I do not own Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. They are strictly the property of both the Awdry Family and Britt Allcroft, this story is both purely for entertainment and never profit.

Episode 24: Dirty Objects, Original Airdate: 25th December 1984

It was a bright sunny day on the Island of Sodor. Thomas and Toby had brought their engines to the washdown and were currently cleaning them. Whilst Thomas and Howard were scrubbing Thomas' E2 when they heard a very familiar voice.

"Daddy" came the voice of a child.

Thomas, Howard, and Toby turned to see Tanya coming into the yard with Lucy and Henrietta. Both Thomas and Toby were happy to see their daughters that they stopped cleaning their engines before walking going up to Lucy and Henrietta, they took their daughters in their arms and spun them around.

"Lucy" smiled Thomas, "this is a surprise".

"What are you doing here with Lucy Henrietta?" asked Toby.

"They wanted to visit you two whilst you were working" explained Tanya.

"And maybe to hear Uncle Thomas tell a story," said Henrietta.

Upon hearing the word story, Thomas decided to think of which story to tell the group. He then noticed Toby's engine and immediately knew what story to tell both his daughter and his honorary niece.

"Say would you like to the story of how Uncle James and Uncle Toby's relationship first started?" asked Thomas.

"You mean how he ran into those tar wagons?" asked Toby.

"Bang on there Toby" said Thomas.

Thomas then turned to see that Lucy, Tanya, Howard, and Henrietta had taken their places. Lucy and Henrietta were sitting on the running board of Thomas' E2 whilst Tanya and Howard were leaning against its buffers. Toby then took his place and Thomas decided to start his story.

"Alright" said Thomas as he began, "this all began two weeks after Toby and Henrietta arrived on the North Western Railway

(Story Begins)

Toby and his daughter, Henrietta were both enjoying their new lives on the Island of Sodor immensely. Thomas' branch line had plenty of work for him to do, not just taking trucks from Anopha Quarry but some days Toby even go to take passengers like he did when he first started his job.

His C53 however was old fashioned and desperately in need of new paint. Toby had been considered to ask Sir Topham Hatt if he could give his tram a beautiful new coat of paint, however the past two weeks were busy and decided to leave it for the moment.

Toby however made friends with Thomas' parents, Howard, and Tanya, he even let Annie and Clarabel play with Henrietta whenever they visited the Billinton's house. Sometimes Howard and Tanya would invite Toby and Henrietta over to their house for dinner on occasion.

Toby also became good friends with some of the other drivers on the North Western Railway, especially Lady, Percy, Edward and Henry. Even Gordon had to admit that Toby had won him over.

"You guys are real lucky to work on a railway that still uses steam engines" said Toby to Edward one day.

"That I agree with you Toby" replied Edward, "but do you miss your old line sometimes?".

"I do" said Toby solemnly, "but its good for me and Henrietta to have a fresh start, especially on a railway where there's always plenty of work for me to do".

"Well I'm glad that you're happy here Toby" said Edward kindly.

"That I' am, thank you Edward" Toby replied to his kind words.

However, there was still one driver that Toby still hadn't managed to win over yet. That driver in question drove a certain red engine with the number 5 on its tender.

James didn't dislike Toby, but he was very rude to him however whenever they met. He especially made fun of Toby's tram and its coach, as he considered them to be dirty and old.

"Ugh, what dirty objects" he would say whenever they met.

"Honestly" said Toby to Thomas and Lady in the kitchen at the Tidmouth bunkhouse one morning, "James really shouldn't say such horrible things about my tram and its coach".

"I know that James can be a bollocks sometimes" said Thomas, "but he soon gets over it".

"I'll believe that when I see it for myself," said Toby.

"Don't worry Toby" said Lady kindly, "James will soon get tired of mocking your tram and will start complementing it".

Toby decided to take Lady's word for it and headed to let his trams fire. Later that day he arrived at Elsbridge where James arrived a few minutes later, Toby hoped that James would be in a more polite mood today. But unfortunately for him, that wasn't the case. James said his usual "what are those dirty objects remark" and finally Toby lost patience.

"James" he asked in a quiet tone of voice, "why is your engine red?".

"Because she is a splendid engine" James said proudly, "and besides, you'll never see her paint dirty".

"Is that so?" asked Toby.

"That is correct and why ask?" said James.

"Because I heard that you once needed bootlaces to be ready, am I not correct?" asked Toby.

"What" spluttered James, "who told you this".

"Oh a little blue birdie told me" said Toby with a mischievous smile on his face.

James' face turned redder than his engines paintwork, the guard blew his whistle and he drove off. It was so insulting to be reminded of the time when a passenger's bootlace had to be used to mind a hole in one of his coaches after he had both gone too fast and bumped it too hard.

At Knapford station, James left his coaches and went to gather his next train. It was a slow goods, stopping at every station to pick up and set down trucks. James hated slow goods trains, he felt that his engine was too important for such trains, but he did his job without complaint as he didn't want to get into trouble with Sir Topham Hatt.

