Troublesome Engines (SpartanPrime101 Adaptation) Chapter 1

Hello, everyone. This is SpartanPrime101, bringing you another Thomas the Tank Engine fanfiction story. It's an idea that's been floating in my head for the past few months, and I figured I'd give it a go and see how it works out.

It will start during the story 'Troublesome Engines' written by the Reverend W. Awdry – I really do love his stories, and those written by his son, Christopher. I only hope that I can do their stories justice in my writing and character development.

Before I do or say anything else, I want to give praise and glory to God Almighty. Lord, I thank you for being with me and for guiding me over the past few months. Thank you for giving me the strength to acknowledge and battle the demons that resided in my soul. Thank you for the wonderful people in my life, including my family and mentors. Thank you!

…

Disclaimer: I don't own Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. If I did, it would be just like the old-style episodes that aired before the CGI episodes – when they actually cared about making a story that was enjoyable for everyone.

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Part 1: Tunnels, Tenders & Turntables (Written by Reverend W. Awdry):

Henry and Gordon were lonely when Thomas left the yard to run his Branch line. They missed him very much. They had more work to do, and couldn't wait in the sheds until their trains were at the platform. Now, they had to fetch their coaches themselves. They didn't like that at all.

Edward sometimes handled odd jobs between his own work at Wellsworth, as did James when he was available. Sometimes, other engines would come to help, but the growing number of goods trains meant they were often busy with their own jobs. Eventually, James began complaining too. The Fat Controller had given them all new coats of paint – Henry chose to be painted in his old green scheme. But they still grumbled dreadfully, especially about having to move about the 'dirty sidings.'

"We get no rest! We get no rest!" they grumbled to each other as they clanked about the yard. But the coaches only laughed, and replied, "You're lazy and slack! You're lazy and slack!"

The Fat Controller was also becoming increasingly frustrated and exhausted. The growing number of passenger and goods trains meant that there were too few engines available. It was becoming quite clear that they would need to bring in another engine to help. Then, of course, there was the issue with his big engines. Their grumbling was, in turn, creating a bad atmosphere in the station and yards, with the workmen and passengers also growing more and more cross.

Altogether, the engines' grumbling, the angry passengers, and problems with the railway were causing the Fat Controller a great deal of trouble.

One morning, the Fat Controller was in his office sorting out orders for additional building material for the mainline. Then, he saw the front page of the daily newspaper. "I say…yes, I do say. Yes!" he said, an idea forming in his head. "I'll telephone to make the arrangements at once."

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A few days later, Gordon and Henry were waiting impatiently in the yard at the big station.

"Where's Thomas?" moaned Henry. "He's supposed to fetch the coaches for our next trains."

"It's disgraceful!" huffed Gordon. "We can't be expected to go about all those cramped, dirty sidings collecting all our coaches ourselves. We are important tender engines. Shunting is beneath us."

Just then, James puffed into the station with a train of heavy, dirty coal trucks. He had been delayed by a faulty signal, and had to rush to make up for lost time. Now, he was feeling puffed up and very cross.

"What's the matter with you, Henry?" he said rudely to the green engine. "There's no rain today. So, stop worrying and do some work instead."

"I'm not afraid of getting wet anymore," huffed Henry, indignantly.

"And anyway, you look silly enough to be a clown," James continued. "You should get a new coat of paint and join the circus."

Just them, Thomas puffed into the station with a train of brightly colored vans and cargo trucks. "Oh!" he said, having heard what James said. "So, you've heard the news?"

"What news?" asked Gordon.

"About the circus."

"Thomas, what are you talking about?" asked James.

"A circus has arrived from the mainland," explained Thomas, excitedly. "The Fat Controller has asked me to shunt the special trucks and coaches. And he wants you to help out too."

Thomas was right. A circus had arrived on the island, with loud brass bands, colorful tents and banners, and strange, exotic animals from around the world. The engines had never seen a circus in person before, and soon forgot to be tired and cross.

For the next few days, the engines worked their hardest, pushing and pulling brightly colored vans and carriages about. They would bring people from all over the island, and enjoyed watching the performances whenever they could. They watched in awe as the acrobats performed death defying feats of strength and flexibility; the brass bands play loud, exciting music that had the crowds cheering and singing joyfully; and all the camels, horses, and even elephants being led around the circus tents and grounds for all the children to see.

Eventually, it was time for the Circus to leave. Then Henry and Gordon started grumbling all over again as they watched James pull the train away to the mainland. But they soon forgot about the performers and animals, as they got back to doing their jobs.

A little later, the Fat Controller asked Henry to take a train of workmen to inspect a blockage in the mainline tunnel. Henry grumbled away to find some trucks to take the workmen and their tools.

