TOP OF THE CLASS
A big green diesel was waiting impatiently at the Vicarstown Bridge. He grumbled furiously.
"Stupid late steamer...the other engines are going to tear me a new radiator when they find out about this..." He groaned. The bridge lowered, and the diesel slowly rolled across.
"Finally..." He muttered. However, he heard a whistle and groaned.
"Not her!" Suddenly, Caitlin sped past. She grinned at him.
"Evening, 'Bowler'!" She called. The diesel scowled.
"It's Class 40." He grumbled. Caitlin simply laughed at him. Class 40 sighed.
"Where did I go wrong?" He thought, remembering that faithful day several years ago.
Long ago, Class 40 had come to Sodor to help fill out an engine shortage. He told the steam engines how outdated they were, and as a result of this they didn't like him very much. Then, one day, he was due to pull the express. He was being checked over when he unintentionally sucked an inspector's bowler hat into his air intake. He broke down, and was shunted into the sheds by two little tank engines named Duck and Stepney. While they got all the glory for pulling the express, Class 40 was sent home in disgrace. Although he tried to keep it under wraps, the story spread like wildfire, and soon enough every engine on the mainland knew about "Bowler"'s misadventure. They even started calling him that! Class 40 was humiliated, and feared returning to Sodor ever since. Whenever he did, he was very quick about it and was determined to be as discrete as possible.
Class 40 dropped off his trucks for the ship to load up, and returned hime to his shed. To his annoyance, in the row next to him was Connor, one of the streamlined steamers.
"Fabulous. Just what I need." He grumbled sarcastically. He rolled into the shed, where Connor grinned at him.
"Hey, 'Bowler'!" He chuckled. Class 40 scowled.
"What do you want, steamer?" He snapped.
"Just wanted to say how much I'm looking forward to working together." Connor said innocently. Class 40 raised an eyebrow.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He said. Connor grinned.
"Wait and see!" He chuckled, and let off steam before going to sleep. Class 40 coughed in disgust.
"Cheeky streamliner..." He muttered.
The following morning, Class 40 was being primed for work when a tacky yellow car pulled up to his sheds.
"What is that?" He muttered. Out stepped an unfamiliar man with long grey hair and a beard. He walked over to the yard manager, and then to Class 40.
"Hello, D261!" The man said, "Or should I call you 'Bowler'? Connor and Caitlin said that's what you prefer." Class 40's eye twitched.
"'Class 40' suits me fine, sir." He said through gritted teeth.
"Alright then, Class 40. My name is Sir Robert Norramby, and I am the Earl of Sodor. I own your friends, Connor and Caitlin, and I run all sorts of tourist ventures all over the Island of Sodor." Class 40 raised an eyebrow.
"With all due respect, what does this have to do with me, sir?" Class 40 said. Sir Robert grinned.
"I have purchased you for the purpose of running goods from the mainland to my sites. Connor and Caitlin are far too busy to take them, and the North Western is too busy as well. You've been to Sodor before, so I'm sure that you'll fit right in!" He said. Class 40's eye twitched again.
"Sure. I would be glad to, sir." He said in a manner that suggested he was lying. The Earl, however, didn't notice.
"Splendid! Your first job is to take a train of crates from Brendam Docks up to Ulfstead Castle. I have purchased several new items to add to my medieval collection, and they are sure to attract lots of tourists!" Sir Robert got back into his car, and drove away with excitement. As soon as he was out of sight, Class 40's eye twitched once more. He took a deep breath, and...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Birds who had perched on nearby trees flew away in fright!
At Brendam Docks, the engines were all very busy. Salty was being repaired, so Duck was sent to help Porter keep everything tidy.
"Keep it up, Duck! These trucks need to go to the other side of the yard!" Porter called.
"Certainly, Porter!" Duck began shunting the trucks into a siding, when he saw a long green shape slink into the docks.
"Hey, wait a minute. Is that who I think it is?" Duck was uncoupled from his trucks and snuck alongside the familiar diesel.
