BULGY RIDES AGAIN

Based upon the episode by Brian Trueman

Adapted by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens

Originally published July 18, 2020

A big surge of holidaymakers had come to the Island of Sodor, and the engines had to work harder than ever before. But sometimes, the workload was too much, and so buses like Bertie and Algy had to help out.

On the Little Western, Duck and Old Slow Coach found themselves working harder than ever. Oliver was at the Steamworks for a service, and Donald and Douglas were busy on the main line, so they couldn't be there all the time. Emily and her coaches Martha and Julian had been helping out with extra passenger services.

"So, Emily," Duck said to her, "what do you think of our line so far?" To the pannier's surprise, the Stirling Single didn't reply. "Hmm? Emily?"

"Huh… oh, y-yes, Duck," she stammered. "It is lovely. You and Oliver should be very proud of running the branch."

"We are indeed," said Duck. "I don't know when Oliver will return, but hopefully not too long."

"Yeah…" trailed Emily. He's a real fighter; coming here with Toad on his own. Unlike me…

Duck was about to ask something else, when Sir Topham Hatt had arrived at the sheds, looking concerned.

"I'm afraid that Oliver will be at the Steamworks a bit longer than I had anticipated," he said. "He was expected to be back in service in a few days, but now it looks as though it may be a month at most."

"That doesn't sound good, sir," said Emily with worry.

"Oh, it gets worse, Emily," continued Sir Topham Hatt. "Donald's safety valve has burst, and that means more work on the main line."

"Sounds like there's a double-decker problem we're facing, sir," said Duck.

Sir Topham Hatt then looked thoughtful. "A double-decker problem?" he pondered. "Hmm…" Duck gasped and quickly realized what he may have accidentally implied.

"Oh no…" he whispered once Sir Topham Hatt had left. "That Bulgy had better not be brought back into service…"

"You mean that henhouse-bus by his bridge?" asked Emily. "I've heard about him, but not the full story."

"Oh," said Duck, "Bulgy came to Sodor years ago to help with passenger services for Bank Holiday, but he hated the railways and wanted to see them ripped up in favor of roads. Of course, he got his comeuppance by getting stuck under that bridge, and we all thought that would be the last of him." He sighed worriedly. "I fear I may have doomed the line by mistake…"

"Oh, Duck, it was just a slip of the tongue," Emily insisted. "It can happen sometimes."

"I know," he sighed. The pannier tank engine glanced out of the shed, deep in thought. Several years back, Diesel had been brought for the North Western Railway after he helped Thomas – well, mostly Clarabel, actually – out of a runaway siding. And over time, Duck and Diesel had become really close and trusted each other immensely. Heck, Diesel even took Duck's place as station pilot since his promotion to the Little Western.

"Diesel had changed a lot," he said to himself. "I wonder if Bulgy also needs a push in the right direction…"

The following morning, Sir Topham Hatt drove up to Bulgy's field where the dilapidated bus sat, sulking and surrounded by his hens. Butch the breakdown lorry had also arrived with a flatbed in tow.

"Si-Sir Topham Hatt, sir!" exclaimed Bulgy, surprised to see the railway controller. "What brings you to my field, sir?"

"The North Western Railway is having a bit of an engine shortage right now," Sir Topham Hatt explained. "I've spoken with the bus company, and they've agreed to have you restored to working order to help out with the passenger rush."

Bulgy seemed to grin wide upon hearing this bit of good news.

"However," Sir Topham Hatt continued, "I and several other members of the bus company will be keeping a close eye on you to make sure you don't go anti-rail against my engines again. Is that understood, Bulgy?" he finished sternly.

"Oh, yes, sir!" said Bulgy cheerfully. "Clear as crystal! I'll be the best bus I can be!"

"Good," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Alright, Butch," he said to the breakdown lorry. "Once he's loaded on your trailer, you're to take him to Jem Cole's yard."

"I'm on it, sir," smiled Butch. "Come on, Bulgy. Let's see what Jem can do with you."

It wasn't long before Bulgy was loaded onto Butch's trailer and taken to Wellsworth. All the way, Butch had failed to notice Bulgy grinning to himself.

"The revolution will rise once again," he chuckled deviously. "That fat bloke will be in for a shock when his rails are ripped up and roads paved in their place!" Being stuck in a field for several years and surrounded by nothing but hens had loosened more than a few bolts within Bulgy.

Trevor was waiting at Jem Cole's yard when he noticed Butch coming in with Bulgy in tow.

"Well, here we are, Bulgy," said Butch. "Hope to see you out on the roads soon."

"Bulgy!" exclaimed Trevor. "I wasn't expecting for Jem Cole to restore you back into service."

"You'd better believe it, old timer," chuckled Bulgy. "It won't be long before I'm back on the roads and we make a stand against the railways."

"Please don't say that," said Trevor. "I have friends who work on the railway."

"Pah!" scoffed Bulgy, rolling his eyes. To him, any road vehicle that was friendly with the railway was a road traitor.

