afraid she'll get stuck on the hill to your castle."
"Not a problem. I'll have Millie help her get up."
Night came, and with it was a full moon. Makenzie soon started to go up the hill to Ulfstead Castle. However, Millie broke down, and wasn't able to help her get up. Makenzie's wheels started to slip as she went up the hill, and her driver said, "It's a long way up. Can you do it?"
Makenzie told her driver, "For Mr. Percival, I think I can."
She continued to say I think I can as her wheels slipped going up the hill. They got closer to the top, and her wheels spun faster. Her speed decreased, and so did her saying, "I think I can." Once she got to the top, her wheels stopped slipping as she put in a lot of effort pulling the rest of her train up the hill. "I thought I could, I thought I could." Makenzie puffed to herself, "Woohoo!" Then, she stopped at the platform, and the workers unloaded her train, while the visitors got off.
"Well done Makenzie." Said Sir Robert Norramby, "I'm pleased that you got the visitors, and supplies here on time. Now, I have another job for you."
Makenzie was exhausted, but she couldn't refuse the job, "What is it?"
"Take Millie to the steamworks. Unfortunately she broke down."
The End.
The Little Engine That Could
One day at the wharf, Mr. Percival recieved a letter from Sir Robert Norramby. He wanted an engine from the Narrow Gauge Railway to pull a train to Ulfstead Castle. Sir Robert Norramby asked for visitors, coal, cables, some letters from his friends, and family, and nails.
"We need to get this train set up right away." Mr. Percival told one of the workmen, "Find an engine to get the job done, and quickly."
"Right away sir." Said the workman. The only engine in the wharf was Makenzie, and she was shunting cars for the other engines. "Mr. Percival has a job for you." He told her, "Please meet him at the depot."
"Yes sir." Said Makenzie. She went to a turntable, and went to the depot to collect her train. "Makenzie, I need you to get two coaches, a coal car, a flat car, a mail car, and a boxcar." Said Mr. Percival. "Sir Robert Norramby has a list of things he needs at the castle."
"Yes sir." Said Makenzie, and she went to collect the cars she needed for her train. Once she got them, she waited at the depot to have her cars loaded up. The passengers got on board, the freight was loaded, and the conductor climbed into the caboose.
Now Makenzie is capable of pulling trains that weigh 12,000 pounds. Her train weighed 11,815 pounds, so it would be difficult for her to start.
"All aboard." Said the conductor as he waved his green flag. "All aboard." Replied Makenzie as she blew her whistle. She tried to pull the train, but her wheels slipped a quarter of a way, then stopped. At her second attempt of pulling the train, her wheels did the same thing. On her third attempt, her wheels spun very quickly, and went around forty times. She tried five more times, then she got it moving. "Woohoo!" Shouted Makenzie in excitement, as her wheels slipped fiercely while moving out of the depot.
It was a long way from the Wharf to Ulfstead Castle. She would arrive at the castle by nightfall. However, every signal she passed was green. "Hello Makenzie" Said Duke who was resting in a siding with the picnic. "Hello Duke." Said Makenzie.
Shortly after Makenzie passed, Sir Handle stopped by him. "Hi Granpuff. Did you see that train Makenzie was pulling?"
"Yes. That train looks very heavy for her."
"It makes you feel lucky not to pull heavy trains like that in your old age, eh granpuff?"
"Ah, shut up." Scolded Duke, and as soon as his signal turned green, he puffed out of his siding.
Meanwhile, Mr. Percival was talking about the same thing with Sir Robert Norramby.
"I hope you're bringing the supplies to me safely." Said Robert. "I am indeed." Replied Mr. Percival, "But I am concerned about the engine pulling the train."
"Whatever for?" Wondered Robert.
"It's Makenzie. She's not good at pulling heavy trains, and I'm afraid she'll get stuck on the hill to your castle."
"Not a problem. I'll have Millie help her get up."
Night came, and with it was a full moon. Makenzie soon started to go up the hill to Ulfstead Castle. However, Millie broke down, and wasn't able to help her get up. Makenzie's wheels started to slip as she went up the hill, and her driver said, "It's a long way up. Can you do it?"
Makenzie told her driver, "For Mr. Percival, I think I can."
