Boco's Chase

The big storm left a trail of destruction in its path, but the railway was left mostly unscathed, with just minor damage done to a few stations and signal boxes.

The following morning, Sir Topham Hatt addressed the engines.

"There isn't time to do a full proper inspection of the track with so many delays," he said, "So I will be enforcing a strict reduced speed limit for the entire line. Please report any damage you may come across, and repair crews will be dispatched to mend the track."

Soon all of the engines were hard at work, though much more slowly than usual. Gordon grumbled about it dreadfully.

"If I have to go slower, I'll stick on the hill for sure," he groaned as he waited for his coaches.

James laughed at him. "Maybe I should pull the express today, then. If you're so worried about getting stuck, I mean."

Gordon glared. "Leaves," he growled.

James went red in the face and angrily puffed away. Gordon thought it was quite amusing.

Henry, meanwhile, had gone to the docks early to fetch a heavy goods train that had been delayed from the previous evening. To help catch up to the schedule again, some more trucks that had been scheduled for delivery to the same destination had been added to the train.

"It's alright," he thought. "Just a few extra vans. Nothing I can't handle."

Henry was right. He struggled a bit starting off, but once the train was moving, he found it easy.

Until, that is, he reached Gordon's Hill.

With such a heavy load, he normally would have charged the hill, but the reduced speed limit meant he couldn't gain momentum. The weight of the heavy trucks dragged behind him, and soon he found himself going slower and slower. Halfway up, Henry came to a stop.

"Bother! I'm sure to cause some delays now."

Henry gave it a valiant effort, but his wheels just slipped on the rails. No matter what he did, he could not start the train moving again.

"I suppose we'll have to call for a banker engine," sighed the driver.

"Wonderful," muttered Henry. "James is sure to laugh at me now."

Just then, Boco crested the top of the hill with the works train, coming from the other direction.

"Peep peep!" Henry whistled.

Boco slowed to a stop. "Are you alright, Henry?" he asked kindly.

"I'm stuck," he said simply. "Could you please help me up the hill? I'm already late as it is."

The diesel smiled. "Of course I can!" he replied. "Just let me drop my train at the station."

He descended the hill and hurried to Edward's Station where he left the works train, then crossed over to the other line. A few minutes later, he was buffering up to Henry's brake van.

"Poop! Poop!" Boco tooted. "Are you ready?"

"Peep peep peep!" Henry whistled back. "Yes, I am!"

It was hard work to get the train moving again, but the two engines finally managed to make it to the top where Henry stopped again to pin the trucks' brakes.

"Peep peep! Thank you, Boco!"

"Poop! Poop! You're welcome, Henry!"

And with that, Boco returned to his train.

James was chuckling to himself with glee when Percy arrived. "What's so funny, James?" the small engine asked.

"Henry couldn't make it up the hill yesterday!" James chortled. "He had to have help from a diesel!"

Percy was puzzled. "Yes, I heard, from Boco. What's wrong with that?"

James had never liked diesels. Ever since the engine named Diesel had fooled James and the other engines into distrusting Duck to cover up his short comings, James had seen all diesels as vile and lazy, even kind, hard-working ones like Boco.

"Oh, little Percy, you simply don't understand." James could hear Henry approaching from behind, and he spoke loudly so that Henry would hear him. "Maybe it's alright for you little branch line engines to accept help, but we main line engines are a proud bunch. We are the backbone of the line! Having to accept help from a diesel, well! That simply is not dignified."

Percy frowned. "But I like Boco. He's friendly."

Henry rolled in to the station on the other line. He had heard what James had said.

"And I suppose you would have been able to make it up the hill," Henry snorted.

James laughed. "I never need help!"

"What about the leaves?"

"That was different!" James sputtered nervously. "The rails were slippery! You had dry rails!"

"And a speed restriction and an overloaded train!" Henry protested indignantly.

The guard gave the all clear, and James whistled as he started away. "Excuses, excuses!"

The trucks rattled as James rolled over the points onto the "up" line.

"I never need help!" he boasted to no one in particular. "I am a proper engine!" And he gave his trucks a bump to prove it.

The trucks didn't appreciate being bumped. "James is getting too big for his buffers," they chittered. "He needs to be taught a lesson or two! Hold back on the hill!"

