Tug of the Future

Written by Jonathan Downs, Rachel Ravens and Zack Wanzer

Based on elements of the untitled Diesel Tug story

I've always found the progression of technology to be quite fascinating. When the steam engine was first invented, it was only a matter of time before it progressed to the phase where steam was commonly used for transportation. It was thanks to steam that the railroads would take off and aided the Industrial Revolution. Steam ships would also replace the sailing ships of old.

But, when petrol and diesel engines were invented, there was a widespread assumption that steam would give way to those two technologies. Although I never dreamed of selling any of my tugs, which were all steam powered, for scrap, I cannot deny that diesel and petrol vehicles have an advantage over steam. With steam-powered vehicles, it took a lot of time and preparation to get them ready. Petrol and diesel vehicles, on the other hand, well, all it takes is a fill of oil and a touch of starter and they're off. No fuss, no waiting.

Of course, back then, the technology was fairly primitive so it would be some years off because steam gave way to diesel. That didn't stop anyone from building early prototypes that could lead to the progression of the technology further down the road. Captain Lucky had one such project, going in the background over the past couple of years. After two years of work, the project was completed.

"Thank you all for coming!" she said proudly to the crowd. "I know how anxious you've been these past few months, but I can safely say that your time and money have been well spent. We are about to witness the greatest miracle of the machine age. Based on the revolutionary principles of internal combustion, we have created a tugboat that requires neither coal nor water. Just a fill of oil, a touch on the starter, and you're off. No bother, no waiting, no fussing around for hours to make it ready. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… The Diesel Tug!"

As if on cue, an unfamiliar tug sailed out of the workshops and looked different to the other tugs. He had a different shaped-stack and no steam came out. His engine sounded like a roar and the name of his hull read "JIMBO". The crowd gave a round of applause. O.J. and Hercules had seen the ceremony from afar and they were just as impressed.


Later on, Captain Lucky was talking to Jimbo about his reveal.

"You did splendidly," said Captain Lucky.

"Thank you, Captain," replied Jimbo. "But this public revealing does seem a bit much, don't you think?"

"Nonsense!" chuckled Captain Lucky. "Nothing should detract from your uniqueness. You are revolutionary!"

"Revo-what?" asked Jimbo.

"Revolutionary; it means new," replied O.J. as he and Hercules drew up alongside. "And you're certainly that! I've never seen a tug like you before. Very interesting."

"Oh, thank you," said Jimbo. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm Hercules," the ocean-going tug said.

"And I'm Otis Jones," added the paddle steamer. "But everyone calls me O.J. for short. We're both members of the Star Fleet."

"Well, pleased to meet you two," said Jimbo. "I'm Jimbo."

"Captain Star asked us to show you around," explained O.J..

"That's right," replied Captain Lucky. "Starting tomorrow, you'll undergo trials to gauge your potential. We have a potential buyer for you already."


O.J., Hercules and Jimbo got to work the next day.

"Okay, Jimbo," said O.J.. "We'll need to get some of these barges to Lucky's Yard. Think you can handle this one?"

"I'll try, O.J.," he said. Jimbo was soon hitched to the barge of engineering parts, and O.J. and Hercules started to follow along.

"Looks good from here, m'dear," smiled Hercules. "Maintain a steady speed."

Much to Hercules and O.J.'s shock, Jimbo started to go faster.

"Jimbo, don't cause any… wakes?" O.J. blinked in surprise.

Jimbo glanced back. "Are you alright, fellas?"

"You're quite a smooth runner," Hercules complimented. "Keep going, Jimbo."

"I will." He saw Ten Cents and Sunshine working with Pearl and Little Ditcher. "Good morning."

"Morning, Jimbo," Ten Cents, Pearl and Little Ditcher greeted. "Hello, O.J. and Hercules."

"Er… morning," Sunshine said, trying to hide her nervous smile.

"Are you alright, Sunshine?" asked Ten Cents.

"Er… maybe it's my imagination, lad…" Sunshine stammered.

Ten Cents just raised an eyebrow as the switchers got back to work.


The following day, Hercules, O.J. and Jimbo were tasked with shipping duties.

"Okay," said O.J.. "Next we're going to try towing someone in."

