EMILY'S COACH TROUBLE

Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle

Set during series 18-19

There are many types of coaches on the Island of Sodor. There are large bogie coaches like Gordon uses for the express as well as for other fast trains on the mainline, and there are also four-wheeled coaches like Annie and Clarabel as well as Henrietta.

But Emily's own coaches, Martha and Julian, are unique. They have six wheels each and are painted in a matching emerald green livery with yellow lining and white window surrounds. They became Emily's coaches after she saved Oliver and Thomas from having a nasty collision.

Although Emily loves her coaches, Martha and Julian can be condescending and rude to other coaches that they think are beneath them, most notably Annie and Clarabel. But Emily usually manages to keep them in check when they act out of line.

One day, Emily was at a signal when Toby and Henrietta passed. Emily blew her whistle at them to say hello, and Toby rang his bell in reply. But Martha and Julian weren't so welcoming.

"Ugh!" Martha scoffed. "Why on earth would anyone allow an old tool shed and hen house be put on rails?"

"They're better off in the fields where they belong," agreed Julian. Emily was cross with her coaches, especially upon seeing Toby's hurt expression.

"You two should be ashamed of yourselves!" she scolded. "Making fun of others just because they look different. I'm very sorry about them, Toby and Henrietta," she apologized.

"I wish those two would be more respectful to others," said Toby when they were out of earshot.

"I feel sorry for Emily having to work with them," sighed Henrietta. "Only she has the patience to work with them." At last, the signal changed, and they were on their way again.

As they puffed along the mainline, Martha and Julian kept on insulting anyone Emily came across, whether they were engines, coaches or trucks. Oliver was collecting a goods train with his brakevan Toad when Emily passed.

"Hello, Oliver!" Emily called. "Hi, Toad!"

"'Toad'?" sniffed Martha. "A rather fitting name for such an ugly appearance." The brakevan felt very hurt by the coach's rude insult. Emily quickly apologized at the pair before glaring back at her own coaches.

The next one to be made fun of was Henry, who was pulling a long goods train.

"Be on the lookout for rain, Henry," teased Julian. "I heard there's a few tunnels available." Henry said nothing, but he blew steam at the coach crossly.

"How rude!" snorted Martha.

"You deserved that," said Emily crossly. The more her coaches threw insults at her friends, the more frustrated Emily became.

When Emily stopped at a station, Thomas rolled in with his coaches Annie and Clarabel.

"Hello, Emily," Thomas greeted.

"Hello, Thomas," said Emily, but she wasn't feeling cheerful. Before Thomas could ask what was wrong, Martha and Julian spoke up once more.

"Haven't abandoned those beach huts yet, darling?" asked Martha. "We'd have worked better with you when we first came." Annie and Clarabel were hurt by that remark, but Thomas was livid.

"Those 'beach huts', as you put them," the blue tank engine snarled, "are my closest companions! If it wasn't for them, I'd be lost and wouldn't know what to do! That's something that a pair of glorified milk vans like you wouldn't understand!" Now Martha and Julian were furious as well!

"Glorified milk vans?!" Julian nearly shrieked with fury. "Now listen here you-!" Emily's patience had worn thin by this point, and she blew her whistle loudly to get her coaches' attention.

"If you two won't stop being rude to my friends," she yelled, "I swear I will get Sir Topham Hatt to convert both of you into cattle wagons! I've pulled troublesome trucks that were less naughty than you two!"

Martha and Julian were shocked by Emily's scolding, and quickly went silent, especially after hearing her threat. They were still silent when Emily left the station, with Thomas following shortly afterward.

"You know it's bad when troublesome trucks act better than this," whispered Annie to Clarabel.

"Quite right, Annie," said Clarabel. "I hope those two will learn sense before it's too late."

But it was already too late. As Emily was returning her coaches to the yard, Duck was collecting his slip coaches.

"Oh, hello, quackers," Julian smirked mischievously. "Are you taking our engine's place at the sheds tonight?"