The trucks behaved well as James hurried along, and he thought he had them well under control. They made good time through Edward's Station. Gordon's Hill lay beyond, and James began to go faster.

"Whoa, old boy!" the driver said, checking James's speed. "There's still a speed restriction in effect."
"Oh. Fine, then," James said. "I can show Henry the way a proper engine climbs hills."

They began to climb. The trucks' chance had come. "Hold back! Hold back!" they whispered.

James felt his coupling strain and he pulled harder.

"C'MON, you!" he groaned. "Get MOVING!"

Try as he might, James found himself losing speed. Before he knew it, he had come to a dead stop. Behind him, the silly trucks giggled, feeling quite pleased with themselves.

"It's no good, James," the driver said. "We'll have to call for a 'banker.'"

James let off steam angrily. He said nothing.

The guard walked to the call box and phoned down the line to Edward's Station. He returned a few minutes later. "Good news!" he said. "A branch line train just arrived at the station, so they're sending up the engine right away to help."

James sighed. "Well, at least I'll be able to get moving again. I just hope they don't send-." A horn sounded behind him. "Oh, no…"

"Hullo, James!" came a friendly greeting.

Of all the engines they could have sent, thought James. "Hello, Boco," he replied under his breath.

Boco took no notice and gently buffered up to the brake van. "We'll soon get you moving again, James! Ready when you are!"

James huffed and whistled in reply that he was ready. Boco tooted back and slowly began to push. So anxious to get away from Boco before another engine could see him needing help, James started too quickly and his wheels spun. Since Boco was pushing from behind, the trucks suddenly found themselves roughly sandwiched between the two engines, and they were not pleased.

"Easy now, James," said the driver, and carefully eased back on the regulator. James' wheels gripped again and he pulled as hard as he could. Smoke poured from James' funnel as he angrily snorted up the hill.

"C'mon!...C'mon!" he groaned. "Almost there!"

Finally, James reached the top of the hill. He should have stopped to set the brakes on the trucks, but he was so anxious to leave Boco behind before any other engines saw him that he kept on pulling as hard as he could.

As James crested the hill, the trucks saw an opportunity to pay James out. "On! On! On!" They surged forward, knocking the guard right off the brake van.

"No no no!" yelped James, but it was too late. He had lost his control over the trucks.

Boco heard the trucks cry out and suddenly saw the brake van quickly accelerating away from his buffers as the guard tumbled off the side into the grass. "Oh, no!"

James let out a long, panicked whistle. "HELLLLP!"

Boco's driver was worried. "They'll crash for sure! James will never be able to stop those cars by himself! After him!"

"Yes, after him!" the diesel replied as his driver increased power. The hill allowed Boco to pick up speed very quickly, and soon he was rocketing after James's train.

James's wheels pounded the rails as he sped through Maron station, still whistling in terror. Boco wasn't far behind, and gaining fast.

"We'll never be able to hold back the trucks," observed the driver, "and even if we could, there's no way to couple you to the brake van."

"Then we'll have to help him brake from the front."

"Right. When we pass a signal box, hopefully we'll be able to signal to them to switch us onto the other line."

"Then all we have to do is overtake James before he can derail."

The driver chuckled nervously. "Easier said than done."

As it turned out, it was relatively easy. James's brakes were not very effective against the surging trucks, but he had succeeded in stopping the train from gaining speed. Running full-bore, Boco was soon catching up.

The diesel spotted a signal box ahead and sounded his horn. "Poop! Pooooop! It's a runaway! Switch me to the middle line, quickly!"

The signalman was not quite sure what was happening, but he quickly changed the points as soon as James's train was clear. Boco's wheels ground on the rails as he thundered over the switches.

"Go it, Boco! We're gaining!" cried the driver. "Atta boy!"

"We'll catch him! We'll catch him!" Boco was just barely out-running James. Another mile down the line and he was pulling up even with the brake van on the end of James's train. "Here we come! Here we come!"

James was still whistling loudly in terror. He had no idea Boco was chasing him until he suddenly saw the diesel beside him.

"Hullo, James!"

"BOCO?!

Boco didn't reply. He was already pulling in front. By the time they reached the next station, Boco was a quarter mile ahead of James. "Poop poop! There's a runaway coming! Switch me to the other line!"

