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)
Gallant Old Engine
Written by The Rev. W. Awdry
Illustrated by John T. Kenney
Published 1962
Rheneas had been taken to the works far away by the events of Four Little Engines, and since then, Sir Handel, Peter Sam, Rusty, and Duncan have joined Skarloey on Sodor's oldest running railway, but now Rheneas has finally come home, and these stories show how...
Dear Friends,
On the second page of Four Little Engines Rheneas was taken away to be mended. He was away for a long time, but has now come home.
All the Little Engines are together at last. They are delighted. Rheneas is their hero. He had saved the Railway....
There is a real engine like Rheneas. His name is Dolgoch and his home is at Towyn in Wales.
Some years ago he saved the Talyllyn Railway. We are very proud of our gallant old engine.
The Author
On the second page of Four Little Engines Rheneas was taken away to be mended. He was away for a long time, but has now come home.
All the Little Engines are together at last. They are delighted. Rheneas is their hero. He had saved the Railway....
There is a real engine like Rheneas. His name is Dolgoch and his home is at Towyn in Wales.
Some years ago he saved the Talyllyn Railway. We are very proud of our gallant old engine.
The Author
Special Funnel
Season 4, Episode 11
A winter washout sweeps away a bridge, and it is repaired by market day; by this point, the weather has become frosty. Still with a loose funnel, Peter Sam takes the passenger train and looses his funnel due to an icicle in the tunnel, and it is replaced with a drainpipe, much to the engines' amusement. Peter Sam is later given a Giesl ejector funnel, and he comes out on top when the other engines become jealous of it.
That wasn't a Giesl funnel in the model series - it was just a squarish funnel. Thank goodness it became a proper Giesl in season 16... Also, how the hell did Britt mix up her locomotive terminology? I'll let this bit of dialogue explain how: "Peter Sam finished his journey with the drainpipe wired to his boiler." No, the drainpipe is roped to his smokebox. The boiler is used to heat water, and the smokebox is to release smoke out of the funnel from the firebox through tubes passing heat around the boiler's water. I know this sounds like nitpicking, but how do you not understand the basic parts of a locomotive when you've been working on a show about trains for at least a decade (at the time of episode airing)?
The general adaptation is fine, but the lack of understanding the basic components of a locomotive just confuses me...
The general adaptation is fine, but the lack of understanding the basic components of a locomotive just confuses me...
RWS Rating: 9 out of 10
TV Series Rating: 7.5 out of 10
TV Series Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Steam Roller
Season 4, Episode 12
Sir Handel is given new wheels with broad tyres, and the engines tease him by calling him a "steamroller". Skarloey tells him about George, an anti-railway steamroller hoping to get Sir Handel to see sense, but when they do meet, Sir Handel claims he's better than George and later on, George refuses to let Sir Handel pass resulting in an accident. Sir Handel thinks he made George go away, but pride comes before a fall when some boys talk about the "race"!
A road vs. rail story is something we need to see more often and not just the constant steam vs. diesel rivalry, and this story proves why. I do like George Carlin's voice for the steamroller, and some time ago, I saw a parody video using audio from Napalm and Silly Putty with George as Carlin with Arry/Bert and Toby from the section, Cars and Driving: Part 2 under Oh Brother! Back to the episode; not much to say, really - the crash was brilliantly filmed.
RWS/TV Series Rating: 9 out of 10
Passengers and Polish
Season 4, Episode 13
Nancy the guard's daughter has just finished polishing Skarloey, but hasn't the time to polish Duncan since she'll be helping the refreshment lady, much to Duncan's annoyance. He is in a bad temper all day, but it gets worse when he takes Skarloey's remaining coaches and passengers home, and when he takes his own train, Duncan is so fed up he stalls deliberately on the viaduct, forcing Skarloey to bring him home. The passengers, however, are furious and call it a bad railway, but Duncan doesn't care...
A bit strange, I feel, that Skarloey's coaches were blue and white, and Duncan's coaches are the same livery as well. Couldn't one of them have taken different colored coaches? Other than that, a solid adaptation.
