Thomas and the Shunter's Truck
One day, Thomas arrived at Duck's branch line with some trucks. Duck was shunting in the yard.
"Good morning!" called Thomas, "I've brought these for you."
"Leave them over there please," said Duck, "I'll sort them soon."
Thomas began to shunt the trucks where Duck had asked, when he saw Duck was carrying a strange wagon behind him. It was short and flat, and it had a toolbox fixed to the top, footplates on the bottom, and the station name printed on it.
"What's that truck?" asked Thomas.
"This is the Shunter's truck" said Duck proudly. "It's most important." Thomas was about to ask more but his Driver interrupted him.
"Come on, back to our yard." So Thomas puffed away.
A few days later, the Fat Controller came to see Thomas.
"Duck and Oliver are very busy on their branch line and they need another engine to shunt their yard for the day. Please head over there at once." Thomas puffed away as quickly as he could. He was excited to learn what was so special about the Shunter's truck.
Thomas arrived and set to work. The Shunter's truck was coupled to the front of Thomas as he worked, and never seemed to be shunted onto any train. It sometimes made the work more awkward, as Thomas would forget it was in front of him, and didn't leave himself enough space to move in the sidings.
"Silly thing" he said to himself. "It doesn't seem to be doing anything at all!" James came to collect his train from the yard, and laughed at Thomas.
"You've forgotten one!" he said, and puffed busily away. Thomas decided to make a plan to get rid of the Shunter's truck.
At one end of Duck's yard, the sidings end at a steep slope. Workers were repairing the buffers, they had just started taking one set apart. The Shunter turned to Thomas.
"Come on" he said, "time to shunt the next train." Thomas jerked forward as he started. The coupling on the Shunter's truck was weak, it broke away and rolled away from him. Thomas was pleased with himself, but it didn't last. The Shunter's truck rolled along the siding, up to where the Workers had taken away the buffers. Thomas, looking on in horror, whistled a warning. The Workers cleared the area in time, but there was no stopping the truck. It rolled off the rails and slid down the slope, stopping with a crack and a thud.
The Shunter was very cross.
"You silly engine!" he exclaimed. "That truck had all my poles and tools on it! Now you shall have to carry them and me yourself!" The Shunter fetched his tools, rested them across Thomas' rear buffers, and hung from his cab and his steps. The work was much slower now. The tools were uncomfortable, and rolled along Thomas' buffers. He had to go slowly to make sure they stayed put. He also had to make sure the Shunter could hop on and off his steps safely. Thomas was quickly seeing the value in the truck.
At last the day's work was done. The Workers inspected the Shunter's truck.
"It looks in one piece" they said, "if we're careful, we should be able to pull it back onto the rails." A chain was coupled between Thomas and the truck. Thomas pulled the truck very slowly, whilst the Workers helped guide the truck back onto the rails. The Shunter looked over the job and helped pass signals between everyone.
"I'm very sorry Mr Shunter" said Thomas. "I didn't mean to cause so much trouble."
"It's alright" said the Shunter kindly. "Maybe we should get you a Shunter's truck of your own!"
Thomas hoped for no such thing, and was very keen to return to his branch line.
Brake Tenders
It was a very busy time on the Island of Sodor. More and more shipments of goods came to the docks, and this meant longer and heavier trains. Murdoch, the strongest engine on the Island, was assigned to run these trains and managed well at first. However, the work soon became too much. The Fat Controller realised this and spoke kindly to Murdoch.
"I will send for BoCo and an engine from the Mainland. This should ease your workload."
"Thank you sir" said Murdoch.
The next day, Murdoch and BoCo were waiting at the docks for the engine to arrive. Salty and Duck shunted their trains into place behind them. The engines soon heard a familiar horn.
"Oh dear" said Duck, he knew who was coming. A large, snooty Diesel came round the corner, the same one that had failed when he sucked a bowler hat into his intake. He looked around the scene.
"Well, at least I won't be the only modern thing here" he said, looking to BoCo and Salty. He then spoke to the steam engines. "Your poor controller is trying to wear you museum pieces out. Maybe I can show him that he can leave this difficult work to me."
"Just so long as you leave his top hat alone" muttered Duck to Salty.
Soon the three engines were nearly ready to leave. The Diesel was doing his best to look impressive when he saw Duck and Salty shunting strange wagons in front of him and BoCo.