"'Bowler'? Is that you?" He said. The diesel looked startled.
"Erm, no. No 'Bowler' here!" He said quickly, before trying to get away. However, this was a bust as he hit some trucks on the line in front of him and stopped. This gave Duck time to read his number.
"D-2-6-1...It is you!" He grinned, "I haven't seen you in ages!" Class 40 sighed; he had been found out.
"Yes, it's me. Yay." He said dully. Suddenly, he heard a whistle and groaned as Porter rolled alongside.
"Who's this, Duck?" The dockside engine asked.
"This diesel visited Sodor once," Duck explained, "And got sent away in disgrace after he sucked a bowler hat into his air intake! Stepney and I had to pull the express for him after that!" He began to laugh, as Porter and Cranky joined him. Class 40 scowled.
"My name is Class 40, and I am not being sent away this time. The Earl of Sodor has purchased me, so I'm here to stay. And I'm just peachy about it." He said flatly. Duck chuckled as Class 40 backed down onto his trucks.
"Well, be sure not to suck any bowler hats up this time, Class 40!" He said. Class 40 rolled his eyes and began pulling away with the trucks. He wanted this job to be over as soon as possible so he could avoid the other engines.
Unfortunately, news spreads quickly on the North Western Railway.
"Hey, it's 'Bowler'!" A child pointed at Class 40 from a footbridge as he rolled through Wellsworth station. Molly saw Class 40 and chuckled, leaving the disgraced diesel to scowl.
"Ugh." He groaned. But no matter where he went, there always seemed to be somebody laughing at him.
"Look, Annie and Clarabel!" Thomas pointed out as Class 40 rolled through Knapford, "It's that diesel who likes eating hats!" The two coaches chortled, leaving Class 40 to growl.
Despite this, his journey went relatively well, and he reached Ulfstead Castle on time. The Earl was standing on the platform, and clapped his hands happily.
"Class 40! Splendid to see you!" He said, before looking to his load.
"Was an absolute breeze getting here..." Class 40 muttered. Nearby, Stephen was sitting on a siding, and decided to talk to the newcomer.
"Hey, youngster!" Stephen smiled, as he puffed over. Class 40 scoffed.
"Whatever you have to say, I don't need to hear it. Especially if has anything to with hats." He said. Stephen was confused. He hadn't heard about Class 40's first visit to Sodor.
"What's bad about hats?" He asked. Class 40 grumbled as he was uncoupled from the train.
"Save it." He muttered. He began to roll away to have a rest at the Dieselworks, but the Earl flagged him down.
"Wait a minute, Class 40!" He said, "I need to take these rubbish trucks to the dump. It's waste from this past weekend's banquet." Class 40, grumbling, backed down onto the heavy trucks.
"Yes, sir." After they were coupled up, he rolled away towards the dump.
Out on the main line, Hiro was rolling along with a long, heavy goods train. Thick steam erupted from his funnel, and his wheels battered the rails. The trucks were heavier than usual, and they were weighing him back.
"Come on!" He panted. He whistled loud and long and pulled hard; too hard! With one final wheel turn, steam began hissing from his undercarriage and he slowly rolled to a stop.
"My cylinder!" He cried. The train rolled to a halt, right in the middle of the main line!
Class 40 rumbled along with his trucks of rubbish behind him. He hated the smell, but the line was clear and there were no laughing engines in sight.
"Finally. Some peace and q-whoa!" He saw a red flag on the line and braked to a halt. Up ahead, he saw a brakevan on the line in front of him. He looked up and saw a weak column of steam coming from the front of the train. He honked impatiently.
"Come on, steamer! I haven't got all day!" He snapped.
"Apologies. But something's happened with my cylinder; I can't move!" Hiro said from the front of the train. Class 40 considered his options. He had no desire to help a filthy steamer, and his own trucks were heavy enough. But at the same time, he would have to reverse back to the junction to get past, and that was several miles back and he would have to wait for a road, making him late. He sighed.
