Tenders for Henry
One day, Gordon was in the yard being refuelled. He sat under the coaling chute as more coal lumps were dumped into his tender, ready for another run.
"That's another fresh load in!" Rainbow Dash called, before giving the signal to stop the chute. "9 tons loaded and ready. Now we just need to get some water."
"Five thousand gallons of it!" Gordon added. "I don't understand it; we've been getting through a lot of water lately."
James puffed up alongside Gordon and rolled his eyes. "That's the third load of coal you've had today, Gordon!" he said. "Some would say you're being rather greedy, as would I!"
"Honestly Dash," Rarity added, "you don't need to chuck anywhere near as much as you do onto his fire. The coal just goes all over the place and you cannot rake it accurately. No wonder Gordon goes through so much in a single run!"
"I'm an important engine," Gordon said. "And important engines need plenty of coal. I doubt you'd even understand."
James just snorted and set off, grumbling. "No wonder they scrapped the others. If they burn as badly as Gordon did, it would have made the LNER bankrupt!"
Gordon's eyes widened in shock. "What did he say?"
Later, Gordon was parked on a siding filling up with water. The main standpipe was broken, and he was taking water from a hose attached to a fire hydrant. Gordon didn't understand why Network Rail kept taking all the water pipes away. It made him very suspicious.
"Watch how much you drink Gordon!" Duck called from an adjacent siding. "I knew of plenty of Castles who got boiler ache from drinking too much water!"
"Kinda like when ya drink too much fizzy pop and ya can't stop burpin'," Apple Bloom sighed. "Ah learned that one the hard way. Big Mac'll never let me ferget it."
"So that's why my parents banned fizzy drinks in the house," Rainbow Dash said finally.
Gordon just snorted. "What is this? Educating Gordon day?" He paused as he looked over at the Pannier tank. "First James, and now you. Big engines have big needs, and you are a little engine. Be off, and stop bothering me!"
Duck laughed. "Well, there are more Castles than you around these days, so I'd better be careful if I were you. Cheerio!"
Suddenly, what James had said was forced back to the front of Gordon's memory. "What is he talking about? I'll ask Sir Toppham Hatt!"
When Gordon next pulled into Knapford, Sir Toppham Hatt was standing on the platform. "You look glum Gordon!" he said. "Tell me, what is the matter?"
"Sir," Gordon replied, "I, as you know, am the prototype for the A1 and A3 classes of steam locomotives, but James has been implying that they were scrapped. Is this true?"
Sir Toppham Hatt sighed sadly. "I'm sorry Gordon," he said sadly, "but all but one member of the class was scrapped in the 1960s. They're long gone, I'm afraid."
Gordon's face fell even further than it had earlier. "So I am all alone," he said sadly. "Thank you sir, as bad as the news was." And he puffed away with a long face.
Sir Toppham Hatt sighed. "If only I could do something for Gordon," he said, and then suddenly had a brainave. He rushed into his office and picket up his telephone. "Hello? Is that the National Railway Museum? Yes? You can send him tomorrow? Fantastic. See you then!" He put the telephone down, and rubbed his hands. "Gordon will like this very much" he said.
The next morning, Rainbow Dash came around nice and early to wake Gordon up. "Wake up, Gordon!" she called. "I have a surprise for you!"
Gordon looked up, and gasped. Backing toward him were a pair of Apple Green tenders, one with the numbers 4472 on them, and the second set bearing the text LNER. The engine itself had the same basic shape as Gordon, but was also painted Apple Green, and rolled to a stop alongside Gordon. "Hello there cousin!" he said, with a smile. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Gordon's mouth fell open like a fish. "It's Flying Scotsman!" he exclaimed. "He's come to visit me! Why, I haven't seen you since 1925!"
Rainbow Dash caught sight of a woman standing in Flying Scotsman's cab. She had fiery yellow skin and two tone orange hair, combined with orange eyes. She was currently dressed in a one piece electric blue boilersuit with yellow trim, and had a pair of aviator glasses on her forehead. "Hey there Dash," she said in a raspy voice. "I've heard all about you from some of the other National Collection engines."
Rainbow Dash's mouth fell open too. "It's Spitfire!" she exclaimed. "THE Spitfire! The National Railway Museum's lead restorer and engine driver!"
"The same," Spitfire replied. "Real name's Sandy, but don't ever let me catch you calling me that!"
"Yes ma'am!"
Flying Scotsman smiled. "Are those two sisters?" he asked. "I suppose you and I are cousins, but you are hardly my little brother as you were built before me, and you can hardly be my bigger brother as we belong to separate classes. Not to mention we are exactly the same size."