"Hold on, hold on!" he called, "What are these?"
"Brake tenders" said BoCo. "They'll help us in stopping the heavy trucks."
"So why doesn't he get one?" said the Diesel, looking to Murdoch.
"I don't need one" said Murdoch, "but you two don't have as much braking power as I do."
"Maybe he doesn't" said the Diesel, looking to BoCo, "but I'm bigger than him or you! I can stop these trucks just fine thank you!"
The engines argued for ages and ages. At last they gave up, and the Diesel stood proudly at the head of his train. The Guards blew their whistles, and the three engines began their journey.
Murdoch was slow to begin with, but soon began to pick up speed. BoCo continued down the line at a sure and steady pace. He couldn't go too fast with the brake tender in front of him. The Diesel soon pulled away from the other two and picked up speed.
"Fast as I can, fast as I can" he purred to himself. His driver tried to keep him in check, but the Diesel was showing off.
Soon the train approached Gordon's Hill. The Diesel roared up the hill, determined to get the trucks to the top.
"No effort, no fuss" he called out. But the trucks were fed up with the Diesel's boasting, and began their plan. As the train reached the top of the hill, the trucks put all their weight against him.
"On, on, on! Stop us if you can!" they chanted. The driver applied the brakes, but the train was too heavy. The Diesel roared through the station, veered into a siding, and crashed through the buffers.
Edward and Harvey soon arrived with the breakdown train to clear the mess. The Diesel lay on his side, and could only look on pathetically as Murdoch rumbled through with his train. He was surprised to see BoCo glide through with no trouble.
"How did he manage? He's smaller than me, he couldn't stop those trucks by himself!"
"He can with a brake tender" said a familiar voice. "I am very disappointed with you, you have caused confusion and delay."
"Sorry sir" said the Diesel.
"You shall stay here until everything else has been cleared up. I will be having words with your manager" said the Fat Controller. The Diesel gulped.
At last, the Diesel was put back on the rails. He couldn't move by himself, so BoCo had to help him back to the sheds. He grumbled all the way, but BoCo was standing no nonsense.
"Be thankful the Fat Controller isn't sending you away" he said sternly.
Once he was repaired, the Diesel continued to help on the heavy trains until the work was done. He used brake tenders when he couldn't handle trains, and tried his best to impress the Fat Controller before he went home. But between his accident and his bad attitude, I don't think he stands much chance, do you?
Catching a Wave
Arthur works the branch line that runs from the main line, along the coast, and up to the fishing village. He is very proud of it, and works hard to keep everything running smoothly.
One day, he was shunting at the junction station when he saw the clouds darken.
"That'll be a storm coming Arthur" said his Driver. "It's meant to be a bad one tonight."
"A little water won't stop me" said Arthur. "The trains must get through."
Over the course of the day, the weather worsened. What began as drizzle developed into a downpour, and the wind picked up. Arthur found it most uncomfortable as he ran along the coast.
"We're too exposed on this part of the line!" he complained. Waves from the sea began to crash closer and closer to the track, until they began lapping at his wheels. "Ugh!"
Later that evening, Arthur was shunting coaches for his last passenger train when the Station Master came out to see him.
"Add your fish vans to the back of the train Arthur, they'll be going with you on the next train."
"But the goods train isn't due to run until later" said Arthur.
"With the weather getting worse, I don't want to take any chances."
"But what about the passengers? We'll have to go slower with the vans, and I'm certain they won't like the smell."
"They'll just have to put up with it."
Arthur didn't like to upset to the passengers, but he knew better than to argue with Station Masters. He shunted the fish vans to the back of the train and got ready to leave. The passengers stayed in the warm of the waiting room. They only rushed onto the train, huddled in their raincoats and under umbrellas, when the Guard got ready to wave her green flag.
Arthur carefully made his way along the line. His vision was blurred by the rain, even with his lamp lighting the way. His wheels sometimes slipped on the wet rails, but his Driver eased him back every time. The wind rocked him and his train, as if it was trying to push him off the rails.
"This can't be good for the passengers" he said to himself.
Soon he came to the coastal run. The waves now crashed all across the tracks. Arthur hoped that a wave wouldn't break over him, but the waves had other ideas. One crashed over him and the coaches. Arthur wanted to stop, but his Driver kept going. He and the Fireman were soaking after water came through the cab, they were glad to be near a warm fire. The water shorted out the electric lights in the coaches. The passengers were nervous, but the Guard came through the train with a torch to check everyone was alright.