"Er… okay, I can give that a try," said Jimbo. "How exactly do I do it?"

"Hmm… Ah! There's someone over there!" Hercules spotted a female tramp steamer. "Hello, Delta Queen."

"Hmm? Ah, Hercules," she smiled. "What a surprise. You're usually up the coast. And O.J., how are you?"

"Going well," said O.J.. "We're training a new tug. Delta, this is Jimbo. Jimbo, Delta."

"Pleasure to meet you, young Jimbo," said Delta. "So, you're trying to tow someone in, yes?"

"You could say that," said Jimbo. "Er… is it okay if I try towing you in?"

"I'd love to be your first tow," said Delta. "Give it a try."

Soon, a rope was hitched between the two.

"Maintain a careful speed," said Hercules. "Keep as straight as you can."

Jimbo slowly started to pull out of the estuary, gradually picking up speed.

"The shipping area is over there– Hey, wait for us!" cried O.J.. He and Hercules had to race off as quickly as they could. "Haven't moved this fast since I was a young tug."

"He's definitely doing well," said Hercules.

Warrior and Big Mac were collecting rock to help rebuild the buildings that were destroyed from the munitions fire, when they saw Jimbo.

"Big Mac, Warrior," he greeted as he passed.

"Losh sakes!" gasped Big Mac. "He's quick."

"You're right there…" trailed Warrior.


Then, they came to bring in a large ship – the Princess Alice, to be exact.

"Okay," said O.J.. "Top Hat is dealing with car floats, so the rest of us will have to manage."

"We only managed last time because Zebedee helped us," sighed Sunshine.

"One of those Z-Stacks?" gasped Jimbo. "I thought they were trouble."

"Zebedee isn't so bad," said Ten Cents. "Oh, here comes Hercules now."

The tugs got into position. Hercules was leading, while Big Mac and Warrior were on the side push. Ten Cents, Sunshine and Jimbo were nearby in case anything went wrong, and O.J. supervised the operation.

"At least there's no high winds or damage to the ship this time," said Warrior.

"So far, so good," said O.J.. Suddenly, a wave came and splashed hard on Big Mac's side.

"Losh sakes!" he cried; the harbour tug nearly went into the back of the rudder.

"Hang on!" Jimbo moved forward and took control. Sunshine quickly got a line and pulled Big Mac back to safety.

"Phew," sighed Big Mac. "Thanks, Sunshine."

"Good work, Sunshine; you too, Jimbo," smiled O.J.. "Are you okay, Big Mac?"

"Aye," he smiled.

Soon, the Princess Alice managed to get docked.

"That was a near thing," said Ten Cents. "Good work, guys."

Unfortunately, Top Hat had seen the whole incident, and was frowning.


"That Jimbo will be the death of us all!" wailed Top Hat the next day.

"He doesn't strike me as a serial killer," scoffed O.J.

"That's not what I meant!" insisted Top Hat. "Jimbo is only the beginning! More tugs like him will come and we'll be scrapped! Done! Obsolete! Over the hill! He's probably plotting our overthrow as we speak!"

"Or maybe you're just being a paranoid twit, Top Hat!" snapped Ten Cents.

"Paranoid twit? PARANOID TWIT?" exclaimed Top Hat. "I'm merely concerned about our future!"

"Weel, we didnae see that months ago, that's fur sure," muttered Big Mac.

"Maybe Top Hat's right," Sunshine said nervously. "Jimbo's trials seem to be going well so far."

"Yeah," agreed Warrior. "And we did replace the old sailing ships. Maybe diesels will replace us."

"I rest my case," said Top Hat. But he, Sunshine and Warrior weren't the only ones who were worried.


"It's outrageous!" exclaimed Zeus. "I work hard for Captain Zero, bring some class to this fleet and suddenly, some upstart tug comes along and acts like he's the bee's knees!"

"For once, I agree with you," said Zak. "Who does that tug think he is? We've run this port with steam for years and we don't need an oil-guzzler to usurp us."

"You don't suppose Captain Zero will buy more of him, do you?" asked Zug.

"Well, we did anger him once in a while," replied Zip.

