Matthew the Medium Engine

Trouble for Matthew

Matthew was enjoying his new job on Island of Sodor. He was a hard worker. He loved beautiful sunny days on the Island. His shiny black paintwork always shone in the sun. He slept in the sheds with the other mainline engines. He was as big as James, and bigger than Edward, but smaller than both Gordon and Henry.

One morning, Gordon wouldn't wake up. He was very tired from working hard and did not want to work. He was too comfortable and didn't feel like working. The other engines' drivers came to start them up for the day's work.
Gordon looked up, his driver and fireman were walking to him. Gordon groaned to himself. Then, he had an idea. He was going to pretend to be ill. "Yes," he thought to himself, "I'll do it."
When Gordon's crew came, Gordon said, "I don't feel well."
"What's the matter?" asked Driver.
"I have, er- boiler ache."

Gordon's driver and fireman exchanged looks. Gordon has never pretended to be ill to get out of a job. So they informed the Inspector.

"Take his word," said the Inspector. "We haven't time to examine him."
So they did. The driver and fireman went back home,  as Gordon smiled to himself. The other engines left the shed to work. Gordon snickered to himself, but no one paid any attention.

The first morning express was due. Matthew was excited. "Please, sir," he asked the Inspector, "May I take it?"
"No, not yet," replied the Inspector kindly, "you must learn first." So Henry took the Express.

The engines worked hard all day. They took turns doing their work as well as Gordon's.

That afternoon, Matthew was hard at work. He shunted his coaches away. He was going to take James' mixed goods train to Elsbridge while he took Gordon's trains. He puffed in the yard to shunt his own train. He didn't mind shunting his own trains. The other engines had ridiculed him for teasing his own trains, but he didn't care. When they told him about the time where they got shut up for not shunting their own trains, he snorted. 

"You should be ashamed of yourselves," he had scolded them. "So what if tender engines shunt their own train? So what if they're too important?" But they paid no attention to him. 

He was beginning to shunt the trucks in place. However, Henry was in a siding, resting. When he looked at the clock in Knapford. His train was almost late! 

"Oh dear!" he cried. "I'm going to be late!" Luckily, his train was already shunted and the passengers were already in the coaches. Henry was so busy trying to get to the platform, that he forgot to watch where he was going. He reversed so quickly and Matthew was behind him. Matthew saw Henry backing towards him. "Look out!" he cried, but it was too late.  BUMP! Henry had bumped into Matthew causing him to reverse and bump into the trucks. 
"Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!" yelled the trucks.  Henry looked back. "Sorry, Matthew!" he cried. "I didn't see you there!" Henry went to the platform. No one was hurt, but the trucks were cross. They thought Matthew had bumped them on purpose. They wanted to pay him out. 

Later, Matthew brought his train to Platform 2. He ran round front and coupled to it. The guard blew his whistle and he set off with his heavy goods train. Along the way the trucks chattered. They were still cross with Matthew, but he paid no attention.
 It might have been better if he did.
Eventually, they reached Gordon's Hill. The trucks wanted to hold him back, but they knew it was a heavy goods train, so when Matthew stopped to pin down his brakes, they would pay him back then. Presently, he reached the top. Matthew remembered to stop and pin down his brakes. This was the signal for the trucks.
"On, on on!" they yelled. And they put every ounce and weight against against him and forced him down the hill.

Matthew sped down the hill. "Whoa!!" he yelled. The trucks were laughing and giggling behind him.  His driver and fireman fought for control, but it was no good at all. "Help! Help!" he cried. Suddenly was a loud CRACK! 

"Oh no! My brakes!" 
Matthew had old brakes, and never got new ones. He was in great danger!

"What shall we do?" asked the Fireman. 

The driver thought a moment. "We'll signal to the signalman and he'll divert us to a siding, and we'll stop there." 

So they signaled to him and he switched the points, However, no one realized that the buffers were weak and that Matthew was going too fast to stop. The driver should have known this, but he was too busy trying to stop the train to think properly. Matthew was diverted on the siding, they saw the unsafe buffers. Ahead, beyond the buffers, was on old empty shed which used to store vehicles, it had not been used in ages. The driver and fireman realized their mistake. He and the fireman jumped clear just in time. Matthew shut his eyes. 

CRASH!

Matthew smashed through the buffers and derailed through the shed and stopped. He had run through the shed. Luckily, no one was hurt. But Matthew's buffers were twisted.  The driver and fireman telephoned. In no time at all, Edward and Henry came to help. They were both horrified when they saw Mattthew.

"Are you alright?" asked Edward

"I...i'm fine," said Matthew in a shaken voice. 

Edward took the  cars away. It took a long time to put Matthew back on the rails. Henry had to pull him back on the rails.  Matthew felt battered. His buffers were twisted, his whistle was damaged and he busted two of his axles.  Henry had to help him back home.

"I'm sorry about your accident," said Gordon, when he saw Matthew.  Before Matthew could reply, there was a loud, "Ahem!"

There stood the Fat Controller. He was very cross. "Listen to me, Gordon," he said severely, "You pretending t be ill caused a lot of confusion and delay. You put Matthew in a bad situation."

"I..." 

 "No tales. Until Matthew gets mended, you will pull his goods trains instead of the Express, instead of your own. That will teach you to be pretend to be ill. 

Gordon felt glum. He never pretended to be ill to get out of a job again. He remained silent for the rest of the day.