After a huge effort, Arthur finally pulled in to the junction station. He was exhausted, but he was glad to get his train through. As the doors to the coaches opened, the passengers rushed away to the booking office as quickly as they could.
"How do you like that?" said the Fireman. "Not even a thank you!"
"Never mind" said the Driver. "You're sleeping in the bottom shed tonight Arthur, I don't fancy making another trip up the line tonight. We'll shunt the train in the morning." Arthur was glad to be getting into the dry himself.
The next morning, the storm cleared. Arthur's driver came to the shed early.
"We need to check the line is safe before we start work." They moved carefully up the line until they got to the coastal run. The waves had washed the ground out from beneath the track, which now hung dangerously in mid-air. "No more work for us today" said the Driver.
"But the trains must get through" said Arthur.
"Not over that, they won't" said the Driver. "Come on, back to the yard."
As Arthur sadly shunted the vans and coaches, the passengers began to arrive.
"Where's our train?" they said.
"I'm sorry" said Arthur, "the line is broken, we can't get through." The passengers began to grumble and left to make other arrangements. A few stayed behind briefly to speak to Arthur.
"Thank you for your efforts last night" they said. Arthur frowned.
"But the train was bumpy, the lights went out, and the waves tried to wash you away" he said.
"It wasn't exactly comfortable" they said, "but you got us home in difficult circumstances, and that's what matters really. Well done."
Arthur felt much better after that.
Stop and Start
Arthur's branch line had been damaged by a storm, and was in need of some repair. Derek brought supplies to the line, whilst Harvey stayed with the Workers to help with the reconstruction.
"Don't worry" he said to Arthur, "you'll be pulling trains along here in no time!" Arthur wanted to stay and help, but the Fat Controller had other ideas.
"You can help out the main line engines until your line is repaired. A change of scene will do you good."
"Yes sir" said Arthur, but he wasn't entirely sure that it would.
Arthur was soon put to work hauling goods trains up and down the line. At first, he managed well, but he soon started having problems. He wheezed into a station where Emily was waiting with her coaches. She could see all was not well.
"What's the matter Arthur?" she asked.
"It's these long runs" he replied. "I'm stronger than the other tank engines, but I can't go as far as you tender engines. I keep loosing steam and needing to stop for a drink. That makes me late, which means I go faster, which means I start loosing steam again. I don't think this is the right job for me."
"Then tell the Fat Controller" said Emily kindly.
"I can't!" said Arthur, "It wouldn't do to disappoint him!" The signal dropped on Arthur's line, and he wheezed away again before Emily could respond.
At the sheds, Emily spoke to Edward, and told him all about Arthur.
"I'm worried" she said. "Arthur will wear himself out, but he's too proud of his spotless record to ask for help." Edward considered for a moment, then smiled.
"Don't worry Emily. I think I have an idea."
The next morning, Arthur woke up to see Edward looking unwell.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm not sure" said Edward. "I can't seem to make steam properly." Workers checked all over Edward, but they could find nothing wrong. "I'm sorry to be causing all this fuss" he said. Soon the Fat Controller arrived.
"This is most unlike you Edward. Your first train is due soon, we mustn't keep the passengers waiting."
"Sir, may I make a suggestion? Why not let Arthur take my commuter train? I should be able to manage his goods later." The Fat Controller agreed, and Arthur began to make his way to the big station. As he backed down on the coaches, he spoke to his Driver.
"What's a commuter train?"
"A special kind of passenger train" replied his Driver. "I think you'll like it."
The clock soon struck half past eight. The Guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag, and Arthur sped away from the station. Travelling fast, he made good time and soon arrived at the first station where he stopped. His fireman gave him a drink and he built up a good head of steam. People going to work and children going to school got on and off the train as they needed, and soon Arthur set off again. He got the chance to stretch his wheels on a good fast run, and enough time to recover at each station. Before he knew it, Arthur had reached the end of the line.
"That was much better!" he said to his Driver. "I'd much rather be doing this than the long haul work."
"Is that so?" said a familiar voice. The Fat Controller stood at the end of the platform. "In that case, I shall have a talk with Edward. I am certain he won't mind swapping jobs until your branch line is repaired." Arthur was very excited.
