RWS #37: Henry and the Express

Wow, Henry hasn't had much time to himself lately, has he? Well, I'm going to rectify that with Henry and the Express!

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)

The Railway Series Book #37

Henry and the Express

Written by Christopher Awdry

Illustrated by Clive Spong

Published April 8, 1993

Like I said in my James and the Diesel Engines review, I prefer Christopher Awdry's interpretation of Henry to the way the Barlow era treated the big green engine, and this book is a prime example of that.

Dear Friends,
When I went to see Henry recently he was moaning about not having had a book to himself for ages.

"Yes," I agreed, "There's the story about patching up your smokebox..."

"And the time my wheel broke," he interrupted.

"What about when you came out of the Works before you'd been properly painted?" I said.

"You wouldn't...!" he said.

But I would and I have. It might teach Henry not to try to tell me what to do.
The Author

Out of Puff

After a good run with the express, Henry becomes arrogant about it, but Donald and Douglas warn him to be careful. This comes to pass when the NWR uses a new type of coal, and it creates more ashes giving the engines awful indigestion. One day, Henry is unable to make it past Wellsworth, and it turns out his smokebox door is bent, and so his crew make papier mache to fix the gap. Henry gets home without further incident, but Donald and Douglas tease him by making breathless noises in the shed that night.

Like I said in Henry's Happy Coal, the episode took inspiration from this story, but Out of Puff is superior as it focuses heavily on issues that real life steam railways could face when it comes to bad coal - I mean, look at what happens to a GWR Castle - and it didn't rely on so much rhyming and alliteration. Plus, Henry had been arrogant, and was punished for it, showing how pride does come before a fall.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Overhaul

The Fat Controller arranges for Henry to double-head the express with James to Crovan's Gate, since the green engine is due for an overhaul. James doesn't agree with the idea, but he does eventually feel better, but not for long as things begin to fly from Henry, hitting James and the coaches. It turns out a steel rim - a tyre - from Henry's wheel has fallen off, but luckily, no one is hurt. James carries on alone, but he finds the funny side after he jokes about Henry needing to be "retired".

A James vs. Henry plot would make for an interesting episode in the new series, as it shows a different side to Henry when he and James get into arguments, just like in the episode James and the Trouble with Trees. Also, the jokes at the end are pretty funny and they wouldn't make one feel "tired!"

*crickets chirping*

Okay, that was a lame joke... moving on!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Sliding Scales

Because Henry is away at the works, the others have to take turns at pulling the Flying Kipper, a job which James truly despises. When his turn comes, he is already in a bad mood, and it doesn't help when a forklift spills its crates of fish, causing them to go everywhere. Once cleared up, James starts to move, but the fish oil only causes him to slip helplessly, and it takes a hosing down with water and sand on the rails to get James to move again.

Seriously, why is it that whenever the Kipper appears, the engine pulling it has an unfortunate mishap? The Flying Kipper, Fish, Something in the Air, The Smelly Kipper, Tale of the Brave - all of them had accidents involving the Kipper, except for Calm Down Caitlin. This time, though, a careless forklift driver causes the accident. It's definitely a funny story, and it was a great inspiration behind The Smelly Kipper.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Henry Sees Red

Once Henry has been given all of his tests, he's given an undercoat... of red paint. Henry protests, but he doesn't have much choice, less so when an emergency forces him to take the express before he can be given his proper green paint. When the brakes on the last coach prevent him from a good run at Gordon's hill, Henry shunts it away himself, but he makes it to the other end of the line and the Fat Controller rewards him with his proper green paint and red stripes.

Tickled Pink may be the best episode of the Nitrogen era, but Henry Sees Red is stronger in terms of being more to the point in story-telling and strong focus on railway services. Even if Henry was worried about being seen in his undercoat (it's actually believable here) he knew that passengers came first and so he took the express without further complaint, which shows how far he's come since The Sad Story of Henry.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Stray Observations

In Out of Puff, it's said that the new coal has made the engines' smoke black, but in the fourth illustration, Douglas was producing white smoke. Did he receive fresh coal?

In Overhaul, you can see the Peel Godred branchline in the background, but the way the line is set out sends out the implication that the line runs underneath the mainline instead of joining up with it at Killdane.

In Sliding Scales, ice appears to be missing when the crates break, but in the next illustration, a small puddle of water appears on the platform. How did it get there?

Overall

This is definitely Christopher's best book. The way he wrote for Henry is great, and like I said, far superior to what the Barlow Era has given us, as well as some moments in the newer episodes, especially in The Adventure Begins.

Overall Book Rating: 9.4 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

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
30. More About Thomas the Tank Engine: 8.5
31. Gordon the High-Speed Engine: 9.3
32. Toby, Trucks and Trouble: 9.1
33. Thomas and the Twins: 9.3
34. Jock the New Engine: 7.9
35. Thomas and the Great Railway Show: 8.5
36. Thomas Comes Home: 8.6
37. Henry and the Express: 9.4