Ladybird Book Thomas Series: James & The Tar Wagons

Toby is a short, stocky streetcar engine named Henrietta. They enjoy their work on the island of Sodor every morning. They take the workers to the quarry and often meet James at the crossroads. Toby and Henrietta seemed very old-fashioned. It was in bad shape and needed new paint when they first arrived and James was rude every time he saw them there what dirty objects he said when they passed by one day Toby lost his patience James said why are you red? "I'm a splendid engine," answered James haughtily, "I'm ready for anything, you never see my dirty paint.

Oh," said Toby innocently, "that's why you once needed boot laces to be ready. I suppose James felt redder than ever and snorted. It was a great insult to remember the time when a passenger's boot lace had been used to repair a hole in one of his carriages and all because he had gone too fast at the end of the line James left his carriages and prepared for his next train, he was a commodity slow train that stopped at each station to pick up and drop off the cars. James hated slow freight trains, dirty carriages on dirty sidings, he complained starting with just a few.

James collected more and more cars until he had a long train. At first the coaches behaved well, but James hit them so angrily that they soon decided to pay him back. They passed over the viaduct and it wasn't long before they reached the top of Gordon's Hill. The heavy goods train should wait there so the guard can apply the brakes. He stops trucks that push their engines too fast as they go down the hill. James had been in an accident with trucks once before on Gordon's Hill he should have remembered this wait James wait said his driver but James didn't wait he was too busy thinking about what he would say to Toby the next time they met hooray hooray laugh the trucks they hit their shock absorbers and pushed James down the hill the god hit the brakes the trucks screamed I have to stop I have to stop moans gems crossed the station and staggered towards the yard there was a crash and something sticky splashed on James had run into two

wagons

of tar and it was black from the smoke box to the cab it was more dirty than hurt but the carriages and some trucks were broken into pieces the breakdown train was in the yard and they soon tidied up the mess Toby and Percy was sent to help and he came so As fast as they could look there Percy said Toby whatever that dirty object is James replied Percy you didn't quite know what James's shape is said Toby but James is a splendid red engine and you never see his dirty paint James pretended there wasn't heard Toby and Percy picked up the carriages unharmed and helped James home.

The Fat Controller came to meet them. Well done, Percy and Toby, he said smiling, he turned to James. I feel like letting your cars run away. I'm surprised. you are not worth seeing, you must be cleaned immediately, he said Toby will have a new coat of chocolate and blue paint, I think the Fat Controller said, please sir. Can Henrietta have one too? Toby certainly Toby said that the Fat Controller she should have brown like Annie and Clarabel Thomas's trainers Toby smiled, he knew that Henrietta would be delighted and he ran out happily to tell her the good news.