Very Old Engines

Part II: Bucking Bronco

Based on the original story by Reverend W. Awdry

Adapted by Michael White

Back when Rheneas and Skarloey first started working on the Mid Sodor Railway, the two engines were very different indeed…

"Morning, Skarloey!" Rheneas whistled.

"Morning, Rheneas!" Skarloey whistled back.

He surged forward with his coaches, taking Rheneas by surprise.

…Rheneas was sensible and careful…

"Mind as you go, Skarloey! That bend further out the line can be rather bumpy!"

…and Skarloey was bouncy and excitable…

"No fuss, Rheneas! I'll manage!"

Rheneas listened to the sound of the coaches groaning and rattling from behind his friend.

"Oh, dear," he sighed.

… which was usually a common cause for him landing himself into trouble…

Rheneas glanced over at Skarloey as he had him pulled back onto the rails, the workmen replacing jacks tightly under his wheels.

"I did try to warn you, Skarloey…" he suggested.

"Huh! It was the silly coaches' fault! Not mine!"

"There he goes again, ladies!" Ruth moaned.

"Indeed!" Lucy added. "What do you think there, Jemina?"

"Huh? What? Speak up!"

Agnes groaned from affront.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

A crowd of people had gathered round to listen to Skarloey's tale of old; of the time when he first started working on the Mid-Sodor Railway…

"Pay close attention now! I'm sure you're all going to enjoy this next part…"

"Oh, go on, Skarloey!"

"Yeah, tell us!"

The old engine took a deep breath.

"Well…"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"I was lonely and miserable; the men had covered up that tarpaulin right over my cab. My fire had gone out and I wasn't able to make steam! Other engines would often pass by and say teasy things to me…"

"Coo, do look at that engine!"

"Serves him right!" another chuckled.

"Crosspatch indeed!" chimed a third.

" I did not enjoy it one bit, and I'd wished then I'd hadn't been so silly!"

Skarloey sighed sadly from under the tarpaulin.

"Ahem!"

He glanced over with surprise.

"At last, the Manager came back!"

" I hope now that you can be a better engine, Skarloey!"

"Oh, sir! Yes, sir! Please, sir!"

"Good! Because I've asked Mr. Bobbie to come and look after you!"

"Oh, sir. That's great news, sir! I'll be the best engine ever!"

"That's the spirit! Run along now and get your trucks ready!"

Skarloey gulped.

"Trucks?!"

"Ahem!"

Mr. Mack raised an eyebrow, tapping his foot.

"I-I mean, yes, sir," Skarloey sighed, as the tarpaulin was taken off his cab.

I wasn't very happy, but pulling trucks beat sitting under the tarpaulin any day, and I was excited about Mr. Bobby's arrival...!

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Who was Mr. Bobby?" Nancy wondered.

Skarloey chuckled.

"Well now…,"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"…Mr. Bobbie was my old controller in England; he helped to build me along with Rheneas and both our brothers! We already had a special relationship beforehand early in the workshop, so it was easy for me to cooperate and keep my steam up…"

Mr. Bobbie leaned suddenly from out over his cab.

"Ready to steam, Skarloey?"

"Always!" the young engine replied.

"Come along now! We must have this line finished before the Inspector arrives!"

"We will, Sir! It'll be just like the early days at the Workshop! You know, where Tallylyn and I had a contest every morning about whose wheels were faster…"

Mr. Bobbie chuckled.

"Alright, Skarloey! Focus now! Those trucks require lots of delicacy so handle them with care!"

Skarloey smiled.

"I didn't mind pulling trucks with Mr. Bobbie; he told me exactly how to handle them and gave me tips on how to deal with them…!"

"Tug a little harder at this lot, Skarloey!" he said quietly. " That way, the brakes will slip on easily and you don't have a problem with them holding you back moving forward!"

"Yes, Sir!"

"So I did what I was told; I pulled so hard that the trucks' brakes slipped on one-by-one; gradually, it all became easier!"

"I've done it! I've done it!"

"Ouch! Oh! Oof!" the trucks groaned from behind.

Mr. Bobbie laughed.

"Well done, Skarloey! Well done!"

"Thank you, Sir! I know!"

"Keep it up, Skarloey!" Neil whistled, as he backed another line of trucks into another siding.

Skarloey grinned confidently as he rolled further along.

"The trucks and coaches end up behaving well under my watch! All thanks to Mr. Bobbie, of course! The pair of us worked so well together, that by the time Rheneas arrived, the line was ready…!"