For Emily, that was the stone that broke the truck's frames. Insulting her friends was one thing, but bringing up the time that Duck had taken her place at Tidmouth sheds for a couple of nights - thereby leaving her without a berth - finally pushed her over the edge.

"That's it!" shouted Emily. "I have had enough of you two!" She rolled forward a bit, then reserved quickly, and gave her coaches a mighty biff! Martha and Julian found themselves rolling backwards. Emily had bumped them so hard that the momentum caused them to break through the buffers at the end of the siding. Both coaches were now derailed, with Julian tipping over onto his side.

"Ouch..." he groaned weakly. No one was hurt, but Emily was in shock over what had just happened. She didn't need to be told that she would be in for some trouble.

Later, Edward had arrived with Rocky to get Martha and Julian back onto their wheels. Julian's side was scratched up and some of his windows were broken. Sir Topham Hatt was very displeased with Emily's actions.

"I thought you were better than this, Emily," he said sternly. "Now your coaches will have to be repaired and we don't have that many spare coaches in the yard!"

"I'm sorry, sir," said Emily sadly. "But Martha and Julian were being rude to my friends, and when they brought up an incident between me and Duck, I... just lost my temper completely." Although the shed incident was a touchy subject for her, Emily still considered Duck to be her friend, and had since forgiven him for the misunderstanding.

"I see," said Sir Topham Hatt. He then turned his attention to the coaches.

"As for you," he snapped, "you two were worse! I will not tolerate rude behavior like this on my railway! If you two do not shape up on your behavior, then I will see to it that you never run again."

Martha and Julian didn't say anything; they knew that they had pushed their engine too far. Despite today's behavior, Emily couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

The rest of the day had been uneventful for Emily, and soon, she'd returned to Tidmouth sheds with the other engines.

"Emily, I'm sorry I said rude things to your coaches," said Thomas as she backed into her berth. "That was uncalled for..."

"No, Thomas," Emily objected. "You had the right to say those things." And she told him about the incident.

"That's awful!" gasped Thomas.

"I know," sighed Emily. "While I was mad at them for what they said, I didn't mean to hurt them. And with Martha and Julian in the works, how am I going to take my passengers? There aren't many spare coaches available."

"About Martha and Julian, if you don't mind me asking," said Thomas, "when did they first start acting like they were above a lot of other coaches and even the trucks?"

Emily paused to think about how she was going to respond to Thomas' question.

"Well," she said at last, "when I first got them, they didn't seem so bad. But then I went thought that bossy phase, which, thankfully, I grew out of. Unfortunately, it seems as though it rubbed off on Martha and Julian."

"Talk about picking up bad habits," said Thomas.

"Indeed," Emily agreed. "Although I managed to grow up and act more responsible, Martha and Julian continued acting as though they were better than everyone else. And I don't like it at all."

"I would gladly let you work with Annie and Clarabel," Thomas offered, "but I have my own passenger duties to attend to as well."

"That's alright," sighed Emily. "I'm sure I'll figure something out."

At the Sodor Steamworks, Martha and Julian were on a siding, feeling very sorry for themselves.

"What do you think will happen to us?" asked Martha.

"Perhaps Sir Topham Hatt will turn us into hen houses or tool sheds," Julian shuddered.

"I hope not," shivered Martha. "I'm allergic to chickens. Why didn't we just listen to Emily and stop being so mean to others?"

"Why did I have to make that little wisecrack about Duck to her?" sighed Julian.

"Will Emily ever forgive us for being so thoughtless?" Martha asked.

Neither coach knew what to expect now. They were worried for what the future would bring for them.

The following morning, Emily woke up early so she could try to find another coach before her first passenger train of the day. But first, she decided to ask Gordon if he could spare an express coach for a few days.

"Gordon?" she whispered, having turned around to face him in his berth.

"What is it?" the big engine grumbled, not pleased at being woken up early.

"Is it alright with you if I borrowed one of your-" Emily began.

"Do I look like a tree that grows express coaches?" snapped Gordon.

"I'll take it as a 'no' then," sighed Emily, rolling her eyes and turning around again.

Soon, Emily had arrived at the coach sidings, where the four red coaches, Sean, Mick, Harry and Randolph, were waiting.

