Hey guys. I'm back. It's been a while, hasn't it? Anyway, I've been thinking about this one for a while and thought I might to give it a whirl. So let's see how BoCo reacts when Bill and Ben give him...
The Wrong Sort Of Trucks!
Moral: work before play/patience is a virtue
BoCo is a Metropolitan Vickers diesel who works in the yard at Wellsworth along with his good friend: Edward The Blue Engine.
"Mornin', Edward!" BoCo honked, as he shunted some trucks into view of Edward at the platform.
"Good morning, BoCo!" Edward whistled back. Then his guard's whistle blew. "Must be off now," he whistled as he pulled his coaches sternly out of the station. "Goodbye, BoCo!"
BoCo honked back as he pushed his trucks further on through the yard.
BoCo keeps himself very busy shunting trucks about the yard Wellsworth all day long. Sometimes he and Edward will alternate duties. BoCo would spend the morning shunting trucks about in the yard before taking them out on long journeys. Then when the journey is over and Edward returns to the station with his coaches, BoCo will take the next passenger train out to let Edward sort out trucks in the yard.
BoCo honked at Edward as he pulled out of the station with the coaches, and Edward whistled back as he started pushing trucks about the yard.
However, if there is one challenge that BoCo faces, it's keeping the tank engine twins Bill and Ben in line the way Edward does.
The twins giggled as they pulled slowly and quietly into Wellsworth Station and saw BoCo resting on a siding.
"Now's our chance Ben,," Bill whispered. "After you, of course."
"What?!" Ben spluttered quietly back, careful as to not make himself heard. "No fair! I always go before you. Now's your turn, Bill."
"Fine, fine," Bill sighed, and crept slowly forward, Ben following closely behind.
BoCo opened one eye and looked back.
"Do you mind?!" he demanded, catching the startled twins off guard. "I'm trying to rest."
Bill seethed with annoyance.
"Ugh! I told you you should've gone first, Ben. It never works when I do it."
"Doesn't work any better with me at the front!"
Ben argued.
"Does too!"
"Does not!"
"Does too!"
BoCo groaned as he watched them bicker back and forth.
"Alright, you two," Edward said calmly, as he pulled into the station. "Off you go now."
"Or what?" the twins argued cheekily.
"Or else I'll take away the trucks I bought for you," Edward replied, giving them a slight smirk.
"Fine, fine," Bill whistled, as he rolled away.
Ben followed him and blew a big loud raspbery at BoCo as he passed him. BoCo sighed and looked over at Edward.
"I say, Edward. The nerve of those two. How do you get them to do as you say?"
"Oh, it's not much, BoCo," Edward replied. "I'm used to them so Bill and Ben will do anything I tell them...with a bit of persuasion, of course." Edward beamed at his good friend as he finished his sentence.
"Huh," BoCo thought. "That's odd. I usually try the same strategy yet it only makes them behave towards me for a brief amount of time. They're much more controlled around you and they look up to you."
"Don't worry, BoCo," Edward assured his friend, as his trucks were uncoupled from him. "I'm sure that one day, Bill and Ben will see through you the way they do to me. It's like I said, they just take some getting used to." Then he chuffed slowly away.
"Huh," BoCo thought, as he watched his friend disappear.
"'scuse me! Coming through!" Bill whistled as he chuffed past, taking BoCo by surprise.
"First come, first serve!" Ben whistled, as he charged after his twin.
BoCo groaned, as he watched them buffer up to their trucks.
"One day," he quietly promised himself, taking in mind what Edward said.
One morning, BoCo was bringing some empty trucks over to the Clay Pits. The trucks were needed to be filled with China Clay for a special train that was due out to Vicarstown.
"One...more...climb," BoCo panted, as he made his way up the last hill, and made out a breath of relief as he rolled over it in sight of the Clay Pits.
"Mmm," he sighed, as he observed the sight of the rock and quarry all around him. "Now this is is more like it."
Bill and Ben were busy shunting trucks nearby as BoCo came into view.
"Ooh, looking who's coming, Ben," Bill sneered.
