BULGY RIDES AGAIN

Based upon the episode by Brian Trueman

Summer had come to the Island of Sodor, and that meant a big surge in holiday makers wanting to travel by train. But sometimes, the workload was too much for the engines on both the North Western and Skarloey Railways, and so they needed help from buses like Bertie.

On the Little Western, Duck found himself working harder than ever. Oliver was at the Steamworks for a service, and Donald and Douglas were busy on the mainline, so they couldn't be there all the time. Emily and her coaches Martha and Julian had been helping out with extra passenger services.

"Your line is very lovely, Duck," said Emily one evening at the sheds. "It's not every day that I get to see a seaside beside the line."

"I'm glad to hear that, Emily," said Duck, "but all the same, I know you'll probably be needed back on the mainline soon."

"Goodness knows when Oliver will be back from the Steamworks," agreed Emily. At that moment, Sir Topham Hatt had arrived at the sheds, looking concerned.

"I'm afraid, you two," he said, "that Oliver will be at the Steamworks a bit longer than I had anticipated. He was expected to be back in service in a few days, but now it looks as though it may be a month at most."

"That doesn't sound good, sir," said Emily with worry.

"That's not the worst of it," continued Sir Topham Hatt. "Donald's burst his safety valve, and that means more work on the mainline."

"Sounds like there's a double-decker problem we're facing, sir," said Duck.

Sir Topham Hatt then looked thoughtful. "A double-decker problem?" he pondered. "Hmm…" Duck gasped and quickly realized what he may have accidentally implied.

"Oh no…" he whispered once Sir Topham Hatt had left. "That Bulgy had better not be brought back into service…"

"Bulgy?" asked Emily. "Who's that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Duck. "You weren't around when Bulgy came to the island."

"Well, what happened?" asked Emily curiously.

"Bulgy's a double-decker bus," explained Duck. "He came to Sodor years ago to help with passenger services for Bank Holiday, but he hated the railways and wanted to see them ripped up in favor of roads."

"That's just twisted," remarked Emily in shock.

"You're telling me," agreed Duck. "Bulgy soon got his comeuppance when he tried to steal mine and Oliver's passengers before getting stuck under what we now call Bulgy's Bridge and he was turned into a henhouse as punishment."

"I was wondering why a double-decker bus was stuck in a field near that bridge," said Emily. "Now I know."

"I was hoping that would be the last of him," sighed Duck, "but it seems like I've doomed the line by mistake."

"Never you mind, Duck," said Emily. "I'm sure that Sir Topham Hatt will keep a tight leash on Bulgy from going anti-rail again."

"I hope so too," said Duck, but he didn't sound convinced.

The following morning, Sir Topham Hatt drove up to Bulgy's field where the dilapidated bus sat, sulking and surrounded by his hens. Butch the breakdown lorry had also arrived with a flatbed in tow.

"Si-Sir Topham Hatt, sir!" exclaimed Bulgy, surprised to see the controller of the North Western Railway. "What brings you to my field, sir?"

"My railway is having a bit of an engine shortage right now," Sir Topham Hatt explained. "I've spoken with the bus company, and they've agreed to have you restored to working order to help out with the passenger rush."

Bulgy seemed to grin wide upon hearing this bit of good news.

"However," Sir Topham Hatt continued, "I and several other members of the bus company will be keeping a close eye on you to make sure you don't go anti-rail against my engines again. Is that understood, Bulgy?" he finished sternly.

"Oh, yes, sir!" said Bulgy cheerfully. "Clear as crystal! I'll be the best bus I can be!"

"Good," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Alright, Butch," he said to the breakdown lorry. "Once he's loaded on your trailer, you're to take him to Jem Cole's yard."

"I'm on it, sir," smiled Butch. "Come on, Bulgy. Let's get you to Jem Cole and see what he can do with you."

It wasn't long before Bulgy was loaded onto Butch's trailer and taken to Wellsworth. All the way, Butch had failed to notice Bulgy grinning to himself.

"The revolution will rise once again," he chuckled deviously. "That fat bloke will be in for a shock when his rails are ripped up and roads paved in their place!" Being stuck in a field for several years and surrounded by nothing but hens had loosened more than a few bolts within Bulgy.

Trevor was waiting at the Jem Cole's yard when he noticed Butch coming in with Bulgy in tow.

