Zach and the Steam Team

Zach and the Steam Team
A Thomas the Tank Engine story
For Zachary Armstrong

It was a busy spring day on the Island of Sodor.
All of the engines were hard at work, fetching
passengers, pulling freight, delivering the mail
and shunting troublesome trucks. The Fat
Controller was very pleased with all of his
really useful engines.

It was also the school holidays, and children
from the nursery and schools were out with
their parents enjoying the sunny weather.
Some of the parents took their children to see
the engines at work. They stood on the
footbridge near Maithwaite station, watching
the express engines Gordon and Henry rush
by with a wish and a woosh. The engines gave
a special “peep peep” on their whistles for the
children, which everyone enjoyed.

More children were watching the engines on
the platform of Maithwaite station. A blondhaired
boy named Zach was there with his
mum and Richard. Zach loved running fast
almost as much as he loved watching the
engines. He turned to his mummy and said,
“One day, will I run faster than Gordon?”.

Percy, who was at the station picking up the
mail van, overheard this and said: “I can see
that you can run fast little boy, but you could
never run faster than Gordon the express
engine! Gordon is the fastest. Sorry!”. And
with a sympathetic smile and a friendly toot
on his whistle, Percy pulled out of the station.

Next Henry chuffed into the station, hauling
an extra-long line of carriages that were to
carry passengers to the mainland. Zach
looked at Henry’s gleaming green paint, his
powerful pistons and impressive funnel, and
said to Richard: “One day will I be as fast as
Henry?”. Henry heard this and chuckled. He
said, “I’m sorry young man, but boys can’t run
faster than big strong engines like me and
Gordon”. And with that he pulled out of the
station, still chuckling to himself at the
thought of it.

Zach turned to his mummy and Richard and
said, “But I want to run as fast as the big
engines”. His mummy said, “Anything is
possible, my man, and don’t let anybody tell
you otherwise.”

The last engine that the family saw was
Thomas the tank engine. Thomas was tired
because he had had a lot of trouble from the
troublesome trucks. Thomas, who is normally
such a cheerful and cheeky engine, was
feeling grumpy. He didn’t want to do any
more work that day.

But the Fat Controller had given Thomas one
last job. “Thomas”, the Fat Controller said, “I
know that you have had a hard day’s work,
but there’s one last job I need you to do today
and it is really important. With all the
journeys our busy engines have been making,
our coal supplies are running very low. Luckily
a new delivery has just arrived at Brendham
Docks. I need you to go and pick up the coal
and bring it back to Tidmouth Sheds. Please
make sure it is all well covered up with
tarpaulin sheets.”

Thomas was not happy. He didn’t want to go
and pick up the coal, and he set off with a
grump and a bump, jolting his trucks as he
went. Thomas moaned and groaned to the
troublesome trucks that it wasn’t fair that he
had to do this extra journey when he was so
tired. The troublesome trucks, who were
cross because of the way Thomas was
bumping them around, made it an even more
difficult trip.

By the time Thomas had got to Brendham
Docks, picked up the coal, and brought it back
to Tidmouth Sheds, he was extremely tired
and feeling very cross. He was in such a bad
mood that he forgot what the Fat Controller
had said about making sure the coal was
covered with tarpaulin. When Thomas’s
driver reminded him about this, Thomas said
“I am too tired now, that will have to wait until
the morning.”

That night, as the tired engines slept in
Tidmouth Sheds, there was a thunder storm
and a lot of rain fell on the Island of Sodor.
The coal that Thomas had fetched for the
engines for the next day got soaking wet.

The following morning, when the Fat
Controller saw what had happened to the
coal, he was very cross. “Thomas!” he
boomed, “because you did not do the job
properly as I asked, all of the engines have
damp coal. Damp coal is no good! My railway
will run very slowly today, and there will be a
speed limit of 5 miles per hour until the coal
has dried out.”

Gordon, who liked to travel at speeds of 50, 60
or even 70 miles an hour, was not impressed.
“Oh the indignity!”, he said. Henry said, “My
passengers will not be happy with this.”
Thomas felt very sorry.

As the engines went about their jobs that day
– chuffing along very slowly because of the 5
mile an hour speed limit – the children on the
Island once again came out to see them.
Today, however, they could run along the
paths next to the railway line and go faster
than the engines. Zach watched and waited
for Gordon and Henry.

“Ready, steady, go!” said Zach, as he raced
alongside Gordon. At first Gordon and Zach
moved along at the same speed, but Zach was
slightly faster, and he gradually got ahead of
Gordon and won the race to the signal. “Oh
the indiginity!”, said Gordon.

Zach, shouted back to his mummy and
Richard, “Look! I am faster than Gordon the
express engine!”. “Yes you are”, said Zach’s
mummy, smiling. “You see, anything is
possible.” Thomas, who was passing by,
overheard this. Although he was still feeling
sorry for his mistake, this made him smile too.
He peeped loudly on his whistle, and said:
“Well done Zach! You are faster than the
fastest engines on Sodor. Consider yourself a
member of the Steam Team!”

~ The end ~