RWS/TV Series Rating: 9 out of 10
Gallant Old Engine
Season 4, Episode 14
Cross with Duncan's behavior, Skarloey tells him (and Peter Sam) about how Rheneas saved the Skarloey Railway from closure. The year before Sir Handel and Peter Sam came, Rheneas had to do all the work since Skarloey was worn out, but one day, his valve gear jams while pulling a passenger train, but the Thin Controller and Mr. Hugh fix him so he can make it to the next station. Rheneas does so, and the passengers praise his heroic efforts. Duncan apologizes for being selfish and the next day, Rheneas is met with a hero's welcome home.
This story really put Rheneas as one of my favorite characters; he may have been horribly butchered during S9-12 (as well as season seven to an extent), but before then, he was a hard working engine who would do his work regardless if he was crippled. A pity that the story wasn't replicated visually, but then you can't have it all. I do like the ending shot with the standard and narrow gauge engines together though...
RWS Rating: 10 out of 10
TV Series Rating: 9 out of 10
TV Series Rating: 9 out of 10
Stray Observations
The accident in Steam Roller is based on an event that happened in Muskerry, County Cork, Ireland in 1927.
The events of Gallant Old Engine (story, not the book on whole) were inspired by events on the Talyllyn Railway in the late 1940s when Dolgoch (Rheneas' twin) ran the trains single-handedly.
The aforementioned stories were written by Mr. P.B. Whitehouse and Mr. L.T.C. Rolt respectively in their own books; Awdry acknowledged their permission to use these stories.
This was John T. Kenney's last book as illustrator; not because of a dispute, but because his eyesight was beginning to fail and he didn't want it to affect his illustrations. He died ten years later in 1972, the same year Tramway Engines was published.
In Steam Roller's sixth illustration, a blue car bears the number plate "JTK 62". Guess what it references.
The events of Gallant Old Engine (story, not the book on whole) were inspired by events on the Talyllyn Railway in the late 1940s when Dolgoch (Rheneas' twin) ran the trains single-handedly.
The aforementioned stories were written by Mr. P.B. Whitehouse and Mr. L.T.C. Rolt respectively in their own books; Awdry acknowledged their permission to use these stories.
This was John T. Kenney's last book as illustrator; not because of a dispute, but because his eyesight was beginning to fail and he didn't want it to affect his illustrations. He died ten years later in 1972, the same year Tramway Engines was published.
In Steam Roller's sixth illustration, a blue car bears the number plate "JTK 62". Guess what it references.
Overall
Three great books in a row? No way! This is another book that is definitely in my Top 10 (once I've reviewed Tramway Engines, I'll get to that list soon enough). Of the Skarloey books adapted for TV, this was not only adapted wholly, but the stories are more or less carbon copies, even with a few... alterations. Although, I have to question why on earth Rheneas was on the railway in a few episodes prior to Gallant Old Engine when he should be at the works? That doesn't make any sense. Granted, season one did the same thing with James in the first six episodes, but still. I still personally believe that season four, out of the Allcroft seasons, had the worst structure, and I'll get to why soon enough.Nonetheless, for tomorrow, I have a bee in my bonnet with a certain season four episode...
Overall Book Rating: 9.3 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
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
Thomas and Friends Season 4 Scorecard
5. Four Little Engines: 7
6. A Bad Day for Sir Handel: 6.5
7. Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady: 9.5
8. Trucks!: 8
9. Home at Last: 8.5
10. Rock 'n' Roll: 9
11. Special Funnel: 7.5
12. Steam Roller: 9
13. Passengers and Polish: 9
14. Gallant Old Engine: 9
19. Henry and the Elephant: 7
21. Bulls Eyes: 6.5
22. Thomas and the Special Letter: 8.5
23. Paint Pots and Queens: 8
6. A Bad Day for Sir Handel: 6.5
7. Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady: 9.5
8. Trucks!: 8
9. Home at Last: 8.5
10. Rock 'n' Roll: 9
11. Special Funnel: 7.5
12. Steam Roller: 9
13. Passengers and Polish: 9
14. Gallant Old Engine: 9
19. Henry and the Elephant: 7
21. Bulls Eyes: 6.5
22. Thomas and the Special Letter: 8.5
23. Paint Pots and Queens: 8
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