Blake's First Day
One particular day at the Sodor and Mainland railway, the engines were working hard.
A new tank engine with 6 small wheels, a short stumpy boiler and a small cab steamed into the station. He was very excited. He couldn't wait to get to work. A lot of the engine saw the new tank engine.
The tank engine gave them a happy toot-toot on his whistle. "Hello," he said. The engines continued on. The new tank engine soon arrived at the box office.
The manager soon came out and welcomed the new tank engine. "Ah, what do we have here?" he said. The new tank engine announced himself.
"My name is Blake," he said in a official voice, "Number 501 ready to go to work. You can count on me!" "Ah, Blake," said the manager, "Hmm, yes." There a lots of trucks in the sidings unarranged today." "You want me to take them?" asked Blake.
"You are going to shunt them," said the manager. Blake soon was excited, but after hearing that he was only here to shunt trucks as a station shunter, Blake became depressed. "Blake is ready to shunt trucks," he said sadly.
So Blake set to work shunting trucks and moving heavy goods wagons into their proper sidings. He felt sad. Most of the old trucks were very rude and awkward.
As Blake shunted them into the sidings, they began to taunt Blake. And they gave him a hearty laugh. "You can't move us!" they all said. "You're just lazy and slow!" another one said.
Blake became more depressed. Yet, he shunted them very hard. At last, all the trucks were in their sidings. Blake took a rest in the goods shed. "I wish I could pull trains," he said quietly.
The two engines next to him took no notice. Blake sighed. 2 hours later, Blake shunted a long passenger train at the station. When he left, a bigger engine was coupled up to the carriages.
"Hello," said Blake, "That's some heavy passenger train you're pulling." The engine didn't listen to Blake and steamed off. He felt left out. "No one listens to me," he thought to himself, "All I wanted to do is to make friends."
After he arranged 2 trains for 2 engines, Blake rested in the sheds, thinking of what to do.
The next day, Blake arranged a passenger train for a large engine and then headed back to the sheds. He stood there and wondered if he will have any adventures.
Then there was trouble. The manager was having tea when he got a phone call. "Huh?" he said, "What? The engine that was supposed to pull the passenger train failed to start?! Send another engine at once."
However, a lot of the engines were away on mountain work. And some were being repaired or upgraded.
"There are no engines avalible," said the Yard Worker. "Yeah," said the manager, "Except one engine." The manager ran up to Blake.
"There is an emergency," began the manager, "The passenger engine couldn't work today. And there are no engines avalible to take the train. You're the only engine left. You must pull the passenger train."
Blake was excited. "I'll do my best sir," he said happily. Blake hurried off to the waiting passenger train. He was soon coupled up to the train.
He was excited. His first real train. "Now it's action time," Blake said proudly. As soon as the passengers were on board, Blake gave his hardest puff.
Without any other engines avalible, he was on his own. And it would be tough going. Blake strained, steam poured from his funnel and his wheels slipped.
But Blake gave it all he got and finally pulled the train on his own. He was happy. It was tough going, but he managed it all right on his own.
Once the day was done and Blake pulled the passenger train for it's last run of the day, Blake felt proud for himself.
"Well done, Blake," said the Manager, "Would you like to work outside the yard sometimes?" "Oh yes, please!" said Blake happily.
Blake was always excited on new adventures to come. Next time, he decided to make new friends on the Sodor and Mainland Railway.