The Winx Club's Sodor Adventures - Season 1

Episode 15: Tenders and Turntables

Henry and Gordon were lonely when Thomas and Bloom left the yard to run their branch line. They missed them very much. They had more work to do, and had to fetch their own coaches. The big engines thought they were too important to fetch coaches. James grumbled too.

"We get no rest! We get no rest!" they all complained, but their fairy friends and the coaches only laughed. "You're lazy and slack! You're lazy and slack!" they answered.

All together, the engines were causing Sir Topham Hatt a great deal of trouble.

The big stations at both ends of the line each have a turntable. Sir Topham Hatt had made them so that the tender engines can be turned round. Because it is dangerous for them to go fast backwards.

Little tank engines like Thomas don't need turntables. They can go just as well backwards as forwards. But to hear Gordon talk, you would have thought that Sir Topham Hatt had given him a tender, just to show how important he was.

"You don't understand, little Thomas, we tender engines have a position to keep up. It doesn't matter where you go, but we are important, and for Sir Topham Hatt to make us do shunting, fetch coaches and go on some of those dirty sidings, it's... It's... Well, it's not the proper thing."

Thomas and Bloom chuckled and went off with Annie and Clarabel.

"Disgraceful!" Gordon hissed as he ran backwards to the turntable.

The turntable was in a windy place close to the sea, and if he was not on it just right, he put it out of balance and made it difficult to turn. Today, Gordon was in a bad temper and the wind was blowing fiercely. Aisha tried to make him stop in the right place, but Gordon wasn't trying. The fireman tried to turn the handle, but Gordon's weight and the strong wind prevented him. This made Aisha upset.

"It's no good," she said at last. "Your big tender upsets the balance. If you were a little tank engine, you'd be all right. Now we'll have to pull the next train backwards."

"Look!" called some boys. "There's a new tank engine. Oh! It's only Gordon, back to front."

Even Aisha thought that was funny and laughed, too.

"Hello!" called Thomas. "Playing tank engines? Sensible engine! Take my advice, scrap your tender and have a nice bunker.

Gordon said nothing. Even James and Stella laughed when they saw him.

"Take care," hissed Gordon. "You might stick too."

"No fear!" chuckled James. "I'm not so fat as you!"

Later, James arrived at the sheds to be turned around.

"I mustn't stick," thought James. Stella stopped him on just the right place to balance the table. It could now swing easily.

Gordon and Aisha arrived in time to see everything. James turned much too easily. The wind puffed him found like a top. He couldn't stop. When he finally stopped, he was very dizzy. And Stella, seeing that it was funny, began to laugh.

"Well, well!" said Gordon. "Are you playing roundabouts?"

Poor James, feeling quite giddy, rolled off to the shed without a word.

That night, the three engines had an indignation meeting. "It's shameful to treat tender engines like this! Gordon has to go backwards, and people think he's a tank engine. James spins round like a top, and everyone laughs at us. And to add to that, Sir Topham Hatt makes us all shunt in dirty sidings. Ugh!"

"Listen," said Gordon. He whispered something to the others. "We'll do it tomorrow. Sir Topham Hatt will look silly!"

The engines had decided to go on strike.

To Be Continued...