Dear Pioneer Zephyr,
What a month it’s been! Your letter arrived just before I took my first trip down the tracks with the Goddesses. I wanted to start on my reply right away, but they did our test run at night so we didn’t disappoint any crowds if things didn’t work out and it was late by the time we finished. I’ve had a few days’ rest and some more time to think on your letter since then.
Your story about The City of Salina was sad, but was something of a comfort after my last letter too. Is that strange to say? It was nice to know that my feelings about Mate and about being the one left behind were not unusual. Preservation has been one realization after another and this one might be the most important one of all. I didn’t get a lot of time to really get to know the other types of engines I worked alongside, but it seems like we all have more in common than I realized, regardless of build.
I asked some of the volunteers if they had any pictures of Salina and one of them brought in a book to show me. Imagine my shock when I saw a photo of the both of you together! All the pictures were in black-and-white, so I couldn’t see Salina’s yellow, but one of the volunteers thinks he has a color postcard at home he can show me. You and I are lucky; we mostly look the same in black-and-white as we do in color.
Salina seems like he was a great engine and I’m happy that you shared his story with me. I hope there will be a time when I can tell others about Mate in the same way. What you said about Salina and Mate being part of our stories, it got me thinking. I said in my first letter that I liked my name because Mate and I were a matched set, but now that there’s just me left, I’ve never been more proud to wear the A in 9952A. Not that I wasn’t before, but it’s almost like proof. I can’t be 9952A without there having been a 9952B too. I think (I hope?) that this means I’m getting better at doing this half of the job. As for the other half…
My test run went great! At first, I was more nervous than I even have words for. The mechanics and engineer had worked very hard to get me here, I didn’t want to let them down. But everyone was so kind and encouraging and I remembered all the nice things you wrote. That helped. Venus even wished me luck (quiet-like so the others didn’t hear). Then we were off!
It was magnificent. The whole train gleaming in the moonlight, feeling the rails rumble under the weight of a full five cars, and me! I wish you could have seen it. I don’t think any engine has ever been as happy as I was to travel the short distance up and down the line. We didn’t get up to speed, as there’s not much room and it was dark, but even just ambling along was enough to put everyone in high spirits. The Goddesses were delighted and I got to hear Ceres speak for the first time! She sits so far back and only whispers to Juno so I don’t ever hear her, but her voice was clear as a bell that night.
The staff say they hope to get us fully operational for Members Day next month. They’re going to serve lunch in Ceres while we take all the museum members along the main line. We’ll have one more test run between then and now, but I’m optimistic with how well this one went. If I make a good enough impression, we’ll get more donations and maybe they can fix the Goddesses’ air-conditioning! Everyone’s excited and it feels like everything is on the right track after so long.
Have I said “thank you” enough yet? I don’t know that I have. I spent so many months sitting in a siding by myself, only to come here and feel like an outsider and a burden. But here I am now, and everyone is rooting for me! It’s hard not to feel like your letters played a role in helping me get to this point. Your words of advice, your willingness to listen, and even the simple offer of friendship; they were all just as important as the mechanical repairs in getting me ready for operational service again. So once again, from the very core of both my engines: thank you. You’re an inspiration to me and I couldn’t ask for a better friend.
My volunteer letter writer says his hand is starting to cramp so I’d better wrap this up. If I don’t hear from you before Members Day, I’ll be sure to update you on how it went. Please give everyone at MSI my best!
Your friend,
Silver Pilot