A quick thinking shunter threw a switch just beyond the station platform. Boco felt as though he would tip over at the sudden change in direction. "Whoa!" James and his trucks flew past a moment later, whistling loudly.

"Well, we're ahead of him," observed the driver, slightly reducing speed. "Now we just have to carefully slow down and help him brake to a stop."

They raced passed a signal. It was set at 'danger.' "And we'd better do it fast," Boco replied.

The line here curved gently for several hundred yards, making nearly a quarter of a circle. This allowed Boco to clearly see the line far ahead, beyond the curve. A goods yard was there, with a small platform on the main line. It quickly became obvious why the signal was up. Douglas had just shunted a line of fuel tankers to the platform and was now backing away off the main line, into the yard.

"Driver, look!"

"Glory!" the driver exclaimed. "And we'll never stop James in time to avoid hitting those tankers!"

"If we hit them, they might explode!" Boco cried. "And an awful lot of people work at that yard."

"You're right. A lot of workman could be hurt. But how can we possibly stop James in time?"

They began to round the long curve. They had to think of something quickly.

"We can derail James," Boco offered. "Better to derail him before he…and us…hit the tankers than to derail in a fiery explosion from hitting them."

"That is true. But how do we derail him?"

Boco could think of no other way. "We stop."

The driver looked back at James, a hundred yards or so behind them. Then he looked ahead to the goods platform, rapidly growing in the distance. "You're right, old boy. I don't see another way. We have got to stop James no matter what before he hits those tankers." His hands fell to the throttle and brake levers. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, driver."

They reached the end of the curve. The driver took a deep breath. "One…two…" The fuel tankers were now as far ahead as James was behind.

"THREE!" The driver simultaneously shut off power and applied the brakes on full. With no momentum but that of Boco's weight to stop, the diesel slowed rapidly.

James saw the gap between him and Boco quickly vanishing. "AHHHH!" he shrieked, and shut his eyes.

James crashed into Boco with such force that his wheels briefly lifted completely into the air, as did Boco's rear truck. Neither landed back on the rails. James's wheels crunched on the sleepers and ballast as he bounced along.

The collision shot Boco forward again, and he rattled along for quite a distance further. When he crossed the switch leading into the goods yard, which were set against him, his derailed rear truck caught in the points. A horrible squeal filled the air as the rails were ripped from their sleepers. Boco was turned over onto his side. He slid along, carving a deep rut into the earth as he neared the end of the platform. He shut his eyes as he crashed into the old wooden ramp, and that was where he came to rest, just alongside the fuel tankers.

Behind him, James had flipped over onto his side as well, and he and his trucks had tumbled down a small embankment beside the line, well before where Boco had hit the switch that led into the yard. His front was badly twisted and his boiler dented. The crank pins had sheared off of his left wheels, the siderod lodged into the ground like a javelin several yards away. Several of the trucks were in pieces, their cargo scattered about.

Douglas saw the crash and rushed to the edge of the yard, but found he could go no further. The rails had been torn apart at the switch.

"Losh sakes…" he whispered as he surveyed the damage. "Don' ye worry yerselves!" he called as he reversed back into the yard. "Help is com'n!"

From beneath the remains of the platform, Boco observed the fuel tankers sitting on the rails just beside him. They were still intact. He had succeeded in stopping James.

But at what cost?

"Driver?" he asked timidly, afraid of the response he might not hear. "Are you alright?"

For several seconds, Boco heard only silence. Then he heard something inside his cab shift. "Yes, Boco," came a pained voice. "I'm alright. Though I probably need to go to hospital…I hit my head pretty badly…"

It wasn't long at all before help arrived. Percy was there first, with a single coach to take the two engines' crews to hospital. James's driver and fireman were both significantly injured, though thankfully still conscious. As soon as the three men had been helped aboard, Percy rushed off. Five minutes later, Edward arrived with the breakdown train. He parked one crane near James and the other, along with the works coach, beside Boco, then switched over to the other line. He collected the fuel tankers and then he, too, quickly vacated the scene.

James lay on his side with his eyes closed as the workmen began clearing up the mess, feeling both silly for allowing the runaway to happen in the first place and furious with Boco for causing him to crash. In the many years James had worked on the Island of Sodor, he had never had an accident that caused him to become this badly damaged.

"Care to explain what happened, James?"

