Four Little Engines

Four Little Engines is the tenth book of the Railway Series.

Foreword
Dear Friends,

Sir Handel Brown is the owner of a little Railway which goes to Skarloey and Rheneas. Skarloey means "Lake in the Woods", and Rheneas means "Divided Waterfall". They are beautiful places, and lots of people visit them.

The Owner is very busy, so Mr. Peter Sam, the Thin Controller, manages the Railway.

The two Engines, who are called Skarloey and Rheneas, grew old and tired, so the owner bought two others.

The stories tell you what happened.

The Author

Skarloey Remembers
Edward meets his old friend Skarloey, a narrow gauge engine. Skarloey talks to him about his friend, Rheneas, who is being repaired on the mainland, the two new engines, Sir Handel and Peter Sam, his coaches and his work, and when Edward goes to the workshops Skarloey dozes off in the sunshine.

Sir Handel
The two new engines have arrived. Peter Sam is good natured, but Sir Handel is in a bad temper. The next morning he insults the furious coaches by calling them "cattle trucks", and they get vengeance by holding back on a hill. The Thin Controller scolds Sir Handel, and he behaves until he is sent to work at the quarry one day. He purposely derails himself, and is sent to the shed in disgrace.

Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady
Peter Sam has to do all the work himself. One day he has so much fun getting ready that he is late, and Henry threatens that he will leave without Peter Sam's passengers if it happens again. Peter Sam is so worried that at the lake he starts off without the Refreshment Lady. She is rather miffed, but bursts out laughing when she hears Peter Sam's story, and explains that Henry was joking. Peter Sam is furious, but Henry has wisely left!

Old Faithful
Peter Sam is away for maintenance, so Sir Handel has to take the coaches. They still do not trust him and when he has to stop suddenly they are bumped, so to pay him out they derail him at the points. Skarloey offers to take the train home, but a spring breaks and Skarloey tilts. Despite this, he braves the journey home, and the Owner sends him to be mended.

Characters

 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * Skarloey
 * Sir Handel
 * Peter Sam
 * The Thin Controller
 * Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima and Beatrice
 * The Owner
 * Rheneas (does not speak)
 * James (mentioned)

Trivia

 * "Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady" was inspired by an incident that occurred on the Talyllyn Railway. However, it was not the engine's fault but the fault of the guard - who happened to be the Reverend W. Awdry - and the woman left behind was in fact the driver's mother-in-law!
 * At the end of "Old Faithful" there is a short message about the Talyllyn Railway; "If you have enjoyed these stories, you will enjoy a visit to the Tal-y-llyn Railway at Towyn in Wales."
 * Sir Handel's derailments in this book may have been inspired by a similar accident which occurred to his basis Sir Haydn on the Talyllyn Railway.

Goofs

 * In the second illustration of "Skarloey Remembers", the engines' numberplates are oversized.
 * In the first illustration of "Sir Handel", the brick part of the engine sheds appears smaller than later illustrations.
 * In "Sir Handel" and "Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady", Agnes is a third-class coach.
 * In the second illustration of "Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady", no sidings can be seen behind the sheds.
 * Sir Handel's face changes size in the second illustration of "Old Faithful".
 * In the fourth illustration of "Old Faithful", Skarloey is pulling five coaches, not four.