I do not own Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. They are strictly the property of both the Awdry Family and Britt Allcroft herself; this story is not for profit and is purely for entertainment
Episode 16: Tenders and Turntables, Original Airdate: 27th November 1984
I was a cool day on the Island of Sodor. Thomas Billinton had just finished work for the day and was on his to pick up Lucy from play school, he had just arrived at Rainbow's End Nursey and had just knocked on the door.
"Hello there Mr. Billinton" greeted the teacher who answered, "you here for Lucy".
"That I am" said Thomas happily.
"Well come right in," said the teacher.
Thomas entered the nursery and walked into the room where the children were playing. Lucy was with some other toddlers being shown some silly pictures by Reverend Boston. When Lucy saw her father walk into the room, she stood up and waddled over to her fathers' outstretched arms.
"Daddy" she said happily.
"Hello Lucy" Thomas said happily as he took his daughter in his arms, "had a fun day today?".
"Fun daddy" giggled Lucy, "Revy Boston show us silly pictures".
"Did he now?" smiled Thomas.
"I can show you them if you like?" said Reverend Boston as he came over to them.
"Sure, why not," said Thomas.
Reverend Boston had a photo album in his hands. He then opened it and showed him some of the pictures that he and Reverend Awdry had taken whilst travelling on Gordon's express over the weekend. One picture had Reverend Awdry tripping over his own laces, one where Reverend Boston was splat on by a bird and another one where they were both riding an opening top bus and were both drenched after being caught in a rainstorm.
Thomas gave a snicker at some of their antics.
"Now riding an open top bus in a rainstorm is funny" said Thomas, "say where is Reverend Awdry?".
"He got a cold from rain and is staying at home until he gets better" said Reverend Boston as he closed the album.
"I hope he gets well soon" said Thomas in sympathy for the ill clergyman.
"Thanks Thomas that was very kind of you," said Reverend Boston as he then remembered something, "say Thomas we're you going to tell us a story?".
"That I was Reverend Boston," said Thomas.
"Well then shall we get down to business?" asked Reverend Boston.
Soon all the children and teachers were gathered in a semi-circle with Thomas sitting on a chair in front of them.
"Alright boys and girls" said Thomas as he began his story, "the story I'm about to tell you involves some trouble that my friends Gordon and James had with a turntable".
(Story Begins)
At the big stations at end of the line on Sodor there was a turntable, one at Tidmouth and one at Vicarstown. This was so that when Edward, Henry, Gordon, and James brought either a goods or passenger train to either one of the stations then they could turn their engines around for the return journey, this was so because it was dangerous for tender engines to go fast backwards.
Both Thomas and Lady didn't need to as they both drove tank engines, which could do just as well either backwards or forwards. However if you were hear Gordon talk about, then you would have thought that Sir Topham Hatt had given him a tender engine just to show how important he was and since Gordon was also the great, great grandson of famed locomotive designer Sir Nigel Gresley it was no surprise really.
But soon a combination of both tenders and turntables would cause a spot of bother for the North Western Railway. One day at Elsbridge Gordon was dropping off passengers for Thomas to take on his branch line, Gordon was also going about how important tender engine drivers were to Thomas and Howard.
"You just don't understand little Thomas," said Gordon.
"I don't understand what?" asked Thomas confused.
"We tender engine drivers have a position to keep up" Gordon told him grandly.
"Do you now" said Howard who had overheard Thomas and Gordon's conversation and that decided to join in.
"What I'm telling your son Howard" said Gordon is that it doesn't matter where you, Thomas, Lady and Burnett go. But tender engine drivers like me, James and Henry are important and for Sir Topham Hatt to make us shunt trucks, fetch coaches and to go on some of those dirty sidings its, its".
"It's what Gordon?" asked Thomas.
"Its not the proper thing" said Gordon in disgust.
"Not the proper thing Gordon" chuckled Howard before he gave him a stern look, "well let me tell is that Thomas, Annie and Clarabel's great grandfather, my grandfather was a tender engine driver himself".
At mentioning that Thomas' great grandfather drove a tender engine, Gordon looked at the Billinton's incredulously.
"Your grandad was a tender engine driver?" asked Gordon in amazement.
"Yes, he was Gordon, and did you know that he sometimes had to pull goods engines and fetch his own coaches nearly all the time and never once complained about it," said Howard.
"He fetched his own coaches and pulled goods trains and never once complained about it" said Gordon in disbelief.
"That's right" said Howard sternly, "and it may surprise you that he actually preferred goods work as he didn't have to deal with the occasional grumpy passenger".
"Poppycock" said Gordon as the guard blew his whistle.
Gordon, Thomas and Howard both hopped into their engines and head off on their journeys. As they headed down the branch line, there was something that Thomas wanted to ask his father.
"Dad, you said that great grandad Harry drove a tender engine?" asked Thomas
"Of course, I did son" Howard told his son.
"But I thought that great grandad Harry drove an E2 like we do," said Thomas.
Howard turned to his son and winked; Thomas then gave a grin of amusement as he then realized that Howard made up the story to shut Gordon up.