"All right, steamer. I'll give you a buffer to the next station. Just keep your brakes off." Class 40 began to push against Hiro's heavy train. The Japanese engine smiled.
"Thank you."
Class 40 struggled hard against the heavy train. Despite his reddening face, his eyes kept darting from side to side.
"You looking for something?" One of Hiro's trucks snapped.
"Bowler hats..." Class 40 muttered, but the truck didn't hear. Hiro was trying his best to keep the brakes off, but Class 40 was taking a large amount of the weight of the train. As he struggled along, Diesel rolled past. He saw the large diesel managing to move the heavy train, and honked his horn. He was impressed.
"Go on then!" He called, "Show that steamie who's boss!" Class 40 heard this and rumbled onwards.
"Who was that? Have I met them before?" He asked no one in particular. Hiro looked in excitement; Maron station was in sight!
"We're nearly there!" He called back, "Keep puff-erm, oiling!" Class 40 pushed Hiro into the station and braked into a halt.
"Thank you! I don't think I know your name. What is it?" Hiro smiled with gratitude.
"Just call me Class 40, steamer." The diesel responded dully.
"Well, Class 40, moving two trains and a dead engine is no joke. I appreciate your help." Class 40 moved Hiro's train to another platform, and uncoupled from him.
"Just doing my job, steamer." Class 40 muttered. He rolled back towards his trucks and left, leaving a smiling Hiro behind.
Class 40 dropped off his rubbish trucks and returned to the castle. Much to his annoyance, Caitlin and Connor were there, waiting to take their evening passenger trains home.
"Evening, 'Bowler'! You spending the night?" Connor grinned. Class 40 scowled. However, Diesel's words echoed through his mind.
"Show that steamie who's boss!" Class 40 grinned. He knew where he wanted to save the night.
"No. I'm spending the night at the Dieselworks. Just making you steamers are still of out of date, filthy, and slow before I go!" Class 40 honked his horn and reversed away. Stephen rolled forwards to try and talk to him, but the diesel had already reversed down the hill.
Class 40 rumbled along light-engine towards the Dieselworks. He heard the sound of loud talking as he rolled down the line towards the yards.
"What's that?" He muttered. He rumbled through the dimly lit yards and approached the the shed. There was one clear line, which he used to roll into the sheds. To his surprise, the diesels erupted into cheering as Class 40 pulled in. The big diesel looked around. Around him were 'Arry, Bert, Diesel, Den, Dart, Paxton, Norman, and Sidney, hanging out all over the Dieselworks. Before Class 40 had any time to react, Den buffered up behind him and pushed him onto the turntable.
"What's going on?" Class 40 spluttered as he was lifted into the air. The diesels cheered for him.
"Go Class 40!" Diesel cheered.
"Showing those steamies who's boss!" 'Arry grinned.
"What do you all want with me?" Class 40 demanded.
"Well, um, what I mean is..." Den said.
"What he means is, you did a jolly good job today!" Dart grinned. The diesels broke out into cheering again. Class 40 smirked. Suddenly, a sinister figure coasted onto the line behind Class 40.
"Gentlemen!" The figure cleared his throat. The diesels continued cheering. The figure scowled and banged his claw against the wall.
"GENTLEMEN!" The diesels fell silent. Class 40 was turned around on the table. Looking him in the face was Diesel 10. Class 40 fell silent, but the clawed diesel grinned.
"No need to feel threatened, my friend. Come, take a place up here." Class 40 reluctantly rolled next to Diesel 10. He was smaller than Class 40, but that claw was not anything the green diesel wished to encounter in the near future. To his surprise, however, Diesel 10 used his claw to grab a barrel of fuel, and hoisted it up into the air.
"I'd like to propose a toast to our guest of honor! Everybody raise your glasses!" Diesel 10 announced. The diesels looked confused.
"But we don't have hands, Diesel 10!" Paxton pointed out. Diesel 10 glared at the little diesel and tightened his grip on the fuel drum, causing it to begin to leak onto his claw. Paxton whimpered and fell silent. A nearby Norman rolled his eyes. Diesel 10 cleared his throat and continued.