"I know you only work with passengers," said Trevor, "but perhaps it wouldn't hurt to also help with delivering fruits and vegetables for market season."

"What, me?!" snorted Bulgy. "Delivering fruit and veg? What sort of rubbish is that? I only work with passengers, and nothing else! So there!"

"It was only a suggestion…" said Trevor quietly.

Several days later, Bulgy was restored to working order. He looked at himself in a reflection off of a nearby window.

"Ahh, that's more like it!" he said proudly. "Jem Cole's done a smashing job. At least there's folks like him who understand roads." He looked over at the railway line and saw James passing by with the Local.

"Enjoy your passengers while you can!" he taunted. "Sooner or later, they'll want to ride in me and not those old shacks on rails!"

"Is that a flock of hens I see?" James snapped back. "I think they might be looking for something to sleep in!" Bulgy scowled back as the red engine puffed away. Little did Bulgy know that someone had seen the whole thing unfold…

"Are you certain, Harvey?" asked Diesel.

"Aye, Diesel," Harvey confirmed. "That big red bus made a rude remark about James earlier. Ah think his name wis–"

"Bulgy!" Diesel groaned. "Hmm… sounds to me he isn't willing to turn a new leaf after all."

"Whit shuid we dae, Diesel?" asked Harvey.

"Leave that scarlet deceiver to me…" Diesel said thoughtfully. "Don't worry, Harvey. He won't be stealing passengers again when I'm done with him."

Harvey looked unsure at his buffers. "If ye'r certain…"

That evening, Bulgy was finishing up his trial run at Knapford. Diesel had just finished up his shunting for the night as well, and he steadily approached the red bus.

"Excuse me," the black 08 called. "I don't believe we've officially met."

"I think I've seen you take maintenance trains up the Little Western," Bulgy remarked. "A diesel named Diesel? Really? How uncreative is that?"

"I'd much rather be called that then Bulgy," remarked Diesel. "Oliver was not holding back, it seemed. I wonder what he'd think to see you out and about again."

"Well, I heard he's away for repairs, so I don't think his opinion matters now, does it?"

"Is that so?" asked Diesel. "Well, he'll be back sooner or later, so he may still get a word in. Actually, I heard a little story today. Not sure if it's of any interest to you."

Bulgy was now suddenly intrigued. "Oh? What's that?"

"Well, the bus company got a few new buses earlier today," Diesel remarked. "As it turns out, all of the bus shelters are full to the brim."

"All bus shelters full?!" exclaimed Bulgy. "Then where am I expected to sleep for the night?"

"Oh… hmm… I don't know," Diesel said calmly. "Maybe back to that little field you were resting in? I'm sure that the hens wouldn't mind your company."

Bulgy was most indignant, but he didn't have much of a choice. "I suppose I'll have to make do for one night…" he grumbled. "After that, I hope never to deal with the hens again…"

As Bulgy drove off, Diesel smirked with triumph, and went to go find Harvey at Knapford sheds.

Soon enough, Bulgy returned to his field to rest for the evening, while his new driver went home. The hens thought their old home looked splendid, and as Bulgy slept soundly, he didn't notice them making their way inside and rest on his luggage racks. There the hens slept for the whole night.

The following morning, Duck, Emily and their respective coaches were getting ready for their passenger runs at Arlesburgh. Duck groaned with dread as he recognized a large, familiar red shape roll up to them, accompanied by the ringing of a bell.

"Hello there, quackers," smirked Bulgy. "It's been a while since we last worked together, hasn't it?"

"Not long enough, if you ask me," retorted Duck.

"You'd better not be stirring any trouble for us," added Emily crossly. "Duck told me everything about when you first arrived here."

"Oh, don't be upset with me, big wheels," said Bulgy. Emily's scowl just deepened upon hearing that insult. "I only want to help you out," the double-decker bus continued. "Help bring you all to the scrap heap…" he muttered quietly.

"What was that?" Emily almost jumped out of her paint.

"Ohhh, nothing!" said Bulgy innocently. "Today's going to be a trial run for me, so don't be surprised if your trains have less passengers over the course of the day." He then drove off before either engine had a chance to respond.

"He's worse than ever," said Duck unhappily. "Being stuck in a field for so long can drive anyone mad. Bulgy's practically a few eggs short of a basket."

Emily chuckled at the joke the Great Western engine had just made. "Don't you mean he's become a crazy hen bus?" Both engines and their coaches laughed at that.

"Well, that too," said Duck, setting off with Old Slow Coach and some non-sentient coaches. "Let's just hope for the best, Emily, that Bulgy doesn't do anything foolish."

Against Duck's concerns, surprisingly, Bulgy's trial run had started out smoothly. The passengers didn't complain, and the traffic wasn't so bad either. However, no one had noticed something rather bizarre inside of the double-decker bus, but they were about to find out sooner or later.

As Bulgy was trundling along the road, thinking about ways to take his revenge on the railway for putting him in a humiliating position, he noticed Terence the tractor right in front of him with a cartload of fresh fruits and vegetables, ready for market. Bulgy growled with annoyance and honked his horn at Terence.

