July 12th, 1959

  The sweltering heat did not deter Roger; he was at the Roger Station at the interchange to the standard gauge mainline track. June and July were their busiest seasons; after the Edaville visit, the old Porter felt something was wrong with him, not physically; he was fine, but mentally, though he wanted to make sure that he wasn’t going crazy. Ben has finally secured some land, a big chunk of land, that is 15 miles from Rockhill Furnace, close to the East Broad Top, which was a hub for local railfans. Betty came back after a month-long trip from her Edaville adventure.

  The increased popularity of the railway was not just from the events of this year, but also in written forms. The book, Little Railways of the World, released in 1958 last year, has a section on the Roger Railway, and the proceeds that were sold in the gift shop went to the Preservation Society, and a few news articles from the months and years added to that. With more passengers, the railway needed another engine, which Ben has found, not one but a few, in both America and in the U.K.

  An industrial railroad in Illinois, which oddly operates a passenger service, was going to be closed on October 1st, and Ben purchased the line's only diesel locomotive, an Ns2f field locomotive named Clair, and the few other engines for the museum. The new engine will come to the Roger Railway on Friday or Saturday, which will be the first time that the railway will operate a diesel locomotive. Another big item that Mr. Hutton purchased was a fleet of narrow gauge steam locomotives and rolling stock from a narrow gauge railway on the Isle of Peter for 100 dollars, which most of them will be part of the new Hutton Steam Company and Museum, while the same 0-4-0+0-4-0 Garratt steam locomotive that Ben saw during his last travel to the United Kingdom would be overhauled at Hunslet Peter, which the engine is named Elizabeth, that line will be closed on October 31st.

  It was no surprise that the railway had an increase in passenger service, with the two news, excitement from the community has raised the passenger levels up to 10, and it’s been a busy summer month so far. Many walks of life enjoyed a nice passenger run, with a trip to the cafe, which also has a few changes, though, not much, now, they were selling sodas. Roger was happy to meet all sorts of people from around the United States and some from different countries, though this did cause some problems, not problems that Roger experienced, but mostly his size.

  Not everyone is used to seeing two-foot gauge steam locomotives, while engines like Fred, Sandy, and even Howard were huge engines, Roger is on the smaller side. A lot of folks, especially the female passengers, would comment that the old Porter is cute, like a puppy, due to his small stature. This wasn’t much of a surprise; the locals from Westminster would comment on how small and adorable Roger is since the very beginning, and with how Lizzy commented with ‘sweetie’ and ‘cutie’ in her sentence, the old Porter wondered if he was going to be taken seriously, especially with his heritage.

  Lizzy has always been the mother figure to Roger since the very beginning; she would be Ben’s second voice. While kind, she has a stern, serious tone when it comes to her leadership, granted, from experience taking care of Samuel and Samson. Despite being the oldest engine on the railway, Roger has always talked to Lizzy wherever things get a bit overwhelming. She’s also a good engine driver and fireman, or firewoman; she has proved herself to be a good locomotive crew, with only Ben to train her, and Samual would joke to Roger that he’s like the third child in the family.

  “You okay, Roger?” Mr Hutton asks, he was leaning out of the cab.

  “I’m just thinking,” Roger said as he looked at the end of the line.

  Silence fell for a few minutes, though it wasn’t really silence since the passengers were walking around and talking to each other.

  “Though,” Roger spoke again, “Is there a reason why Lizzy…is this affectionate to me?”

  Mr. Hutton didn’t say anything, he got out of the cab, which made Roger worried if offended his owner and general manager.

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  “I know that sounds bad-” the old Porter tried to speak, but Ben put his hand up.

  “I know you weren’t trying to be mean,” Mr. Hutton chuckled, “But it’s a sad story.”

  “Sad?” Roger asks.

  “Well,” Mr. Hutton took a deep breath, “Lizzy actually had another sibling.”

  This made Roger surprised.

  “Really?” he asks, to which Ben nods.

  “A little brother, named Jefferey,” Mr. Hutton told the old Porter, “He wasn’t a healthy kid, he got sick all the time, home schooled, Lizzy and Julie would take care of him when he was bedridden, he passed away at age 10, 2 years before I met Lizzy.”