"I'm ready whenever you are, Bill."
The twins whistled, as they rolled over to greet their old friend.
"Oh, dear," BoCo groaned, as he saw them rolling towards him. He stopped right across from them to make direct eye contact.
"Thank you for bringing us these trucks, BoCo," Bill began. "We'll get to work loading them right away before we take them away to Wellsworth."
BoCo shot him a confused look.
"We take it you're here for your special train," Ben added. "I think you'll glad be to hear it's those smelly rubbish trucks bound for Whiff's Waste Dump. You'd best get going."
BoCo groaned, and responded, "nice try, you two. But I think you know well enough that I'm wise to your pranks." The twins gazed at him as he spoke. "The stationmaster of Wellsworth himself has informed specifically to have these trucks filled with China Clay to bring back so Edward can take them to Vicarstown for a special order. I take it you wouldn't want to disappoint him." Then he honked and rolled away.
"Well, what do you know, Ben?" Bill wondered. "Our plan didn't work after all."
"No," his twin replied. "Maybe it would have if you let me do the talking."
"What?!" Bill spluttered, raising an eyebrow. "I did the best I could."
"I suggested the idea in the first place!
"No, you didn't!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
BoCo stopped beside Timothy shunting trucks nearby, exasperated as he listened to the twins arguing back and forth. Timothy backed down from his line of trucks to face him and whistled to him.
"Some things just don't change with those two. Eh, BoCo?"
"Never since the day I first met them, Timothy," the diesel replied. "I remember when they nearly made my eyes pop out till Edward showed up. He seems like the only engine who can get them to behave all the while."
"Bill and Ben can be trouble," Timothy reminded him. "But you have to admit though. They are quite fun."
"Huh," BoCo snorted. "Only when they aren't being a nuisance. They think they can just tell me I have to take those rubbish trucks to the Dump, when they know me well enough to realize I'm not fooled to their little games."
"You mean the trucks they were meant to take?" Timothy suggested.
"Pardon?" insisted BoCo, rather confused.
"The twins have to complete two jobs today and I've been trying to get them to do it all week," Timothy explained. "First, they're supposed to take trucks of scrap to Reg at the scrap yard, and then waste trucks to Whiff's Waste Dump. Manager finally got them to do it."
"Hmm," BoCo pondered, and he backed slowly down towards the bickering twins.
"You should take the rubbish, Ben. I'll manage the scrap on my own. I'm not taking any smelly waste trucks."
"What?!" Ben spluttered. "No fair! I'm just as capable handling scrap trucks. They're my trucks!"
"Mine!" Bill protested, rushing towards the line of scrap trucks. "See? First come, first serve!"
"Mine!" Ben snapped, pulling from the other side. "You take the smelly rubbish!"
"Mine!"
"It's not! It's mine!"
"It's mine!"
"It's not!"
Their quarrel was abruptly cut off by the loud sound of BoCo's horn as he pulled up.
"Maybe you two should stop procrastinating," he hastily suggested, "and come to an agreement who pulls what! That way, Edward's train may be ready before teatime." Then he honked and rolled away, leaving the twins in surprise.
"Ooh," Bill thought, "who does that bossy boiler think he is, Ben? Thinking he can tell us what to do?"
"There's something we can agree on, Bill. But to teach him a lesson," he put in, Bill giggling in agreement.
"Here's the plan," Bill said quietly, as he whispered along with his twin.
Ben giggled quietly as he whistled and scampered off to collect the scrap trucks.
The twins were going to play a naughty trick on BoCo, so they could pay him out for bossing them around. BoCo waited in a siding, trying to keep his patience as Bill shunted his trucks into place for him.
"Come on, Bill!" he honked impatiently.
"Alright, alright. I'm coming'l seethed Bill, as he pushed the trucks into line. "Cool your system there. Eh, bossy boiler?"
"Huh!" BoCo snorted, as his trucks were in line for him and the shunter coupled them up. "Well, I never!"
Bill whistled, as he backed down from the trucks and watched BoCo honk and roll away. He then giggled quietly along with Ben as his twin rolled up beside him.