Later that day at Tidmouth sheds Gordon had just finished his lunch and was about to get ready for his next train, he had brought his A3 to the turntable so that it could be turned around so that he could take the next express. The turntable was in the windy place close to the sea and Gordon's engine wasn't on it just right, it had put it out of balance and made it difficult to turn.
Today Gordon was in a bad temper and to add to that the wind was blowing fiercely. The yard manager tried to make Gordon stop in the right place, but Gordon wasn't even trying and when the man operating the turntable tried to turn the handle, a combination of the weight of Gordon's engine and the strong wind prevented him from doing so.
"Its no use" said the yard manager at last, "your A3's big tender upsets the balance. If you were a tank engine driver like Thomas and Lady, you'd be alright but now I'm afraid that you'll now have to pull your next train backwards".
The news greatly shocked Gordon.
"Pull the train backwards" spluttered Gordon, "but".
"No buts" the yard manager snapped angrily, "I'll ring Sir Topham Hatt and inform him about it".
And he did just that and Sir Topham Hatt agreed. An hour later Gordon arrived at Elsbridge pulling his train backwards as he was reluctantly made to do, some boys were on the platform and when one of them noticed Gordon he called to his friends.
"Look here lads Sir Topham Hatt has a new tank engine" he told them.
"Oh, it's only Gordon back the front" said one of his friends when he got a closer look at him.
Thomas had just arrived with his latest train when he noticed Gordon, Thomas then decided to have a little fun.
"Hello there Gordon playing tank engines I see?" asked Thomas cheekily.
Gordon just looked at Thomas and growled angrily, Thomas however wasn't intimidated.
"Be a sensile man and take my advice, scrap your engines tender have a nice bunker like me and Lady's engines do" said Thomas cheekily.
Gordon said nothing and just gave Thomas an angry scowl. James came into the station with his train, whilst he was letting his passengers off, he saw Gordon. When he learned why Gordon was pulling his train backwards, he burst out laughing.
"Take care though James" warned Gordon, "your engine might stick on the turntable too".
"Nonsense" scoffed James, "my engines is not as fat as yours, there is no hope of her sticking on the turntable".
Later that day at Tidmouth sheds, James had finished work for the day and was about to put his engine into the shed. He brought his Class 28 onto the turntable and unlike Gordon he had managed to stop it in the right place to balance the turntable, feeling pleased with himself James then motioned to the man operating the turntable to begin turning.
Gordon arrived in time to see everything, the began to blow up. James' engine turned on the turntable, a little too easy. The wind began to puff him and his engine his engine around like a top and he couldn't top, the man operating the turntable wasn't able to regain control of it and was forced to let James been spun around faster and faster.
Very soon however, as soon as it began the wind was over and the turntable operator was able to regain control. James rolled his engine off the turntable; his face was a shade of green and Gordon thought that it was very funny.
Well, well" chuckled Gordon, "playing roundabouts, are we?".
James just said noting, he just rushed over to the nearest bin and threw up. Later that night in the bunkhouse Gordon, James and Henry held an indignation meeting to discuss the events of the past week.
"Its disgraceful the way we tender engine drivers have been treated" said Gordon angrily, "I had to drive backwards, and people think that my A3 is a tank engine".
"I was laughed at for spinning round on the turntable like a top" said James in agreement.
"And not to mention I was squirted by an Elephant" complained Henry.
"And to add insult to our injuries, Sir Topham Hatt makes us all shunt in dirty sidings Ugh" growled Gordon angrily, "well I for one am fucking sick of it".
James and Henry both agreed with Gordon and together the three of them decided to do something about, half an hour later the three of them were eating the Domino's Pizza which they had ordered when Gordon came up with a plan.
"Listen here guys I've come up with a plan" said Gordon to the others.
"What is it, Gordon?" asked James.
"Yeah, let us in on it" asked Henry.
Gordon told them his plan and to his surprise James agreed with it, it took Henry some convincing, but he was soon agreement.
"We'll do it first thing tomorrow, Sir Topham Hatt will looking silly by the time we're done" Gordon announced in a prideful voice.
The three drivers had decided to go on strike.
(Story Ends)
"Oh dear" said Reverend Boston as Thomas finished his story, "and did they go ahead with it?".
"They did I'm afraid" said Thomas mournfully.
"But what happened then?" asked Reverend Boston, "did they see sense?".
"Oh, they did after Sir Topham Hatt hired Percy and suspended them," said Thomas.
"Daddy tell story?" asked Lucy who wanted to hear more.
"Daddy will tell the story of Uncle Percy" Thomas told his daughter, "I'll tell you at bedtime".
Lucy clapped her hands excitedly causing Thomas to smile. He then grabbed her bag and took her hand in his. They both then left Rainbows End and headed home.
Hello everybody, I'm back, I hope you've all had a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Anyway enough, I'm sorry that I've haven't updated soon. Two reasons, one is that I'm lazy at writing and two I've got a brand-new job which means updates may take some time.