"Well, here we are, Bulgy," said Butch. "Hope to see you out on the roads soon."

"Bulgy!" exclaimed Trevor. "I wasn't expecting for Jem Cole to restore you back into service."

"You'd better believe it, old timer," chuckled Bulgy. "It won't be long before I'm back on the roads and we make a stand against the railways."

"Please don't say that," said Trevor. "I have friends who work on the railway."

"Pah," scoffed Bulgy, rolling his eyes. To him, any road vehicle that was friendly with the railway was a road traitor.

"I know you only work with passengers," said Trevor, "but perhaps it wouldn't hurt to also help with delivering fruits and vegetables for market season."

"What, me?!" snorted Bulgy. "Delivering fruit and veg? What sort of rubbish is that? I only work with passengers, and nothing else! So there!"

"It was only a suggestion…" said Trevor quietly.

Several days later, Bulgy was restored to working order. He looked at himself in a reflection off of a nearby window.

"Now that's more like it," he said proudly. "Trevor's owner's done a smashing job. At least there's people like him who understand the roads."

Just then, Bulgy's new driver went inside and took the wheel.

"Come on, then," he said. "We're to return to your old field."

"What?!" protested Bulgy. "Why can't I take shelter at… well, a bus shelter like that puny rail-loving hippie Bertie?"

"Apparently, there isn't enough space for you," explained his driver. "You'll just have to make do, I'm afraid. Besides, it's only a temporary thing."

"I suppose so," sighed Bulgy. "But hopefully I never have to deal with those hens again after this…"

As Bulgy drove along the roads, he noticed James the red engine waiting at Wellsworth station with a local passenger train.

"Enjoy your passengers while you can, James!" Bulgy called out nastily to him. "Sooner or later, they'll want to ride in me and not those old shacks on wheels!"

"Is that a flock of hens I see?" James retorted cheekily. "I think they may be looking for something to sleep in!" Bulgy scowled back, but he didn't reply.

Eventually, however, Bulgy returned to his field and rested there for the evening. The hens were impressed; they thought their old home looked splendid. Bulgy's driver went home for the evening, leaving the devious double-decker bus alone with the hens in the field. As Bulgy slept soundly, he failed to notice the hens making their way inside and rest on his luggage racks. There the hens slept for the whole night.

The following morning, Duck and Emily were getting ready for their passenger runs at Arlesburgh. Duck groaned with dread as he recognized a large, familiar red shape roll up to them, accompanied by the ringing of a bell.

"Hello there, quackers," smirked Bulgy. "It's been a while since we last worked together, hasn't it?"

"Not long enough, if you ask me," retorted Duck.

"You better not be stirring any trouble for us," added Emily crossly. "Duck told me everything about when you first arrived here."

"Oh, don't be upset with me, big wheels," said Bulgy. Emily's scowl just deepened upon hearing that insult. "I only want to help you out," the double-decker bus continued. "Help bring you all to the scrap heap…" he muttered quietly.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing," said Bulgy innocently. "Today's going to be a trial run for me, so don't be surprised if your trains have less passengers over the course of the day." He then drove off before either engine had a chance to respond.

"He's worse than ever," said Duck unhappily. "Being stuck in a field for so long can drive anyone mad. Bulgy's practically a few eggs short of a basket."

Emily chuckled at the joke the Great Western engine had just made. "Don't you mean he's become a crazy hen bus?" Both engines laughed at that.

"Well, that too," said Duck, setting off with his own coaches. "Let's just hope for the best, Emily, that Bulgy doesn't do anything foolish."

Against Duck's concerns, surprisingly, Bulgy's trial run had started out smoothly. The passengers didn't complain, and the traffic wasn't so bad either. However, no one had noticed something rather bizarre inside of the double-decker bus, but they were about to find out sooner or later.

As Bulgy was trundling along the road, thinking about ways to take his revenge on the railway for putting him in a humiliating position, he noticed Terence the tractor right in front of him with a cartload of fresh fruits and vegetables, ready for market. Bulgy growled with annoyance and honked his horn at Terence.

"Hurry up, you great orange slug!" he shouted rudely. "Could you go any slower?!"

"Take it easy, Bulgy," called Terence. "These fruit and veg need great care if the farmers want to sell them."