"Dirty trucks from dirty sidings! Yech!" said James to himself with disgust.

Starting with only a few, he picked up more and more trucks at each station, until he had a long train. At first everything went well, James puffed down the mainline, but he was still fuming at his and Toby's meeting earlier.

"Who does that Toby think he is?" James said to himself, "what until I next see him, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind".

Presently he soon reached Gordon's Hill, where Gordon had once gotten stuck with a goods train and Edward had to come rescue him. Soon James reached the top of the hill, heavy goods halted on the top of the hill so that they could set down their brakes as their heavy loads could force the engine down the hill.

James whistled to the guard so that he could set the brakes, however there was a problem. When the guard tried to set the brakes, he discovered that they weren't working properly. But before he could inform James, the train then began to speed down the hill.

James was frightened by this and tried to apply the brakes, but the train pushed his engine forward. James' engine sped down the line, passing shocked people as it rushed by. Soon James' engine came to Maron station, as it sped through the station, James noticed that disaster lay ahead.

"HORRORS" he cried in shock as he clung to his engine tightly as he prepared for the crash.

CRASH

BASH

SPLASH

Something wet and sticky splashed all over James' engine. It had run into two tar wagons and was now black from smoke box to cab, James only had a black eye but was otherwise fine. But the two tar wagons and some of the trucks his engine was pulling were all to pieces.

Toby and Percy were both sent to help and soon arrived with the breakdown train to help clear away the mess, Toby noticed this and decided to get a little payback at James for his rude behaviour earlier.

"Look here Percy" he said in a mocking tone of voice, "whatever is that dirty object?".

"That's James, didn't you know?" asked Percy in an equally mocking tone of voice.

"Its James' engines shape alright" said Toby, "but James drives a splendid red engine, and you'll never see its paint dirty".

James pretended that he didn't hear Toby and Percy's words. Toby and Percy soon cleared away the intact trucks and then helped James and his engine back to Tidmouth sheds. When they arrived, the trio was greeted by Sir Topham Hatt at the goods station.

"Well done you two" said Sir Topham Hatt to Percy and Toby, "I'm proud of your efforts today".

"Thank you Sir" said Toby, pleased by Sir Topham Hatt's words.

James then hopped out of his engines James. He then noticed Sir Topham Hatt looking at him with his arms folded and a smirk on his face.

"Fancy letting your trucks runaway James, I' am surprised" said Sir Topham Hatt to James.

"Yes Sir" said James glumly,

"Your engine is not fit to be seen James, it must be cleaned at once" Sir Topham Hatt told him.

"I agree with you on that Sir" agreed James.

"And I want you to apologise to Toby for your rude comments about his tram and its coach" Sir Topham Hatt told James sternly.

James then turned to face Toby.

"I'm sorry I was rude to you Toby" said James apologetically.

"That's alright James I forgive you," said Toby.

Sir Topham Hatt then turned to face Toby, who looked at him hopefully.

"As for you Toby, I've decided that your tram shall have a new coat of paint" said Sir Topham Hatt.

"Oh, thank you Sir" said Toby happily, "may my tram's coach have a new coat of paint too please?".

"Of course it can" smiled Sir Topham Hatt.

Toby then drove his tram off to pick Henrietta up from school and inform her of the good news. Percy then headed off back to work whilst all James could do was watch them leave, he then drove his engine to the washdown so that it could get cleaned.

(Story Ends)

"And ever since then, James has never once been rude to Toby" said Thomas as he finished his story.

"Good story daddy" said Lucy clapping her hands happily.

"Alright Lucy and Henrietta its time to go" said Tanya standing up".

"Goodbye daddy" said Lucy as Tanya took her and Henrietta by the hands and lead them away.

"Goodbye Lucy sweetheart," said Thomas.

"See you later Henrietta love," said Toby.

After Tanya, Lucy and Henrietta had departed. Thomas, Howard, and Toby were just about to go back to work when they heard a mournful whistle. The trio saw James' L&Y driving into the washdown, covered in tar, they then saw James hop down from its cab with a rather embarrassed look on his face.

"What happened James?" asked Thomas with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Run into more tar wagons?" asked Toby in amusement.

"I'm afraid so" said James unhappily.

"Faulty brake van again?" asked Howard with a smirk.

"Actually it was a train that broke away from BoCo this time Howard" said James glumly.

"Maybe your engine getting covered in tar is karma for rudeness James," laughed Thomas.

Thomas, Howard, and Toby then drove off back to work. James then watched them leave, he then grabbed a mop and a bucket of warm soapy water and started to help the workmen clean his engine.

And done, well I'm please with how it turned out. Also be so kind as to check out a humanized Halloween special I wrote, check it out, it's called Sodor Thriller. Anyway, please be so kind as to leave a review and as always, see you all next time.