"Goodbye, Timothy!" he called, as he honked and rolled past him.
Timothy whistled back as he backed up from pushing his trucks, when something fell from one of BoCo's trucks and rolled towards him. He quickly observed it.
"An empty bottle?" he thought, puzzled. "Then that must mean…" he gasped, then called out, "BoCo! Were those...rubbish trucks?"
But BoCo was too far away to notice. Then he heard a familiar pair of whistles.
Timothy looked to one side to see Bill and Ben, giggling quietly as they pulled their scrap train along with the China Clay trucks at the back.
"Of course!" he thought. But the twins were already out of sight.
BoCo couldn't stay cross about the twins for long. It was a lovely spring day. The sun shone, birds sang, and the scenic route of the Wellsworth Branch Line couldn't help but brighten his spirits.
"Mmm," he thought, as he took a deep breath and sighed with the gentle breeze blowing towards him. "Nothing like it."
From a distance, BoCo could see Gordon rushing down the line with the express.
"Hello, Gordon!" he honked, as he approached him. "Lovely day, isn't it?"
But as the two engines passed one another, Gordon suddenly coughed and spluttered at the smell of BoCo's trucks.
"Oof!" he groaned. "What a horrid smell!"
But BoCo didn't hear Gordon and went on his way.
"Hmm," BoCo thought with confusion. "I wonder why he didn't say hello."
Next, BoCo saw Henry coming down the line, pulling a heavy goods train.
"Hello, Henry!" he honked. "Isn't it just a beautiful spring day?"
Henry was about to answer as BoCo approached, but then he smelt a funny smell.
"Oh my!" he muttered quietly, as BoCo passed him. "That sure is an odd smell."
But BoCo didn't hear Henry either.
"That's strange," BoCo thought. "I understand Gordon was in a hurry with the express, but Henry would usually whistle hello to me."
BoCo just couldn't understand why the engines weren't responding to him.
Thomas was waiting at a level crossing with Annie and Clarabel as BoCo stopped at the other side.
"Good day, Thomas!" BoCo honked. "Nice day, isn't it?" To his surprise, Thomas responded.
"Hi, BoCo!" he whistled back. "Sure is! How are things?"
"Fine for the most part, I guess," BoCo replied, as Bertie honked at the two engines and rolled over the crossing. "Even though Bill and Ben are still up to their old tricks. Thinking they could fool me into taking their trucks to the Dump, while they take my special train to Wellsworth. How silly of them."
Thomas chuckled, and responded, "every engine knows the twins and their tricks well enough to know what they're." Than he thought. "Ha! Even I know what they can be capable of."
"Me too," BoCo sighed, as Trevor made his way slowly over the crossing with a cartload of hay. The challenge, however, is how to get them to stop. Edward seems accustomed enough to them so he can keep them under control."
Thomas chuckled, as Trevor pulled away from the crossing. "Every engine has a natural talent for different things, BoCo. Maybe someday, you'll find your own."
"Mm, yes," BoCo thought, then sighed. "Well, best be off now, Thomas. These China Clay trucks can't take forever to get to Wellsworth, you know. Goodbye!"
Then he honked and rolled away, the smell of his trucks taking Thomas by surprise.
"Phewie!" Thomas coughed. "What a funny smell! Wouldn't you agree, Annie and Clarabel?"
"Quite right, Thomas!" Annie coughed in agreement.
Clarabel recovered from coughing, to see BoCo's train disappear in the distance.
"Those...didn't look like China Clay trucks to me," she pondered.
"Hmm…" thought Thomas, as he continued on his way.
Meanwhile, the twins were at the Scrap Yard, waiting as Reg unloaded their trucks of scrap. But they were still cross about BoCo.
"Wouldn't you believe it?" Bill remarked. "That silly diesel thinks he can just creep into our yard and order us about. I sure proved him wrong."
"It's just not fair!" Ben complained to Reg, who listened, surprised yet interested. "BoCo thinks he can tell us what to do and then he gets to go off and have an adventure, while we're stuck doing odd jobs."