"As I was saying, Our dear new friend, Class 40, has done us a great service today. He has outdone a steam engine. This is a diesel who is truly capable of proving that us diesels are the revolutionary way of the future, and we are in his debt. So let us, drink, gentlemen," Paxton took a breath, "Yes, Paxton, I am entirely aware of the fact that we cannot literally drink. A toast to D261. He may be Class 40, but to us, he's top of the class!" The diesels erupted into cheering again. Class 40 himself was rather taken aback.
"Nobody's cheered for me in years..." He muttered, before his face broke out into a grin.
"Thank you! Thank you!" He smarmed, with as much charisma as he could muster. As the other diesels cheered, Diesel 10 dipped his claw into the fuel drum. He began drawing a crude image of a steam engine with the fuel on his claw. Once it was done, he smirked.
"Just watch out, steamies..." He snickered, and bashed his claw into it and smeared it everywhere, mutilating the picture.
Class 40 left the Dieselworks after getting a luxurious night of sleep. He coasted up to Ulfstead Castle in a brilliant mood, and rolled into the platform. Sir Robert was there, excitedly holding a list.
"Good morning, Class 40!" He said chipperly. Stephen was sitting nearby, and was curious at the wide grin across the diesel's face.
"Good morning, sir!" Class 40 grinned. Sir Robert looked at his list, before handing it to the driver.
"You've a lot to do today, Class 40! Hiro's out of commission for a while, so you are going to do his work until he is repaired. This should help you become a bit more familiar with the island!" The driver nodded, and the diesel started off. Stephen began to roll towards him.
"You're in a good mood today, Class 40." He commented. Class 40 scoffed.
"No time to talk to filthy steam engines! I'm top of the class; reputation to uphold, you know!" And he rolled down the hill, leaving a hurt Stephen behind.
As Class 40 went about his work, he ended up encountering many steam engines along the way. Out on the main line, he found Donald and Douglas, struggling to move a heavy line of ballast trucks. He switched onto their line and gave them a push, causing them to begin to move forward in a much quicker manner.
"When did ye get such grip, Douggie?" Donald asked.
"Me? I thought it was ye!" Douglas replied. As the signal was red, they came to a stop and Class 40 rolled alongside. The twins scowled at the diesel, but he simply grinned at them.
"What do yon diesels think ye are doing with our train!?" Douglas snapped.
"Simply showing how I'm top of the class." Class 40 smirked, and rolled away, leaving Donald and Douglas to cough behind him. 'Arry and Bert rolled down the other line, and grinned approvingly at Class 40.
"Stupid diesel..." Donald muttered. The Caledonian twins weren't the only ones outdone by Class 40. Percy was shunting trucks in the yard when he saw a long line of Troublesome Trucks moving towards him.
"Get away!" He cried, and reversed. However, at the rear of the train, Class 40 was rolling along whistling a little tune. Percy scowled.
"Bother." He muttered. James encountered Class 40 too. He had pulled into a station and was being admired by a group of passengers when Class 40 raced through. Something flew out of one of the trucks and hit James in the face.
"OUCH!" He cried, but the diesel was already long gone. Throughout the day, Class 40 caused all sorts of trouble for the steam engines! Gordon was speeding along the line with the express when Class 40 rocketed by, blowing leaves onto the big engine's face.
"Hey!" Gordon called, but the diesel was out of sight. Henry was at the washdown when Class 40 sped through a muddy puddle nearby, splashing him with mud all over again.
"Watch it!" Henry shouted. Emily was taking some passengers when she suddenly braked to a halt to see Class 40 speeding across her path.
"I had right of way!" She whistled, but Class 40 didn't care.
"Top of the class, that's me!" He announced to his trucks, "Keep in line!"
"WE DON'T CARE!" The exhausted trucks chorused, but Class 40 continued rambling.