Rheneas smiled, as Skarloey rolled up alongside.

"You've done wonders with this line, Skarloey!" he complimented. "It's no wonder Mr. Bobbie sent you here first!"

Skarloey chuckled.

"It shows, doesn't it? Glad to have you here, Rheneas! Are you excited for your first journey out?"

"Sure am!" Rheneas laughed. "Mr. Mack says I'll be starting out with some empty trucks! That siding over there, apparently!"

Skarloey gazed.

"You best mind them, Rheneas! These trucks tend to play tricks on an engine who isn't used to them!"

Rheneas whistled, as he set off.

"Don't worry, Skarloey! I'm sure I'll manage just fine!"

He reverse down into the siding and gently backed down towards the trucks.

"Come along, you lot!" he whistled. "We have a long journey ahead!"

The trucks giggled quietly as he pulled along, smiling confidently.

"He won't last five minutes…" Skarloey groaned to himself.

"Unfortunately, that was easier said than shown!"

"On! On! On!" the trucks shouted.

"The trucks surged ahead; Rheneas applied his brakes quickly and carefully…just in a nick of time!

The cavalcade stopped with jolt, with the line of trucks bumping into each other.

"Ow! Oof! Ooh!" they all groaned.

Neil ran up beside him.

"Well done, Rheneas! Dat was very careful stopping! Looked as if ya knew precisely where to brake an' when!"

"Oh, it was nothing, Neil! I've only practiced drills with the trucks in the workshop! Should be enough to keep this lot in line!"

Skarloey watched with surprise, as he whistled and set off.

"Come along now, you lot! And be careful! That was very dangerous what you did back there! You could've caused an accident!"

"Sorry, Rheneas…" one said meekly

They all whispered amongst each other.

"Remind me never to play tricks on him!"

"That wouldn't be worth it!"

Rheneas grinned confidently as he advanced forward.

"Rheneas wasn't bouncy or excitable as I was! In fact, I'd say he was far more sensible than careful, and did his work without hurry or fuss! The trucks knew better than to play tricks on him!"

"Yer friend Rheneas really 'as a knack wit dose trucks! Eh, Skarloey?" Neil pointed out.

"Mmmm…yes…" the young engine observed.

He frowned slightly, watching Rheneas return the trucks to the junction and back them down carefully into their siding.

"Of course, they would never tire of of giving me trouble…"

"Alright, trucks! Look sharp now!" Skarloey whispered, as he buffered up to them.

"Is that Rheneas?"

"Don't think so; sounds like that other engine, Skarloey!"

"Oh, yes, the crosspatch!"

They all giggled quietly as he pulled them along.

"In fact, they would often play tricks on me to make me cross! They waited as I reached the top station…"

"On! ON! ON!"

"Woah!" Skarloey wailed, surging forward.

"I applied my brakes hard, but I only managed to stop beyond the platform, not beside it!"

"Skarloey?!"

Skarloey glanced aside, as the stationmaster walked over.

"Uh oh…"

"You overshot the platform again, Skarloey!"

"But sir, it wasn't my fault! It was these trucks and their…"

"Please, Skarloey; do be a little bit more careful about braking! As you see, Rheneas can do it very well!"

The truck giggled as he walked away.

"Oh, my…" Skarloey sighed.

"Rheneas was shunting one day when I rolled up alongside! I was very excited!"

Skarloey whistled out loud.

Rheneas jumped, startled.

"Oh…"

"Guess what, Rheneas? I'm going to be pulling the Director's Train! I'm taking the Inspector tomorrow! Think of that!"

"Mmm…" Rheneas pondered. "Well, you'd best mind your bucks and bounces then!"

Skarloey spluttered.

"The Directors won't approve of that!"

"Puh!" Skarloey snorted.

" I didn't care much for Rheneas' careful words of advisement; I was far too excited! So I just bounced off to fetch my coaches!"

"Oh, dear…" Rheneas sighed.

"Our primary coaches around that time were Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemina and Beatrice; Agnes is their leader and Beatrice is the guard's van who usually travels at the back!"

"Hullo, girls!" Skarloey whistled, buffering up to Beatrice.

Agnes opened the sleepy eye amongst the other groaning coaches.

"Who is it?" she echoed.

"It's an engine!" Beatrice whispered, as Skarloey swiftly pulled them out from the shed. "He's come to take us out!"

