THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, NOT THE THOMAS FANDOM IN GENERAL
(special thanks to the Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia for the images)
Great Little Engines
Written by Christopher Awdry
Illustrated by Clive Spong
Published October 28, 1985
After Duke's rediscovery, little has changed on the Skarloey Railway, but now, Sir Handel has gone to Wales and the engines have a few interesting adventures in his absence.
Dear Friends,
Sir Handel has been helping on the Talyllyn Railway, at Towyn, in Wales.
"You could write a book about it," he said when I went to see him.
Sir Handel was conceited before he went: whatever would happen, I thought, if he had a book all to himself? But some of his adventures were too good to waste, so I mixed them with stories about the other engines. That ought to keep everyone happy.
The Author
Sir Handel has been helping on the Talyllyn Railway, at Towyn, in Wales.
"You could write a book about it," he said when I went to see him.
Sir Handel was conceited before he went: whatever would happen, I thought, if he had a book all to himself? But some of his adventures were too good to waste, so I mixed them with stories about the other engines. That ought to keep everyone happy.
The Author
Sir Handel is chosen to visit the Talyllyn Railway, but he is unable to leave until Duke's restoration is complete. In the summer, Sir Handel's trains become longer, and one day, when there aren't enough coaches, some passengers crowd inside Beatrice, and Sir Handel is eager to leave. He is finally able to leave, but he leaves the guard behind by mistake; luckily, a passenger presses Beatrice's emergency buzzer and Sir Handel waits for the guard to climb aboard and he hastily races home, understanding that patience is a virtue.
The plot sounds a lot like Thomas and the Guard, but with a twist; there's barely any room for the guard, and even though the passengers make as much as they can for him, Sir Handel leaves without him, but stops much earlier. I also find it amusing how Sir Handel mispronounces indispensable - what Gordon means is that it is a great responsibility for Sir Handel being essential to the Skarloey Railway until Duke is back in service again. Even though they're the same quality, I feel I prefer Thomas and the Guard slightly more.
The plot sounds a lot like Thomas and the Guard, but with a twist; there's barely any room for the guard, and even though the passengers make as much as they can for him, Sir Handel leaves without him, but stops much earlier. I also find it amusing how Sir Handel mispronounces indispensable - what Gordon means is that it is a great responsibility for Sir Handel being essential to the Skarloey Railway until Duke is back in service again. Even though they're the same quality, I feel I prefer Thomas and the Guard slightly more.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Duke has finally returned to service and Sir Handel is able to leave for Wales. Meanwhile, the bushes along the line have been trimmed so the passengers can admire the scenery, but Rusty hasn't the time to collect all the branches, so they remain where they are. This proves to be unfortunate for Peter Sam when he decides to plough through and they jam in his valve gear, leaving him sore for several days afterward.
This story shows that you should always take care with nature; it can come back to haunt you when you don't expect it. The railway didn't clear away all the branches, and as a result, one of it's engines - Peter Sam - got stuck in them. I'm sure bigger engines wouldn't suffer like Peter Sam did, but I guess that no matter how big or powerful the engine is, they're bound to get tangled up in branches. Usually, I don't talk about illustration goofs when actually reviewing the stories, but what's Sir Handel doing in the sheds? Shouldn't Rheneas be there? (It might sound a bit mean of him, yes, but at least it would've made sense.)
This story shows that you should always take care with nature; it can come back to haunt you when you don't expect it. The railway didn't clear away all the branches, and as a result, one of it's engines - Peter Sam - got stuck in them. I'm sure bigger engines wouldn't suffer like Peter Sam did, but I guess that no matter how big or powerful the engine is, they're bound to get tangled up in branches. Usually, I don't talk about illustration goofs when actually reviewing the stories, but what's Sir Handel doing in the sheds? Shouldn't Rheneas be there? (It might sound a bit mean of him, yes, but at least it would've made sense.)
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Boy scouts are camping near the Skarloey Railway and their leader allows them the chance to do some work on the railway. One hot day, Duncan is stopped by the leader, worried that the Scouts won't be happy if they don't get some pop. The Refreshment Lady has run out of pop, but another tea-shop provides just enough pop to spare, and the Scouts are grateful to Duncan and his crew.
Kind of odd that Duncan had no catharsis impacted on him between that and the last story, but meh, anything could've happened in the background, right? As for the story itself, it's nice to see Duncan willing to help others out instead of complaining; it shows some maturity in him, especially when he came up with the idea of the other tea-shop that could provide pop for the Scouts.