She continued to say I think I can as her wheels slipped going up the hill. They got closer to the top, and her wheels spun faster. Her speed decreased, and so did her saying, "I think I can." Once she got to the top, her wheels stopped slipping as she put in a lot of effort pulling the rest of her train up the hill. "I thought I could, I thought I could." Makenzie puffed to herself, "Woohoo!" Then, she stopped at the platform, and the workers unloaded her train, while the visitors got off.
"Well done Makenzie." Said Sir Robert Norramby, "I'm pleased that you got the visitors, and supplies here on time. Now, I have another job for you."
Makenzie was exhausted, but she couldn't refuse the job, "What is it?"
"Take Millie to the steamworks. Unfortunately she broke down."
The End.
It is now is the last day for exploring, and we wanted to make the most of today before packing our things. My father got intrigued by a boat ride around the lake, so he asked us if we would like to try one. We got excited and accepted his offer right away. Our starting point for the boat ride is at the tourist center in Montreux, where we bought the tickets. The ride was very relaxing and fun with the calm, crystal blue waters and snow-capped Alps. We stopped at the Vevey pier near the town square. After dropping off, we explored the area, ate lunch, and bought plenty of souvenirs. As the day drew to a close, we took some last minute photos. We rested for a few minutes before packing up. I sighed and said to myself, "I'm going to miss this beautiful place so much. But I know we will visit here again soon."
After my parents had finished their conversation with Dave, they told me that we will be having a day out with his family tomorrow. I got so excited that I almost couldn't sleep. The next day, we met his wife, Sophie, and their two daughters in the lobby. They were very happy to meet us. We then rode the bus going to Vevey, as the family planned to visit the Alimentarium Food Museum. They have visited Chillon Castle, too. Although we've already been there, we decided to accompany them. It soon turns out that our second visit was more fun because we had more companions, and we also had a conversation in the cafe while eating some ice cream. When the museum closed, we took a stroll along the lakeside, taking lots of photos and videos. It was a really enjoyable family day out and we had a magnificent time together.
The last museum for our tour is the Historical Museum of Vevey. This museum showcases the history of the city and its surrounding areas. It also has a mission to preserve its cultural heritage. The exhibits here feature Vaud and Swiss furniture, handicrafts, old weapons, medal collections, manuscripts, engravings and paintings of minor Swiss masters. There is also a room showcasing a local event known as "The Feast of the Brotherhood of Winegrowers", which takes place about every twenty years and whose purpose is to protect the interest of vineyards and vine growers. All in all, it was a very interesting museum and we enjoyed it.
The next museum we went to was the Swiss Camera Museum, which is located in Vevey, too. In this museum, there are exhibits showcasing the history of photography and film. It even displays some vintage cameras. We also watched a hilarious short film in the theater before leaving. In the following day, we visited the Swiss Museum of Games. This museum is just a short walk away from our hotel, and what makes it unique is that it's housed in a castle. Inside the museum were exhibits of classic games, from marbles to chess, as well as retro and modern video games. Our visits to both museums were splendid and we had a very lovely time.
Today is the start of our museum tour. We went out a little earlier than usual so we could have more time. The first museum that we visited was the Alimentarium Food Museum in Vevey. Before going there, we decided to check out the Nestle headquarters and shop. Afterwards, we started our walk to the museum. It was a little far, though. But we didn't mind as we also wanted to walk by the lakeside. When we reached the museum vicinity, we posed for pictures with the Charlie Chaplin statue and a suspended giant fork. The museum itself showcases the history of food and there are lots of interactive exhibits. There is also a cafe in the ground floor. An audio guide is recommended to make the most of your visit, so I got one for free at the ticket booth. In the end, it was another educational and enjoyable experience for us.
The first historical place that we visited is the Chillon Castle, or the "Château de Chillon", as it is locally called. I was excited for this, as I will be going inside a castle for the very first time. I've always been fascinated by them. My father also took a break from his work so he can visit the castle with us. We got a discount for our tickets after showing our visitor card. The castle was built on a small rocky island in the lake. We explored the dungeon, the dining room, the armory, and the courtyard. There is even an ancient bathroom where the toilets are simply large holes! Overall, it was a fun and educational experience and we enjoyed our visit there. Before going back to the hotel, we ate a hearty dinner at a chinese restaurant called Beijing Town in Montreux.