Guess who?

Thomas and the coaches

Thomas was grumbling one day. "I spend all my time pulling coaches ready for you to take on joyrides." The other engines laughed. "Why can't I pull passenger trains, too?" "You're too impatient," they said, "You'd be sure to leave something behind." "Rubbish," said Thomas, "just you wait! I'll show you!" One night, he and Henry were alone. Henry was sick. The men worked hard, but he didn't get better. He felt just as bad next morning. Henry usually pulled the first train, and Thomas had to get his coaches ready. "If Henry's still sick" thought Thomas, "I could pull his train for him." Thomas ran to find the coaches "Shamone. Shamone," he fussed. "There's plenty of time, There's plenty of time," grumbled the coaches. Thomas took them to the platform and wanted to run around in front at once. But his driver wouldn't let him. "Don't be impatient, Thomas." So Thomas waited and waited. The peeps got in, the conductor and stationmaster walked up and down, the porter slammed the doors, and Henry still didn't come. Thomas got more and more excited every minute. Sir Topham Hatt came out of his office to see where the beef was, and the conductor and stationmaster told him about Henry. "Find another engine," he ordered. "There's only Thomas," he said. "You'd hafta do it then, Thomas. Be quick now." So Thomas ran around to the front and backed down on the coaches ready to start. "Let's not be impatient," said his driver, "wait till everything's ready." But Thomas was too excited to listen. What happened next? No one knows. Perhaps they forgot to couple Thomas to the train, or perhaps the driver accidentally pulled a lever, or maybe Thomas was just impatient. Anywho, Thomas started. As he passed the first signalbox, peeps waved and shouted. "They's waving cuz I'm such an awesome engine," he thought self-importantly. "Henry says it's hard to pull trains, but I think it's easy. Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!" he puffed, pretending to be like Gordon. "They're pleased to see me," he thought, "people have never seen me pulling a train before. It's nice of them to wave," and he whistled, "Peep! Peep! Thank you!" and he hurried on. But he came to a signal saying "stop". "Bother!" he thought. "I must stop, and I was going so nicely, too. what a nuisance signals are." And he blew an angry "Peep! Peep!" on his whistle. The signalman ran up. "Yullo, Thomas," he said, "wutcha dooooin?" "I'm pulling a train," said Thomas proudly, "cantcha see?" "Where are your coaches, then?" "BUUUUUHHHH?!" Thomas looked back. "What da-hay?", he said, "I left them behind." "Yes," said the signalman "ya better go back quickly and get 'em." Poor Thomas was so sad, he nearly cried. "Cheer up," said his driver, "let's go back quickly and try again." "The big engines were right," thought Thomas, "they're never gunna let me live it down." At the station, all the peeps were talking at once. They were telling Sir Topham Hatt what a bad railway it was. But when they saw how sad Thomas was, they stopped being cross. He was coupled to the train, and this time, he really pulled it. But for a long time after that, the big engines laughed at Thomas and said "Look! There's Thomas who wanted to pull a train but forgot about the coaches." Thomas wanted to crash them, and then himself, off the rails.