That night, at Tidmouth Sheds, the engines all complained about Class 40's ego.
"He's worse than the first time!" Percy groaned.
"I don't know how he got such a high and mighty persona..." Edward put in.
"He nearly caused an accident!" Emily added.
"It's disgraceful!" Gordon snapped.
"Disgusting!" James added.
"Despicable!" Henry finished.
"But I don't see anything we can do about it..." Thomas sighed. The engines suggested all sorts of ideas, but none of them clicked. They were just going to have to wait for time to take its toll.
The following day, Class 40 had to take an important load of pipes to a ship on the mainland. He arrived in the yard, where Philip was shunting his trucks.
"Hurry up! I cannot be late!" The big diesel announced. Philip had never met this newcomer before, and was eager to prove himself.
"Yes, sir, big engine! In fact, I'll shunt the whole train at once!" He banged the multiple flatbeds of pipes into each other. They were very heavy, and Philip was having trouble moving them.
"Any minute now!" Philip called. The shunter was moving along at a snails pace. However, he dumped sand on the rails and surged forwards. Stanley and Rosie were both crossing the junction ahead. Philip rolled right into their path, and they suddenly braked to a stop.
"Philip!" They groaned. Philip managed to push the heavy flatbeds into Class 40. The diesel grunted proudly as they bumped his rear. However, as he was about to start off, he heard the two stopped engines saying something.
"My brakes! Philip, why were you going so fast?" Stanley demanded. Philip looked guilty.
"Sorry. Just wanted to show the big engine how strong I am." He sighed.
"Well, we can't pull our trains now! We've damaged our brakes!" Rosie said, exasperated. This gave Class 40 an idea.
"Two trains was no trouble...I'm sure if I pulled three trains, they might love me even more!" He chuckled to himself.
"If you need assistance with your trains, I'll take them for you. I can travel fast enough to make up the time!" Class 40 called backwards.
"Three trains is no joke," Rosie cautioned, "We can wait for another engine."
"These are important trains, Rosie. He's our best option." Stanley pointed out. Rosie sighed. Philip excitedly got the trucks together and Class 40 smirked.
"This'll be easy! I am, after all, a modern diesel engine!" Class 40 began to roll away, dragging his train of pipes, Stanley's train of crates, and Rosie's train full of unknown boxes, labled "Vicarstown Shopping Centre".
"Good luck, big engine!" Philip called out, but Class 40 was already around the bend.
Class 40 brought his long line of trucks down the main line. Despite not wanting to admit it, he was feeling the strain of the train.
"Come on!" He groaned, "I'm top of the class! Stupid trucks can't hold me back!" He rolled through Wellsworth, where Molly watched him.
"Do you n-need help? Your t-train seems v-very heavy!" She called. Class 40 scoffed, and continued onwards up the hill.
"I don't-huff-need help from a steamer!" He panted. As Class 40 rolled up the hill, he coughed out smoke, which flew into the faces of the trucks.
"Oh!" A truck coughed.
"Think you can pollute our air and get away with it?" Another grinned.
"Let's get 'im." Another one grinned. As Class 40 struggled over the top of the hill, the trucks pushed against him and he began to pick up speed.
"Stop it, you stupid trucks!" He wailed, but they only cackled as they pushed against him. Class 40 screamed as he was pushed onwards by the laughing trucks.
"Help! Help!" He wailed. He raced through Crosby station, startling Thomas, who was pulling the local.
"Whoa!" Thomas gasped, as the diesel rocketed through. Fortunately, the stationmaster had seen the runaway train, and phoned a nearby signalbox. Class 40 was diverted onto a siding further down the line, and picked up speed as he approached the siding.
"AHH!" He wailed. He barreled through the buffers and into the ditch below. Luckily, the train behind him managed to come to a halt. However, the trucks rammed into each other and one box soared out of one of the trucks. It landed on top of Class 40 and split, revealing its contents; bowler hats. Class 40 groaned in pain, while his driver and the guard ran back for help.