"Surprising to see you up early this morning, Emily luv," said Sean.

"Hey, guys," said Emily. "Are any of you free for the day?"

"Sorry," said Mick, "but we're scheduled for the local today."

"James will be our engine," added Randolph. "Though you could shunt us onto platform three if it's no bother."

"I'm not due out for another hour," said Emily, buffering up to them. "But thanks for letting me know what you were doing, anyway."

After she'd shunted the quartet onto platform three, Emily went back to the sidings to see if there were other available coaches, but had little luck.

"Thomas has already got Annie and Clarabel," she was saying to herself, "Duck has his slip coaches, and Toby's got Henrietta, and I don't think even she alone could handle all my passengers for the day. Just how hard is it to find at least one free coach, let alone two?" Emily was so lost in thought that she didn't notice herself bumping into something right in front of her.

"Oh! Do be careful, dear," said an elderly female voice. "I'm not exactly a spring chicken, you know."

"So sorry about that!" exclaimed Emily. "I was trying to find another coach for my stopping service today."

"Did you say another coach?" the voice inquired.

"Why, yes, I have," said Emily, surprised. Curiously, she buffered up to what it was she had bumped into, and once coupled up, slowly pulled it out of the carriage shed. It was a clerestory coach like Martha and Julian, but it was much longer, had eight wheels instead of six, and was painted in a chocolate and cream.

Emily was amazed; she'd never seen this coach before! Once she was uncoupled, she switched tracks so she could face the coach.

"Hello there," she said. "My name's Emily. What's yours?"

"I don't really have a name," said the coach, "but many call me Old Slow Coach because of my age and speed."

"How did you end up here?" asked Emily.

"Well, many years ago," said Old Slow Coach, "I was one of many coaches working for the North Western Railway as part of the express. But as time went by, my sisters and I fell out of use and the workmen said I wasn't useful anymore. I found myself in the scrapyards before I was found by two engines called Thomas and Percy. I was rescued and restored after a workman's hut caught fire and I became a home for them at the beach. After it was rebuilt, I became a coach again and was used by Percy as part of a good luck package for Mrs. Kyndley's daughter's wedding as the 'something old'."

"Why haven't I seen you before until now?" asked Emily.

"After the wedding," Old Slow Coach explained, "I was used mainly for maintenance trains and only allowed to go out when another engine was used to inspect the lines. Other times I was just kept in my sidings in case I was needed elsewhere."

"Well, would you like to come out with me today?" Emily offered. "My coaches are at the Steamworks for repairs and I need someone to fill in for them."

"Oh, that would be lovely," sighed Old Slow Coach happily. Emily buffered up to the elderly coach again and brought her to the station platform.

"All aboard!" Emily called to her passengers. The passengers all boarded Old Slow Coach, the guard blew his whistle, and away they went.

Emily trundled along the line with Old Slow Coach.

"Oh, this is just wonderful," the coach sighed happily. "I can't remember the last time I got to see so many beautiful sights."

"I can't remember the last time I had a run this peaceful," smiled Emily. Many heads were turned when they saw the elderly Great Western coach being pulled by the Great Northern single. It was a most peculiar sight indeed.

Soon, Emily and Old Slow Coach came to a stop at Elsbridge station. Just then, Thomas came up with Annie and Clarabel in tow.

"Hi, Thomas!" Emily called cheerfully. "Look who I'm pulling today." Thomas was surprised to see who it was.

"Hello, Thomas," said Old Slow Coach. "It's been ages, hasn't it?"

"Old Slow Coach!" gasped Thomas happily. "It's great to see you again! How have you been?"

"Well, I had been feeling lonely lately," Old Slow Coach admitted. "Not much work to do given that the other coaches were used more than I was."

"Well, it's good seeing you out and about again," said Thomas. "I hope we'll see you out on the mainline more often."

"Quite right," said Annie.

"Certainly better behaved than Martha and Julian," agreed Clarabel.

"Martha and Julian?" pondered Old Slow Coach. "Who are they?"