But Bulgy wasn't having any of it, and so he decided to try and overtake Terence and his cart instead. Suddenly, he and his driver noticed that a post van was right in their way on the other side of the road!

"Oh, bother!" cried Bulgy, and once again swerved out of the way. This proved to be a big mistake, as Bulgy's sudden movements caused a great commotion from inside!

"Ba-gaaaawwwk!"

The hens were still fast asleep by the time Bulgy had left his field, but the sudden movement he made in swerving to avoid crashing into the post van had startled them awake, and now they were running, flying and flapping all over on the inside! The passengers were very startled by this, and had ended up getting covered in eggs and feathers! Bulgy's driver was so distracted by the commotion that he didn't see where Bulgy was headed until it was too late.

Bulgy ran right into a nearby market stand, spraying fruits and vegetables everywhere. None of the passengers had been hurt, but they were very cross about the whole situation and went to complain to Bulgy and his driver.

"We'll have to report this to Sir Topham Hatt!" they cried.

"It's not my fault…" Bulgy sulked, but no one bothered to listen to him.

It wasn't long before Terence had arrived with his delivery and then he and Trevor helped to clear away the mess. Bulgy looked worried when Sir Topham Hatt showed up.

"Running off the roads into fruit stands, Bulgy?" he mused. "I am surprised. Even more so that no one noticed the hens resting on your luggage racks."

"That I wonder too," Bulgy grunted. "Silly hens. Silly passengers. The railway can have them both for all I care…"

"Now the question is what we're going to do regarding the spoiled fruit and vegetables," pondered Sir Topham Hatt. He hadn't heard Bulgy's grumbling about hens and passengers, but Trevor had.

"Excuse me, sir," he called, "but I may have an idea if you're interested."

"Really?" asked Sir Topham Hatt. "Go on then, Trevor…"

Oliver had just arrived home at Arlesburgh, ready to return to work once again. Duck and Emily greeted him warmly.

"Now we'll be able to keep up with the workload around here," said Duck. "You're welcome to return to the line any time, Emily."

"Thanks, Duck," said Emily. "Oh, and Oliver, have you heard about Bulgy?"

"I have," said Oliver gravely. "He's not out trying to steal our passengers again, is he?"

Emily smirked, trying to hold back laughter. "No," she said, "but you'll never believe what he's doing now…"

No sooner had Emily said that, a large green double-decker bus pulled up into the parking lot and then its driver opened up its serving hatch. Oliver was confused at first, but then he noticed the unmistakable scowl on the bus' face.

"Bulgy?!" he exclaimed, now seeing the funny side of it. "You're a mobile vegetable stand?"

"Wasn't my choice," Bulgy grumbled. "That Trevor suggested that I become one after my accident at the marketplace, delivering fruit and vegetables all over the island. But just you wait; once I've done that bit of community service, I'll be back on the roads trying to take your passengers again!"

"Oh, I don't know about that," smirked Duck. "I think green looks good on you. Besides, at least produce doesn't lay eggs, nor does it complain!"

Bulgy just seethed; although he didn't want to admit it, Duck did have a point. Emily blew her whistle goodbye and then set off with Martha and Julian back to the mainline. Duck and Oliver soon set off to work, both laughing about Bulgy's current situation.

"LAUGH WHILE YOU CAN, STEAMERS!" he shouted as the two tank engines set off. "BECAUSE I'LL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH WHEN I'M BACK TAKING PASSENGERS AND YOU'RE ON THE SCRAP LINES! FREE THE ROADS! FREE THE ROADS FROM RAILWAY TYRANNY!"

Somehow, I don't think Bulgy will get his revenge any time soon. Do you?

THE END

Author's Comments

With the release of series 21's Unscheduled Stops, it seemed strange that Bulgy would switch from antagonist to railway helper and then back to being anti-rail again, with his anti-rail persona being further solidified in Free the Roads, a fantastic episode, by the way, resulting in Bulgy Rides Again sticking out like a bent fender. It was also strange that Duck wasn't featured in the actual episode, despite his history with Bulgy. Hopefully this rewrite was able to not only bring back that bit of lost opportunity, but also fit in a lot better with the current direction of the show as well as Bulgy's character. I just love how he's portrayed in the CGI series, and I imagine that being stuck in a field with no one but hens for company could drive someone like Bulgy more desperate than he already was to try and take over the railways.