Thomas and Friends: The Retold Adventures

by The Blue EM2

Troublesome Trucks

James was feeling depressed. Several days together had passed since he had last run, and in that time, he had not seen anything of Sir Toppham Hatt, or Rarity. That last one was especially painful. The words she had spoken still echoed through his smokebox, and cut especially deep.

“Don’t talk to me, you fiend! I wanted to work with a proper, refined engine, not a red monster!”

He hadn’t even been permitted to run in the yard to push coaches or trucks.

“Oh dear,” he said sadly. “I’ll be stuck in this shed for always and always and always, and Rarity will never speak to me again. All because of that hole in that blasted brake pipe, fixed with newspaper of all things!” Tears began to roll out of his eyes as he was very sad indeed.

But then, one day, Sir Toppham Hatt came by to see him. “Good morning James!” he said.

“Morning sir,” James replied flatly. It most certainly wasn’t a good morning for him.

“I hope,” Sir Toppham Hatt continued, “you have learned a lesson and will be a better engine from now on.”

“Yes sir, I will,” James answered.

“This bootlace incident has caused me a LOT of trouble,” Sir Toppham Hatt continued. “People are laughing at the railway, and that I am not prepared to tolerate.”

“You hardly need to rub it in sir,” said a familiar voice from behind him. “James is quite sorry for what he did.” And then, Rarity stepped out from beside the shed door and stood next to Sir Toppham Hatt.

“RARITY?!” James exclaimed. He was surprised.

“Yes indeed,” Rarity replied. “I wish to...apologise for my remarks. I was angry at the time, but it doesn’t excuse the way I behaved. It was most unladylike to call you a ‘red monster’, after all.”

Sir Toppham Hatt looked at her. “So that’s where that comes from,” he said finally.

“What comes from?” asked James.

“The trucks have been referring to a red monster for days,” he explained. “It made no sense until now.”

James spoke again. “Rarity, I’m sorry over how I behaved. Do you forgive me?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes James, I do. After all, friends are meant to forgive and forget. So, let’s put the past behind us.”

James couldn’t agree more.

“Now then,” Sir Toppham Hatt told them, when James had been warmed up and was ready to go. “I want you both to take a goods train to Wellsworth. It’ll be a tough run, but I know you can do it.”

“We won’t let you down sir!” James exclaimed, and away they went to the yard.

When he got there, Thomas was just finishing moving the trucks into position. “Hello James!” he said. “I just wanted to warn you these trucks are unfitted, so that means no vacuum brakes.”

“Just marvellous,” Rarity said, the tone of her voice indicating the exact opposite emotion.

“On the flip side,” Twilight said, chortling as she did so, “you won’t need any leather bootlaces or newspaper.” And Thomas then sped away before anyone could say anything else.

James sighed. “I’m never going to live this one down.”

Rarity sighed as well. “Yes James. We’ll just have to do our best and live with it.” She brought James forward onto the yard stop point, and then backed him up onto the trucks. They impacted gently, and she then hopped off his footplate in order to couple him up.

The trucks began shouting and shrieking when they saw James coupled to them. “We want a proper engine, not a red monster!” they cried.

“Quiet!” Rarity told them. “Or I’ll take my mascara to you!”

The trucks were suddenly very silent. To be covered in Rarity’s mascara was an extremely serious threat, and so they complied.

James waited for the guard to blow his whistle and wave his green flag, and then set off up the line to Wellsworth.

“We won’t go! We won’t go!” they cried, trying not to move. But James was too powerful, and with the trucks only having manually operated brakes, there was little they could do anyway.

Even so, the trucks continually tried to make James give up, but he fought on regardless. Sometimes their brakes would slip on. Sometimes their axles would run hot (these being old wagons, they lacked roller bearings). Each time the issue had to be resolved by Rarity, either through releasing the brakes or hitting the axles with a wheel tapping hammer. Each time James simply continued, more determined than ever before. “I will get this train to Wellsworth!” he cried in determination, as he started his ascent of Gordon’s Hill.

The one-in-seventy gradient soon began to wear him down, and he puffed harder and harder as he ascended the hill, one of the steepest in Britain.

“Watch out for trouble James,” Rarity warned him. “If what Twilight told me is anything to go by, they’ll give us nonsense here. But we won’t let them!”

James simply puffed harder still, and began to rocket up the climb. The summit seemed further and further away. The suddenly, with a loud jerk and a bang, it all became easier. “We’ve done it! WE’VE DONE IT!” James cried, with a smile from buffer to buffer.