"That's an understatement," said Zorran. "And anyway, you lot are worrying over nothing. There's no way he'd replace us. For one thing, there's one of him and fourteen of us between the Z-Stacks and the Stars – submarines notwithstanding. Besides, diesel technology is newer than steam, which means there's bound to be teething problems."

Zorran's statement was about to be proven a lot sooner than expected.


It all happened as Jimbo was towing in Izzy Gomez. O.J. and Hercules were following suit to make sure he would be able to handle the job by himself.

Suddenly, Jimbo felt his engine sputtering.

"What the…?" he began. Then, with a loud bang, his engine gave out and he had to make a sudden stop. In doing so, Jimbo's towline snapped and Izzy Gomez lost control. He was heading towards Scuttlebutt Pete who was dredging at the time.

"Ay caramba!" exclaimed Izzy Gomez. "Get out of the way!"

"Watch out!" cried Scuttlebutt.

But it was too late. Izzy Gomez bumped into Scuttlebutt and pushed the dredger right towards the quayside, causing him to run aground. Scuttlebutt couldn't move his crane arm in time and it smashed into a nearby building.

Everyone looked on, shocked by what had just happened.

"Jimbo, Izzy, Scuttlebutt!" cried O.J.. "Are you alright?"

"Do we look alright to you?!" fumed Scuttlebutt.

"Er… I'd take that as a no…"

"That's another building we'll have to repair…" sighed Hercules.


Hercules towed in Mighty Mo to help clear the mess, and he and O.J. helped where they could. Fortunately, no one was inside the building at the time, but it was going to cost a lot of money to repair. Top Hat passed by with Frank and Eddie and was unimpressed.

"Well, if diesel tugs really are the future," he sneered, "it's bound to be a bleak one."

O.J. and Hercules shot a glare at him, causing the railway tug to subside in silence.


Next, Zip passed by with Zeus.

"Looks like Mr. Perfect's luck has run out," teased Zip.

"Why are you wasting your time, teaching him our ways, Hercules?" asked Zeus. "It's clear he's only good for scrap."

"You leave Jimbo alone, Zeus and Zip!" growled Hercules.

"Yes, you should just… zip your lips!" joked O.J.. Hercules just rolled his eyes at the paddle steamer's pun.


Zak and Zug were the next ones to witness the accident.

"Captain Zero won't want a useless tug like him," said Zug.

"Yeah," said Zak. "Maybe Captain Lucky should sell you for scrap and stick to making proper tugs."

"Zak and Zug!" snapped O.J.. "You two get back to work or I'll tell Captain Zero to put on menial jobs again!"

Zug and Zak left, the former feeling shocked by the threat. Unfortunately, Jimbo's confidence had been shaken by the accident and the hurtful comments didn't help matters.


When Warrior and Sunshine came along, Jimbo prepared himself for the worst.

"Cor! What happened here?" asked Warrior.

"I'm sorry about this…" sighed Jimbo sadly. "My engine failed and I lost control of Izzy Gomez. If you two want to laugh, do your worst."

Warrior and Sunshine looked at each other and despite feeling nervous about it, they felt sorry for Jimbo.

"Here," said Sunshine. "Let me help you clear the mess."

"Yeah," said Warrior. "I'll help."

"That's very kind of you two," smiled Hercules.

Jimbo had to smile gratefully.


"How could you be so rude to poor Jimbo?" Sunshine asked crossly.

"What do you mean?" asked Top Hat.

"Jimbo needs kind words after the accident," said Warrior. "Not for you to make horrible comments like that."

"Goodness me, Top Hat," said Hercules. "It's bad enough you were a complete coward during the night of fire, now this!"

"What about Warrior and Sunshine?" insisted Top Hat. "They were worried about him too."

"That's because Ah was almost scrapped before Captain Star bought me," said Sunshine. "But even then, Ah would never mock him for such a serious accident."

"And I didn't know what my fate was going to be until Captain Star bought me from the Fire Department," said Warrior. "It's not nice to think about the worst case scenario."

Top Hat said no more.


Jimbo was now in dry dock awaiting repairs.

"I'm sorry about this, Captain Lucky," said Jimbo.

"No need to apologise, dearie," said Captain Lucky kindly. "The accident wasn't your fault. I suspect there was a design flaw we didn't catch during your construction. Hopefully, we can rectify it."


