The Reverend W Awdry Quotes

“Thomas was a cheeky little engine, too. He thought no engine worked as hard as he did. So he used to play tricks on them. He liked best of all to come quietly beside a big engine dozing on the siding and make him jump.”

“Then, you’ve got a lot to learn about freight cars, Thomas. They are silly things and must be kept in their place. After pushing them about here for a few weeks, you’ll know almost as much about them as Edward. Then you’ll be a Really Useful Engine.”

“Now Thomas is as happy as can be. He has a branch line all to himself, and puffs proudly backward and forward with two coaches all day. He is never lonely because there is always some engine to talk to at the junction.”

“Now, freight cars are silly and noisy. They talk a lot and don’t attend to what they are doing. They don’t listen to their engine, and when he stops, they bump into each other, screaming, ‘Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Whatever is happening?’ And, I’m sorry to say, they play tricks on an engine who is not used to them.”

″ ‘That’s the breakdown train,’ he said. ‘When there’s an accident, the workmen get into the coach and the engine takes them quickly to help the hurt people and to clear and mend the line. The cranes are for lifting heavy things like engines and coaches and freight cars.’ ”

“Poor Thomas couldn’t answer. He had no breath. He just puffed slowly away to rest and had a long, long drink. He went home very slowly and was careful afterward never to be cheeky to Gordon again.”

“Thomas used to grumble in the shed at night. ‘I’m tired of pushing coaches. I want to see the world.’ The others didn’t take much notice, for Thomas was a little engine who talked big,”

“He worked hard - he knew now that he wasn’t as clever as he had thought. Besides, Sir Topham Hatt had been kind to him, and he wanted to learn all about freight cars so he could be a Really Useful Engine.”

“Poor Thomas was going faster than he had ever gone before. He was out of breath and his wheels hurt him, but he had to go on. ‘I shall never be the same again,’ he thought sadly. ‘My wheels will be quite worn out.’ ”

“Edward and Henry stop quite often and tell him the news. Gordon is always in a hurry and does not stop, but he never forgets to say, ‘poop poop’ to little Thomas, and Thomas always whistles. ‘Peep peep’ in return.”

“They found Gordon halfway up the hill and very cross. His Driver and Fireman were talking to him severely. ‘You are not trying!’ they told him. ‘I can’t do it,’ said Gordon. ‘The noise freight cars hold an engine back so.”

“Away went Edward to get some coaches. ‘Be careful, Edward,’ said the coaches, ‘don’t bump and bang us like the other engines do. So Edward came up to the coaches very, very gently, and the shunter fastened the coupling.”

“So the people got in quickly, and Edward waited happily for the Guard to blow his whistle and wave his green flag. He waited and waited_there was not whistle, no green flag. ‘Peep, peep, peep, peep_where is that Guard?’ Edward was getting anxious.”

“Edward had not been out for a long time; he began to feel sad. Just then the Driver and Fireman came along to start work. The Driver looked at Edward. ‘Why are you sad?’ he asked. ‘Would you like to come out today?”

“Once upon a time, there was a little engine called Edward. He lived in a Shed with five other engines. There were all bigger than Edward and boasted about it. ‘The Driver won’t choose you again,’ they said. ‘He wants big, strong engines like us.”

‘Thank you, Edward,’ said the coaches. ‘That was kind, we are glad you are taking us today.’ Then they went to the station, where the people were waiting. ‘Peep, peep,’ whistled Edward _′get in quickly, please.”

“Just then the little boy shouted, ‘Here he comes!’ And there the Guard was, running down the hill with his flags in one hand and a sandwich in the other.”

“I’m going out again tomorrow,′ he told the other engines that night in the Shed. ‘What do you think of that?’ But he didn’t hear what they thought, for he was to tired and happy that he fell asleep at once.”

“Edward puffed off. He did have a happy day. All the children ran to wave as he went past, and he met old friend at all the stations. He worked so hard that the Driver promised to take him out again the next day.”

“Then he would stop and the silly freight cars would go bump into each other. “oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! they cried again. Edward pushed them until they were running nicely, and when they weren’t expecting it, he would stop.”

“Presently he heard a whistle. Gordon came puffing along, very slowly, and very crossly. Instead of nice shining coaches, he was pulling a lot of very dirty coal cars.”