"The Engine, Forgotten" a Thomas & Friends Story

The Tale of Hiro Nakagurui

Long ago, on a faraway island, lived a railway that wove through big mountains, travelled across large fields, and coasted along the ocean. There was also a local hero on the railway. He was a strong, powerful, and heroic engine. He was known by the railway and towns as Master of the Railway.

The Master of the Railway had a name- Hiro Nakagurui. His first name was a combination between the name Hiro and his heroic character.  His last name was given to him by the man he saved....

It all began one icy morning in the village of Tanakazi, right at the foot of a towering mountain, and on the riverbank of a beautiful river. In spring, the river is lined with gorgeous cherry blossom trees, and children would fly kites and compete with them at festivals. This memory....was it a dream????

"Come on, old boy!" called a voice. Hiro woke up. "Is it morning already?" He asked his driver. "Yes. And a cold one too! Manager says we're to clear the line before the first train leaves at 8:30." the driver answered. He gave a pat on the footplate to Hiro, and he set off to find a snowplow.

Japan can be very cold in the winter. And it can get very snowy up in the mountains. Hiro trudged up the first hill, which looped around the village and into the mountains. The mountain line curved around a lake, which was once a caldera a long time ago. From there, engines crossed an old iron bridge that separated two parts of a mountain from a ravine below.

Hiro passed over the bridge, the icy depths beneath him. "It's too cold for anyone to be out and about, so why are we?" Hiro asked, shivering.

"The villagers rely on us, so we must be there for them, whatever the weather." The driver answered.

"Like being honorable?"

"Exactly! Being honorable means that even if we don't want to, we must serve our duty as a railway to make sure our villagers are safe and happy." the fireman chimed in.

Not long after, the line was clear and Hiro was given a drink and a rest. "This water is the coldest I've ever tasted!" Hiro thought to himself. He wanted to tell his crew, instead saying, "Lucky for us that the water hasn't frozen in the tower. Then there'd be no one to run the line!". The driver chuckled as he sipped some hot tea.

Later on, Hiro was preparing a goods train in the yard, when he saw the stationmaster and  the manager running toward him. Practically slipping on the ice, the manager exclaimed, "Driver, take your engine and a crane up the mountain! There was an accident!"

Hiro collected a crane and a workers coach and hurried up the mountain. To his horror, he found a rake of coaches dangling over the edge of the old iron bridge, but no engine. Even more shocking, a man was holding onto the bridge for dear life, with one of the coaches teetering next to him. "Icy rails caused the engine to derail! The crew and passengers are fine, minus the one YOU have to save!" The guard shouted.

Hiro carefully pulled away the coaches from the edge, and crept slowly toward the man with a winch bolted to his front. He slowly lowered the winch, which had a workman attached to it by his rescue gear. "Don't worry! We're going to rescue you! Just hold on a little longer!" Hiro shouted at the man in distress below him. Quickly, the workman secured himself and the man and Hiro pulled them to safety. He did so, watching the smoldering remains of the engine involved below.....

The village threw a huge celebration to honor the bravery and selflessness of Hiro and his crew. At first, the engine acted humble towards the praise and rewards. However, I'm sorry to say that as the years passed since the event, Hiro became more and more puffed up in the smokebox. His kind and honorable attitude evolved into an inferiority complex worse than James the Red Engine on the Island of Sodor.

To make matters worse, Hiro only wanted to pull important trains, and didn't help unless there was a reward. He'd never understand the consequences of his actions until it was too late, but that's for you to find out.