"I'm Skarloey, and we're taking the Directors' train out today!"

"Right…" Agnes sneered.

"He does seem strange!" Ruth quietly remarked.

"I quite agree!" Lucy added. "Very strange! What do you think, Jemina?"

"Huh? What?" the fourth coach abruptly added. "sorry, ladies! You'll have to speak up a bit!"

Ruth and Lucy giggled when…

"Shhh! Silence, ladies!" Agnes quietly bellowed out. "We must beware of strange engines like this one! We must be on our guard!"

"On our Guard! On our Guard!" Ruth and Lucy chanted out as they reached the platform.

Beatrice giggled.

"Our guard has just come!"

The other three coaches sighed with relief.

"I pushed them all happily to the station, though little did I know that they still seem quite suspicious of me!"

"Be on your Guard, be on your Guard…" Agnes muttered.

"On our Guard, on our Guard…" the others murmured in response

"Of course, I was too excited to pay any attention! It might have been better if I had…"

The guard's whistle blew as Skarloey backed down.

"I was sizzling with excitement as I ran round and backed down on Agnes."

"What fun! What fun!" he chortled.

Agnes shot him a glance.

"You may look harmless," she whispered. "But we'll watch you! We'll watch you!"

"For sure we will!" Ruth quietly added.

"Quite necessary!" Lucy agreed. "What do you think, Jemina?"

"Huh? What now?"

"Shhhhhhh!" Ruth and Lucy hissed.

"Shush, all of you!" Agnes quietly demanded.

"Huh?" Skarloey wondered.

"The coaches took me quite aback but I didn't care; they watched me real closely, but even Agnes couldn't complain about our upward journey…"

"Mmm…" the first-class coach observed. "Not bad this far…"

"Oh, no, no!" Ruth chimed in.

"Not in the slightest!" Lucy agreed.

"Come again?" Jemina wondered.

"Silence!" Agnes quietly snapped. "I shall be the judge of that! This one's still got much to prove!"

Skarloey looked back, narrowing an eyebrow.

"I wondered what they were gossiping about but I didn't think much of it; the better the journey became, the less those silly coaches got to me…"

"On our Guard! On our Guard!" they chanted out, but Skarloey just smiled.

"The train stopped at every station and the Directors would get out and admire the arrangements…"

"Mmm…" one marveled, carefully taking notes. "Very impressive…"

"Yeah, wow…" another agreed.

Skarloey beamed proudly.

"Everything started off without a hitch; the journey went well and I forgot all about Agnes and the others!"

"Mmmm…" the three middle coaches murmured amongst each other, though Agnes still watched closely at the sound of the guard's whistle.

"Hold that train!"

Skarloey braked hard, glancing to his left.

A familiar figure came running towards the train.

"Mr. Mack, sir…"

He stopped and took a deep breath, smiling.

"Skarloey, you've done an excellent job with the Director's train thus far! Now, if you and Mr. Bobbie wouldn't mind, I'd like to join you both on the footplate for the journey home!"

"I felt skeptical…"

"Ermmm…"

"Ahem!" Mr. Bobbie coughed, glancing towards me.

He looked down.

"Of course you can, sir! Climb aboard!"

"Thank you!" Mr. Mack beamed.

He hopped aboard, right before Skarloey set off.

"So Mr. Mack climbed aboard, as we set off for the home journey."

Skarloey looked up, curious.

"Of course, I wasn't sure what his intentions were, but at least he was impressed and that was fine by me…"

"I must say, Mr. Bobbie," Mr. Mack pointed out, leaning out from over the cab. "We are running nicely!"

"I know, sir…" the driver beamed in response.

Mr. Mack leaned more forward in.

"Say now, do you mind if I give him a whirl?"

Mr. Bobbie just laughed.

"If you know what you're doing, sir!"

Mr. Mack chuckled.

"It just looks so easy! I know everything there is to know about engines!"

"My face went as red as my paintwork the moment he took hold of my regulator…"

"Uh oh…"

Steam came bursting out as Mr. Mack advanced the train further along.

"Woah!" Skarloey wailed, and surged ahead.

"Whoops!"

Mr. Mack chuckled slightly, keeping a better hand at the regulator.

Mr. Bobbie groaned.

"Ermmmm… are you sure this is such a good idea, sir?

"Quite necessary! Skarloey is doing just fine!"

The young engine sighed with relief.

