Next chapter coming up right now.
I do not own Thomas the Tank/Thomas & Friends or I would have kept them in their models forms.
Toby loved working for the North Western Railway and got along with the other Engine Drivers well.
No surprise he bonded with Edward quickly seeing both drive older engines and never let that get in the way of their work. He already became good friends with Thomas and Percy along with Henrietta befriending Annie and Clarabelle. Toby got along well with Henry as both of them enjoyed peaceful things like nature and all that. While Gordon was of course just being Gordon to Toby, but did warm up to him but of course hid it with his ego.
However, James was a different story.
He didn't like Toby's old looking engine and thought it was useless, but Toby didn't let it bother him.
One day as Toby brought his coach to Elsebridge and James was waiting there with three Old Coaches. James sneered when he saw them and muttered 'Old objects' which made Toby finally decide to confront James.
"James why is your engine Red?" He asked looking at James who looked back proudly. "My engine is a splendid engine. Ready for anything!" He said very proudly which just made Toby grinned.
"I guess that's why you need bootlaces once to be ready. You never see my engine dirty."
James fumed when Toby reminded him of the bootlaces' incident and he left the junction in a huff.
He was still fuming when he reached back to Knapford and left his coaches there to take his next train. It was a slow Goods Train which he hated as he had to stop and pick up trucks at different stations and junctions before bringing it to Maron. This just made his already foul mood worse.
He started with a few trucks as he started at Knapford, but at every station and junction along the way to Maron his train got longer and longer. Eventually he was pulling a heavy long and heavy train.
He started up Gordon's Hill and he was still fuming at Toby's comment making he think of what to say to Toby the next time he saw him.
But this made him lose focus.
He was supposed to stop at the top of the hill and pin down his brakes so the heavy loaded trucks didn't push him down the hill, but he was too focused on Toby that he didn't stop and by the time he realised his mistake it was too late.
He fought to try to get control of the train again as the heavy Goods Train's weight pushed him down the hill despite the Guard putting the brakes on in the Brake Van. James saw Maron coming up also seeing some Tar Wagons on the same track he was on and knew he had too much momentum to stop safely in time. James jumped out of his engine's cab hitting the ground in a roll luckily not getting too badly hurt and he looked up when he heard the crash happen.
Luckily, his engine was too badly damaged though the same couldn't be said about the Tar Wagons and he groaned as he saw that Number 5 was now all covered in tar.
"So much for being Splendid…"
Percy was the first to arrive the Brakedown Train and not long after Toby arrived too to help. He grinned as he saw James's engine was now covered in tar.
"Percy what is that dirty object?" He asked Percy amused and Percy having known about what James called Toby smirked too. "That's James didn't you know?"
"It's James's engine's shape, but that can't be James's engine's as his engine is a splendid red engine. You never see his engine dirty." Toby grinned and Percy chuckled making James groaned as he now was wishing he didn't tempt Karma's wrath to come down on him.
Later on, Percy and Toby brought Number 5 to Knapford Sheds with James riding in Toby's engine apologising constantly to him. Toby forgave him as he isn't one to hold a grudge, but he admitted it did feel good to see James get what was coming.
Sir Topham Hatt was there to see them return and he gave James slight punishment of he was stuck as Station Pilot for a week, knowing James wouldn't like that. James dreaded how much fun Gordon, Henry and Thomas were going to have with his punishment.
Sir Topham Hatt than rewarded Toby with his engine and his coach will get new coat of paint making them look brand new. No more old dirty object looking anymore.
James learned well just because something looks old and dirty doesn't mean you should judge it.
I hope you all enjoyed
