Gordon and Henry wouldn't stop giving James a hard time: they kept on talking about nothing but bootlaces. James tried to get back by talking about engines who "got shut up in tunnels" and "stuck on hills", but it was no good: they refused to listen, and went on talking and laughing.
"You talk too much, little James," boasted Gordon. "A fine, strong engine like me has something to talk about: I'm the only engine on this railway that can pull the Wild Nor Wester. When I'm not there, they need two engines, think of that. I've pulled expresses for years and never once lost my way. I seem to know the right line by instinct!"
"The same instinct that confused your coaches for broken ones?" Olive asked.
"Don't you start, Westley: you won't be doing as I wish here," said Gordon.
"Westley? Who's Westley?" asked Olive, confused.
"Besides," put in Lily, "it's not instinct: you're guided by the signalman."
"Pah!" scoffed Gordon. "I'm too important for mere signalmen to guide me."
It seemed Gordon had gotten so proud he'd forgotten something every wise engine knows: the signalman, of course, is the one who works the points to make engines run on the right lines.
On the morning of July 5th, Gordon woke up to find Timmy wasn't anywhere.
"Where is Timmy?" he asked.
"Didn't you hear?" asked Lily. "Rolf's tender axles had broken. Timmy was called to cover for him."
"Botheration!" huffed Gordon. He then spotted James and smiled.
"Wake up James, it's nearly time for the express. What are you doing, odd jobs? Ah well, we all have to begin somewhere, don't we? Now run along and get my coaches. Don't be late now!"
James was indignant.
"Do I look like an American tender engine? Fetch your own train!"
"You don't understand, little James," snorted Gordon. "I'm much too important to collect my own coaches. And somebody has to cover for Timmy."
"I have other jobs to do, you know, I can't play servant to an oversized blue whale too afraid of water to go back into the ocean!" snapped James.
"Whales," snorted Gordon, "have tails. I suggest you get your eyes checked: I clearly don't have one."
"And you need to get your brain checked: I'm not a shunting engine!" James snarled.
"You will fetch my coaches. Or else."
"Or else what? You can't do anything, your crew won't allow it. And neither will the Fat Director," James pointed out.
As James and Gordon continued to argue, Olive snuck off, deciding to have a go at the Wild Nor Wester once again. When Olive's whistle sounded from the station, both engines stopped arguing and looked to the platform. There was Olive, steaming off with the Wild Nor Wester. Gordon glared angrily at James.
"This is your fault! All you had to do was fetch my coaches, you red sausage!"
"My fault?! I'm not your servant!" James snapped. "If you really cared about your train, you'd have done the right thing and fetched the coaches yourself!"
"ENOUGH!" shouted Jewelie's temporary replacement.
"Who the fuck are you?" asked James.
"Don't play dumb, you've seen me since June," snorted the Shedmaster. "I've been covering for Jewelie Owens while she's away in London. Anyway, Olive asked the Fat Director for permission and they both arranged things with me. James, you'll be needed to cover for Timmy until Rolf returns. Gordon, you'll be looking after her cattle trains. Run along now: railways don't stand still."
Gordon was not pleased with being assigned to trucks.
"Trucks! I'm an express engine, I don't pull trucks!"
"You do what you're told to do, without arguing," said the Shedmaster. Gordon left the sheds, grumbling all the while.
"Serves him right, blaming me for Olive taking his train," snorted James. "Honestly, I hadn't been told I was to be covering for Timmy at the time!"
Lily couldn't agree more!
James found shunting in the yard boring, and couldn't help but feel trapped. He told Thomas that later on.
"Trust me, I felt the same way," said Thomas.
"How come you didn't go mad? Doing the same job over and over again is all…URGH! There aren't any words to describe it."
And he angrily bashed some trucks.
"O! Oi! No need for that!" they called.
"Shut up!" snapped James. "I'm in no mood for any lip!"
Gordon wasn't having it any better: the trucks were having a laugh at his expense and made his journey difficult. He bumped them, which upset the cattle.
"MOOOOOOOO!" they wailed.
"Knock it off!" Gordon snapped.
When he returned to the sheds that night, James was quick to tease.
"I see our new cattle engine has finally made his return," he said. "I always knew you'd get tired of expresses one day."
"Not even in your dreams!" scoffed Gordon. "You better be ready to fetch my coaches tomorrow, you've no excuses this time."
James rolled his eyes and went to sleep: it was definitely going to be a long day tomorrow.
The next morning, James woke up before Gordon and went to collect his coaches. He brought them into the platform.
"We're going away! We're going away!" they called.
"I wish I could be going with you," sighed James enviously. "It must be nice to fly along the line at high speeds."
A few minutes later, Gordon backed down onto the train, showing off like anything. Lots of people boarded, including the Fat Director. The guard blew his whistle and Gordon departed.
"Poop poop! Look at me now, look at me now!" he called. "Goodbye, little James! See you tomorrow!"
And the coaches gilded after him. James watched on until Gordon disappeared around the curve, then went back to work.
He brought more coaches into the platform, and was just about to be uncoupled, when he heard a mournful, quiet wheeshing. And there, trying to sidle into the station unnoticed, was Gordon!
"Hullo, Gordon! Is it tomorrow?" asked James. Gordon didn't answer: he just let off steam feebly. "Did you lose your way?" asked James.
"No, it was lost for me," said Gordon. "I was switched off the mainline onto the loop. I had to go all around and back again."
"Perhaps it was instinct!" suggested James brightly. Gordon was furious!
Meanwhile, all the passengers buzzed out of the coaches and ran up to the booking office.
"We want our money back!" they shouted angrily. They made such a noise, that the Fat Director climbed onto a luggage trolley and blew the guards whistle!
"Hold it, everybody!" he shouted. "If you all keep quiet, I promise you a new train! Gordon can't do it: he's facing the station and it'll take too long to turn him around. Perhaps…" He turned and looked at James. "Perhaps JAMES could pull it. Will you, James?"
James beamed with excitement!
"Yes sir, I'll give it my best!" he shouted. Gordon tried to speak, but couldn't: his driver had put a large wad of duct tape onto his mouth! James was coupled on and everybody got in. A boy threw a tomato at Gordon before entering his coach.
"Do your best, James," said the Fat Director kindly.
"I will sir!" promised James. The guards' whistle blew, and off went James.
"Come along, come along!" puffed James.
"You're pulling us well! You're pulling us well!" sang the coaches.
James made excellent time. Stations and bridges flashed by. The passengers leaned out of the windows and cheered. Before long, they'd made it to Crovan's Gate, and from there, it was a quick run to Barrow. Everyone thanked James, who was too exhausted to say anything, but still have an appreciative smile.
Later on, the Fat Director visited James while he was resting.
"Well done, James, you got us there in record time," he said. "How'd you like to pull the Wild Nor Wester sometimes?"
"Oh, yes please!" said James happily.
The next day, James came by the Yard, where he saw Gordon was pushing trucks.
"Oh, uh, hullo James," said Gordon. "I like a bit of quiet work for a change, you know. I'm teaching these trucks manners. You did well with those coaches, I hear. Good! We'll show them!" And he gave his trucks a bump.
James and Gordon are now good friends. James sometimes pulls the Wild Nor Wester to give Gordon a rest. Gordon never talks about bootlaces, and James never talks about getting stuck on hills. But both are agreed on the subject of trucks.