Kind of odd that Duncan had no catharsis impacted on him between that and the last story, but meh, anything could've happened in the background, right? As for the story itself, it's nice to see Duncan willing to help others out instead of complaining; it shows some maturity in him, especially when he came up with the idea of the other tea-shop that could provide pop for the Scouts.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Sir Handel makes his return from the Talyllyn Railway and tells the others about his adventures like the royal family's visit; even if he didn't get to pull their train, Sir Handel at least got to pull a party of wedding guests. Peter Sam brings up his own incident with branches and Sir Handel recalls a similar incident he had - a fallen tree actually hit him in the face, resulting in a bandage on his forehead and an eyepatch over his left eye, giving him the appearance of a pirate! Although Sir Handel loved his trip, he's glad to be home again.
Like the foreword said, the mix of stories does make everyone happy; we don't see Sir Handel's adventures on the Talyllyn in full detail, but a few significant details like the royal family (Prince Charles and Princess Diana) visiting. I don't know why, but the eyepatch on Sir Handel makes me laugh with bewilderment - who knew that engines could get bandages on their own faces? That's so ridiculous it's funny.
Like the foreword said, the mix of stories does make everyone happy; we don't see Sir Handel's adventures on the Talyllyn in full detail, but a few significant details like the royal family (Prince Charles and Princess Diana) visiting. I don't know why, but the eyepatch on Sir Handel makes me laugh with bewilderment - who knew that engines could get bandages on their own faces? That's so ridiculous it's funny.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Stray Observation
The Talyllyn Railway's No. 3 - Sir Haydn - had actually been painted like his Skarloey Railway counterpart in 1985, and the last story refers to an actual event that happened at the time.
What's Duke doing in the sheds in Patience is a Virtue? He should be at the works!
What's Duke doing in the sheds in Patience is a Virtue? He should be at the works!
Overall
A good step up from the previous two books by Christopher; not that he's a bad writer, but some stories by him could use some improvement. It's a shame the Skarloey engines didn't have enough focus during his time as Railway Series writer, and this is a great book too.
Overall Book Rating: 9 out of 10
The Railway Series Scorecard
1. The Three Railway Engines: 8.4
2. Thomas the Tank Engine: 9
3. James the Red Engine: 7.5
4. Tank Engine Thomas Again: 9.5
5. Troublesome Engines: 8.1
6. Henry the Green Engine: 8.4
7. Toby the Tram Engine: 9
8. Gordon the Big Engine: 8.6
9. Edward the Blue Engine: 9.3
10. Four Little Engines: 8.8
11. Percy the Small Engine: 8.9
12. The Eight Famous Engines: 8.8
13. Duck and the Diesel Engine: 8.5
14. The Little Old Engine: 8.9
15. The Twin Engines: 9.1
16. Branch Line Engines: 9.3
17. Gallant Old Engine: 9.3
18. Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine: 8.5
3. James the Red Engine: 7.5
4. Tank Engine Thomas Again: 9.5
5. Troublesome Engines: 8.1
6. Henry the Green Engine: 8.4
7. Toby the Tram Engine: 9
8. Gordon the Big Engine: 8.6
9. Edward the Blue Engine: 9.3
10. Four Little Engines: 8.8
11. Percy the Small Engine: 8.9
12. The Eight Famous Engines: 8.8
13. Duck and the Diesel Engine: 8.5
14. The Little Old Engine: 8.9
15. The Twin Engines: 9.1
16. Branch Line Engines: 9.3
17. Gallant Old Engine: 9.3
18. Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine: 8.5
19. Mountain Engines: 8.9
20. Very Old Engines: 9.1
21. Main Line Engines: 9
22. Small Railway Engines: 9.3
23. Enterprising Engines: 9.5
24. Oliver the Western Engine: 8.9
25. Duke the Lost Engine: 9.4
26. Tramway Engines: 9.1
27. Really Useful Engines: 8.3
28. James and the Diesel Engines: 7.5
29. Great Little Engines: 9
20. Very Old Engines: 9.1
21. Main Line Engines: 9
22. Small Railway Engines: 9.3
23. Enterprising Engines: 9.5
24. Oliver the Western Engine: 8.9
25. Duke the Lost Engine: 9.4
26. Tramway Engines: 9.1
27. Really Useful Engines: 8.3
28. James and the Diesel Engines: 7.5
29. Great Little Engines: 9
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