The Three Railway Engines

Edward, Gordon, and Henry - by the Rev. W. Awdry

Edward and Gordon often went through the tunnel where Henry was shut up. Edward would say,

"Peep peep! Hello!" And Gordon would say,

"Poop poop! Serves you right!" Poor Henry had no steam to answer. His fire had gone out. Soot and dirt from the tunnel roof had spoiled his lovely green paint and red stripes. He was cold and unhappy and wanted to come out to pull trains too.

Gordon always pulled the express. He was proud of being the only engine strong enough to do it. There were many heavy coaches filled with important people like the fat director, who had punished Henry. Gordon was seeing how fast he could go.

"Hurry hurry hurry!" he panted.

"Trickity trock! Trickity trock!" said the coaches. Gordon could see Henry's tunnel in front. And he thought to himself,

"In a minute, I'll just go poop poop at Henry and rush through and out into the open!" Closer and closer he came. He was almost there when, WHEESH! 

Gordon was in a cloud of steam, and going slower and slower. His driver stopped the train. "What has happened to me?" asked Gordon. "I feel so weak!"

"You've burst your safety valve!" said the driver." You can't pull the train anymore."

"Oh dear! We were going so nicely, too. And Henry's laughing at me!" Gordon made a face a Henry and blew smoke at him. Everybody got out and came to see Gordon. The fat director said,

"Hmph! I never liked these big engines. Always going wrong! Send for another engine at once." While the guard went to find one, they uncoupled Gordon and ran him onto a siding out of the way. The only engine left in the shed was Edward.

"I'll come and try!" he said. Gordon saw him coming.

"He's no use! Edward can't pull a train!" Edward puffed and pulled and pulled and puffed, but he couldn't pull the heavy coaches.

"I told you so!" said Gordon rudely. "Why not let Henry try?"

"Yes," said the fat director. "I will! Henry, will you help pull this train?" he asked.

"Oh yes!" said Henry at once. So Gordon's driver and fireman lit his fire. Some plate layers broke down the wall and put back the rails. When he had steam, Henry puffed out. He was dirty. His boiler was black and covered with cobwebs. 

"Oh I'm so stiff, I'm so stiff!" he groaned.

"You should have a run to ease your joints and find a turntable," said the fat director politely. Henry came back feeling better and was coupled in the front.

"Peep peep!" said Edward. "I'm ready!"

"Peep peep peep!" said Henry. "So am I!" 

"Pull hard. Pull hard. Pull hard!" puffed Edward.

"We'll do it. We'll do it. We'll do it!" puffed Henry.

"Pull hard! We'll do it! Pull hard! We'll do it! Pull hard! We'll do it!" they puffed together. The heavy coaches jerked and began to move. Slowly at first, then faster and faster.

"We've done it together!We've done it together! We've done it together!" sang Edward and Henry.

"You've done it hooray!You've done it hooray!You've done it hooray!" sang the coaches. All the passengers were excited. The fat director leaned out the window to wave at Edward and Henry. They were going so fast that his hat blew off into a field where a goat ate it for his tea. They never stopped until they reached the big station at the end of the line. The passengers all got out and said, "Thank you" and the fat director promised to give Henry a new coat of paint.

"Would you like blue and red?"

"Yes please!" said Henry. "Then I'll be like Edward!" Edward and Henry went home quietly and along the way, they helped Gordon back to the sheds. All three engines are now good friends. Wasn't Henry pleased when he had his new coat? He was very proud of it as all good engines are. But he doesn't mind the rain now. He knows now that the best way to keep his paint dry is to not run into tunnels, but to ask his driver for a rubdown when the day's work is over.