July 24th, 1960

  There’s a saying that goes that big teams can get the job done, and in this case, the Hutton Steam Company and Museum is completed, at least, in the first phase, with the donation of the rails and ties by the Chicago and North Western, and many different retired steam locomotives, some of which were already cosmetically restored, Mr. Hutton decided to open the museum near the end of July, 30th and 31st, the reason for this is because the heritage railway part of the museum was already completed, with the help of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which also donated some rails and ties, the track so far has been only a mile long, but the plan is to laid down 15 miles of track to the East Broad Top at Foxhill Furnace, which also have their own successful tourist operation.

  Roger is obviously chosen to visit the railroad, with the old Porter being the honorary member of the collection. A visit to this museum is something that the Preservation Society volunteers have been waiting for a while. Betty and the new Chicago and North Western 0-4-0t would be in steam for the event. Trains Magazine advertised the event, and Roger was given a thorough maintenance check-up before he left. Unlike his previous visit, this would be the first time that Roger would leave his coaches behind, but the four sisters didn’t mind.

  Roger left the railway on July 24th. Unlike his other trips, this one would be close to home, though it would take two hours by road to travel to the museum. The old Porter was glad to visit an event in his state, rather than traveling through different states, and Mr. Hutton and Lizzy are quite pleased as well. Roger arrived at the museum, arriving on a street, oddly enough, named Sausage Roll Street, which was a nod to Mr. Hutton's favorite snack.

  Looking at the museum yard, he could see how much Mr. Hutton did, although it isn’t much, it’s still a pretty good museum. Roger could see the huge hangar, in fact, two hangars, one was obviously for the displayed steam locomotives, and the other was the engine shop. The old Porter glanced at the engine shop and saw the name of the engine shop, to which he laughed, mostly because the sign above the door said, ‘Roger Locomotive Works.’ The old Porter was lifted onto the tracks and pushed into the engine shed by the volunteers. Inside was Betty, which already made Roger happy, and the Chicago and North Western tank engine.

  “Well, hello there, sugar,” Betty smiled at Roger, “It’s been a moment in waiting.”

  “It has been,” Roger agreed with the 2-4-2t, “I’m happy to be here.”

  “We’ve been told by the volunteers that you’ll be coming,” the C&NW tank engine told the old Porter, “I’m Silas, built by Davenport in 1900, used mostly for the tie plant, but one time I operated a Chicago and North Western branch line.”

  Roger was surprised.

  “Whoa, really?” the old Porter asks.

  “Yeah, short, 3 miles,” Silas told Roger, “Then a tie plant opened in the town where the branch line was operating, and it became an industrial line.”

  “How are you feeling being preserved?” the old Porter asks.

  “Fun,” Silas smiled, “As much as I love hauling freight, going back to passenger trains is always my calling card.”

  “I appreciate your railroad donating the rails and ties,” Betty commented, “The work by the volunteers was great.”

  “Yeah,” Silas smiled happily, “So, what’s the plan for this grand opening?”

  “I don’t know,” Roger admitted, “But Mr. Hutton is going to come here when I arrive to explain the grand opening.”

  Just like magic, Mr. Hutton came in with Lizzy and the museum volunteers.

  “Your arrival is much shorter compared to past visits,” Mr. Hutton joked with the old Porter.

  “And we don’t have to stir up the town or city,” Roger chuckled, “Anyway, what’s the big plan for the grand opening?”

  “Well, obviously a speech,” Mr. Hutton told the old Porter, “And it’ll be a triple header run.”

  The news made the three engines look at the man who created the museum with surprise.

  “Triple header?” Betty asks.

  “Yep,” Mr. Hutton nodded, “This would be the first run of the heritage railway of the museum, but obviously, one mile of track is enough for three coaches, so Betty would operate the first passenger train of the Hutton Steam Company.”

  Roger and Betty looked at each other.

  “How would this triple header work?” the old Porter asks curiously.

  “Well,” Mr. Hutton looked at Roger, “You’ll be in front of Silas, and Betty will be behind Silas.”

  “So I’m stuck in the middle?” Silas asks.

  Mr. Hutton rubbed his hand behind his head.

  “If that’s okay with you?” Mr. Hutton asks.

  The tank engine looks so uncertain.