It took a long time for Rocky and a recently-repaired Hiro to arrive at the scene of the disaster. Hiro hauled the heavy trucks away, while Rocky lifted the damaged diesel back onto the rails. When Class 40 was upright again, he was surprised to see The Fat Controller and Winston staring him in the face.
"Had a bit of trouble there?" Winston mused. The Fat Controller, however, was not as jovial.
"It is not in my jurisdiction to scold you for your recklessness, D261." He said, "But I expect Sir Robert will have a few words for you when you return." Class 40 sighed. The Fat Controller then turned to Hiro.
"Hiro, there's still time for that load to catch the ship. I need you to just take the pipes over the bridge and to the ship."
"Yes, sir!" Hiro was coupled up to the pipes and began to roll away, while Donald and Douglas arrived to take the other trucks away. After this, Class 40 was dragged back to the Dieselworks by Sidney.
Hiro managed to make good time, and caught the ship with a few minutes to spare. When he returned, he was greeted to a hero's welcome.
"Hooray for Hiro!" The engines chorused as the big engine rolled past Tidmouth Sheds. Hiro grinned proudly.
Class 40's welcome back at the Dieselworks, however, was not quite as warm. When Sidney shunted the bruised and battered diesel onto the turntable, the other diesels all glared at him. Diesel 10 spoke with a cold expression.
"You managed to screw it up. I gave you power, influence, a legion of adoring fans...and you squander it. Everyone's saying Hiro, a steamie, is so great, and you've made us look bad." He glared. Class 40 grinned back at him, weakly.
"No problem, Diesel 10. As soon as I'm repaired, I can get back to work and show those steamers how much better I am, right?" He chuckled. Diesel 10 scowled.
"No." The next thing Class 40 knew, he was sitting outside the repair sheds in the cold.
Over the next few days, Class 40's repairs were slowly but surely done. However, he was outcast from the other diesels and began to grow lonely. One night, he was surprised to see Stephen, Connor, and Caitlin arrive at the Dieselworks.
"What do you lot want?" He demanded.
"Simply wanted to see how our co-worker was getting on." Connor remarked.
"Not interested." He muttered. Stephen and Caitlin shared a glance, before Stephen spoke up.
"We thought we'd visit you to tell you that we look forward to you getting back." He smiled. Class 40 was shocked; he didn't think anyone wanted him since he stopped being "top of the class"!
"But, I-" Before he could continue, Caitlin cut him off. She backed into him tender-first, and slowly pushed him into the shed.
"To keep you out of the cold." She smiled. Class 40 was taken aback. The three engines began to roll away, Connor and Caitlin in a fashion much faster than Stephen. However, Class 40 called out to the old engine.
"Wait!" He said. Stephen paused.
"Yes?"
"T-thanks." Stephen chuckled, and continued on. Class 40 looked at the departing engines and couldn't help but chuckling.
"Funny to think my true friends would be a couple of steamers." He remarked, and went to sleep, now in the nice warm shed. The boiler hat that had lodged itself in his damaged wheels fell to the floor.
THE END
Class 40's not a character most people bother with in terms of returnees, which I think is a darn shame. I chose to use him at Ulfstead Castle because that environment lacks the antagonistic force that other places do. With Class 40, however, there will be a bit of a rain cloud over the bright sunniness of Stephen, Caitlin, Connor, and Millie. He's matured since his first visit, although he still likes to talk a big game, he mostly is just a pessimist who likes to stay out of the spotlight. I think this story had a lot of good morals too. What goes around comes around, your true friends are the ones who stick with you in your lowest moments, etc. Giving Diesel 10 a role in this story was something I thought would be fun as well, as the scene of him giving a toast with a fuel drum was a particularly powerful image for influencing this story. This is my longest story yet, as well as having the largest speaking cast of any episode in the TV Series up to this point. Hopefully you enjoy the other stories of this DVD release! After all six episodes will be a special surprise, so be ready! Come back tomorrow for Close Encounters of the Toad Kind!