The Graveyard

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The first day of the school holidays and Andy was up with the lark, the sun was already high in the cloudless blue sky; it was going to be another scorcher. Later on all the gang would be down the Knap Lido, whipping each other with towels and bombing off the top board, but before joining them Andy had promised to take his little brother Davie to see the old steam trains.
When Andy's teacher had told them they were going to Barry Docks for a school trip, Andy had thought it was a rubbish idea. Other classes went to Merthyr Mawr or Bristol Zoo but his class weren't even leaving Barry, it was going to be boring. But, to his surprise, it had been the best school trip ever. They'd been taken on a tour of the docks and of one of the banana boats, it was amazing. But the crème de la crème was when they were shown around the old steam train graveyard, the place old locos came to die. They were told very clearly that this was private property, that they weren't allowed to come back on their own, but Andy didn't care, Davie would love this. So he'd promised himself there and then that he'd show his little brother the trains just as soon as he could.
They set off straight after breakfast. Andy was the big brother so Davie had to carry the Fine Fare carrier bag with the sandwiches their mum had made. They walked through the tunnel that lead to the docks, and then when the coast was clear ducked into the scrubland that belonged to British Rail. It was warm and the flies were out in force. They made their way along the path that had been trodden by hundreds before them taking a short cut over to Barry Island. But their destination wasn't the Island.
‘This way,’ Andy said and he led his brother down a less obvious track, the scrub was thick and there were old oilcans and tyres scattered around.

‘Be careful,’ Andy said knowing his mum would kill him if his brother got hurt. Just when they felt like the scrub would go on forever, it opened out onto any little boy's dream.
In front of them were 10, 15, 20, 30 rusting, orangey steam locomotives. The old beasts may have been old and retired but they still oozed power and strength. Davie let out a little yelp while his older brother smiled a I told you it was brilliant smile.
They lost themselves in the locos, climbing aboard, exploring the different moving parts. Pretending to drive the trains. They soon forgot all about the swimming baths, they could have stayed there all day if it wasn't for the truck.
Andy saw it first, a big, flatbed truck coming towards them.
‘Davie duck, hide,’ Andy shouted to his brother who was up in one of the locos.  Davie ducked down while Andy hid in the bushes. The truck was at the vanguard of a range of vehicles, including a crane, a police car and a BBC van.
Andy watched them as they crowded around the train Davie was hiding in. It took Andy a little while to realise but they were preparing to lift the engine onto the back of the truck.
What should he do? Davie was there, but if he said anything they would be in trouble, big trouble, woe would betide them. He decided to keep quite.

Two hours later Andy watched the truck slowly leave the docks with a loco on board, a police escort and his brother inside. He decided to go home.

‘Where’s your brother?’ His mum said. Andy didn’t know what to say, and when Andy didn’t know what to say, he said nothing. He just shrugged his shoulders and tried to go to his room.

‘Andy where’s your brother?’ His mum asked again. Andy knew he had to say something. He took a deep breath and told the story. He was expecting an explosion, a mini Krakatoa, but his mum said nothing, she just walked away and just calmly picked up the phone. 90 minutes later Andy, his mum and his dad were at Barry Police Station waiting for a car to arrive. Andy saw it first, the panda car with his smiling little brother wearing a policeman’s helmet in the back seat; obviously none the worse for his experience.

‘Andy,’ Davie said later that night when they were in bed. ‘I’m really sorry.’

‘Why?’ Andy said.

‘I ate your sandwiches.’ Davie said, nearly crying.

‘Davie, if you are ever in danger, you can always eat my sandwiches.’

Postscript – 2015

‘Hey Davie have you seen this?’ Andy said handing his brother his iPhone.

Davie hit play and watched the video, a grainy news report of a loco being taken from Barry Island.

‘Look closely at the end.’ Andy said. Davie looked closely and saw his 10 year old face looking terrified on the back of a lorry.

For more Barry inspired stories click here  

And if you enjoyed them check out my Novel - Maggie's Milkman set in the Welsh Valleys in the 1980s.