Henry saw the two engines conversing happily, and began to complain. "Now why does that visitor get two tenders? Flying Scotchcake, did you say he was called?"
"Flying Scotsman," Duck corrected.
"He needs two tenders," Apple Bloom said, "as he runs over track where there are no water towers or water troughs. So, he needs ta carry all the water he needs in one go. He holds the world record fer longest nonstop run. 422 miles from Sydney ta Perth via Alice Springs!"
"I work hard enough for two," Henry grumbled, as he took out his frustration on some nearby trucks. "I deserve a second tender!"
"Take it easy Henry," Fluttershy told him. "We can stop regularly for water. Scotsman cannot. I doubt they've got the resources for two tenders anyways."
Duck smiled. He had an idea. "Say, Apple Bloom, didn't you and your mother recently find some old tenders near Arlesburgh?"
"Why, yes we did!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "Donald helped ta pull them out, don't ya remember?"
"Of course I do," Donald smiled, rolling to a stop nearby.
"Would you like the tenders, Donald?" Duck asked, innocently as he could.
"Wait, what?" Henry said. "I'll take them! How many did you find?"
"We found six," Apple Bloom replied, trying and failing to supress her giggles as she spoke. "Would ya like ta pick them up tonight?"
"That sounds very odd," Fluttershy sighed. "I'd be cau-"
Henry cut her off. "I'm in!" he cried. "Six lovely tenders! What a sight I will be!"
That evening, the engines and their drivers all assembled to watch Henry come by. Duck ran through first, chortling loudly.
"What do you think is so funny?" Lyra asked Bon-Bon.
"I don't know!" Bon-Bon replied. "Oh wait, doesn't Henry look silly!"
There came Henry, pulling six old, rusty, dirty, noisy tenders filled to the brim with boiler sludge, which slopped over the sides of the tenders and onto the trackbed.
"Had a nice washout?" shouted a voice, in amongst all the laughter. "You must feel a different engine by now!"
Henry wasn't sure, but he was pretty sure the voice belonged to Gordon.
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I always wondered why the Flying Scotsman didn't talk in that episode. Or am I thinking of another episode?
10154581
Actually I meant outside of the Voice cast. ^^;
Spitfire? I thought that may have been the case. Either her or Daring Do.
10154606
The episode adaptation has him mute as he barely appears. The model wasn't finished in time.
10154637
OK then.
10154734
Spitfire goes a bit better, in my opinion.
I had a feeling it would be Spitfire being Scotman's driver!
10155235
And, of course, Henry getting his comeuppance.
10155254
Yeah, But if anything if Henry actually took the time to think about it, the need for more than one tender is not a wise choice in an environment like Sodor. it would take a long time to convert him to have one for coal and the other for water. And the only time he would need 7 seven tenders at once is if he was travelling nonstop across the UK, maybe all the way to Russia. But having that many tenders would only work if he used oil for fuel. but since he doesn't the other 6 tenders would only provide dead weight.
10155269
That and the North Western Mainline is only about 40 miles from end to end.
10155298
OK then.
10155279
My point exactly. Even here in the US with the famous steamers, most of them have water tenders but most of them burn diesel oil
10155305
There was one line I went to that used cooking oil.
10155313
Huh, I've heard of cars and trucks using used Vegetable Oil but not trains.
10155317
The Barry Railway is trialling leftover cooking oil as well. Easier though, as Sentinels get through very little fuel.
10155327
Interesting.
10155329
Don't expect them to run A4s on it anytime soon.
10155333
I don't, nor do I do for the Tornado.
10155338
Yep. Though fuel supplies are hardly the biggest threat right now.
10155340
No kidding.
10155341
Yep. Damn you, Covid-19.
10155425
Ok. They aren't brothers. They belong to different classes.
Heh, you know.... I still find it unique how that special was released in 2016 at the same time two things happened:
1. The 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (oh how I would love to go to that city one day <3
)
2. Flying Scotsman's return to service in that year :3
10156259
1. Coincidence.
2. And with one tender, unlike his onscreen counterpart.
10155133
I guess it makes sense.
Never thought I'd hear James say that before!
Try telling that to many places outside the U.K. In the US, it's rare to see a water towers still in operation. The only places they can be found in use is on tourist lines, as these days, most steam engines that run on the mainline get water from fire trucks and fire hydrants.
Wouldn't brother make more sense like in the cgi era?
Ngl, i find her a perfect choice for Scotsman driver.
There's something I wish Scotsman said in the cgi era.
I actually happen to know several steamers that have used 2 water tenders before on a run they had in the preservation era, and be happy to share it if anyone is interested.