  “Or maybe,” Betty suggested to Mr. Hutton, “Silas could be in front of me, and having Roger behind me, a little flexible.”

  “I agree,” Roger admitted.

  “Not to lie, dear, but Betty’s idea is much better,” Lizzy patted her husband’s back.

  Mr. Hutton chuckled embarrassingly.

  “It sounded good in my head,” He admitted, though he looked at the three, “Mostly after that, we’ll be open to the public.”

  “Sounds simple,” Silas smiled.

  “Simple is always the best,” Betty agreed.

  “I’m sorry about the lack of excitement,” Mr. Hutton humbly smiled, “But when more tracks are laid, and the museum becomes, well, more of a museum, then we’ll do a much better grand opening.”

  “I think you don’t need to do that,” Roger told Mr. Hutton, “You have worked hard on this museum project for almost two years now. I think the charm of this museum is that it’s in a hangar building; no other museum has that.”

  “I appreciate the humble comment, Roger,” Mr. Hutton came up and put his hand on his running board, “But the owner who sold me this told me that the sheds still have 5-6 years left in them; they were built over 10 years ago, the last thing we want is the building to collapse during a bad storm.”

  “I see,” Roger said as he looked at the ground.

  Then Mr. Hutton patted the old Porter’s saddletank.

  “Don’t worry, Roger,” Mr. Hutton smiled at the old saddletank, “I’m planning on keeping the hangars maintained until the rebuilding of the new one, though, it’s going to be a process of building a new building.”

  “Despite all that, it’s going to be a big day,” Betty commented on the event.

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  “An exciting day,” Roger agreed.

  “Yep,” Mr. Hutton smiled, “And I’m excited for this, I can’t personally thank my volunteers for this museum project.”

  July 30th, 1960

  The couple of days were busy for the volunteers, both from the Preservation Society and the museum, who were working hard getting ready for the grand opening. Despite the simple operation, they wanted the grand opening to go smoothly. Roger, Betty, and Silas were getting a thorough maintenance before the operation, making sure everything was alright, despite the mile-long track. Mr. Hutton put cab rides for about 5 dollars for anyone who wanted to ride on the triple header. Though during that long period of rest, Roger has been thinking about Betty a lot, and the same warm feeling keeps creeping up.

  The day of the event was just as busy as the other days; everyone was at the new museum, newspapers were sponsoring the event, Trains Magazine, and other railroad magazines were at the event, covering the opening. There were a lot of people, and it reminded Roger of the grand opening of his railway as a heritage railway; there were photographers taking photos while Mr. Hutton and Lizzy were getting interviewed. It was a hectic day.

  “Look at all those people,” Silas commented.

  “It seems like the grand opening is going well,” Betty commented.

  “I agree,” Roger smiled.

  The railfans and folks were taking photos of the steam locomotives like they were celebrities, because they are celebrities. Everyone was excited about a new museum, which was also open to the public, and they could walk inside the hangar to see the collection. It was a grand moment, and everyone was excited for the first run. Mr. Hutton walked through the crowds, with Lizzy behind him, and then came up to the three steam locomotives, to which he was holding a piece of paper.

  “Thank you, everyone, who came for the grand opening,” He announced, “This is a dream that I wanted since I started preserving the Roger Railway and forming the Preservation Society. To keep this short, I like to announce that the Hutton Steam Company and Museum are open!”

  To which the three engines whistle, signaling the chorus of railfans and people clapping their hands, it was a short speech, but Mr. Hutton is known for keeping things short and simple, but it seems like he wasn’t finished yet.

  “To start with the grand opening, we’re going to operate a triple header,” He told the crowd, “Silas is leading, Betty behind him, and Roger behind Betty. No coaches, no train behind them, just the three engines.”

  “And for the triple header cab ride is 5 dollars,” Lizzy noted, “Regular passenger trains are 2 dollars, all proceeds are going to be used for improvements for the museum and railway.”

  The passengers came up to the makeshift stand to purchase tickets for the cab ride and the passenger train, and the three engines started to set up the triple header, though Roger didn’t move since he was the one behind Betty. After a couple of minutes of moving around, the triple header was set. It was an interesting configuration, only two people can ride each cab, so six people were able to ride on the triple header, though Mr. Hutton didn’t say if the triple header is a once or twice operation, which will be an even more interesting event.

