Gentoo and the birthday party, by Matthew Quilliam

	Pinewood (Wokingham) Miniature Railway
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Gentoo

Gentoo was a yellow 0-4-0 Stafford class Saddle Tank. He worked on the Pinewood Miniature Railway hauling trains up and down the line. He was 1/3 of a full size Stafford Class locomotive. Gentoo was the newest locomotive at the miniature railway and certainly the brightest. He was well tempered but had a habit of over-reacting rather quickly. Unlike any of the other miniature locomotives, the ash pan was closed all of the time so the driver would have to dispose of ash by hand. This is Gentoo’s story.

One morning Gentoo woke up beside Sylvia in the shed. “Time for another day of work!” Gentoo said. He sounded like an old man with quite a young voice. Whenever any of the locomotives breathed out or finished speaking steam would come out of the funnel. The shed opened up and out Gentoo chuffed. Wheezing, the Class 08 Shunter, was sorting out the coaches. He was in a GWR Dark Green livery and was taking an overhaul in five weeks and a day. When the diesels or electric loco’s stopped speaking or breathed out, diesel fumes rushed out of the fan grate at the front.

“Morning Gontee!” Wheezing said. “It’s Gentoo!” Gentoo corrected him, “Which four locomotives are pulling the coaches you’re preparing?” “Hmm? Oh they are for you, Sylvia, Thunder Hoof and Royal Alex! But before there’s a birthday party going on and Petrolea is hauling the special!” Wheezing replied.

Soon, the party was under way. Gentoo watched from the sidings with Wheezing, Sylvia, Thunder Hoof and Royal Alex. They cheered for Petrolea as she came into the station and sang happy birthday when the cake came out!

Suddenly, it was 1:15pm! The party had over run! The staff had only minutes to get things ready and had to call in some of the local volunteers for extra help. It took at least 15 minutes to prepare one steam locomotive, and Sylvia and Gentoo were on the elevated bays being prepared. Wheezing was busy shunting here and shunting there! Thunder Hoof was too big to go on the elevated track and so they had to put him over a pit to get to all the essentials underneath him

Mr. Paul and Mr. Colin were the busiest. Royal Alex was an electric loco and was helping Wheezing with the preparing. Gentoo and Sylvia where brought onto the ground level track and coupled to the end of their train just in time! Thunder Hoof on the other hand took a lot more preparing and so Black Five came out instead.

It was one minute to opening. There was a long queue of passengers waiting. Five….Four….Three….Two….One….Opening Time! The passengers hurried through the gates and on to the trains.

At the end of the day, the locomotives went back into the shed. What an exhausting day it had been.

Click here for the story "How Thunder Hoof got his name".

© Pinewood Miniature Railway Society Limited 2011
Registered Office: - Pinewood Miniature Railway Society Limited, Pinewood Leisure Centre, Old Wokingham Road, WOKINGHAM, Berks. RG40 3AQ