While it was true Jimbo had been a success up to that point, his breakdown revealed the true shortcomings of his design. His repairs took a long time to complete, owing in large part to the relative scarcity of replacement parts. Furthermore, his crew were literally learning how to fix him while they were doing it, clearly showing the expertise needed was not widely available. Jimbo was simply too far ahead of his time. Top Hat, Zak, Zug, Zip and Zeus kept making rude remarks about this whilst Zorran just looked unimpressed.

This made Jimbo feel low.

"Maybe it would have been better than if I hadn't been built," said Jimbo on the day he was back in service. "One breakdown and look what happened."

"Nonsense," said Hercules. "Jimbo, the breakdown wasn't your fault. Every new technology always has some form of teething problems. Why, one of the earliest steam locomotives, Best Friend of Charleston, produced the first boiler explosion in the United States."

"You know, Jimbo," said O.J., "I had a knock of confidence myself a couple of years ago. My old engine had been playing up and it did so whilst I avoided a runaway Davy Jones. This caused my barge to strike Felicia who then sank. I contemplated being scrapped but after I blew my engine out to stop Ten Cents from being quarantined, he then encouraged me not to give up. Captain Star forked out money for a new engine and a refit, and here I am, still working to this day."

"O.J.'s right, dearie," said Captain Lucky, who was riding onboard Jimbo just in case he broke down again. "Just because you had one accident doesn't mean you should throw in the towel. All you need is a chance to prove yourself."

"Maybe," said Jimbo, feeling a little better.


Meanwhile, Zeus was towing in a tramp steamer. Because of a high current, Captain Zero and I had warned our tugs to be careful and not to go too fast in case they lost control. But, Zeus was never one to take orders seriously and liked to show off. Then, he saw O.J., Hercules and Jimbo in the distance.

"Now I'll show Jimbo what a real tug can do," he said to himself. Zeus revved his engine and charged forwards. This proved to be a mistake as his towline snapped and the current knocked it off course.

"Oh no!" groaned Zeus.

There was worse to come; Ten Cents was passing through with a barge for the waterworks.

"What a lovely day," he said to himself. "Just got to manage this current… what the?!" he gasped; the tramper was coming full speed. "Oh no!" He started to race out of the way. Though he cleared the way of the tramper… his barge didn't and the tramper holed it.


Big Mac and Warrior were on their way back to the Star Dock for a rest, when they saw the tramper.

"Suffering stacks!" exclaimed Warrior. "Big Mac, we have to stop it!"

"Ye go left, Ah'll go richt!" Big Mac told him. The two raced alongside the tramper from either side and quickly got a line on it.

"Where did this come from?" asked Warrior.

"Dinnae ken," Big Mac shrugged. "We'd better tow this in anyway."


Ten Cents was now in trouble. His barge was sinking rapidly and the tow rope was pulling him under.

"Help!" he cried to O.J., Hercules and Jimbo. "I can't get my rope free."

"Little brother!" gasped Hercules. "Hold on! I'm coming!"

"Hang on!" said Jimbo. "Leave this to me!"

The diesel tug revved up his engine, shot forwards and snapped the rope between Ten Cents and the barge. The barge disappeared beneath the water, but Ten Cents was safe. Everyone cheered.

"Well done, Jimbo!" O.J. shouted. "You really are the Tug of the Future!"

Jimbo smiled at that compliment, and for the first time in days, he felt confident again.

"Well done, Jimbo, m'dear," said Hercules.

"Yes, well done, darling," said Captain Lucky, patting Jimbo's hull.

"Are you alright, Ten Cents?" asked Hercules.

"I'm okay," Ten Cents said with relief. "Thanks, Jimbo. I owe you one."

Then, a rather sheepish Zeus came up, followed by Big Mac and Warrior.

"Erm… has anyone seen a tramper?" he asked nervously.

"As a maiter o' fact, yes," said Big Mac. "This yin nearly skelp Warrior 'n' Ah while oan oor wey hame."

Hercules was furious with Zeus.

"I wouldn't blame Captain Zero if he decided to scrap you and buy Jimbo instead!" he said darkly. "He can't help being ahead of his time, but at least, he's more sensible than you will ever be! Ten Cents was nearly sunk because of your incompetence!"