"Pushing trucks! Pushing trucks!" Henry muttered sulkily. He came to a stop just outside the tunnel. He tried to peer through it, but it was quite dark; no daylight shone through it from the other side. The workmen got out with their tools, and then marched inside to start work.

Barely a minute had passed, when suddenly a loud, strange noise echoed out.

"Help!" cried the workmen, and they ran back out.

"What is going on?" demanded the Foreman.

"We started to dig at the block, but it grunted and moved!" one of the workmen said, shaking with fear.

"Get out of it!" said the Foreman. "That's rubbish!"

"It's not rubbish!" said another workman. "It's big and alive! We're not going in there again." This was met with a chorus of agreements from the rest of the workmen.

"Right," said the Foreman. "If that's how it's going to be…I'll ride in the lead truck, and Henry here shall push it out."

"Wheesh!" said Henry, unhappily. He remembered when he was shut up inside a tunnel for being afraid of the rain. But this was worse. Something big and alive was inside this tunnel, and he was not eager to find out what it was.

"Peep peep-peep!" he whistled nervously. "I don't want to go in!"

"Neither do I," said his driver, "but there's no other engine. We must clear the line before there's an accident."

"Oh dear! Oh dear!" puffed Henry, as he slowly made his way into the darkness. A few moments had passed before there came a 'Bump!'. Henry's driver shut off steam and applied the brakes. Then, there was trouble. The block was indeed alive, and very strong.

"Help! Help! We're going back!" cried Henry in horror. Sure enough, slowly moving out into the daylight came Henry, then the trucks…

…and last of all, pushing hard and rather cross, came a large bull elephant.

"Well, I never did!" chuckled the Foreman. "It must be from the Circus. I wager it got loose while they were getting ready to leave."

The Driver applied the brakes, and the Guard rushed back towards the signal box to telephone for the keeper. The elephant stopped pushing and walked towards them. The workmen gave the elephant some sandwiches and cake, so he forgot to be cross and remembered he was hungry. He was quite tame and friendly with the workmen, who fetched some buckets of water. The elephant drank three buckets full of water without stopping, and was just going to drink another when Henry suddenly let off steam. The elephant jumped, and 'whoosh!', it squirted the water all over Henry and the workmen by mistake. The workmen laughed at the free shower, but poor Henry was certainly not amused.

Eventually, the elephant's keeper arrived with the signalman. "We only realized that we were one elephant short when we stopped at the station before the mainland. We're just grateful nothing serious had happened." He thanked the workmen and Henry's driver and fireman, and he led the elephant down the line towards a truck at the next station.

The workmen rode home happily in the trucks, laughing at their adventure. But Henry was very cross. "An elephant pushed me. An elephant whooshed me!" he hissed angrily as he chuffed back to the yards. He was huffy and pushy all day, and his coaches and passengers had a most uncomfortable time.

When Henry returned to the sheds that night, he told the other big engines about the elephant. But instead of laughing and teasing him, they felt quite sympathetic, and said, "You poor engine; you have been very badly treated."

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A few days later, Gordon was waiting at the Knapford station platform with his express train, as the passengers got into their coach compartments. Thomas had just finished shunting a goods train into another platform for James to take up the line. Once he had shunted the last truck, he chuffed around towards his two coaches, Annie and Clarabel.

"Bother!" Thomas grumbled as he was coupled up to his coaches. "I have my own jobs to do on my Branch line. Why do I have to do James' jobs when he's capable of doing them himself?"

Gordon sniffed. "Oh, but you don't understand, little Thomas. We tender engines have a position to keep up. It doesn't matter where you go, with you being so small. But we are important to the railway. And for the Fat Controller to have us go onto those dirty sidings and shunt our own trains, well it's…it's…well, it's not the proper thing."

"Oh!" said Thomas, cheekily. "Then that's why you needed Edward to help you up that incline; to be proper and important, I suppose."

Gordon snorted, and he puffed away feeling rather insulted. He hated being reminded about the time he had got stuck up on the hill, and had needed Edward to help him over the top.

"Ho-ho-ho!" chuckled Thomas. "Poor old Gordon! He is rather upset! Perhaps he's feeling all stuffed up from being too 'important'." And he puffed away, his coaches tittering behind him.

…

Gordon arrived at the station at the other end of the line. He took his coaches to the terminus, and waited for his passengers to get out. Then, he shunted the train to another platform. Gordon fumed dreadfully as he moved about the station yards.

"It's disgraceful! It's disgraceful! It's disgraceful!" And he kept grumbling as he reversed towards the nearby turntable.

