the tales of sodor's engine

one bump too many

Sir Topham Hatt’s engines were proud to work on the Island of Sodor. Though the railway was very busy, the engines worked together to get the work done. Each engine had their own unique strengths that allowed them to perform their individual duties with ease.

    Some engines, like Thomas and Percy, were small and well-suited for lighter branch-line work. Engines like Gordon and Henry were big and strong and designed for fast main-line traffic. James and Edward were mixed-traffic engines, and could pull big and small trains equally well.

    There were other important members of the railway, too, such as the coaches and trucks. Without their ability to hold passengers or goods, it would be impossible to travel or move necessary supplies across the Island. Unfortunately, the engines often forget to recognize their coaches and trucks for their contributions.

    There was once an old van who lived on the island. He spent his days moving from one side of the island to the other, being loaded, unloaded, and loaded again. It was not hard work, but it was lonely. He never got as much as a “hello” from the engines. He was not prone to mischief like some of the other trucks, but he was often bumped only because “that’s just the way engines treated trucks”.

    One day, James was at the big station preparing a slow goods to be taken to the junction at the end of the line. He hated it! 

    “I’d much rather be pulling the big express,” he fumed.

James bumped the trucks furiously as he arranged them into a neat line.

    “Come on, come on!” he screeched. “I shan’t have any silliness today. I want to finish before nightfall.”

    James, grumbling dreadfully, shunted the last few trucks in line: a few loaded flat-wagons and the old van. 

The van felt sad. He had barely moved and was already being harassed. He wanted to say something to James, but he knew he’d only get bumped again. 

    “Why so glum?” called a friendly voice.
   
    The van looked over and was surprised to see Henry and Gordon sitting in the yard. He was not accustomed to being addressed by engines, especially big engines.

    “I-I…,” the van stuttered. “I’m just tired.”

    Gordon chuckled.

    “Tired of being bumped, hmm? James is the worst for that.”

    The van hadn’t received as much as one shred of compassion before. He felt warm inside.

    “Yes, we get bumped a lot. Sometimes, we get bumped even if we did nothing wrong.”

    Henry and Gordon were embarrassed.
   
    “I’m sorry, my friend,” Henry said, “we were taught that we should assume that trucks are going to misbehave, and we should bump them no matter what.”

    “We are so used to doing this that we never stop to think how it affects you,” Gordon added.

    (Truck Dialogue>) “Well, we’re sorry for acting up so often. I think that because we never get to know you that we feel like we must misbehave for you to notice us.”

    “We had no idea that that’s why you act out,” Gordon said, astonished. “How can we help you feel more comfortable?”

    “We would appreciate it if you took some time to talk to us during your day,” the van said. “We would feel much more included.”

    “Of course,” Henry said, “that would be our pleasure”.

    The van simply beamed.

    The signal dropped and it was time for James and his slow goods train to leave.

    “Thank you for talking to me,” said the van, “The other engines ignore us. It makes me feel good to know that not all engines think we’re silly.”

    “Not at all,” Henry replied, “We’re glad to have a new friend.”

    James, while waiting for the signal, had overheard the entire conversation, and felt awful about it for the rest of the journey. At the last station, after he set down his trucks, he spoke to the old van.

    “I am so sorry for bumping you earlier…,” James said softly.

    “It’s okay, I’m just pleased to be talking to you,” the van smiled.

    The two chatted for a while, and James left to go back to the sheds. The van felt a renewed sense of purpose. He no longer felt like he was a cog in the system, but a true member of the team. For the first time in his long life, he looked forward to going out again tomorrow.