"My coaches," explained Emily, and she told her new friend about what had happened.

"Oh deary me!" gasped Old Slow Coach. "That's not the way to behave."

"You're telling us," muttered Annie and Clarabel.

"Coaches that troublesome need discipline," Old Slow Coach insisted.

"Do you think you'll help me to change their ways when they come back?" asked Emily.

"Of course I'll help," promised Old Slow Coach. "When Martha and Julian are repaired, I'll make sure they're the best coaches they can possibly be."

The rest of Emily and Old Slow Coach's run for the day went by very smoothly. The next engine they met was Percy, who was delivering the mail.

"Old Slow Coach?!" cried Percy excitedly. "Hello! I haven't seen you for a long time!"

"I haven't seen you since you suggested that I be part of the Kyndley wedding good luck package," said Old Slow Coach. "How have things been?"

"Life's been rather eventful," said Percy. And be began telling Old Slow Coach about some of the misadventures he and Thomas had been through.

"...and without another thought," Percy went on, "I pushed James through the clay pits to escape from the landslide. And during the chase, I got caught in the rubble, and was almost hit by a large rock! But thankfully, Marion caught it just in time."

"Oh my!" Old Slow Coach gasped in amazement. "That must have been quite the adventure."

"It was," said Percy. "And that rock that almost hit me was actually a dinosaur fossil."

"Well, there's never a dull moment on this railway," Emily added.

For the rest of the day, Emily and Old Slow Coach met with many other engines, some of which were pleased to see the old coach out and about again - particularly Duck and Oliver, especially at having to see another Great Western member on the railway - whilst others got to meet her for the first time.

But all too soon, the day was over, and Emily took Old Slow Coach back to Knapford yards.

"Thank you for the lovely day out today, Emily," said Old Slow Coach. "I haven't had this many passengers wanting to ride in me for a long time."

"Well, I was happy to help you out," smiled Emily, but then she frowned sadly. "But all the same," she said, "it'll be a shame when Martha and Julian return from the works and you'll probably end up on the sidings again unless called upon." Then suddenly, Emily had an idea. "What if... Old Slow Coach, would you like to be one of my coaches?"

The Great Western coach was surprised at the question Emily had asked her. Old Slow Coach knew that a lot of people had come to see her, and she enjoyed going outside again and stretching her wheels. But she wasn't sure herself if she would be used for other duties outside of passenger work. Then again, Emily couldn't be the only one to try and keep Martha and Julian in line...

"Emily," she said at last, "I would love to work with you again in the future." Emily was so ecstatic with Old Slow Coach's reply that she blew her whistle in excitement!

"I can't wait to work with you again either!" she exclaimed. "Although, we can't just keep calling you 'Old Slow Coach'. Would you like to have a name for yourself?"

"Were there any you had in mind?" asked Old Slow Coach. Emily thought about this for a moment before finally deciding.

"How do you feel about... Gladys?" she asked.

"Oh, that's perfect!" said Gladys, the coach formerly known as Old Slow Coach. "Although in case you're asking, I'm perfectly happy with chocolate and cream as my colors. Please don't ask too much from me."

"Okay then, Old Slo... sorry. Gladys, ahem," said Emily, quickly correcting herself. "That's going to take a while to get used to."

A few days later, Martha and Julian were finally repaired and Emily had been sent to pick them up at the Steamworks. Gladys had joined Emily for the journey.

"Who's that coach behind you?" asked Martha.

"You haven't replaced us, have you?" gasped Julian, fearing for the worst.

"No, you two," chuckled Emily. "Martha, Julian, this is our new friend for our passenger runs, Gladys."

"Emily told me about you two," said Gladys sternly. "I must say that your behavior last week sets a bad example to all coaches. And I hope that you'll take Emily's bumping of you two as a learning experience to be better coaches."

"We will," said Martha, sounding genuinely ashamed. "Emily, we'd love to tell every one of your friends that we're sorry for being rude to them."

"...and?" asked Emily with a raised eyebrow.

"And we're sorry for bringing up that incident with Duck," added Julian. "I thought I was making a little joke here, but I didn't know that I'd push you that far."