James opened his eyes to find Sir Topham Hatt standing before him.

"Sir! I, um…well, you see, sir, I…er, the trucks pushed me down the hill, sir – Uh, before I could stop to pin their brakes, sir - and then Boco overtook me, sir, and then, sir, I don't know why, sir, but that dumb diesel just stopped right in front of me, sir, and caused me to crash!"

The Fat Controller folded his arms and glared. "Is that so? Because Boco's explanation is a little different."

James went pale. "Er, what did he say, sir?"

"He said that he was helping you up the hill and before you had a chance to stop and pin the brakes on your trucks, they pushed you down the hill. He chased after you to help you stop. Once he overtook you he saw that there were fuel tankers on the line ahead…" James's eyes went wide. He had never seen the fuel tankers. He suddenly realized that Boco had likely prevented a fiery explosion by causing him to crash. "…he knew the only way to stop you in time was to derail you."

James felt very ashamed of himself. "Is…is Boco alright, sir?"

"Quite heavily damaged, I'm afraid, as are you. I think," he continued, "that you are both not telling me the whole story. Perhaps Boco does not know, perhaps he does, but you do, don't you, James?"

James quivered.

"You made fun of Henry this morning for needing help on the hill, did you not?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"And when you needed help, too, you just wanted to get on before anyone saw you?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you didn't want to stop, even to pin your trucks' brakes."

"Yes, sir."

Sir Topham Hatt turned and took a few steps. "You've worked on my railway for many years, James, and I've thought time and again that you had overcome your vanity, but you never learn. And this time, you've caused a nasty accident. Now I'm going to be short two engines, three until the switch can be repaired for Douglas to leave this yard. You've caused a great amount of confusion and delay, and damage, and injury to both your crew and Boco's." He paused for effect. "I'm very disappointed in you, James."

He turned back around to face the red engine again. "However, thanks to Boco's quick thinking and bravery, he prevented what could have been a massive disaster. I know you've never trusted diesels, but Boco is one of the most hardworking engines on my railway, and he deserves your trust. I hope that you will remember that when you return to service."

"Yes, sir. I will, sir."

"Good. Your damage is quite extensive, so I am sending you to Crewe instead of the works. They will be better equipped to handle your repairs. It will definitely be expensive, though, as will Boco's repairs, so when you return, you will be doing a lot of extra work to make up for it, correct?"

"Oh, yes, sir, definitely sir!" James said quickly.

"Good. Though, I think you still need some punishment." He paused again, thoughtfully. "I'll let you choose your punishment, James. You'll have plenty of time to think about it while you're being repaired." He grinned. James did not like the look of that. "Would you rather be painted blue or green?"

And with that, Sir Topham Hatt walked away, leaving a mortified James behind him.

Cleaning up the mess took a very long time. Percy and Edward had to work very hard clearing away the debris, bringing in new sleepers and rails to repair the track, and moving the breakdown cranes around to reach all of the derailed trucks. At last, James and Boco had each been loaded onto flatbed cars. Edward pulled Boco back to the yard and Percy took James. They parked the flatbeds on sidings side-by-side. James could barely look at Boco.

"Ah, good. You've both made it back," Sir Topham Hatt said when he came to see them. "Tomorrow, Edward will take you to the works, Boco, and James, you will go to the mainland on Henry's good train to start you on your way to Crewe. Oh, and Boco," he said, "Good job."

"Thank you, sir," the diesel replied solemnly.

All night long, the two engines sat on their respective flatbeds. Boco went painfully to sleep. James could not. He spent all night trying to think of something to say to Boco, but nothing seemed right.

In the morning, Edward came to take Boco away. He was coupled up and whistled. "Are you ready, Boco?" he asked kindly.

"Yes, Edward," Boco replied quietly. "I'm ready."

Edward started off.

"Edward, wait!" James suddenly yelled.

Edward gently braked to a stop.

James froze. "I…I…I'm sorry, Boco," he finally choked out. "Thank you for stopping me before I caused an even worse accident. If it hadn't been for you…"

Boco gave a small smile, as did Edward. "I know you're sorry, James. And you're welcome."

Edward whistled again and started off once more. James watched Boco disappear into the distance, feeling oddly relieved.

I think James has finally learned his lesson about pride, don't you?