Thomas And Friends: The North Western Engines Series One

Henry And Sam

One bright, clear morning, Henry The Green Engine was pulling a goods train to Tidmouth, as he stopped at a signal he saw Neville on the track beside him, waiting for his own signal.
"Mornin' Henry, how's things?" He greeted cheerfully.
"All good, yourself?" Henry smiled.
"Same here mate! Have you seen the new engin' by the way?" Neville replied.
"Not yet, I didn't know there was one!" Henry chuckled.
"Yeh' arrived from th' Mainland this mornin' seemed a pleasant bloke! You can't miss 'im!" Neville explained. The Q1's signal turned green and he steamed away.
"Nice talkin' with ya Henry!" He called.
"You too!" Henry replied.
Later that day Henry was at Maron with a passenger train bound for Vicarstown, when he heard an unfarmiliar whistle.
"Who's that?" He said to nobody in particular.
Just then he heard loud puffing and the sound of a long line of trucks.
A huge dark green tender engine with 'VIRGINIAN' on his massive tender. He had more driving wheels than Murdoch! Henry was stunned as the big engine stopped beside him.
"Nice ta meet ya mate! My name is Samuel, but everybody calls me Sam." Greeted the new engine.
"Told ya!" Smirked Neville as he passed the pair.
"H-Hello... forgive me for staring, I've just never seen an engine as big as you before!" Henry stammered.
"I get that alot! Us American blokes often get that sort of thing!" Chuckled Sam.
"You're an american engine! I never realised, how come you don't have an accent though? You sound more Brittish than American!" Henry replied, still taken aback by the huge engine beside him.
"I was brought to the Mainland a good number of years ago, mostly worked down London end. Recently got bought by ya controller to work for him." Explained Sam. "Picked up a bit of a cockney accent whilst there."
"I see..." Henry smiled, "I'm Henry by the way!"
"Nice to meet ya Henry!"
"Same goes to you."
"Cheers!" Sam said, "What work do you do here?"
"I'm heavy goods engine here, along with Murdoch, Neville and sometimes Rebecca when she's not on the express."
Sam burst out laughing!
"What?" Henry gasped what's so funny?"
"You call yourself a heavy goods engine? I'm clearly the heavy goods engine here! You black fives couldn't pull a quarter of what I could!" Sam smirked pompously.
"Lull the other one! There's no way that is true!" Henry snapped crossly. He now found Sam quite puffed up in the smokebox.
"We'll see..." Sam muttered slyly. The Virginian engine's guard blew his whistle and he puffed away with almost no effort at all! Henry didn't want to admit it, but he was secretly inmpressed by the length of the train.
Henry wascross all day, every time the pair met they would be teasing or insulting each other.
The next day Sam pulled a very heavy goods train from Knapford to Vicarstown. He had to stop at Wellsworth so Edward could help him up Gordon's Hill. Sam was surprised to see Edward to be the banker and teased him before the blue engine went to the back to push. The pair steamed furiously to the hill but Sam lost grip causing the pair to be stuck with sam halfway up.
Meanwhile, Henry was flagged down at Wellsworth by the stationmaster.
"What's wrong?" Henry questioned.
"Sam's stuck on the hill, even with Edward as a banker, not surprised by the size of his train!" Explained the agitated stationmaster.
"How big are we talking?" Henry questioned.
"Not sure, I lost count after thirty trucks..."
"Say no more, I'm on my way!" Henry sighed and pulled away, "oh! I can't wait to see this!" He chuckled. When Henry reached the bottom he was shocked!
"Oh thank goodness you are here Henry, that engine was so arrogant and overconfident!" Edward sighed.
"What's he said?"
"Let's see... he rambled on a bit on about how he rises the railway's standards while we lower them, and before telling me to shove off in favour of the actual banker, he asked me what the first world war was like!" Edward explained, agitated.
"Atleast he's consistent, he had a go at me at Maron yesterday!"
"Oh? Do tell..." replied Edward.
Whilst the pair had been talking the guard had strollstrolled up to a grumbling Sam.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"I'm stuck! I knew that hunk of old iron wouldn't be any help! If I had a proper banker I could've..." Sam's rant was cut off by the guard.
"Sam! I won't listen to any more of you badmouthing the other engines, if you do, I'll be sure you spend the next year as a banker on this hill! Do you want that?" He scolded.
"No Sir, sorry Sir!" Sam stammered.
Just then the pair heard a familiar voice from the back of the train.
"Looks like the Virginian messed up!"
"Oh good!" Smiled the guard, "they sent Henry to help!"
"Oh no not that..." Sam saw the guard staring coldly at him, "sturdy looking black five... who I'm sure will be off great assistance..." he finished nervously.
"That's right! He will." The guard smirked and strolled down the hill.
"This is never going to work!" Sam grunted to himself, rolling his eyes.
"...What a complete pain in the tender!" Edward sighed crossly after Henry finished explaining his encounter with Sam.
The guard then reached pair.
"Glad you could help Henry, when I whistle, we're off, I've told Sam the same."
"No worries Sir. " Henry replied.
The big green engine buffered up behing Edward and both got ready, they weren't coupled so Sam could carry on to try make up for lost time.
The guard blew his whistle and the trio snorted furiously up the hill. They were all trying their best. They at last reached the top and Sam dissappeared down the other side as he whistled a 'thank you', Edward and Henry whistled back and went back to Wellsworth.
That night Henry pulled into Vicarstown with the Kipper, Sam was also in the yards.
"How did the run go after the hill? Henry questioned kindly.
"I made up some time but it would've been much worse if not for you, your effort was incredible, I'm sorry for being rude to you, I just let all my past success go to my smokebox, you are a truly enterprising engine!" Sam blushed.
"We live and learn!" Chuckled Henry, "you certainly put your money where your mouth is!" He joked.
"Well do us all a favour and shur yours old square wheels! There's a heard working shunter here trying to sleep!" Retorted Diesel from the sheds accross the yards.
"Then shut up weasel, you might wake him!" Teased Stanley.
"Git!"
"Prat!"
The next morning, after a stern talking to from The Fat Controller , Sam was at work again on the main line, he soon apologised to anyone he'd offended and all forgave him, and he would soon be entrusted with a very big and important job! But that will have to wait until another time...