The Three Railway Engines

Edward and Gordon - by the Rev. W. Awdry

One of the engines in Edward's shed was called "Gordon". He was very big and very proud.

"You watch me this afternoon, little Edward," he boasted, "as I rush through with the express. That will be a spend is sight for you." Just then, his driver pulled the lever. "Goodbye, little Edward!" called Gordon as he puffed away. "Look out for me this afternoon!" Edward went off too. To do some shunting. Edward liked shunting. It was fun playing with trucks. He would come up quietly and give them a pull.

"Oh oh oh oh oh!" screamed the trucks. "Whatever is happening?!" Then he would stop and the silly trucks would go bump into each other.

"Oh oh oh!" Edward pushed them until they were going nicely. When they weren't expecting it, he stopped. One of them would be sure to run into another line. Edward played until there were no more trucks. Then he stopped to rest. Presently, he heard a whistle. Gordon came puffing along, very slowly and very cross. Instead of nice, shiny coaches, he was pulling a load of very dirty coal trucks.

"A goods train! A goods train!" he thought. "The shame of it. The shame of it! Oh the shame of it!" He went slowly through, the trucks clattering and banging behind him. Edward laughed and went to find some more trucks. Soon after, the porter came and spoke to his driver.

"Gordon can't get up the hill. Would you take Edward and push him please?" They found Gordon halfway up the hill and very cross. His driver and fireman were talking to him severely.

"You're not trying!" They told him.

"I can't do it!" said Gordon. "Noisy trucks hold an engine back so! If they were coaches now, clean, sensible things  that come quietly, that would be different." Edward's driver came up.

"We've come to push!" He said.

"No use at all!" said Gordon.

 "You wait and see!" said Edward's driver. They brought the train back down the hill. Edward came up behind the break van, ready to push.

"I'm ready!" said Edward.

"No good!" grumbled Gordon. The guard blew his whistle. They pulled and pushed as hard as they could.

"I can't do it!" puffed Gordon.

"I will do it!" puffed Edward.

"I can't do it!"

"I will do it!"

"I can't do it!"

"I will do it!"

"I can't do it!"

"I will do it!" Edward pushed and puffed and puffed and pushed as hard as ever he could. And almost before he realized it, Gordon found himself at the top of the hill.

"I've done it! I've done it! I've done it! I've done it!" he said, proudly. He forgot all about Edward pushing behind, and didn't wait to say thank you. He was going so fast, he passed two station before the driver made him stop.

Edward had pushed so hard, when he reached the top, he was out of breath. Gordon ran off so fast, Edward was left behind. The guard waved and waved, but Edward couldn't catch up. He ran onto the next station. There, the driver and fireman said they were very pleased with him. The fireman gave him a long drink of water, and the driver said,

"I'll get out my paint tomorrow, and give you a beautiful new coat of blue and yellow stripes. Then you'll be the smartest engine in the shed.