"What?!" cried Big Mac and Warrior.

"Ten Cents, are you alright?!" Warrior asked.

"Just barely," sighed Ten Cents. "Jimbo saved my life."

"Weel dane, Jimbo," smiled Big Mac. "Thanks fur saving oor friend." Jimbo smiled back.

"Regardless, Zeus, I'm going to speak to Captain Zero about this!" Hercules snapped.

Zeus gulped at this.

"Oh boy," said Captain Lucky. "It looks like Captain Zero's volcano is about to erupt again."


Captain Lucky was right.

"YOU INCOMPETENT BUCKET OF BOLTS!" roared Captain Zero. "YOU'VE LOST US A CONTRACT AND NOW I'VE GOT TO PAY BALLANTINE'S FOR THEIR SUNKEN BARGE! YOU'RE ON DREDGER DUTY FOR THE NEXT TWO MONTHS! NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

"Yes, sir, sorry sir," Zeus said quietly. The other Z-Stacks just glared as Zeus left.

"As for you, Zak, Zip and Zug," continued Captain Zero, causing the three tugs to jump, "you're no better! I've heard you've been mocking Jimbo for that accident! What if people were hurt? Would it have been funny? Well! Would it?"

"Er… n-no…" stuttered Zip and Zug.

"Too right it wouldn't!" shouted Captain Zero. "You three will be joining Zeus on dredger duty as well!"


"Top Hat, I hear you've been saying rude things about Jimbo," I said sternly. "He might not be like other tugs, but he's certainly proven today that he can be useful. If it hadn't been for him, we would have lost Ten Cents." The very thought made me shudder; nearly losing Ten Cents once was already scary enough, but twice?! "You'll be working on dredger duty with Zak, Zip, Zug, Zeus and Scuttlebutt Pete for two months."

Top Hat felt ashamed. Later on, he went to Lucky's to apologise to Jimbo. Zip and Zug were there too, along with Ten Cents, O.J. and Hercules.

"I'm sorry for being rude to you," Top Hat said. "You really are a useful tug."

"I'm sorry too," said Zug.

"Sorry, Jimbo," said Zip.

"Apology accepted," smiled Jimbo.

"And I've got some good news for you, Jimbo," said Captain Lucky. "I've spoken with the potential buyer, and despite your breakdown, they've agreed to buy you due to your heroic rescue today."

"That's wonderful news," asked Jimbo. "If you don't mind me asking, who is the buyer?"

"That would be me," said a voice; out stepped Admiral Cardona.

"Well, what do you know?" Ten Cents said to Jimbo. "You did replace a steam tug after all! Albeit one that was never liked in this port – Bluenose!"

"Of course," said O.J., "the navy's been short a tug since Bluenose's dishonorable discharge and subsequent execution."

"Indeed," agreed Admiral Cardona. "Despite Jimbo being ahead of his time, his bravery and hard work has left me in no doubt that he'll be far better than that good-for-nothing Bluenose."

"I'll share that sentiment," smiled Hercules. "Congratulations, Jimbo."

"Thank you, everyone," said Jimbo. "And don't you worry, Admiral. I'll make sure I am nothing like my predecessor."

Jimbo was as good as his word. He worked hard for the Navy and whilst he still had the occasional breakdown, overtime, they became more experienced at repairing him. Jimbo also proved to be more pleasant than Bluenose ever was and matured into a friendly but serious tug. Of course, the shortcomings of the technology meant that diesel would not supersede steam for years, but neither Star or Z-Stack ever said a negative word about Jimbo again.

The End


Athour's notes: Thanks again Johnathan. This was a fun story. Jimbo is a combo of a deleted paddle steamer tug, and the unnamed Diesel Tug. Jimbo is a bit of an insecure guy, but willing to learn. It was fun getting O.J. and Hercules in on showing Jimbo what to do - two nurturing souls to the young tug. And showing more of their dynanic was great. Jimbo is Bluenose's replacement. Delta Queen was another scrapped character, reimagined as a tramp steamer. Not sure who she works for yet, any ideas, please tell me in the reviews.

Next time, we catch up with Puffa and Little Owl with their new recruits in Railhead. And this will feel a bit more like a Thomas and Friends episode in TUGS, so this will be fun.