  Mr. Hutton leaned out of Roger’s cab.

  “Is everyone ready?” He asks the engines.

  “We are,” the three engines replied.

  The three engines blew their whistle and moved slowly out of the yard, or a makeshift yard, being one mile, the three engines moved slowly. It was an awkward move, but it seems like it’s going well, with whistles and steam. It seems to be a good event so far. Being behind Betty gives a perspective for the old Porter, but the feeling still gets warmer.

  The triple header operates slowly through the freshly laid tracks; they weren’t going at a snail's pace, but someone with good track and field could catch up with the train, and if the triple header was going fast, this excursion would be done in seconds. The secret was quite nice, plain green fields, with a few trees scattered around, which gives a nice contrast with a museum and a narrow-gauge common carrier of the old times.

  The triple header arrived at the end of the line, and unlike the Roger Railway, where there’s a fence to indicate the end of the line, here it just ends without any stoppers or buffers. Despite being behind Betty, he could see the end of the tracks, just a few feet more, and Silas is off the rails, but it seems like this is an ongoing project for 15 miles of track to Foxhill Furnace.

  “The end of the line,” Roger said as the cab ride participants got out and took photos of the stop, “Just 14 more miles till the East Broad Top.”

  “It’s a start,” Mr. Hutton smiled, “But we’ll get through another 5 miles until your 90th birthday.”

  This made Roger chuckle.

  “That’s a stretch,” Roger honestly told Ben, “But I believe you.”

  “Don’t worry,” Mr. Hutton patted Roger’s cab, “I know I can do it.”

  The old Porter smiled.

  “Hey, what are you two talking about?” Betty asks.

  “About the future track mile plans,” Roger told Betty.

  Betty smiled.

  “Well, I’m excited as well,” Betty said happily, “But let’s head back, I’m sure some other folks would like a double header.”

  Roger smiled.

  “Yeah, let’s go back,” Roger agreed with Betty.

  The rest of the event went well, and the triple header was operated two more times, and the first passenger train on the newly formed railway was sold out, with Betty operating back to back excursions, so far, things are going good, and now nighttime has come, Silas is fast asleep, while the two are awake, despite operating on a busy grand opening, they weren’t tired yet.

  “Today was good,” Roger smiled, “I feel like the museum would be successful.”

  “The passenger trains were a success too,” Betty added, “My coaches were glad to have a full seated passenger train.”

  The old Porter smiled, then looked at the window.

  “I wonder how Mary and the others are doing,” Roger sighed, “It’s been a while since I left home without them; the others are taking care of them, I hope they’re doing well.”

  “They probably are, honey,” Betty smiled, “They’re probably knowing that I’m taking great care of you.”

  Roger blushed a bit.

  “Taking care of me?” Roger asks, “What do you mean by that?”

  “Roger,” Betty looked at him, “We’ve been friends since I came to your railway almost two years ago, and we’ve been talking like a woodpecker that ingested sugar, there’s something deep in that boiler you're feeling.”

  Roger blushed again.

  “So you knew?” He asks.

  “I mean, you’re pretty easy to read,” She giggled, “How does it feel to be in love with me?”

  “It feels…weird,” Roger admitted to Betty, “Mostly because steam locomotives are usually focused on doing their jobs, not love, and even when it’s one in a million.”

  Betty giggled.

  “You’re right, but,” She looked at Roger, “I love you.”

  Roger could feel his boiler bursting; it was something he had never thought of someone or another engine saying this to him in 80 years of being in service.

  “But…why?” Roger asks, which sounds like a stupid question, but it’s a curious question for the old saddletank.

  “Circumstances, you can say,” Betty sighed, “My railroad was in a brink of closure, most of the engines were sold to keep the railroad afloat, I was still on the roster, and by 1955, I was the only engine operating, I would operate passenger excursions, which did help, but when Southern Railway offer my owner a huge sum, well, he took it, and put me on for sell, and it was then when Ben purchase me.”

  Roger blinked a couple of times.

  “And meeting you was interesting,” She smiled at the old Porter, “We were both 19th-century steam locomotives, but your railway is still going strong, and while mine is dead, and when we talk, you’re so…humble, despite the fame, and after we talk, I realized we’re like the same, but in different situations, we both have our own tragedies.”