Later that day, Arthur saw Edward and Emily.
"Thank you" he said. "You didn't have to do that for me."
"That's alright" said Edward.
"We'd rather you be in one piece when you go back to your branch line!" laughed Emily.
Arthur enjoyed his time on the commuter trains, and still helps out when an engine is needed. He was much happier to return to his branch line though, and there is no place he would rather be.
Watch Out Below!
A bridge on Duck's branch line had become unsafe to use. It lay shortly before the last station, so the Fat Controller decided to only close the last station whilst repairs were carried out and the bridge was replaced. Percy was sent to helps the Workers. He was kept very busy puffing up and down the line carrying sections of the old bridge away, but progress was slow.
"I wish they'd hurry up" said Percy one day. "I'm beginning to forget what my own shed looks like."
"I'm sure they're going as quick as they can" said Oliver.
"If they rushed, then they wouldn't know whether they were coming or going" said Isabel the Autocoach.
"You can talk" muttered Percy to himself.
"Cheer up" said Oliver, "the steel will be arriving soon! You'll be building something soon rather than taking it apart!" And with that, he and Isabel set off down the line.
The next day, the Foreman came to see Percy.
"Our steel has been prepared early. Can you collect it for us please? It'll be easier to keep it here so we have it as soon as we need it."
Percy puffed off with Toad to collect the train. He found 'Arry and Bert waiting in the yard.
"Look what they've sent us this time!"
"Barely enough on him to scrap."
"Be quiet and take me to my trucks." The diesels escorted him to a train of long steel trucks. "I can't possibly pull these!" said Percy. "They're far too heavy!"
"Well they're not staying here" said 'Arry. "We've got other trains we need to sort." And with that, they oiled away.
There wasn't time to call for another engine, so they decided to go slowly. Percy moved Toad into position, buffered up to the trucks, and started away. The journey took a long time, and the steel trucks began to get restless. Toad tried to keep them in line, but they held back as much as they could. Percy became angry and gave them a bump. The trucks started making a plan to pay Percy out.
At last, they arrived back at the bridge. The Workers had been busy and were now enjoying their tea break. The Foreman spoke to Percy.
"Thank you for bringing these here! Can you leave them in one of the sidings please?"
Percy began his shunting. Oliver wanted to use Toad later, so Percy first pushed him onto a separate siding. Toad was uncoupled, and Percy began forwards again. The trucks saw their chance, they surged forward with all their weight and bumped Percy's crew off the footplate. Percy began to roll towards the bring on his own!
"Look out!" he called. As his wheels touched the bridge, he felt it creak uneasily beneath him. The Workers had removed quite a lot of it, it was now dangerously unstable for an engine. "Help!" cried Percy. When his full weight was on the bridge, he felt it give way beneath him. He fell straight down, blocking the road and covered in bricks, dust, and rubble.
Luckily, no-one was hurt. When the Workers saw Percy, they laughed and laughed.
"We knew you wanted to hurry up, but we didn't know you'd act as our wrecking ball!" Percy thought they were being very silly. The Foreman was less amused.
"You clumsy engine! You shall have to stay there until we can fetch a crane! Perhaps that will teach you patience." Percy didn't like the sound of that at all.
It was evening when a crane arrived. Oliver pushed it into position and began to tidy the mess. After much effort, they managed to get Percy back onto the rails. He couldn't move under his own steam, so Oliver had to take him to the shed.
"Never mind" said Oliver kindly. "You'll be taken to the works first thing in the morning, it won't be long before you're good as new."
"I can't wait" said Percy.
Stepney's Ghost
Stepney was visiting the engines at the big station. He collected their trucks and coaches, and shunted their trains for them. Stepney hadn't been this busy in quite some time, and was enjoyed bustling back and forth between the yard and the busy station.
James was waiting at the platform with Thomas when Stepney puffed in with his coaches.
"Here you are James, all ready to go!"
"You'll soon know this yard better than any of us!" said James.
"Perhaps you'll even find the Yard Ghost" said Thomas.
"The what?"
"The Yard Ghost. He lurks in the quiet and the mist, causing chaos and trouble. You'll hear him walking up behind you, but when you look, there'll be nothing there!" And with that, Thomas departed.
"Pah!" said James. "Don't listen to Thomas, he's just trying to scare you."