"It just so happened that I let the Manager's praise get to my head; we were going so well that the Directors didn't complain at all but I got ahead of myself…"

"First rate! First rate!"

He began to pick up speed.

"… so much so that I even began to bounce from side to side…"

"Oof!" Ruth winced.

"Ouch!" Lucy groaned.

"What are you doing?" Agnes demanded.

"What I always do!" Skarloey replied. "We'll be there soon enough!"

"… and so I continue to bounce my way along the track! It was fun, but the manager eventually didn't seem to think so…"

"Woah!" Mr. Mack wailed.

"… he turned a quick hand at my regulator, but it was all too quickly… AND too much…"

Agnes' buffers clashed against his.

"Ouch! That's done it!"

"He's playing tricks!" Ruth moaned.

"Bump him, girls!" Lucy agreed. "Bump him!"

Agnes spluttered.

"Now!" she ordered.

Skarloey gasped as he lurched forward.

"They surged against me, urging me on! I bounced and lurched; I couldn't help it!"

"Woahhhhh!" Beatrice wailed from behind.

Skarloey whimpered quietly amongst the coaches giggling.

"At that moment, I had a flashback; pulling these coaches at this speed reminded me of working with trucks…"

The coaches' giggling suddenly fizzled out into the sound of trucks laughing.

"On! On! ON!

"Nooooooo!" Skarloey wailed.

Mr. Mack grabbed a tight hold of the side of the cab.

"Skarloey!" he demanded. "What are you playing at?"

"I can't stop, sir!"

"Well, at least try-y-yyyyyyy —"

He lost his balance and toppled over, grabbing wildly for a handhold.

"The Manager held on for dear life, but it was no use! Next moment, I knew he was gone!"

"Sir!" Mr. Bobbie cried.

Skarloey whistled aloud.

"Brakes, guard! Please!"

"Hurry!" Beatrice pleaded.

The guard ran out and pushed her lever hard, slowing the train down gradually.

"At long last, Mr. Bobbie seized my controls, which allowed me to slow down further…"

"Sir!" he cried, looking back.

Two legs waved out from from a nearby bush, as the train came to a halt.

The coaches all sighed with relief.

"Luckily no one was hurt, but Mr. Mack was very cross…"

Mr. Bobbie hopped off and ran towards the bush to help him back up on his feet.

"Are you alright, sir?" he asked.

The Manager spluttered with fury.

"Certainly not! I will not be riding that bucking bronco EVER again!"

He stormed down towards the end of the train, still fuming.

Skarloey and Mr. Bobbie glanced at each with concern.

"And that was that; the Manager sat in Beatrice for the remainder of the journey…"

The guard watched with concern as Mr. Mack sat on the upholstery across from him, expressing a pouty face.

"Huh!" he huffed. "Engines…"

"On the return journey, I could very well hear the coaches gossiping…"

"You were right about that one, Agnes!" Ruth expressed.

"Indeed!" Lucy added. "He is a great deal of trouble! Wouldn't you agree, Jemina?"

"Huh? What?"

"Oof!" the other two coaches in front groaned.

"Speak up, ladies! I'm a little deaf of hearing, remember?"

Beatrice smiled weakly.

"I think we may have a taken that prank a little too far! Manager was very cross, and the Directors may not have liked the ride either…!"

"Silence, you silly guard's van!" Agnes snapped.

The other three coaches giggled, as Beatrice just sighed.

"We're not the ones who are going to look bad!" Agnes went on. "Just wait until we reach the top station; you'll see! This young whippersnapper of an engine will be sorry!"

"Unfortunately, it was just like Agnes had foretold; when we reached the top station, the Directors were very cross indeed…"

"I say," one expressed, exiting the train. "What a ride!"

"Puh!" remarked a second. "Never again in that engine!"

"No, indeed!" agreed a third.

Agnes smirked.

"See, ladies? We sure showed him this time!"

"Oh, yes," Ruth and Lucy both giggled.

The group of men surveyed the platform and looked hard at Skarloey.

"Baldy shaken!" one remarked.

"Bounced about!" another lamented.

The one in front pointed to Skarloey.

"Rheneas will take us out tomorrow!" he demanded. "You will stay in your shed and out of sight!"

The men continued surveying the platform, as Mr. Mack paced about, murmuring.

"My, my, what a day…"

Skarloey groaned mournfully.

