James and the Diesel Engines

"Diesels don't use coal and water. How can you trust an engine who isn't normal in his habits?"

- James, Old Stuck-Up

James and the Diesel Engines is the twenty-eighth book of the Railway Series.

Foreword
Dear Friends, To hear James talk sometimes you might have thought that he ran the Fat Controller's Railway on his own. He certainly needed no help from diesels - or so he imagined. The other engines were more sensible, and realised that diesels could take some of the weight off their own couplings. But now the Fat Controller tells me that James has had a change of heart. These stories tell you how it happened. The Author.

Old Stuck-Up
BoCo is showing a visiting diesel around the line. When the diesel finds he is to share the shed with steam engines, he is disgusted and insults them, leading James to nickname him "Old Stuck-Up". The diesel sleeps outside the shed, and, when he wakes up the next day, remembers he has to refuel and be cleaned. In the part of the shed where BoCo and Bear sleep is a cleaning stop. The diesel decides to use it, but goes forward too quickly, slips on the oily rails and crashes into the back of the shed. After a stern talking to by the Fat Controller, the diesel then goes home in disgrace.

Crossed Lines
The engines are fed up with James' complaining about diesels having two cabs and boasting about his importance. He becomes worse than ever when he has to take a goods train one misty day. James has to whistle to alert the signalman to switch the points, but another engine whistles first and the confused signalman switches the points as a well wagon is going over them, causing it to go sideways into a signal.

Fire-Engine
During a discussion about paint one night, Henry remarks he is thankful he doesn't look like a fire-engine, like James, but James makes a crafty rejoinder and the joke turns to Henry. Henry, furious, broods over paying James out and bangs around so much the coupling on his tender breaks, with the movement knocking part of Henry's fire onto the line. Edward comes to take Henry's train and tells the others. James notes that Henry has never made comments about fire engines since.

Deep Freeze
One wintery day, James takes on too much water at Crovan's Gate and his injector fails. A diesel comes to the rescue, and although James feels humiliated at first, he quickly befriends the diesel and has since never made fun of diesels.

Characters

 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Duck
 * Donald
 * BoCo
 * Old Stuck-Up
 * The Fat Controller
 * Edward (does not speak)
 * Douglas (does not speak)
 * Bear (does not speak)
 * The Works Diesel (does not speak)
 * Toby (mentioned)
 * Mavis (mentioned)
 * Flying Scotsman (mentioned)
 * Gordon's Brothers (mentioned)
 * King James I (mentioned)
 * British Railways Diesels (mentioned)

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Tidmouth
 * Killdane
 * Crovan's Gate
 * River Hoo

Trivia

 * This is the first book that Sir Topham Hatt III runs the North Western Railway.
 * This book marks the last of a few things:
 * The last appearance of the old Tidmouth Sheds with eight berths.
 * The last book in which BoCo's face is half green and half yellow.
 * The last book in the Railway Series where Henry appears in all four stories.
 * Bear's final appearance, excluding mentions in Gordon the High-Speed Engine and Henry and the Express.
 * One of the well wagons yells "Stop! Stop!", This could mean it had a face.
 * The events of "Old Stuck-Up" could have possibly taken place before the real 40 125 was withdrawn from service in May 1981 and scrapped in December 1983.
 * This book was published a few weeks before the first Thomas & Friends episode aired on TV.

Goofs

 * In the second illustration, Henry does not have buffers.
 * In the sixth illustration of "Old Stuck-Up", Douglas' name is missing on his name plate.
 * In the first two illustrations of "Fire-Engine", Donald speaks but only Douglas is seen.

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