"I'll forgive you," said Emily. "Just don't let it happen again." With that, she collected the two coaches and set off with her train.

Emily and the three coaches arrived at Knapford station where Thomas was waiting. The little blue tank engine, Annie and Clarabel weren't too pleased to see Martha and Julian, however.

"So," Annie sniffed, "you two are back in service, are you?"

"I'm surprised you two weren't turned into beach huts for being so horrid to us," Clarabel added.

"Don't worry, you two; they won't be," assured Gladys. "Not as long as I'm keeping them under control."

"You mean you're working with Emily permanently from now on?" asked Thomas.

"That's right," said Emily. "Gladys will make sure these two behave themselves from now on."

"Gladys?" Thomas, Annie and Clarabel were confused.

"That's my new name," Gladys explained. "If you ask me, it's much nicer than 'Old Slow Coach'."

"That'll take some time to get used to," admitted Thomas.

"As for you two," Gladys spoke to Martha and Julian, "isn't there something you wish to tell these three?"

"Oh, yes," said Martha. "We're very sorry for how abhorrently we acted to you three."

"We had no right to behave that way," Julian added. "What we did was wrong."

"Well, it's a start," Thomas admitted.

Every time Emily met another engine, Gladys would make sure that Martha and Julian apologized for their behavior. Like Thomas, they didn't forgive the coaches immediately, but they did at least accept their apology and acknowledge that the two emerald green coaches were starting to change their attitudes for the better.

At the end of the day, Emily left her coaches in their siding.

"Well, you three, today went by very well for all of us," she said to them.

"Especially since we've had more passengers than before," said Julian.

"No, the first day of us turning over a new leaf," said Martha. "Although having Gladys around did help."

"Well, there is that," Gladys chuckled. "I'm simply looking forward to another day of working with you three."

"So do I," said Emily.

On the way back to Tidmouth Sheds, she met up with Thomas.

"This sure has been quite eventful," Emily said.

"I'll say," said Thomas. "You know, Emily, I think this whole experience was a blessing in disguise."

"How so?" asked Emily.

"Well," explained Thomas, "if you hadn't damaged Martha and Julian by accident, then you never would have needed to find spare coaches. And that means you never would have found Old Slo- er, I mean, Gladys. And without Gladys, those two would probably still be acting rude to others."

"I hadn't thought of it that way before," Emily admitted. "Maybe some day, you can find a new friend for Annie and Clarabel to take on your passenger runs."

"Well, I wouldn't want Annie and Clarabel to feel jealous," Thomas admitted. The two laughed and carried on back to the sheds.

THE END

Author's Comments

Well, here we are then! At last, there's my first original Thomas story based upon the seasons 17-21 era, and possibly the first of a set of stories. I imagine this being set either in season 18 or 19, and it could easily be split into two individual stories, being called Troublesome Coaches and A New Friend for Emily respectively. For my takes on the characters featured, Old Slow Coach is given a proper name, Gladys, and she's very much the leader of the coaches at Knapford yards, taking no nonsense form the younger coaches and keeps them in line.

Next, there's Emily's coaches, Martha and Julian. With coaches having faces before and after them, I find it strange that Emily's coaches didn't have faces, names or personalities. This should hopefully fix that; as far as personality goes, they start off as rude and snobbish to anyone they've met (mostly due to Emily's bossy phase rubbing off on them), but after their accident and beginning to work with Gladys, Martha and Julian are starting to change their ways for the better.

Lastly, there's Emily herself. My take on her is that while she is essentially the big sister figure of Tidmouth, to make her stand out from Edward, she can have a bit of a temper if pushed too far and will get harsh with whoever is annoying her to begin with, intentionally or not. However, Emily will always apologize for getting upset, even though there are instances when her anger is justified. If you want to get on her good side, don't bring up the shed incident from Duck and the Slip Coaches. Also, she doesn't like being reminded of her bossy phase from seasons 8-12.

So what other stories will I write up in the future? Honestly, I don't know at this point, but I do have some ideas in mind. We shall have to see what I can come up with...