Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends Into the Thigh-Verse

The Concrete Trains

Ren felt very smart. He stood outside the workshops, with a fresh coat of red paint! His new paint glistened in the sun, and Ren sighed happily. The Fat Controller came to see him.
"How are you?" The Fat Controller asked.
"Never better sir!" Ren said happily! "What do you want me to do?"
The Fat Controller pondered.
"Rick was meant to pick up Concrete from Gilbert's branchline. Do you mind fetching it from their junction?"
"Of course sir!" Ren whistled! And he puffed away!

Gilbert, Neil and Agness run a branchline! From the river station, all the way to the small fishing town of Kirk Ronan. However, not far from the station, is a quarry. Day after day, one of the engines collects the concrete from the mines, and brings it to the river station, where one of the mainline engines brings it on! The trains are long, but they're important. The trucks have to be regularly inspected. If the cement dries, it could jam the door shut, or even force open the door! Ren arrived at the river station, and collected the trucks. The trip to the harbour went well, and Ren was right on time! He backed them into a siding, and waited. However, as the workmen tried to open the hatches, they found that one was stuck shut!
"How did that happen!?" Ren cried! "I thought these trucks were inspected before I arrived!"
"They should've been." Replied the harbour master. "Maybe this was missed."
Ren's crew and the workmen spent hours trying to mend the broken truck, and unclog the blockage! At last, the concrete gave way!
"Got it!" Panted Ren's driver. "Alright sugar, let's go home."
Ren gulped. He knew that at least one of the engines would have something to say.

Ren was right. When he returned home, the other engines all howled with laughter!
"Fancy that!" Borris snorted! "Havin your concrete trucks jam shut!"
"These red engines!" Shouted Bill. "Always making those stupid mistakes! You know these trucks are meant to be inspected regularly! To leave without them being checked over is simply only something a red engine would make!"
"It wasn't Ren's fault." Impulse huffed! "These things can happen to anyone! I wouldn't be shocked if it happened to you!"
"Pah!" Borris huffed! "That'd never happen!"
"Don't be so sure!" Ren snapped!
"Oh, no, I will be!" Borris sniffed! "Because I'm a smart blue engine! And we smart blue engines never have to worry about something as trivial as a broken concrete trucks door!"
"Take no notice of him!" Tango smiled. "He's just jealous that you've gotten a smart new coat of paint, while he's still taking trucks!"
"Still knows how to make an engine feel really small." Ren sighed.

The next day, Borris arrived at the river station. He was still thinking about he and Ren's argument the previous day. Truthfully, he was feeling a little salty.
"First Ren get's a new coat of paint, then he acts like he's the pride of the railway!" Borris huffed! "It's ridiculous!"
He backed angrily down onto his trucks with a hard bump!
"Watch out!" They snapped! But Borris didn't take any notice. It might've been better if he had. Not far from the front of the train, was the defective concrete truck! Terry had brought it up the prior night, but, because of the low light, he and his crew had gotten muddled up, and left the damaged truck behind. This was arranged onto Borris' train, and subjected to his torture. At last, the guard blew her whistle, and waved her green flag. Borris started with a will!
"LET'S GET MOVING!" He heaved! The trucks grumbled, but rolled into motion.

It wasn't that far from the radio station, that everything went up in smoke! Borris had been rough with the trucks the whole journey! The defective truck was starting to feel constipated.
"Ooherr!" It groaned! "I don't feel so well!"
"Hold back! Hold back!" The other trucks cried!
"NO YOU DON'T!" Borris snapped! And bumped them hard! This was the straw that broke the camels back!.. Or, more specifically, the bump that unlatched the concrete truck's door. The truck could only scream in horror, as it's door came flying open! Concreate pouring onto the line! Despite concrete being a liquid, it is quite dense, and, if poured out of a moving railway wagon, can cause a derailment. And that's what it did! The first truck toppled off the rails, and took the others with it! Spilling wet concrete and trucks all over the mainline! Borris came to a stop, not far up the line.
"What the hell was that!?" Borris grunted!
"I'm not sure." His driver flounced. "Maybe we took the broken truck?"
Borris' boiler ran cold. The signalman swung open the door, shouting and swearing!
"WHAT THE DEVIL ARE YOU PLAYING AT!?" She snapped! "BILL'S COMING THROUGH SHORTLY! YOU'LL HAVE TO FLAG HIM DOWN!"
At that moment, Bill came puffing and snorting from around the bend! He saw the crash blocking his line!
"STOP! STOP! STOP!" Bill cried! His crew applied the brakes, and leapt for safety! Bill hit the derailment with an awful CRASH! Once the dust settled, the two engines looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Bust my buffers.." Bill puffed meekly.

It took a while for Marytin and the workmen to re-rail the wrecked goods train and the sorry blue engine. While Bill was being examined, Ren passed, with a passenger train. Ren couldn't help but laugh.
"Tough luck? Eh?" He said as he passed. "That's just awful timing!"
And Ren puffed away, excited to share his discovery with the other engines. Luckily, he didn't have to, Marytin told everyone that night, who thought it a great joke! Neither Borris or Bill ever bring up the subject of the concrete trains.