The Fat Controller had ordered the construction of turntables at the two big stations at each end of the line. These were made so that Edward, Henry, Gordon and James could be turned around for their next trains. It was far too dangerous for tender engines to move fast backwards. Smaller tank engines like Thomas don't need turntables; they can run both forwards and backwards without hassle.

The turntable at the station that connects with the mainland was in a windy place close to the sea. It was only just big enough for Gordon, and if he wasn't in the right place, he put it out of balance and made it extremely difficult to turn.

Normally, the turntable was manageable even with Gordon's size and weight. But today, Gordon was in a bad temper, and the wind was blowing fiercely about the yard. Gordon's driver tried to make him stop in the right place, but Gordon wasn't trying. Eventually, the Driver gave it up. The Fireman tried to turn the handle, but Gordon's weight and the strong wind prevented him. Soon, the driver and some nearby workmen came over to help; but no matter how hard they tried, Gordon and the turntable wouldn't budge.

"Oh, for pity's sake! It's no good!" they said at last, moping their faces. "We can't turn you like this, Gordon; your tender only upsets the balance. If you were a nice tank engine, you would be alright. But you're not. So now, you'll have to take your next train backwards."

"Oh, the indignity!" grumbled Gordon.

Later that day, when Gordon chuffed into the station with his coaches, some children pointed to him and jeered. "Look! It's a new tank engine. Oh, it's only Gordon back to front. What a swizz!"

Gordon hissed emotionally, and remained silent as the passengers boarded his train. He grumbled all the way to the junction, where Thomas was waiting for him.

"Hello, Gordon," called Thomas. "What's this? Are you playing tank engine? Sensible engine. Take my advice: scrap your tender and get a nice coal bunker instead. You'll feel a better engine for it."

Gordon snorted, but he didn't answer. Just then, James passed by with the local passenger train. "Ho-ho-ho!" He chortled loudly as he passed through the junction. "Get stuck on the turntable, did ya then?"

"Take care, James," called Gordon. "You may get stuck too."

"Nonsense!" called James as he disappeared down the line. "I won't get stuck. I'm not so fat as you."

Later, James arrived at the station and left his train at the platform. He was a little worried as he approached the turntable at the sheds. "I mustn't stick. I mustn't stick," he said to himself. Fortunately, he managed to stop just in the right place to balance the turntable.

"Well done, James," said his driver. "Now, we can get you turned around with no bother at all."

"Phew!" sighed James in relief. "That'll show Gordon what for."

His fireman then started turning the handle, and the table turned easily.

A little too easy.

"Um, is it just me," pondered James, "or is this table turning faster?"

And indeed, it was. The wind had suddenly picked up, and was blowing fiercely against the turntable. This caused it to begin spinning faster and faster…

"Aw, bollocks!" said James.

The wind pushed the table, and James, round and round like a top. Poor James couldn't stop!

"Woah! Woah! Woah-woah-woah-woah-woah-woah-woah-woah…!" cried James, his face getting sickly green. His driver and fireman, who had jumped clear to a safe distance, could only watch as the red engine continued spinning wildly.

Finally, the wind died down, and the turntable slowed down to a complete stop. As James regained his bearings, he saw Gordon sitting in a nearby siding. Gordon had got turned around on the loop-line and had arrived in the yard just in time to see everything.

"Well! Well! Well!" chuckled Gordon. "Are you playing roundabouts, little James?"

Poor James, feeling quite giddy and green in the face, rolled off into the sheds without a word. Gordon, meanwhile, chuckled again as he puffed away to collect his next train.

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Later that night, the three big engines held an indignation meeting in the sheds.

"It's shameful," said Gordon, "for important tender engines like us to be treated in such a manner. Henry gets pushed and whooshed by some silly elephant…"

"Gordon has to go backwards, and everyone thinks he's a tank engine," said James.

"James spins around like a top, and everyone laughs at him," said Henry.

"And to add to all that," finished Gordon," the Fat Controller makes us shunt in dirty sidings."

"Yuck!" Said all three engines together.

"Now, listen carefully," said Gordon. He whispered something to the others. "We'll do it tomorrow. The Fat Controller will look silly, and will have no choice but to listen to us."

The three engines were planning to go on strike.

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Holy Smokes! A whole chapter in less than three hours. It's a Bloomin' Miracle, I tell ya!

So, here is the first chapter for my next TTTE fanfiction. I know it's very similar to the original story by Rev. W. Awdry. But hopefully, the next chapter will steer it into a different direction. Truthfully, this is something for all the old fanbase of the original stories and TV series. I hope this story tickles your fancy.

Anyway, I'm try to post the next chapter within the next few days. In the meantime, please read and review.