The Winx Club's Sodor Adventures - Season 1

Episode 23: James in a Mess

Toby and Henrietta were enjoying their new job, working with Roxy on the Island of Sodor, but they do look old-fashioned and did need new paint. James was very rude whenever he saw them.

"Ugh! What dirty objects!" he would say.

"James, enough with the insults," scolded Stella, "We're supposed to be role models for this island."

At last, Toby lost patience. "James?" he asked, "why are you red?"

"Toby's got a point," said Roxy, "That's what I like to know."

"I am a splendid engine," answered James. "Ready for anything. You never see my paint dirty."

"Oh!" said Toby innocently. "That's why you once needed bootlaces; to be ready, I suppose."

James went redder than ever, and snorted off. It was such an insult to reminded of the time Stella had to use a bootlace to mend a hole in a brakepipe on one of his coaches.

At the end of the line, James and Stella left their coaches and got ready for their next train. It was a slow freight, stopping at every station to pick up and set down cars. James and Stella hated slow freight trains. "Dirty cars from dirty sidings! Ugh!"

Starting with only a few, they picked up more and more cars at each station, till they had a long train.

At first, the freight cars behaved well, but James bumped them so crossly that they were determined to pay him back. Presently, they approached the top of Gordon's Hill. Heavy freight trains halt here to set their brakes. James had had an accident with cars before, and should've remembered this.

"Wait, James, wait!" said Stella, but James wouldn't wait. He was too busy thinking what he would say to Toby and Roxy when they next met.

The freight cars' chance had come. "Hurrah, hurrah!" they laughed. And banging their buffers, they pushed him down the hill.

"On, on, on!" yelled the cars.

"Stella, help! I've got to stop," groaned James.

"I can't!" cried Stella. "I'm too scared to move! Whatever should I do!?"

Through the station they thundered, disaster lay ahead.

"Oh, no!" cried James. "Stella, brace yourself!"

"Oh, this is going to be messy!" gasped Stella. And she was right.

Something sticky splashed all over James. He had run into two tar wagons, and was black from smokebox to cab. He was more dirty than hurt.

Luckily, Stella had protected herself by using the Ring of Solaria. And when she got out to inspect how seriously hurt her friend was, she was so surprised to find out how sticky and dirty that her friend was, that she nearly fainted. But the tar wagons and some cars were all to pieces.

Toby, Roxy, Percy and Musa were sent to help, and came as quickly as they could.

"Look here, you three!" exclaimed Toby. "Whatever is that dirty object?"

"That's James, didn't you know?" said Musa.

"It's James' shape," said Toby, "but James is a splendid red engine, and you never see his paint dirty."

"Yes, that's true," said Percy. "I've never seen him so dirty like that."

"Me neither," said Roxy as she and Musa laughed.

James pretended he hadn't heard. Soon Stella joined the others to clear away the unhurt cars, and helped James home.

Sir Topham Hatt met them. "Well done, everyone." He turned to James. "Fancy letting your cars run away. I am surprised. You're not fit to be seen. Stella will take you to the works to be cleaned at once."

"Yes, sir," said Stella, "I'll make my engine friend nice and clean as a whistle."

Then Sir Topham Hatt added, "Toby shall have a new coat of paint."

"Please, sir, can Henrietta have one too?" said Toby.

"And may I go with him, sir?" asked Roxy. "They might need some help."

"Certainly," said Sir Topham Hatt, "you two deserve it."

"Great!" said Roxy. "We'll have Toby and Henrietta nicely painted."

"Oh, thank you, sir! She will be pleased."

All James could do was watch Toby and Roxy as they ran off happily with the news.

The End