Thomas and Friends: The Adventure Begins

Thomas and Gordon

Thomas' memory of Wilbert lived on long after the World War had passed into history. In 1922, following the withdrawal of the Wellsworth and Suddery rolling stock, Sir Topham Hatt purchased two new tender engines from the newly grouped London and North Eastern Railway: Henry, who became number 3 and Gordon who became number 4. Both engines proved to be problematic for the railway, resulting in two such incidents of Gordon getting stuck on a hill and Henry having been blocked off in a tunnel for being afraid of the rain spoiling his lovely coat of green paint. After Gordon burst his safety valve while pulling the express, Henry was given a second chance and with Edward's help, all three engines became great friends and Sir Topham Hatt rewarded Henry with a new coat of blue paint. The story proved to be incredible and compelling amongst the residents of Sodor and inspired a major children's book titled The Three Railway Engines in 1945, written by none other than Wilbert Awdry and his young son Christopher. Over thirty years after his arrival on Sodor, Thomas was given a book of own, simply titled Thomas the Tank Engine, and this is how it began:

"Thomas was a tank engine who lived at a big station. He had six small wheels, a short stumpy funnel, a short stumpy boiler, and a short stumpy dome.

He was a fussy little engine, always pulling coaches about. He pulled them to the station ready for the big engines to take out on long journeys; and when trains came in, and the people had got out, he would pull the coaches away, so that the big engines could go and rest.

Thomas was a cheeky little engine, too. He thought no engine worked as hard as he did. So he used to play tricks on them. He liked best of all to come quietly beside a big engine dozing on a siding and make him jump.

"Peep, peep, peep, pip, peep! Wake up, lazybones!" he would whistle. "Why don't you work hard like me?"

Then he would laugh rudely and run away to find some more coaches."

When Thomas first met Gordon, the big blue engine just treated him as if he were a peasant.

"The Fat Director must have made a terrible mistake sending me here. Little engines aren't exactly really useful."

"I am really useful!" Thomas argued.

"For fetching coaches perhaps," chuckled Gordon. "If you stick around long enough you might be lucky enough to see me pulling passenger trains. That will be a fine sight for you."

And he puffed away, only to realize that the train he had been assigned to pull, the Wild Nor' Wester, had been late, and he had to run as fast as he could to make up for lost time. Gordon arrived back at a siding in Vicarstown very tired, he was just going to sleep when Thomas came up in a cheeky way.

"Wake up, Lazybones!" he whistled. "Do some hard work for a change! You can't catch me!"

And he ran off laughing.

"Oooohhhhh...."

Instead of going to sleep again, Gordon was not willing to forgive Thomas and he was thinking of a way to get him back.

The next morning, Thomas found it hard to wake up. His driver and fireman couldn't make him start, his fire went out and there was not enough steam. He yawned as Henry tried to wake him up with his whistle.

"It's nearly time for the Express," Henry reminded him. "Gordon will be waiting for his coaches."

At last, Thomas started.

"Oh dear, oh dear," he yawned. "Must get going! Must get going!"

"Come on," said the coaches. "Hurry up!"

Thomas gave them a rude bump and started for the station.

"Don't dawdle, don't dawdle," he grumbled.

"Where have you been? Where have you been?" asked the coaches crossly.

Thomas fussed into the station where Gordon was waiting.

"Hurry up you!" said Gordon, crossly.

"Hurry up yourself!" remarked Thomas.

"Hmmm. Yes," said Gordon. "I will."

And almost before the coaches had stopping moving, Gordon was coupled to the train.

"Poop poop," he whistled. "Get in quickly, please."

So the people got in quickly, the signal went down, the clock struck the hour, the Guard waved his green flag and Gordon started so quickly that there was no time to uncouple Thomas. The heavy train moved quickly out of the station going faster and faster and faster and faster-too fast for Thomas. He wanted to stop, but he couldn't.

"Peep! Peep! Stop! Stop!" he whistled.

"Come on! Keep up!" laughed Gordon.

"You can't get away! You can't get away!" laughed the coaches.

Poor Thomas was going faster than he had ever gone before, he was out of breath and his wheels hurt him but he had to go on.

"Stop! STOP!!" he continued to scream.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry," laughed Gordon in front. "Express coming through!"

"I shall never be the same again," Thomas thought sadly as they passed Edward with his goods train. "My wheels will be quite worn out."

At last they stopped at the station of Crovan's Gate. Gordon checked the clock.

"Oh, yes," he said, knowing that this time, his timing was perfect.

Some passengers laughed to see Thomas puffing and panting behind. They uncoupled him from the train and he felt very silly and exhausted.

"Well, little Thomas," chuckled Gordon. "Now you know what hard work is like, don't you?"

Poor Thomas couldn't answer. He had no breath. He just puffed slowly away to rest and had a long, long drink from the water tower next to him.

He went home very slowly and was careful afterwards never to be cheeky to Gordon again.

"Maybe I don't have to tease Gordon to feel important," Thomas thought to himself.