Rarity looked behind her, and slammed on the brakes, bringing James to a stop. “No wonder it became easier,” she said. “The last four trucks detached and are rolling back down the hill!”

At the bottom of Gordon’s Hill, Edward and Applejack approached with a goods train when there was a loud whistle.

Applejack looked out of the cab and saw a man waving a red flag. “Stop, Edward!” she cried, slamming on his brakes and shutting off steam. They, at long last, came to a stop just in front if the brake van.

“What happened here?” asked Edward.

“Coupling snapped,” the guard explained, “and the trucks rolled back down here. James and Rarity are just coming back to pick them up.”

James and Rarity then appeared and backed onto the trucks. The coupling was re-engaged, and they were soon ready to go.

“Do ya want some help, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“We’ll happily bank, if you want,” Edward offered.

“No thank you!” James called. “I can do it myself.”

The sound of James on the hill echoed through the valleys with a thunderous roar, every ounce of steam and power being put into moving the trucks.

“C’mon James! Keep it up!” Rarity cried, as they pulled forward toward the top of the hill. Steam poured into the air from his funnel and cylinders and they finally reached the top of Gordon’s Hill.

“I’ve done it! I’ve done it!” James cried, as they rolled over the summit and down the other side.

When he stopped at Wellsworth, Edward whistled. “Well done James!” he cried.

“Now, that was incredible,” Applejack added, cheering James up immensely.

Just then, James saw Sir Toppham Hatt. “Oh no!” he said. “I’m in trouble now!”

But he was smiling, and not cross in the slightest. “James,” he said, “I saw everything from the brake van of Edward’s train, and I am proud to say in all my years of running railways I have NEVER seen so spectacular a display as that. You did a marvellous job keeping those trucks in line, and as such you deserve to keep your red coat of paint. You and Rarity may have the rest of the day off. You’ve earned it.”

James couldn’t be happier. Truly had he redeemed himself.

Comments

[SonicStreak5344]

James is such a showoff.

[The Blue EM2]

10028284
Though he has achieved something pretty impressive, mind.

[Magi Tail Welkin]

I presume this is primarily based on the show as opposed to Equestrian Railway Tales which is based mainly on the books.

[The Blue EM2]

10028829
A mixture of both. The stories are being adapted in book order, but I'm drawing inspiration from the TV show.

[JimmyHook19]

James sighed. “I’m never going to live this one down.”

It's still weird that the incident was only mentioned three times in the first season and no more instances of it after Season 1. :/

[The Blue EM2]

10060336
I thought it was brought up in BWBA.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

“This bootlace incident has caused me a LOT of trouble,” Sir Toppham Hatt continued. “People are laughing at the railway, and that I am not prepared to tolerate.”

Oofity.

“On the flip side,” Twilight said, chortling as she did so, “you won’t need any leather bootlaces or newspaper.” And Thomas then sped away before anyone could say anything else.

Burn!

James sighed. “I’m never going to live this one down.”

No you aren't James. 😅

The trucks were suddenly very silent. To be covered in Rarity’s mascara was an extremely serious threat, and so they complied.

I'd so find it hilarious to see one wearing it. 😂

Even so, the trucks continually tried to make James give up, but he fought on regardless. Sometimes their brakes would slip on. Sometimes their axles would run hot (these being old wagons, they lacked roller bearings). Each time the issue had to be resolved by Rarity, either through releasing the brakes or hitting the axles with a wheel tapping hammer. Each time James simply continued, more determined than ever before. “I will get this train to Wellsworth!” he cried in determination, as he started his ascent of Gordon’s Hill.

Huh, I thought roller bearings were only a US thing. Guess not.

James simply puffed harder still, and began to rocket up the climb. The summit seemed further and further away. The suddenly, with a loud jerk and a bang, it all became easier. “We’ve done it! WE’VE DONE IT!” James cried, with a smile from buffer to buffer.

Then*

But he was smiling, and not cross in the slightest. “James,” he said, “I saw everything from the brake van of Edward’s train, and I am proud to say in all my years of running railways I have NEVER seen so spectacular a display as that. You did a marvellous job keeping those trucks in line, and as such you deserve to keep your red coat of paint. You and Rarity may have the rest of the day off. You’ve earned it.”

I think the sentence would sound better if so was replaced with such.

James couldn’t be happier. Truly had he redeemed himself.

Indeed you have James, congrats!