"It takes more than a ghost story to scare me" replied Stepney, and he puffed off to continue his work.
Stepney kept busy throughout the day, exploring every area of the yard. Eventually night fell, and more engines finished their jobs and returned to the sheds. Stepney had to stay until the very last train arrived at the station, but he didn't mind. A fog began to roll in, and Stepney had to work carefully and slowly. As he did, he saw long sinister shadows and heard strange far off sounds. At first he found it spooky, but the longer he worked, the more he realised that it was just the Workers doing their jobs, and only the darkness made any difference. Still, he couldn't shake Thomas' story from his smokebox.
"There's surely no such thing as the Yard Ghost… is there?"
Finally, James arrived with the last train of the day. As Stepney came in behind to couple up to the coaches, James left to fill up on coal and water before returning to the shed. The passengers all made their way to the station exit, and the guard closed the doors of the carriages.
"Right away" she called, and Stepney moved the carriages back to the yard.
After the coaches were back in their proper place, Stepney returned to the entrance of the yard. James was still there by the water tower. The Yard Manager called Stepney and James' Drivers into his office to check some papers, so the two engines were left waiting with only their Firemen.
"I wish Driver would hurry up" said James. "I want to get back to the shed."
"Not scared of the Yard Ghost, are you?" teased Stepney.
"No!" snapped James. "Silly stories for silly engines." At that point, a distant clash rang out. The engines jumped, and looked into the fog.
"Silly stories for silly engines?" said Stepney.
"Absolutely!" said James, a little unsure. "No such thing." Another crash sounded, this one even closer. The engines wanted to leave, but of course, they couldn't without their Drivers. They soon saw a distant figure in the mist, waving slowly to them. They heard footsteps on ballast, crunch, crunch, crunch, getting closer and closer. James closed his eyes.
"Go away!" he said. "You won't get me!" The Drivers and Yard Manager came out to see what all the noise was about.
"Who's there?" called out Stepney.
"Don't speak to it, you'll only make it worse!" said James.
"Hello?" called a voice. Stepney looked again into the fog. Standing in the beam from his headlamp wasn't a ghost, but a rather tired looking man. "Sorry to startle you. I fell asleep on the train, and you must have taken me here. I couldn't see in the dark, I think I walked into a few things."
"We'd better get you back to the station" said Stepney. His Driver invited the man onto the footplate, and Stepney puffed away as quickly as he could.
The Station Master was just about to leave the station when she heard Stepney's whistle. She gave the man a cup of cocoa, phoned for a taxi, and made sure the man got safely home.
"Come on Stepney" said his Driver, "time for us to go home as well." Stepney could only agree. He puffed back to the sheds and after his busy day, soon fell happily to sleep.
Slipping Away
More slate than ever was need from the quarry on the narrow gauge railway. The engines were kept busy running trains up and down the line, and the Fat Controller decided to keep Rusty and Sir Handel at the quarry to sort the trucks. Sir Handel hated it, and grumbled dreadfully.
"This work is beneath me!" he would say, but the other engines ignored him.
It had been a long time since Sir Handel had visited the Works, and his brakes were in need of repair. Whenever he stopped, he felt his weight begin to move him. He tried to creep away from the yard, but he was always stopped. Rusty quickly lost patience with him.
"If you spent more time working and less time playing tricks, you'd been done so much quicker."
"If I wasn't in the yard, I could get back to pulling coaches" Sir Handel retorted.
Later that day, Sir Handel was shunting some trucks into a train for Peter Sam. His Driver left the cab to speak to the Yard Manager. Sir Handel realised the Driver hadn't put his brakes on tightly. He eased away from the trucks and slid silently backwards away from the train.
"I'm doing it!" he said to himself. He felt himself roll over a set of points, then a thud as he hit the buffers. The noise alerted everyone, and the Yard Manager spoke severely to him.
"Why can't you stay put?" he said. "If you can't behave, you'll spend the rest of the day in the shed!"
Sir Handel watched sulkily from the shed as Rusty continued to work. He longed more than ever to leave the yard, and began to think of how he'd do it.
The next morning, Rusty's Driver arrived early. The little diesel didn't need to raise steam, and so could begin work sooner than Sir Handel.
"I think I've got an idea of how to better sort the yard today" said Rusty. "It'll take some time to get everything in place, but it'll be quicker in the long run." The Driver listened to Rusty's plan, and soon they set to work.