"So I spent the rest the rest of the day shunting trucks and coaches about the yard; I felt quite bad about the incident, though I figured there wasn't much to do about it now…"

"Sorry te hear 'boot yer li'l incident, Skarloey!" Neil soothed.

Skarloey took a deep breath, stopping amongst his perch of trucks.

"Thanks, Neil! It was my fault, really! I shouldn't have bounced about like I did!"

He sighed, gloomily.

"And now I let everyone down!"

Neil watched as he shunted his current line of trucks down the track and into a siding.

"I took the time shunting to think it all over; I was very careful with the trucks and coaches this time…"

"Brakes on!" one truck shouted.

The other trucks giggled giddily as their brakes on.

"On! On! ON!" they shouted.

Skarloey slammed on his brakes.

"Not this time!" he said boldly.

The trucks wailed sturdily down the line, stopping with a jolt.

"Ouch!" they groaned.

"There! Now stay put!"

The trucks stammered.

"S-s-sorry, Skarloey!"

"We'll n-never…"

"…d-d-do it…ag-g-gain…"

Neil chuckled, as he stopped alongside.

"Well done, Skarloey!"

"Thank you, Neil! I was on high alert that time!"

Mr. Mack observed the commotion from the platform nearby.

"Hmmmm…" he pondered.

"Later that evening, I was resting in my shed when the Manager came to see me…"

"Ahem!"

Skarloey gasped.

"Sir! I'm s-so sorry, sir! I did try to be good! I swear!"

Mr. Mack held his hand up.

"Skarloey," he soothed, "the incident wasn't all your fault. I'm sorry I was cross."

"Oh…"

Skarloey listened on, as Mr. Mack chuckled.

"Perhaps I put a little too much pressure on your regulator! I don't know much about working engines, you see!"

"I got a slight chuckle, remembering the incident with the tarpaulin…"

"Oh, sir…"

Mr. Mack took a deep breath.

"Unfortunately, the matter is out of my hands; we must do whatever the Directors say now and they insist on giving Rheneas a trial!"

The latter engine back down besides Skarloey as Mr. Mack finished.

"I will make it up to you, though; I promise!"

Skarloey beamed.

"Thank you, sir! I'll be as good as my word!"

"That's the spirit! You both get some rest now, you hear? We have a big day ahead of us!"

"Yes, sir!" the pair chanted and whistled in response.

They smiled as they watched him set off back to his car.

Skarloey glanced over at his friend.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, Rheneas! You were right reminding me about my bucks and bounces, otherwise I wouldn't end up being a bucking bronco like Manager foretold!"

Rheneas laughed.

"All in good time, my dear friend! We do live and learn, don't we?"

"Oh…,"

Skarloey chuckled.

"…I'll give you cheek! How about that time in the workshop when Mr. Bobbie had to boil tea in your boiler to get you fired up!"

Rheneas laughed.

"That was intentional! I was minding my step the whole way!"

"Oh, were you now?" Skarloey joked.

"Well, it wasn't much, really. He had to turn the kettle up to make enough steam! I went along with it, really, and…"

"The next day, I was put on good duties while Rheneas set off with the Directors train…"

"Good luck, Rheneas!" Skarloey whistled, as he set off with his trucks.

Rheneas whistled in response, as he got going with the passenger train.

"Come along, your Ladyships!"

The coaches whispered in gossip amongst each other.

"He's pulling us well, Lucy!"

"Indeed, Ruth! Wouldn't you think so, Jemina?"

"Huh? What?"

Beatrice giggled.

"I'd think so!"

But the coaches took no notice, whilst marveling at Rheneas' steady beat.

"Much better than that other engine…" Agnes admitted.

Rheneas smiled, as he pulled further along.

"Rheneas did a fine job with the Directors train; the Inspector was very pleased thus far, though his driver constantly had to drop sand on the rails to help his grip…"

"Show your paces, Rheneas!" he cautioned. "We'll show these fine gentleman just what you're made of!"

Rheneas just grinned, as they reached their next stop.

The Inspector got off and walked up to him.

"You've done very well so far for a new engine!" he said kindly. " Some improvements that need to be made here and there, but nothing I can't talk to the Directors about!"

"Aye, sir!" Rheneas agreed. "Like having to keep refilling my sandboxes!"

The Inspector pondered.

"Mmmmm…yes…"

He walked back towards the train, deep in thought.

"So the Inspector went down to tell the man about some improvements that were needed for the line…AND Rheneas himself…"

"…but on the whole," he told Mr. Mack later on at the last stop, "the arrangements are good! Fine engine you have here! All the Directors seem to think so!"

