It was the peak of Summer on the Island of Sodor. James steamed into Vicarstown Station. The Fat Controller had asked him to collect a special delivery for the Earl of Sodor.
The Earl was waiting on the platform when James arrived. "Ah, just in time, James," he said. "My delivery should be here very soon."
At that moment, there was a whistle, and Belle's brother, Ross, steamed in with a long line of coaches. "Hullo, James," he called.
James was surprised. The coaches were very small with faded paint, rotting wooden sides, broken glass, and rusty frames and wheels. "What sort of coaches are those?" he asked.
"Aren't they beautiful?" exclaimed the Earl.
James could hardly believe it. "These coaches are your delivery?"
"Oh, I can promise you they will look wonderful once they have been repaired. They will make wonderful editions to my Railway Museum."
"I can't wait to see them," said Ross. "Maybe then, they will be easier to pull." Ross and the Earl chuckled, but James stayed silent.
James soon delivered the old coaches to the Steamworks. As the days passed, everyone worked around the clock to repair them. Old parts were replaced, new fittings were attached, fresh paint was applied, and the brass and silver were polished. Ruth helped with a lot of the work and occasionally, the Earl was on hand to oversee everything.
At last, the day came when the coaches were ready. Once more, the Earl asked James to take him. They waited as Rosie pulled the coaches out of the Steamworks. The Earl was amazed. The coaches had been fully repaired and looked as good as new. Their dark blue paint was spotless and glistened in the sun and their brass and silver fittings twinkled.
"Marvelous work, Ruth," exclaimed the Earl.
"Thank you, Sir Robert."
James did think the coaches looked nice, but he still couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. "Did you want me to take these coaches up to Ulfstead Castle, Sir?" he asked.
"Actually, I want you to take them on a test run around the island," the Earl replied.
"Why?"
"I'm sure you know how Stephen sometimes takes visitors to see the sights, but he can only carry so many passengers and travel so fast. One of my other engines can provide a faster tour and these coaches will help to maintain an old-fashioned feel of the past." James didn't quite understand what the Earl meant, but he quickly collected the coaches and left with the Earl onboard.
All through the day, James pulled the old coaches all over the Railway. He took them to Knapford, Harwick, Ffarquhar, Brendam Docks and Peel Godred. He even took them to the Wharf. All the while, James would stop and start from Stations so the Earl could see how the coaches were running.
At the end of the day, James brought the Earl and the Coaches to Ulfstead Castle. "A splendid run, James," said the Earl. "Now, I want you to stay at the Castle tonight. I have a very special job for you tomorrow.
"What sort of job?" James asked nervously.
"Some special visitors are coming to the Castle tomorrow and there will be many photographers waiting here for them. I want you to take these coaches, collect the visitors from Brendam Docks and bring them here."
"Yes, Sir."
"Splendid, get plenty of rest now. Oh, tomorrow will be very special indeed."
That night, James kept thinking about what the Earl had said. "If these visitors are so special, why does the Earl want me to use those old blue boxes on wheels?" he said to himself. "Photographers will be there too." Then, an idea flew into James' funnel. "Special visitors should be traveling in style. I can easily find some other coaches to use."
The next morning, James steamed away from the Castle, but no one noticed that left the old coaches behind. He soon reached Brendam Docks and looked in the sidings. Sure enough, there were lots of coaches. Perfect, James thought. The visitors will be much happier traveling in these. So, James buffered up to a line of coaches and puffed up to the quayside.
James was amazed. There were lots of photographers beside the track and the visitors were all wearing old-fashioned clothes as they walked down from the ship. "Either the Earl is having a fancy-dress party, or these visitors are very special indeed," James puffed to himself. He whistled cheerfully to the visitors. "Welcome to Sodor! I will be taking you to Ulfstead Castle."
But the visitors looked confused. So did the photographers.
James was puzzled; he whistled again. "All aboard for Ulftstead Castle!" So, the visitors and photographers climbed onboard chatting amongst themselves.
James couldn't understand it, but he whistled cheerfully as he pulled out of the Docks. Soon, he was steaming cheerfully though the countryside.
"I'm sure the visitors are having a grand ride now," he puffed.
It wasn't long before James puffed up the hill and through the Ulfstead Castle gates. He could see more photographers waiting at the Station along with the Earl, the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt…and they were wearing old-fashioned clothes too. How wonderful, James thought. They're trying to make the visitors feel welcome. But as he got closer, he noticed everyone at the Station was looking confused too. No one cheered or said anything as James stopped at the platform. What's going on? he thought. The Earl, the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt did not look happy at all.
"James, I asked you to use the old coaches to collect the visitors," said the Earl. "Why didn't you collect them before you left?"
"You said the visitors were special," said James. "I thought they would be happier traveling in big, modern coaches instead of those small, wooden boxes.
The Earl shook his head. "James, these visitors pose for special old-fashioned photographs. They were going to be photographed coming off the train and standing on the platform. That is why I wanted you take the old coaches, because they match the visitors' fancy-dress. I also wanted to give them the experience of traveling like they would have in the old days to further emphasize the historic feel."
"And now you have caused confusion," added the Fat Controller crossly, "and the visitors must leave soon."
Now James understood what was going on, he felt very bad. "Bust my buffers," he sighed. "I've ruined everything." James looked up at the Castle and then, he had another idea. "Sir, what if I collected the old coaches now? I could give the visitors a ride around the Castle grounds and bring them back to the Station. The photographers can also take more photographs when I take the visitors back to Brendam Docks."
The Earl smiled. "That's a wonderful idea, James. It just might work."
So, James took his coaches to the Museum and collected the old coaches. Then, he collected the passengers and took them for a ride around the Estate. The passengers enjoyed themselves. The coaches were fancy, and it felt they were traveling as they would have in the old days.
Finally, James steamed into the Station again. This time, the photographers were ready. James stopped at the platform and cameras flashed as the passengers stepped off the coaches. The Earl, the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt were photographed too. James thought it was great fun and the photographers even took his photograph.
Later, James took the visitors back to Brendam Docks, and more photographs were taken as they left the coaches and boarded their ship. Everyone said 'thank you' to James and he felt much better.
The next morning, James was waiting to leave Ulftead Castle when the Earl and the Fat Controller arrived…and they were smiling. "Well, James," said the Fat Controller, "yesterday's photoshoot was a marvelous success."
"And look who has made the front page," added the Earl. He held up his newspaper…and there was a photograph of James with the old coaches and the visitors."
"Congratulations, James!" said Millie.
"Indeed!" agreed Glynn.
"The photographers wanted to photograph the visitors and the old coaches, but you managed to shine as much as they did," declared Stephen.
The engines whistled cheerfully, but James could only smile.
