the tales of sodor's engine

Oliver's faithful friend

Oliver the Great Western Engine had come to enjoy his new home on the Island of Sodor, but he still had a lot to learn about how to be a really useful engine. He was prone to arrogance, especially when others complimented him on his good work.

“I pull coaches just like Gordon, Duck said so!” Oliver had said one day after he had pulled a long, full passenger train up the line. Toad, his ever-faithful brake van, wanted Oliver to feel important but also tried very hard to keep him humble.

“One day, with patience, perhaps you will be more like Gordon!”

Oliver didn’t always like this, but he knew that Toad was looking out for his best interests. This made their friendship very strong, indeed. 

* * *

One night, a terrible storm ripped through the Little Western, bringing fierce winds and lashing rain which made Duck, Oliver, and the Scottish Twins very worried. 

In the morning, they found bridges swept away and whole stretches of line buried in sand and debris. This made the engines feel very sad. 

    “What will happen to our passengers?” Duck asked Sir Topham Hatt, who had come to survey the damage.

    “They will have to go by bus until we can repair the line. In the meantime, I will have to send each of you to another part of the railway.”

    The engines hated to leave their beloved branch-line, but they knew it was for the best.

    “Don’t worry!” piped in Toad from the siding. “The branch-line will be better than ever before, you’ll see!”

It was decided that Duck and the twins should go to help the big engines, while Oliver was to be sent with Toad to Edward’s branch-line where help was needed to take the China clay to the harbor on time.

    “Bill and Ben are at the works after a recent mischievous incident at the quarry,” Edward chuckled as he showed Oliver the sidings. “Boco is strong but he can take only so many trucks at a time. I have to stay and manage the yard here, and…”

    “Don’t worry,” Oliver smiled. “I’ll help as much as I can while I’m here.”

    “That’s the spirit,” said Edward, “but be careful. The china clay trucks are prone to…”

    “Mischief? Don’t worry, Edward, I’ve learned more about trucks since I fell into the turntable well.”

    “…Of course, Oliver. I don’t mean to ramble!”

    But Edward was trying to warn Oliver. The china clay trucks were not like common trucks - they were intelligent, clever, tricky, and most of all, cunning. If an engine did not do right by them, there was no telling the lengths that the trucks would go to get even. 

What Oliver didn’t realize was that the China clay trucks already had quite a considerable grudge against him. They had heard how Oliver had pulled S.C.Ruffey to pieces and vowed to pay him out!

    “He’s a brute!” they chattered.

    “Yes! Yes! We will make him pay! But how?”

    One of the wagons had an idea.

    “There’s only one way to tame a brute!”

    “What? What?” the wagons asked.
   
“Sweeten him up, and when he least expects it, we’ll bring him down to size!”

    The trucks snickered to each other.

    “Yes! We’ll pull him apart!”

    Oliver backed down on the trucks none the wiser that he was heading for trouble. Toad, coupled to the end of the train, had a peculiar feeling about the trucks.

    “Now, Mr. Oliver, perhaps we should have listened to what Mr. Edward had to say – it never hurts to be a little more cautious-“

    “Toad, I know how to handle trucks!”

    Toad sighed – sometimes Oliver could be rather stubborn. Perhaps it was best not to jump to conclusions and let Oliver try.   

    Soon, they were on their way to the harbor with the China clay trucks. Oliver was surprised at how easily they came. This was, of course, part of the trucks’ plan, but Oliver didn’t know this.

    “Look at how strong Oliver is!” the wagons said. “It’s a pleasure to go out with him.”

    “Yes! You are pulling us better than any other engine has before!” 

    This struck Toad as a very strange thing for trucks for say to an engine, but it was having the desired effect on Oliver, who was beginning to feel cocky. 

    “I am pulling you better than any other engine. Perhaps I should take Bill and Ben’s place,” he chuckled.

    The trucks smiled to each other.

    “You are much stronger than Bill and Ben!”

    “Yes! He’s the strongest of them all!”

    The trucks continued to shower Oliver with flattery all the way to the harbor. By then, Oliver was feeling quite arrogant.

    “This is easy!” Oliver said. “Look at everyone smiling at me! I must be a sight to behold.”

    “You will be a sight to behold,” said the trucks, but Toad could tell that their tone had changed. He wanted to say something, but he knew that Oliver wouldn’t listen.

Then, it happened.

    “Oliver, the strong engine…so strong that he tore S.C.Ruffey apart!”

    The trucks surged forward. Oliver put every ounce of weight and steam against the trucks. Ahead, the line curved around toward the sidings, and beyond the sidings was the sea.

“Not so strong now, are you, Oliver?” the trucks guffawed.

But…Oliver was slowing down, but not soon enough. He crashed through the buffers and dangled precariously over the edge! Then, Oliver felt a jerk, and the train stopped. Toad, red in the face, had braked harder than he ever had before!

Soon, another engine came to help pull Oliver, Toad, and the china clay wagons back to safety. Sir Topham Hatt came to see what the matter was.

“Oliver, your brake van Toad saved you from a nasty accident. You should be very thankful!”

Oliver truly was, but he was confused at what had happened.

“Mr. Oliver, you became too conceited to see that the trucks were playing an awful trick on you.”

“I did it again, didn’t I?” sighed Oliver.

“Perhaps in the future, Mr. Oliver, you should recognize that if you do not keep your wits about you and stay humble that others can take advantage of you!”

Oliver smiled. He knew Toad was right and that he was giving his advice as a friend, even if what he had to say wasn’t always what Oliver wanted to hear.

“I suppose I need to listen to my faithful brake van more!” Oliver laughed.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Mr. Oliver. You’ll find that though I can’t do much, I can at least be a good friend and have your back when…er…trucks try to push you into the sea!”

The two chuckled and began to make their way back to Edward’s station.