  Roger was surprised and sad. Illness can take down anyone, old or young, even a perfectly healthy person.

  “That’s…very sad,” Roger said as he looked at the rails.

  “I feel sorry for the boy,” Mary commented.

  “Indeed, sis,” Taylor agreed.

  “Very terrible,” Charlotte commented.

  “It is…Tuberculosis is a killer, I’m surprised that Lizzy and Julie didn’t get affected,” Mr. Hutton rubbed some sweat on his forehead.

  “Was she affectionate before her brother was born?” Roger asks Ben.

  “From what June told me, yes,” Ben responded to the old Porter’s question, “Julie told me that Lizzy always has a motherly personality. From kindergarten to high school, even when I met her for the first time, I slipped on something, and she caught me. She checked me over if I was alright, and that’s when I was head over heels for her.”

  “I see,” Roger smiled softly, “She does a great job in taking care of me while you’re away or busy with the museum formation.”

  “She’s my second voice,” Ben smiled at the old Porter, “Right-hand crew, and the best wife, though, I’m guessing there’s something more than that?”

  Roger chuckled a bit.

  “You can say that,” the old Porter told Ben, “I’m sure you have seen it, in the past and in the present, that people would call me adorable.”

  “Oh, I noticed,” Mr. Hutton smiled at the old Porter, “As I said many times in the past, I’ve visited your railway for years, and seen many folks saying that you’re adorable, cute is another favorite word, and Lizzy likes cutie the most.”

  “I don’t know how I feel about this,” Roger admitted to Ben, “I don’t hate it, but…it feels like no one takes the heritage railway history seriously. You don’t see folks calling the Talyllyn engines cute.”

  “It’ll take time,” Mr. Hutton put his hand on the old Porter’s saddletank, “I can tell you that many years, 20, 30, 40, and even 50 years later, that the railway would be an icon of preservation.”

  “Yeah, the sad reality,” Roger smiled at his general manager, “Though I feel like Lizzy will still call me cutie, sweetie, and adorable.”

  “Yep,” Mr. Hutton chuckled, “And you can’t stop her.”

  Roger chuckled, and Mr. Hutton noticed the passengers.

  “It seems like the passengers are back and ready,” Mr. Hutton noticed, “Let’s get back to the station at the yard.”

  “Will do,” Roger whistles happily.

  Roger arrived with the passenger train at the station. Betty was in the yard in steam. She was in charge of operating the afternoon train, which was going to be pulled by her own coaches, Peaches, PawPaw, and Strawberry. Which were overhauled this year after Mr. Hutton purchased them after purchasing Betty. The tank engine whistled happily as Roger stopped at the station.

  “Hello, sugar,” She smiled at the old Porter.

  “Hello to you too, Betty,” Roger smiled.

  “You seemed much better compared to this morning, hun,” She commented, “Maybe it’s my sweet smile, a cutie like you should always smile.”

  This made Roger chuckle.

  “Maybe,” the old Porter agreed with Betty.

  July 26th, 2021

  “I could imagine Roger’s face when Betty says cutie to you,” Esmee teased.

  “Oh, stop,” Roger chuckled a bit, “I don’t mind it nowadays, I mean, it’s how the world works.”

  “But the accomplishments that you did, mainline excursions, and operating far out of Pennsylvania,” Skylark reminded the old Porter, “You’re not just a cutie, but you’re a cutie that defines preservation.”

  Roger chuckled.

  “I appreciated you two,” the old Porter smiled, “You made an old engine like me smile like the good old days.”

  “You’re welcome,” Esmee smiled, but had a question, “Last week, I saw you speaking to a young woman. Who is she? She looks like Mrs. Hutton just a bit.”

  “That’s…Samuel's granddaughter,” Roger told his female crew, “She oddly has a similar personality to her great-grandmother, Lizzy.”

  “How do you know?” Skylark asks curiously.

  Roger grinned.

  “Because she called me cutie and sweetheart,” the old Porter laughed softly to the shocked faces of his crew.