"Oh?" queered Reg, as he dumped down his current load. He only had one more truck to unload.
"Eh, Ben?" Bill interrupted, a cheeky grin on his face. "I think you'll find the surprise we left him was worth more than any adventure."
"Huh?" Ben thought, confused. Then he remembered. "Oh, right," he chuckled. "We sure showed him. Didn't we?"
Reg took no notice of what they were currently talking about, as he dropped his last load and turned to face them.
"You know, you two, I thought hard about what you said about 'having an adventure'?"
"Oh, really?" the twins wondered, rather puzzled.
"Well," Reg continues, "from the way I see it, every day here in the scrapyard is an adventure for me."
"Huh?" the twins thought.
"I always love having more scrap to collect. It keeps me very busy sorting it, day in and day out. It makes me feel really useful, knowing that nothing will go to waste here at the scrapyard. Just like you two are really useful doing the jobs you do."
The twins thought hard about Reg's word, as they started slowly but on their way.
"Eh...thanks, Reg?" Bill murmured as they pulled away from the scrapyard.
"Say?" Ben thought. "What was he on about?"
"Search me," Bill responded. "Guess he enjoys doing what he does."
As the twins left, Reg noticed something very peculiar about what was inside their trucks.
"That's odd," he thought. "Weren't they supposed to be going to the Dump?"
Reg was rather puzzled, as he set back to work.
At Wellsworth, the stationmaster was waiting on the platform for BoCo to arrive.
"Hmm…" he thought, eyeing his watch fixedly. Then he heard a familiar horn. "Ah, BoCo," he sighed, as the diesel pulled sternly into the station with his trucks.
"All present and accounted for, sir," BoCo claimed, than looked around. "But I say. Where's Edward?"
"He should be here any time now. You're quite early, really, BoCo. Now, let's see if we can hitch you off from those trucks." However, as he walked down the platform, he groaned and suddenly covered his nose.
BoCo was puzzled.
"Is…something wrong, sir?"
The stationmaster coughed and spluttered.
"My, my, BoCo. These trucks aren't full of Clay, they're full of rubbish."
"Rubbish?" BoCo gasped. "B-but that's impossible. I mean I'm sure…"
"BoCo," the stationmaster demanded. "Is there a chance you were given the wrong sort of trucks?"
"The wrong sort of trucks?" BoCo spluttered. "B-but how could've…" He thought hard, the stationmaster looking at him rather serious, than he groaned. "Why?! Those little demons!"
"What?" the stationmaster asked, confused.
"Sorry, sir. No time to explain. I must head back to the Clay Pits at once."
Then he honked and raced away, the stationmaster rather surprised.
"BoCo, wait!" he called.
But BoCo was already gone.
BoCo raced on his way back to the Clay Pits as fast as he could, his wheels pounding the rails as he raced along.
"I must get back to the Clay Pits!" he panted. "Those two shall not get away with this!"
He raced along as fast as he could, the trucks rattling and rolling behind him. Then he saw something up ahead that made him groan.
"Oh, no! Not a red signal!"
BoCo applied his brakes and slowed down just in time, eyeing the signal as he waited impatiently.
"Hi, BoCo!" Sidney honked, as he passed by on the track opposite him and hummed as he went on his way. But BoCo was too focused on the signal to respond.
"Come on! Come on!" he groaned.
At last, the signal dropped, and BoCo raced away once more.
"Oh, dear," he sighed to himself. "I'm going to be later still for Edward's train."
But he raced on, determined not to be late for Edward.
Timothy was busy at the Clay Pits, shunting trucks into line, when he heard a familiar horn.
"Oh, BoCo," he sighed with relief, as he watched the diesel pull in. "You came back." Then he saw the tired expression on BoCo's face and noticed the rubbish trucks behind him. "I see you brought the rubbish trucks back then," he pointed out, trying not to giggle.
BoCo shot him a look of suspicion.
"You knew about this?"
"No actually," Timothy responded, regaining his composure. "I only found out that you were taking rubbish trucks when I saw that empty waste bottle roll out of your trucks."