As Rusty began moving the trucks around the quarry, the Fire-Lighter came to get Sir Handel ready for the day ahead. He had been parked some way from the coal supply, so the Fire-Lighter gently released Sir Handel's brakes until he was by the coal. The Fire-Lighter then re-applied the brakes, but not all the way. Sir Handel soon stirred. His Driver and Fireman wouldn't arrive for some time. He could see the yard was empty, and a thought flew into his funnel.
"I'll never get a better chance" he said to himself. Slowly, he let his wheels begin to roll. Sir Handel slipped away from the shed, closer and closer to the yard entrance. "I'm nearly there!" he said, "Coaches here I come!"
Then there was trouble. Sir Handel saw a long line of trucks coming towards his line. Rusty was pushing them into place, and couldn't see Sir Handel rolling along. He tried to whistle a warning, but couldn't without a Driver.
"Stop Rusty, stop!" called Sir Handel. Rusty's Driver applied the brakes, but it was too late. Sir Handel crashed into the trucks and blocked any trains from getting into or out of the yard. Everyone was cross, but they worked quickly to clear the mess. Soon Sir Handel was back on the track, and the Fat Controller arrived to speak to him.
"My engines do as they are told. You shan't be pulling coaches for some time. Until your brakes are mended, we shall make sure that you stay where you are left."
Peter Sam came to the quarry to help Rusty with the extra work. Both kept busy and soon the yard was working nicely. As for Sir Handel, he was parked in a siding between two brake vans to keep him still. There he stayed until Rusty could take him to the works. He can't run away from this one, can he?
Daisy the Camping Coach
It was summer on the Island of Sodor. Many families were on their holidays, travelling via train to see the sights that the island had to offer.
One day, Daisy arrived at the top station of Thomas' branch line. She saw a coach parked in the siding by the platform.
"I hope they don't ask me to pull that" she said.
"That coach won't be going anywhere" said Percy, who was shunting nearby. "It's the new camping coach."
"A camping coach? Does it go into a field next to a tent?"
"No!" laughed Percy, "People stay in it on their holidays! They're guests at the station."
"But why? There's nothing to do there!"
"They don't stay here, they travel to other places down the line and make the most of their day!" Daisy still thought it was a very strange idea.
The family arrived later that day. They made themselves at home in the coach, and began making plans for the week ahead. The children played noisily on the platform, though under close watch of their parents and the Station Master. They waved and cheered as trains arrived at the station. Daisy thought they were being most disruptive.
"The other passengers won't want to hear that! I'm sure it's bad for my swerves."
The family had a wonderful week. Toby took them in Henrietta along the tramway and showed the sights along the countryside and villages. Thomas took them to the junction where they travelled to the city for the day. They spent a day by the seaside making sandcastles and swimming in the sea. Daisy was just glad of the peace and quiet when they were away.
"Don't be such a spoilsport!" said Thomas crossly. "Think of how much fun they're having!"
"I don't see what's fun about sleeping in a silly old coach" retorted Daisy.
"What about if they stayed in a diesel railcar?" said Annie.
"Thoroughly modern and right-up-to-date!" added Clarabel.
Daisy squirmed and hurried off to finish her work.
She was glad on when the family spent a long day away, though she was soon met with the sound of Workers at the top station. The windows in the waiting room had to be repaired, and the work seemed to be taking a long time.
"What does an engine have to do for some quiet?" she said.
Daisy always takes the last train of the day; it doesn't take as long to get her ready for the sheds as it does for the steam engines. That evening, it rained heavily. At the junction, the family rushed into Daisy for their journey back to the top station. She was eager to get out of the rain herself.
It was late when they finally arrived. Daisy was just about to leave when she heard a noise from the camping coach.
"We're locked out!" said the father, "I can't find the keys!" As they looked through the window, they saw the keys to the coach, lying on the table inside. The Station Master phoned for help at once.
"Bad news I'm afraid. A locksmith won't be here for some time. I'd offer you the waiting room, but it wouldn't be very comfortable." Daisy looked towards the station building. The windows had been removed, but not replaced properly. Boards now hung in the frames. "We're still waiting for the new window panes to arrive." Daisy looked to the Station Master.