"Why, thank you!" Mr. Mack replied.

He nodded proudly at Rheneas, who beamed at him in return.

"Just do what you can about those adjustments!" the Inspector reminded. "You'll have a railway running shipshape in no time!"

Mr. Mack thought long and hard, looking down at his watch.

"Hmmmm…"

"Later on at the end of the day, Mr. Mack called me over to the yard; by the time I got there, Rheneas was already present, as were a group of familiar-looking gentlemen…"

Skarloey gasped.

"There he is!" one pointed.

"The one that shook us!"

"And bounced!"

The young engine went red in the face, as Mr. Mack walked in front.

"Now, now, gentlemen," he soothed. "Surely there's a reasonable explanation!"

"He's bumped and bounced us!" one remarked. "That's what he did!"

"On purpose too!" added a second.

"Indeed!" agreed a third.

"Never again will we ride that bucking bronco!" remarked a fourth.

All the men continued to point and shout in agreement.

Rheneas and Skarloey glanced at each other with concern.

Mr. Mack sighed.

"Alright, gentlemen," he said at last, raising his hand forward to silence them, " I am pretty sure you are mistaken; it wasn't all Skarloey's fault…"

The men quieted down and listened on with wonder.

"…I put too much pressure on his regulator whilst insisting to drive him…"

Skarloey chucked.

"I can vouch for that!"

Mr. Bobbie chuckled along with him.

"Rheneas has obviously proved himself worthy, but from my observation, I am convinced that both these engines could be Really Useful with another pair of wheels!"

Both engines gasped.

"Wheels?"

"But, sir…!"

"There, there, you two! I promise that it will help your traction easily! You'll be able to break in better time and you won't need to fill up your sandboxes as regularly either! Your wheels will do most of the work! I shall will make the arrangements right away!"

"Capital idea, sir!" Mr. Bobbie admitted. "Shall I call the workshop?"

"Right away!" Mr. Mack replied. "Take it from me, and have them fitted at once! You'll soon see, gentlemen; these new pairs of wheels will surely make a difference! Good day!"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"…and that was that!" Skarloey finished.

Edward and the passengers all gazed around him in awe.

Nancy just stared.

"Huh! what difference would it make with that new set of wheels anyway?"

"Oh, do tell us the rest, Skarloey! Please!" one passenger pleaded.

Skarloey just chuckled.

"Oh, alright…"

He took a deep breath.

"…it just so happened that the Manager was as good as his word!"

The passengers gathered in closer to listen.

"I came home for the Works right away right away! Let me tell you how it all started…"

The passengers all gasped and gazed, as Rheneas roll down in the berth alongside.

"Ooooh…" he marveled, listening on as well with curiosity...

Second part of my Very Old EnginesDVD; Rheneas is brought into the picture here, though the spotlight is more centered on Skarloey trying to be a better engine. Nice use for Agnes and the other coaches and having their personas and quirks bounce off against Skarloey's ongoing arc. Pretty fun to introduce Mr. Bobbie and incorporate his fun/relaxed/easygoing nature in with Skarloey growing as a character. The scene with Mr. Bobbie driving Skarloey was a fun and entertaining one to write too, and surely cements the Bucking Bronco reference very well. I think you'll find Rheneas taking more of the spotlight for the next story in this DVD, and his rapport/quarreling/dynamic with Skarloey will definitely be prominent and on display as well. That said, hope you'll all be able to come back tomorrow for Part III and Rheneas and Skarloey be a pair of...

Stick-In-The-Mud - …Rheneas finishes of the story of when he and Skarloey first arrived...of how he and Skarloey quarreled of a new set of wheels, and he came to the latter's rescue after a landslide!

Luke's Discovery - Luke discovers Rheneas and Skarloey's old friend: Neil, and plans to surprise the two by having him restored! This goes horribly wrong when it conflicts with his other jobs, which he persuades other engines into doing as well as his own!

Duck And Dukes - after the Thin Controller sends Duke away just mere days before Skarloey and Rheneas' hundredth birthday party, Peter Sam is horrified when Duck tells him that there are no Dukes left. He takes this literally and causes a debate amongst the other engines…!

No Need To Prove - Neil the Box Tank Engine overhears other engines talking about how strange and peculiar he is; he takes this is a sign that they are judging him and feels the need to prove himself by taking on more than he can pull…!