Size Isn't Everything

There is an old saying amongst the trains of yesteryear, "Size doesn't always mean everything". The engines were working very hard one fine day as Zachery was pulling the Heavy Freight Express. He loved doing this job the most. To be modest, he never boasted about it, and he never showed any sign of fuss. He wanted to be a really useful engine.

Gordon who was also a big and very grand engine, pulled the express. He loved doing this the most to make him feel very important. He always believed that pulling the express was the only important job on the island, and is the only engine to pull it. Ever since Zachery's arrival, Gordon always thought it best that the bigger you were in size, the grander you are in the eyes of many. It made him cross and secretly jealous when the other engines were talking about how Zachery was pulling a long line of freight thundering down the line. Gordon replied with a hiss.

"Pah," he said, "An engine who can pull freight gets more attention compared to an engine who pulls the express? You must be joking."

"Well," replied Duck, "They do say that if Zachery is able to pull long lines of freight, he can pull long line of coaches."

James chuckled and teased, "That means he just might take your job, Gordon."

Gordon didn't reply. He didn't know James was teasing, and this made him think to himself. "Could it be true?" he thought, "What am I going to pull then?" This made him worried.

The next day when Gordon's fireman lit and stoked his fire, and his driver was at his controls, Gordon thought to himself, "Yes I do it. I will pull ten coaches." He hurries off to fetch the coaches. Thomas and Percy where at the big central station when they saw Gordon coming in with a lot of steam and 10 coaches behind him.

"Bless me," said Thomas, "I've never seen Gordon try and pull ten coaches before."

Percy cheekily replied, "Probably he's going for a new record."

The two watch Gordon as Gordon waits for his passengers were all on board. The conductor waved his green flag and blew his whistle. Gordon blew his whistle.

"Poop poop! I'm ready!"

"We're ready too!" sang the coaches.

And with that they were off. Gordon's boiler ached and his wheels moaned as they trundled down the main line. The driver was checking the valves making sure everything was working, "Keep steady Gordon," he said, "You are doing fine."

"If he can do it, I can do it. If he can do it, I can do it." Gordon said, determined to be a grand engine. What happened next no one will know. Perhaps Gordon wanted to go faster, or his driver forgot to let off steam. As soon as the next station was in sight, Gordon felt a bang as he let of enormous amounts of steam.

"Oooooooo I feel weak!" He said with a groan. Gordon stopped at the station for his driver, firman, and the station mechanic to look him all over.

"Well," the mechanic said, "Not only did he break the safety valve, one of his boiler pipes came loose."

"Well we shall have to get another train…at this rate the train will be behind schedule, causing delay," Said the driver to the station conductor nearby.

While Gordon had to me removed from his express, Zachery was called to pull the train. Zachery himself was worried. Pulling heavy freight and trucks was one thing, but pulling coaches with people inside was an entirely different matter. He set off to where Gordon and the express was stationed. Upon his arrival, he saw Gordon at a siding sulking as he was being repaired. He backed up to the train slowly and carefully. He accidentally banged the coaches as the coupler connected him to the passenger train. Gordon grew sadder still as he saw Zachery with his express.

"Oh dreary me," he said, "I have been replaced."

The return journey home for the passengers was not a smooth one. As much as Zachery tried to go slow and steady along the main line, the coaches rocked and rattled, clicked and clanked, biffed and bumped along. The passengers inside were holding on to their seats for dear life. Their luggage was jumping up and down, and some even fell on some passenger's heads. When Zachery reached grand central station, passengers exited the train and to head to the ticket office, exclaiming how this was a bad railway. Sir Topham had was quick to quell the noise and asked Zachery to bring Gordon back.

Zachery pulled Gordon home as the two shared a wonderful conversation.

"I'm sorry for causing trouble with the passengers," said Zachery, "I never was good with passenger trains."

"Don't be sorry," said Gordon, "I shouldn't have pulled so many coaches. I was only trying to be a grand engine."

"Why you are Gordon," said Zachery smiling, "I could never pull a passenger train as grandly and smoothly as you can. I just prefer my heavy freight."

With that the two engines became great friends.