"Could they stay in me sir? Just until the locksmith arrives." The family and the Station Master agreed. As the family boarded Daisy, her Driver made them all hot cocoa. "Mind you don't spill it" she said, though she said it quietly. Everyone talked and shared stories, even Daisy was listening keenly by the end. At long last, the locksmith arrived.
"Thank you Daisy" said the family. "We don't know how we'd have managed without you!" Daisy smiled, and headed off to the warmth of her shed.
They left the station the next day, though not before saying goodbye to everybody. Daisy took them down to the junction where they were due to catch their main line train home.
"Goodbye Daisy" they said, "thank you for a splendid holiday!"
"It was a pleasure" said Daisy politely, "do come back next year!"
Percy soon arrived with a goods train.
"Hurry Daisy!" he said urgently, "You're needed at the top station right away!"
"I am?" she said.
"Of course! The branch line can't be without it's new camping coach!" Daisy ignored him, having had quite enough of camping coaches for the time being.
Gunpowder
The narrow gauge engines were very busy taking goods and supplies to and from the quarries in the mountains. One of the things they had to transport was gunpowder. There are very strict rules about carrying gunpowder. They have their own special vans, only two vans can be taken at a time, and empty trucks must be placed between gunpowder vans, Guard's vans, and engines for safety. The engines had been taking turns taking them up, and it was now Peter Sam's go.
"I don't know why you're so excited" said Sir Handel. "They're only trucks."
"Dangerous trucks" grumbled Duncan. "I don't see why we have to take them!"
"They're perfectly safe so long as you follow the proper precautions" said Skarloey sternly.
"I'm sure it's not all that difficult" said Peter Sam. "I'm looking forward to it!"
At the yard next morning, Peter Sam backed slowly onto his first train. Skarloey watched as he got ready to leave.
"Just remember Peter Sam, go slowly and carefully, and you'll do well." Peter Sam puffed gently away with the train. As he made his way down the line, everyone he met warned him to be careful. Peter Sam knew they only meant to help, but he got annoyed all the same.
"They think I can't cope. I'm not going to rock 'n' roll the train like Duncan!"
"Never mind boy" said his Driver, "just keep your mind on the job."
Up ahead, Peter Sam saw Harold the Helicopter hovering overhead.
"I say, careful with your load down there! Wouldn't want you up here with me, would we?" Peter Sam finally lost patience.
"Just you keep your eyes out for people who need help rather than on me!" With that, Harold flew away.
Peter Sam completed his journey safely, and went back to the yard for his second train. The Shunter was making sure the truck's brakes were off when the Yard Manager called him over to his office. Peter Sam wasn't happy about the delay. When the Shunter returned, he forgot to take the brakes fully off the middle empty truck. As Peter Sam left, the brakes rubbed against the wheel. Peter Sam felt nothing, and carried on as normal.
Soon, Peter Sam came to the lonely lines through the mountains. A spark from the brakes started a small fire on the empty truck. It grew slowly at first, so slowly that for a while nobody noticed anything was wrong. Harold the Helicopter saw a trail of smoke and flew over towards it. When Peter Sam's train came into sight, he saw the middle truck in flames. He flew lower to alert the crew.
"Emergency, your train's ablaze!" Peter Sam's driver looked back in horror.
"If those gunpowder vans go up, we're done for!"
"Quickly!" called Peter Sam to Harold, "warn the Signalmen in front and behind! We'll deal with this!" Harold didn't need telling twice, and quickly flew away. Peter Sam's driver stopped the train. The Guard put the brakes on in her van, and uncoupled the rear gunpowder van from the burning truck. Peter Sam hurried down the line with the rest of his train.
Once they had gotten clear of the rear of the train, Peter Sam stopped again. His driver went to uncouple the burning truck, but by now the fire was out of control. Thinking quickly, he put the brakes on the gunpowder van, and uncoupled it from Peter Sam and the safe empty truck.
"As fast as you can boy! We don't have much time!" Peter Sam rushed away as fast as his wheels could carry him. He had just gotten to safety when he heard a mighty explosion from behind. The gunpowder van was no more, and had brought some of the mountain down onto the line where it had been. From far away, the Guard blew her whistle and waved her flag to show she was safe. Peter Sam blew his whistle in response. "You did it Peter Sam, well done!" said his Driver. But Peter Sam felt very worried.
"What will the Fat Controller and the other engines say?"