BoCo looked over in the direction in the same direction as Timothy, as his driver hopped out of his cab and picked up the bottle before placing it in one of his trucks.
"Mmm, I see," BoCo thought. "My apologies, Timothy. Now would you happen to know where the twins are now?"
"Last time I saw them they were pulling the scrap trucks as well as the ones loaded with China Clay. They must've been bound for the Dump."
"The Dump?!" BoCo gasped. "Oh, no. I must stop them before they cause even more trouble.
And he raced away, leaving a very surprised Timothy behind.
BoCo raced to Whiff's Waste Dump as fast he could. Up ahead, Paxton was at the Scrap Yard, dropping off scrap for Reg to unload when BoCo raced past.
"BoCo!" Paxton gasped, rather startled. "Whatever is the meaning of…?"
"Sorry, you two! No time to talk!" BoCo called back, as he disappeared in the distance.
"I wonder what's gotten into him."
"So do I, Paxton," Reg responded. "I must say, though: it did seem kind of odd he was taking waste trucks, as Bill and Ben told me they were heading there earlier."
This made Paxton even more confused, as Reg unloaded his next truck.
Soon enough, the twins reached Whiff's Waste Dump, as Whiff and Scruff came out to greet them.
Whiff beamed.
"Ah! Bill, Ben, you're here. Good. Please push those trucks into place so Scruff and I can push them to the chute."
"Nothing to it," Bill whistled, as he moved slowly forward.
As the twins moved past, Scruff noticed something very peculiar about the trucks they were pulling.
"Say, Whiff," he wondered, "do those look like rubbish trucks to you?"
Whiff pulled forward and eyed the shape of what was inside their trucks.
"Say, you're right, Scruff," he pondered. Then he pulled quickly forward. "Bill! Ben! Stop!"
The twins ground to a halt.
"Ah. Now what?" they sighed.
"Your trucks aren't filled with rubbish! They're filled with China Clay!"
"China Clay?" wondered Bill. "But does that mean…?"
"...w-we can't...dispose of it?" Ben finished.
"No," Whiff assured them firmly. "Only waste can be disposed of here at the Dump. You two have brought the wrong sort of trucks! You must go back and collect the right ones."
"The wrong sort of trucks?" Bill pondered, confused.
"B-b-but that's impossible," Ben stammered. "The Clay Pits is such a long way and…"
Than the two heard a familiar horn honk, and BoCo rolled up beside them, raising an eyebrow and shooting them a sharp look.
"Ahem!"
Bill and Ben giggled quietly as BoCo wisely murmured, "very funny, you two."
The twins sighed sadly, as Scruff rolled to prepare to take the waste trucks away.
Soon, the waste from the Clay Pits was well and truly disposed of and BoCo was ready to take his train.
"Come on, you two," BoCo sighed, as he was hitched up to the train. "Let's get this train to Wellsworth in time for Edward. Shall we?"
"Yes, BoCo," the twins meekly responded, as they buffered up to the back of his train. BoCo honked loudly, and the train pulled away.
As they set off for Wellsworth, the twins felt rather ashamed of the trick they played on BoCo, and tried to think of what to say to him.
"Eh, BoCo?" they said quietly, as to get his attention.
"Mmm?" BoCo looked towards the back of the train as the twins decided what to say.
"We're sorry about the trick we played on you," Bill declared. "We didn't think before realizing it may have caused you a delay."
"Yes, yes, very sorry," Ben continued. "We just didn't think it was fair that you got to have an adventure, while we were stuck doing odd jobs at the Clay Pits."
"I see." BoCo listened very carefully to the twins' apology as he pulled the train.
"Can you...forgive us?" Ben wondered, rather timidly.
BoCo chuckled.
"Of course I can forgive you two. That's what friends are for, isn't it? In fact, I have something rather I'd like to say myself."
"Do you?" the twins wondered.
BoCo took a deep breath as he figured out what he wanted to say.
"I understand if I come off as kind of harsh earlier and I never meant for it to turn out that way. I was only in a hurry to get the trucks to Wellsworth on time. That's all."
"Oh." The twins listened.
