Henry the green engine steamed triumphantly into Knapford yard in early November of 1916, eager to show off his new livery. As he looked around, he saw the old sheds were almost rebuilt, and cranes surrounded the new five-platform station, ready to hoist the new roof segments into place. Then, Henry noticed Edward, and… was that William? No, this engine was painted forest green, with the letters "LBSC" on its side tanks. A new engine? Henry thought. How exciting!

The new engine noticed Henry before Edward did. "Hello," he whistled cheerfully. "What's your name?"

"Henry?" Edward gasped. "Is that you?"

"Aye, Edward, it's me. What do you think?"

"You look splendid, old chap! I hardly recognised you!"

"Thank you, Edward! Who's your new friend?"

"Henry, this is 109," said Edward. "He's a brand new E2 class built last month."

"109?" Henry asked. "Do you not have an official name?"

"No," replied 109. "I didn't have one at my first firing."

"It happens from time to time, Henry," explained Edward. "It's not unusual for a non-faceless vehicle to not know its name after its awakening."

"I see," said Henry. "Well then, pleased to make your acquaintance, 109."

"Nice to meet you too, Henry, was it?"

"Aye. So, what brings you here?"

"He's our new Number 1, Henry," came the voice of Sir James "Topham" Hatt. "Glad to see you out of the works, and may I say that brighter green looks marvellous on you."

"Thank you, Sir," Henry chuckled. "Well, I go away for a week, and a new engine turns up. Maybe I should get repainted more often!"

"His purchase was being discussed while you were shunted, Henry," Edward explained. "He just arrived yesterday and needs to learn, so I'm showing him the ropes."

"Well, keep up the good work, lad. Sir, what's my first train?"

"Henry, I want you to pick up a train of steel girders from Barrow-in-Furness and bring it back here. They're for the station roof."

"Right away, Sir!" And Henry steamed off to get turned around.

Henry steamed into the bustling mainland station of Barrow-in-Furness. Once there, he waited for his train. Presently, he heard a familiar whistle, and watched as a GER S69 class steamed into the yard.

"A goods train! What a disgrace!" the engine grumbled.

"Nice to see you too, Alfred," Henry smiled.

"Oh, it's you, Henry," Alfred replied begrudgingly. "Hmm, well, at least your new livery means you're no longer a disgrace to the GNR, though I'd bet you still have steaming troubles, correct?"

"As I've told you before, Alfred," Henry retorted as he made his way onto the turntable. "I'm not a disgrace to the GNR; the men who stole Gresley's plans and built me are. Besides," he shot back. "Pulling goods trains must be quite a disgrace for a 'distinguished express engine' such as yourself."

"Leave my train out of this," Alfred hissed as he was uncoupled and rolled away from the flatbeds. "At least I'm a proper engine, not a failed prototype like you!"

"Huh!" snorted Henry, letting off steam as he backed down onto the train. "What do you want me to do, Alfred? Grow a bigger firebox?"

"That, and a better sense of humour," retorted the express engine. "Would suffice nicely." With that, Alfred steamed away in a dignified manner.

"Every bit the stuck-up bossy boiler you've always been," Henry muttered under his breath, and puffed back towards Sodor.

As he slowed down through Vicarstown, Henry spotted Matthew, the S&M Number 3. "Oh, another new engine?" Matthew remarked. "What's your name?"

"You know me, Matt," laughed Henry.

"Henry? Is that you? I hardly recognised you! You look great!"

"If I had a penny for every time I heard that," chuckled Henry.

"You looked a bit down when you rolled in though. What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I just met a rather rude acquaintance of mine on the Mainland."

"Alfred?"

"Um, yes. How did you…"

"Henry, what does 'S&M' stand for?"

"Er, 'Sodor and…' oh! You've met him?"

"Aye, he's a right old bossy boiler."

"You can say that again, Matt."

"Okay then," Matthew laughed. "He's a right old bossy boiler!"

"Too right!" chuckled Henry. "Anyway, better be on my way. Good day, Matt."

"Bye, Henry! Say hello to my brothers for me!"

"Huh?" Henry puzzled as he steamed away.

Presently, Henry approached Knapford. As he steamed into the yard, however, he saw a most unusual sight. Clive and Niel were shunting an odd-looking train between them consisting of a small coach and a pair of strange, long objects.

"Clive? Neil?" Henry whistled. "What have you got there?"

"It's a breakdown train, Hen– oh my goodness!" exclaimed Clive at the back. "Will you look at that, Neil?"

"Well, blow me away!" exclaimed Neil, looking back from the front. "Henry! I would nae recognise ye, if I had nae heard ye speak!"

"Yes, yes, I've been repainted," Henry said, admittedly growing tired of all the complements. "Now, what on Earth is that train?"

"Och, it's a breakdown train, Henry," Neil replied. "It uses them two cranes ta' lift engines and cooches back onta' the track."

"So them two thingamajigs are cranes?" remarked Henry. "Fascinating. I hope I can see them in use one day."

"I'm sure ye will, lad," Neil commented. "No railway can operate without the odd 'iccup every noo and then."

Clive put in, "One minute you're riding high…" before his attention was drawn to the other side of the yard by a shout.

"Look out, 109!" Edward shouted. Clive, Neil and Henry watched as the young tank engine misjudged his stopping distance, ploughing into one of the cranes that had been set up for the station roof with a mighty CRASH! The crane began to sway violently, but 109 was scared stiff. Edward whistled urgently to get the attention of a nearby shunter and pulled forward, buffering up behind the E2. The shunter quickly coupled the two engines together then ran away, as Edward pulled 109 to safety just as the crane keeled over, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"... The next, ye're on the ground," finished Neil simply.

My great-grandfather arrived at the scene. "Dear, oh, dear, 109," he said. "Whatever are we going to do now?"

"Could we use the breakdown train, Sir?" suggested Henry.

"Breakdown trains are for re-railing engines and rolling stock, Henry," replied the director. "This is a bit more than they can fix, and another crane could take days."

"If I may, Sir," 109 replied cautiously. "I may have a solution."

"One, two, three, pull!" Sir Hatt shouted. By now, the other beams were all in place. 109, Edward and Henry had been coupled to a rope attached to a jerry-rigged pulley system. Working together with the crane on the opposite side, the three engines reversed, pulling the final arched beam into place.

"Well done, 109!" my great-grandfather commended. "Thanks to your quick thinking, the Knapford reconstruction effort is still on schedule. Now, get yourself to Elsbridge Works. They'll straighten out your buffer beam and give you a new coat of paint."

"Please Sir," 109 asked. "Can I be blue like Edward?"

"I don't see why not. Oh, and while you're there, you might want to start thinking about a name."

A week and a half later, Sir James arrived at Elsbridge works to visit our newly-repainted Number 1. "Good morning, 109," he said "You do look splendid. How do you feel?"

"I feel fine, Sir," replied the blue tank engine.

"Good to hear. Now, have you thought about a new name for yourself yet?"

"No, Sir. I've had a few ideas, but nothing's really stuck with me."

"Thomas, come back! We're not allowed in there!" came a voice. A young boy toddled into the workshop.

"Blue!" Thomas shouted, pointing at 109 with a grin on his face.

"Yes, that's a blue engine," replied his father. "Now, come on, we need to go home." He turned to Sir James. "I'm dreadfully sorry, he's only three."

"That's quite alright," my great-grandfather smiled. "I was just as curious when I was a boy."

"Sir," 109 smiled as he watched the boy leave. "I think I've just found my name."