He found out what Sir Handel had to say about it soon enough. He buffered up to the rear of Peter Sam's train to take it back to the yard.
"Not that difficult, is it Peter Sam?" and he laughed away. Soon Harold arrived with the Fat Controller. Peter Sam was sure he would be in trouble. But the Fat Controller was smiling.
"Well done Peter Sam! You and your Driver's quick thinking helped prevent an even worse accident. Once we repair the line and you can come home, you shall have a new coat of paint."
Peter Sam beamed.
Express Engines
Gordon is proud of pulling the Express. He travels from the big station to the end of the line and back again, and brings many holiday-makers to the Island of Sodor. One summer, there were a large amount of passengers who wanted to travel to the seaside resorts on Duck's branch line. The Fat Controller decided that a few carriages from the back of the Express should be detached at the junction station, and that Douglas would carry the Express coaches along the branch line to their final stop.
"It's not fair" grumbled Gordon in the shed one night.
"What isn't?" asked Emily.
"Letting Douglas pulling the Express. He's only a goods engine. Very useful, of course, but hardly fitting for Express passengers."
"Would you rather go down Duck's branch line yourself?" asked Henry cheekily.
"Certainly not!" said Gordon. "But why don't they just get off and change trains like regular passengers?"
"It's easier for them to stay on the train" said Emily, "they can go directly to where they want to go."
" I still don't like it" said Gordon, " a suitable engine should be found to pull the train."
Douglas, meanwhile, enjoyed the chance to pull an important train.
"I had nae chance to do this back on my old railway!" he beamed.
"Just mind you don't get like Gordon" said Oliver.
"He's unbearable at the moment" said Isabel. "Keeps talking about proper Express engines."
"Does he now?" said Douglas. "Leave him tae me, I'll sort him."
Gordon puffed into the junction with the Express. Douglas was already waiting for him.
"Yer two minutes late, y'know" said Douglas. "I'd better get a move on, or the passengers'll be wanting a refund."
"I'd like to see you do better" said Gordon. "I'm a proper Express engine."
"Are ye now? It wasn't so long ago that 'proper express engines' looked like Emily or Edward."
Gordon wheeshed. "Well now they look like me."
"Aye, and what a pity. All that boiler, and you still can't make enough steam to get here on time." Gordon puffed angrily away.
He was still cross when he backed down on his train at the big station.
"I'll show Douglas on time. I'll do better than that, I'll get there early!" He pulled away fiercely, and was soon up to speed. He rode roughly as he tried to go faster.
"Steady boy!" called his Driver. "We've plenty of time!"
"Got to be early, got to be early" puffed Gordon. He rocketed through the junction station, where Oliver and Douglas were waiting.
"I don't think I've ever seen him go so fast!" said Oliver.
"He'll soon be going a lot slower if he goes on like that" said Douglas.
Gordon began the approach to Gordon's Hill. He pushed himself to go as fast as he could, nothing his Driver did could back him down. He felt his fire getting hotter and hotter, then suddenly-
Woosh!
Gordon's Driver saw a flash pass under the wheels, and the Guard pulled the brake cord. Gordon soon found himself crawling to a stop on the hill. He felt most uncomfortable.
"What happened?" cried Gordon. His Fireman inspected him.
"You silly engine! You made your fire so hot, it melted your firebars. We'll have to damp down your fire and call another engine!"
Before long, Douglas arrived.
"Is this what 'proper express engines' get up to? Because I'm not impressed." Gordon just stayed silent and looked at his buffers.
Douglas was soon coupled to the front of the train, and hauled Gordon and the coaches to the end of the line. The Fat Controller was waiting for them.
"You should know by now Gordon not to run at unsafe speeds. You shall stay on the sidings until we can take you to the Works to be mended."
"Sorry sir" said Gordon feebly. The Fat Controller turned to Douglas.
"We find ourselves in a tight spot. Gordon's return Express is due soon, and there is no engine free to work it. Douglas, would you like to pull it today?"
"It'd be an honour sir!" smiled Douglas.
So Douglas hauled the return Express. He made good time, though he found it very hard work. At the junction for Duck's branch line, Oliver took over the rear section.
"If only Gordon could see this!" chuckled Oliver. When Douglas arrived at the big station, he was exhausted but proud.
Later, he returned to collect Gordon and take him to the Works. Gordon remained respectfully silent.