Special Engine is the eighth episode of Dodger the Coal Mines Engine.
Plot
The engines were excited.
Sir Topham Hatt's mother was coming to visit, and the engines knew that she was important.
The Fat Controller chose Gordon to pull the special train, and he boasted endlessly about it.
"The Fat Controller must know that I'm a Really Useful and reliable engine. And besides I pulled the Royal Train when the Queen visited in 1953," he told the others.
"Gordon just liked to boast about anything he does," David told Dodger the next day.
Gordon's boasting soon got the best of him.
The North Western Railway owns a three berth shed, turntable, and yard at Barrow-in-Furness.
Gordon was backing down to the sheds, thinking about backing down to the special train when..
(tender falls)
"Whoa!" cried his Driver, as the tender fell, but the Fireman had also been shoveling couldn't jump out in time!
"My beautiful tender!" cried Gordon.
Edward and Dodger brought Rocky and the breakdown gang as quickly as they could.
"So much for boasting about the special train. Ha ha ha!" laughed Dodger.
"Now Dodger, have sympathy," said Edward. "Because now, who will pull the train?"
Dodger just shunted Gordon out of the way.
"Gordon, there are no spare engines," the Fat Controller scolded.
"I'm very sorry, Sir," apoligized Gordon.
The Fat Controller sighed.
"Hold the phone," Edward said, "Dodger's still available."
"Dodger, what was your class built for?" asked the Fat Controller.
"Gresley J50s. Well, work in the steeply graded lines called West Riding. Also shunting, mines, and banker duties; with ocassional empty coach workings. But I couldn't," Dodger replied.
"David's class was built for goods duties, but also did passenger duties too," the Fat Controller said.
"I guess I can pull two coaches then," Dodger sighed.
Henry and James were very surprised when they heard the news.
"That grubby, dirty little tank engine!" grumbled James.
"Given such an important duty. Nonsense. You're talking nonsense Edward," Henry added.
"It's true; the Fat Controller said so himself."
The next morning, the Fat Controller assembled the engines, and to Henry and James' surprise, Dodger was in shiny NWR black, red lining, and the Vicarstown Coal Mines logo stood out with 68899 in white and a red border on his cab.
"Dodger, you look great," the Fat Controller commented.
"Well, I like dirtiness, but being clean, well, I guess it's nice," he replied.
Then, he set off.
He stopped for coal at the Mines, but..
"Oh no! What will Sir Topham Hatt's mother say?"
"We've no time to clean you," his Driver said, "we'll just have to go like this."
Now, part of his face, right side logo, dome, cab, and whistle were covered in coal dust.
He arrived at Barrow-in-Furness where the two red coaches were waiting, and the Fat Controller's mother.
"Hello," she greeted. "You must be Dodger the Gresley J50."
"Yes, I'm sorry you had to see me like this ma'am, slight accident."
"It's alright. It shows what a useful engine you are," she replied.
"Thank you," Dodger replied.
And Dodger continued on to Tidmouth.
Characters
- Edward
- Henry
- Gordon
- James
- David
- Dodger
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Dowager Hatt