"Hurry up, you great orange slug!" he shouted rudely. "Could you go any slower?!"

"Take it easy, Bulgy," called Terence. "These fruit and veg need great care if the farmers want to sell them."

But Bulgy wasn't having any of it, and so he decided to try and overtake Terence and his cart instead. Suddenly, he and his driver noticed that Tom Tipper and his post van were right in their way on the other side of the road!

"Look out!" shouted Tom, honking his van's horn.

"Oh, bugger me!" exclaimed Bulgy, once again swerving out of the way. But then there was more trouble!

Ba-gaaaawwwk!

The hens were still fast asleep by the time Bulgy had left his field, but the sudden movement he made in swerving to avoid crashing into Tom Tipper and his van had startled them awake, and now they were running, flying and flapping all over on the inside! The passengers were very startled by this, and had ended up getting covered in eggs and feathers! Bulgy's driver was so distracted by the commotion that he didn't see where Bulgy was headed until it was too late.

Bulgy crashed into a nearby market stand, spraying fruits and vegetables everywhere. None of the passengers had been hurt, but they were very cross about the whole situation and went to complain to Bulgy and his driver.

"We'll have to report this to Sir Topham Hatt!" they cried.

"It's not my fault…" Bulgy sulked, but no one bothered to listen to him.

It wasn't long before Terence had arrived with his delivery and then he and Trevor helped to clear away the mess. Bulgy looked worried when Sir Topham Hatt showed up.

"Running off the roads into fruit stands, Bulgy?" he mused. "I am surprised. Even more so that no one noticed the hens resting on your luggage racks."

"That I wonder too," Bulgy grunted. "Silly hens. Silly passengers. The railway can have them both for all I care…"

"Now the question is what we're going to do regarding the spoiled fruit and vegetables," pondered Sir Topham Hatt. He hadn't heard Bulgy's grumbling about hens and passengers, but Trevor had.

"Excuse me, sir," he called, "but I may have an idea if you're interested."

"Really?" asked Sir Topham Hatt. "Go on then, Trevor…"

Oliver had returned from the Steamworks, and was ready to get back to work again. He'd heard about Bulgy's return, and was worried about the trouble he might have caused. But they didn't last long when he actually saw Bulgy for himself.

"Oh!" he gasped. "Well, I've heard about going green, but not this literally!" There, standing beside the railway, was a green double-decker bus carrying fruit and vegetables on a serving hatch. But the scowl on the bus' face was unmistakable.

"I couldn't believe it myself when I saw Bulgy's new look," chuckled Duck. "Trevor suggested it as a way for Bulgy to make up for accidentally running into that produce stand."

"It's only a temporary thing!" insisted Bulgy. "Enjoy your passengers while you can, but sooner or later, I'll be back trying to take them from you!"

"How did Bulgy become a mobile vegetable stand in the first place?" asked Oliver.

"You can thank Diesel and Trevor for that," chuckled Duck. "Diesel tricked Bulgy into thinking the shelter was full and he slept in his old field."

"Oh, well done, Diesel!" Oliver grinned. "Hopefully that will be the last time he uses his old tactics."

"I wouldn't worry about Diesel; this was a one-time thing," said Duck, before chuckling again. "Anyway, I think green looks rather nice on you, Bulgy. At least fruit and vegetables don't lay eggs, nor do they ever complain!"

Bulgy just seethed; although he didn't want to admit it, Duck did have a point. The two Great Western engines soon set off to work – the latter with Old Slow Coach in tow – leaving Bulgy surrounded by customers buying from his stands. How long do you think it will be before Bulgy gets his own back on the railways?

THE END

Author's Comments

After five years since it was originally published (yep, that long ago), we've finally reworked Bulgy Rides Again for Series 6-7 Redux in its fourth quarter! The old version is no longer canon to the SeventyVerse, but I still have it up on DeviantArt as a standalone adaptation. Some of the biggest changes Rachel and I have made to the redo is the inclusion of a scene with Diesel tricking Bulgy into sleeping in his field. Interestingly, some bios state that Diesel and Bulgy are good friends, but how could that be if Bulgy is opposed to the railways? That never made much sense to me. Anyway, to keep this more in line with Unscheduled Stops and Free the Roads, Bulgy does eventually calm down and remains a hard worker, but still thinks passengers should travel by road.

Oh, and if you were confused about the update to Thomas & Friends: Episode Rewrites, that's because I deleted the original Bulgy Rides Again rewrite from it. Don't panic; I will update that one day with a new rewrite. Of which episode, I don't know, but don't be alarmed if you see the same thing eventually happening with Edward, Gordon and the New Crane (for Series 9-10 Redux) and New Crane on the Dock, the latter of which will have a new rewrite there.

Upcoming rewrites:

- A Skarloey Wedding (The Grand Opening/Best Dressed Engine)

- Another Fine Mess

- The Star of the Show (Harold and the Flying Horse/Percy Gets it Right)

- Bill, Ben and Mavis

- Salty's Stormy Tale