"Ah, well," sighed BoCo, "all that behind us, how about I strike a deal with you two?"
"A deal?" Bill wondered.
"What kind of deal?" Ben asked, slightly suspicious.
"I understand you two get along with Edward very well, and that it's all down to how well he keeps you under his control and gets you to listen to him."
"Huh!" The twins were rather confused.
"So if I promise to be more patient with you two in future, do you think you'll be able to manage my advice?"
"Hmm." The twins thought hard for a moment, BoCo waiting somewhat patiently. At last, Bill spoke up.
"Deal!" he blurted out.
"Oh," gasped BoCo, rather surprised.
"That is…" Ben added jokingly, "as long as you keep us busy by bringing more trucks."
BoCo couldn't help but chuckle, and the three friends shared a laugh all the way to Wellsworth.
At Wellsworth Station, the stationmaster was still waiting on the platform as Edward came in.
"Hello, Sir!" he whistled cheerily.
"Hi, Edward. You seem to be on time. I'm sorry, but BoCo's had a bit of a mix-up bringing the wrong sort of trucks and I don't understand how…"
Then they heard a familiar honk horn from the distance. At long last, BoCo pulled sternly in, the twins whistling from the back of the train. Edward was taken back by surprise.
"Ah, BoCo, you made it back," the stationmaster sighed. "Just in time too. But how did you manage to make it back so quick?"
"All in good time, sir," BoCo beamed. "I was quite quick about it."
"Ah, splendid," the stationmaster declared. "Anyway, I'll let you all get on with it then. Glad to know the delivery was made on time." Then he walked and headed back toward his office.
BoCo looked to the back of the train.
"All right, Bill and Ben. You may have this lot well and ready in line now so Edward can take it away to Vicarstown."
"Yes, BoCo," the twins responded as the shunter unhitched BoCo from the train, and the twins pulled the train back. Bill felt a little jolt and looked back at his twin.
"Oi, Ben! Stop tugging so hard!" he snapped.
"I'm not!" Ben argued back. "You're just pulling too slow."
"Am not!"
"Yes, you are!"
"No, I'm not!"
"You are!"
"Am not!"
"Yes, you are!"
Edward watched the commotion in surprise, then looked back toward his twin.
"I say, BoCo," he admitted. "It's a wonder how you got those two to do as you say. However did you manage to do it?"
"It was nothing really," BoCo responded. "It's like you said: all they need is a bit of persuasion."
"Indeed," Edward sighed, as they listened to the twins banter back and forth.
"Bill and Ben are pranksters at heart," BoCo declared. "They're hard workers deep down and there's no real harm in them, even if they often be maddening."
And the two friends shared a good laugh.
Well, here we have it. BoCo's return to the CGI series from my vision. It was a bit of a quick one to write and felt a lot shorter than some of my other stories, but I had fun working with BoCo's relationship with Bill and Ben and using Timothy for the first time in my stories was quite fun too. Since BoCo was only given so much character in the few roles he had in the TV series, it was slightly difficult thinking of how I could incorporate more into his character by having him struggle to cope with Bill and Ben and their antics. I'm pretty sure I'm capable of getting back in the swing of writing these stories more often. Till then, stay tuned for what I have to offer in future!
Shedmates - when Henry is relocated to Vicarstown to fit his new timetable, Rosie tries hard to be friendly towards him and make him feel welcome, but feels he's not cooperating and just taking advantage of her.
Hurricane Takes Charge - Hurricane is left in charge of the SteelWorks after Frankie is sent to Sodor for an important job. He is quite confident that he can manage being in charge but his easygoing nature doesn't work out as well as he thinks, as the experimental engines are up to their usual shenanigans!
The Way To Get Things Done (based on Delivery At The Docks from Really Useful Stories) - Frankie is excited about helping with an important job at Brendam Docks, however her tendency to get things done the way they are at the SteelWorks makes it hard for her to fit in!
Job-Swap Day - After Gordon and James have a fall-out, Nia devises a plan with the Fat Controller to get the two engines to become friends again by giving them a job-swap day.