  Roger couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “I love you, Roger,” Betty admitted.

  Roger didn’t say anything, but the moment of these feelings was caused by his love for Betty; it was subtle at first, but after a long thought and moments of thinking, he fell in love with Betty. For some reason, this made him giggle.

  “Isn’t it usually the guy supposed to confess?” Roger jokingly asks.

  Betty giggled.

  “I like being assertive, you know how southern gals are,” She smiled, “I was like the leader of my fleet during the day, I was the queen of the high iron, the Queen of the Dixie Branch.”

  Roger chuckled, then had a thought.

  “So are we…?” Roger was about to ask.

  “Well,” Betty guessed, “The human terminology is boyfriend or girlfriend, but since we’re steam locomotives…I think significant other is the best word for this.”

  Roger smiled.

  “It is,” He agreed.

  Despite it being summer, the warmth in the shop felt like an oven, in a good way. Roger would never have thought of having a significant other; he heard other engines having one, but never himself. He was happy, though, and worried.

  “What are we going to do for then on?” Roger asks Betty, “Since we both have our own railways to keep operating, I can’t really stay here long despite being the honorary member of the collection.”

  This made Betty think for a bit.

  “You’re right,” She sighed, “And we have to tell Mr. Hutton and Lizzy about our relationship.”

  “I think they’ll be happy,” Roger assured Betty, “Especially Lizzy, Mr. Hutton always wanted to see me happy, in whatever the case may be.”

  Betty smiled.

  “I’m just worried,” She chuckled nervously, “But now I feel at ease.”

  Mr. Hutton and Lizzy came back to the engine shop after dinner to see the three steamers, though what they did notice was that Roger and Betty were looking at each other romantically, which Mr. Hutton suspected meant something was up between the two.

  “Good evening, you three,” Mr. Hutton smiled, “And good night, Silas, you did well today.”

  The tank engine didn’t say anything, though, Mr. Hutton could feel he was acknowledged.

  “Anyway,” He looked at the two, “I’m proud of today’s grand opening, you two did extraordinarily well, and I’m proud of all three of you.”

  Betty and Roger beamed happily.

  “Though,” Lizzy grinning at the two, “We noticed something between you two.”

  The two blush, which confirms everything.

  “You know, Roger,” Mr. Hutton smiled, “With 80 years on your wheels, you deserve a significant other.”

  “And who would’ve thought it would be an engine that Mr. Hutton purchased,” Lizzy teased, “But I’m happy for the two of you.”

  Roger smiled, though his face fell.

  “How would this work?” Roger asks Mr. Hutton, “I can’t leave the railway all the time, especially since I’m the face of the railway.”

  Mr. Hutton thinks for a few minutes.

  “That’s a good question,” He said, looking at Roger, “That was a question the museum volunteers ask since you’re also an honorary member of the collection, but I think I have a plan.”

  Roger was curious.

  “What kind of plan, Ben?” Roger asks.

  “As a way, you and your coaches could visit the museum 2-3 times a year,” Mr. Hutton told Roger, “Depending on circumstances, but it’ll be an opportunity for you two to spend time together, and it’ll give the other engines at the museum a chance to rest.”

  Roger and Betty smiled.

  “That sounds like a good idea,” the old Porter smiled.

  “I agreed,” Betty smiled as well.

  Mr. Hutton smiled.

  “We’re going to speak with the volunteers, but congratulations on the relationship,” He told the two tank engines before leaving the engine shop.

  This leaves the two alone again, unless you’re counting the sleeping Silas.

  “Well,” Roger said, smiling at Betty, “This is going to be interesting.”

  “It is,” Betty agreed, “First relationship, first for everything.”

  Roger looked at Betty, then at the ground.

  “It’s nerve-racking,” Roger admitted, “I don’t know if I’m going to do this properly.”

  Betty looked at Roger, giving him her biggest smile ever, her sweet southern smile.

  “It’ll be a journey, honey,” Betty smiled at Roger, “But I’m going to be here every inch of your life, because I love you, Roger.”

  For the first time in his life, the old Porter feels like there’s a meeting in life, and he could enjoy it with Betty.