[Don't mind me. I'm just a line bump]

Henry and the Elephant

Written by the Reverend W. Awdry and Broa Island

Isle of Sodor: 1934

Henry and Gordon soon found the yards at Knapford lonely without the tank engines. They missed them very much. They had more work to do, and they couldn't wait in the sheds till it was time and find their trains waiting for them at the platform. Now, with the lack of a dedicated station pilot, they had to fetch their own coaches from the yard. They didn't like that.

Ruby sometimes did odd jobs, and so did James. But it wasn't long before James started grumbling too. The Fat Director kindly gave Henry and Gordon new coats of paint (Henry was given green after many passengers and staff began mistaking him for Gordon), but they still grumbled dreadfully.

"We get no rest! We get no rest!" they complained as they clanked about the yard. And I'm sorry to say that it wasn't long until Gordon, Henry, and James started taking their anger out on each other.

"What's the matter Henry?" James said rudely to the big green engine one morning, "There's no rain today. Stop worrying and do some work instead."

"Oh shut up! Just, shut up you idiot!" growled Henry. He didn't like to be reminded of the time he broke down in a tunnel and had feigned vanity to cover up his short comings. "Anyway James, you look ugly enough to be a clown! You should be in a circus!"

"Oh!" whistled Ruby, "so you guys' heard the news?"

"What news?" grunted Gordon.

"About the circus!"

"Out with it Ruby," said James, "we haven't got all day!"

"The circus has arrived!" explained Ruby excitedly. "The Fat Director wants you three down at Knapford Harbour to help with the preparations ASAP!"

The engines soon forgot to be tired and cross, as they all wanted to shunt the special trucks and coaches. Until it was time for the circus to leave, then Gordon and Henry were cross all over again when the Fat Director chose James to take the train on to Barrow. However, they soon forgot about the performers and animals, as they had a lot of work to do.

One morning shortly after woods, Alec steamed into Knapford Station only having left with a passenger train an hour before. "The tunnel at Ballahoo Ridge is blocked!" Alec's driver told the stationmaster, "Get some men down there to take a look!"

The only engine available to take the workmen to the scene… was Henry, and he wasn't at all thrilled. He grumbled away and found two trucks to carry the workmen and their tools, and he pushed the trucks along the mainline, muttering to himself. "Pushing trucks. Pushing trucks."

Soon, they reached the tunnel and stopped just outside. The workmen climbed out of the trucks and tried looking into the black abyss. It was very dark, and no daylight shone from the other end.

"Must've been a cave-in or somethin'," said the foreman. "Alright lads, you know the drill."

With that, the workmen grabbed their tools and cautiously made their way into the tunnel. The foreman waited outside with Henry and his crew and made himself a cup of tea. They hadn't been waiting long, when they all heard the voices of screaming men from inside the horizontal pit!

The workmen came running out of the tunnel, screaming and babbling hysterically! Once they had calmed down, they said to the foreman, "Look, we found the blockage and started to dig it away, but it grunted and moved!"

"Rubbish!" said the foreman.

"It isn't rubbish! It's big, and alive, and we're not going in there again! So there!"

"Right then, I'll go," the foreman said in disappointment. "I'll ride in a truck, and No. 3 shall push this here blockage out of the way!"

"W- W- WHAT?!" Henry spluttered. "If there's something breathing and angry inside that tunnel, than I'm not going anywhere near it, thank you very much!"

"I agree, old boy," said his driver, "but we must clear the line. The railway's already in financial trouble, how do you think a setback like this is going to help matters?"

Henry knew his driver was right. "Oh deer. Oh deer," he puffed as he pushed the trucks slowly into the darkness. Then there was trouble.

CLUNK!

The lead truck had hit the blockage, and it was enormous! Henry immediately shut off the steam to his cylinders.

"What is it?" called Henry.

"I don't know," replied the foreman, "It's too dark to tell."

Suddenly, Henry felt an incredible force push against him, a force that he decided was wise not to fight against! The block was indeed alive and very strong, it began to push the train backwards! Out of the tunnel came Henry, then the trucks, and last of all, pushing hard and very angry, came a large elephant!

"Well I never did!" cried the foreman. "It's an elephant, from the circus!" Henry's driver ran off to the Ballahoo signal box, where he telephoned the elephant's keeper. The elephant then turn his attention towards the men!

"Lads, I don't think he's a very happy-chappy!" cried one workman as the elephant bore his tusks at them! In a quick act of self-preservation, the workmen chucked some sandwiches and cakes from their lunch boxes at the animal. It was then that the elephant forgot he was cross and remembered that he was hungry.

After finishing his meal, the elephant drank three buckets of water without stopping! He was just about to drink a fourth when Henry let off steam.

"ARRRGH!" cried the elephant! He reared up on his hind legs and squirted the water from his trunk all over Henry by mistake!

Poor Henry, he didn't like that at all.

Presently, the elephant's keeper arrived and took him away. The workmen jumped into the trucks, laughing at their adventure, and Henry pulled them back to Knapford, grumbling to himself.

"An elephant pushed me! An elephant hooshed me!"

That night at Tidmouth Sheds, Henry told Gordon and James what had happened. He was certain that they wouldn't believe him at best, but to his surprise, not only did Gordon and James believe him, they felt sorry for him too.

"You poor engine," said Gordon sympathetically. "You have been badly treated, and something must be done about it!" But no matter how hard they tried, neither he, Henry, nor James could think of what.

I'm sorry to say that the elephant incident would have a lasting effect on the North Western Railway's future.