Cows

Edward the blue engine was getting old. He felt his loads getting heavier and stations getting further in between, so The Fatt Controller assigned him a driver, who was named Charly, and a fireman named Sidney. One day he was pulling the train past a field of cows. They were young and new to engines. With all the clanking Edward made it deeply upset them. They started to kick and run about. One of them charged and rammed into the fence separating the field and the line. This broke the fence, but the cow didn't stop there, she continued on into Edwards train breaking the coupling and derailing a wagon. They rolled along the sleepers behind Edwards for a while, but without an engine to pull them, they soon stopped. Edward had felt a jolt but thought nothing of it. He carried on to the next station without noticing. "Where on Sodor is the rest of your train?" asked the station master. Edward quickly rushed back but since the trucks were derailed he couldn’t take them on to the next station. He had to wait for the breakdown train to come.
The news traveled faster than Edward, and by the time he got back to the yards, Gordon and Henry already knew. “Fancy letting cows break your train! They wouldn’t dare do that to us! We’d show them!” This upset Old Toby, “You couldn't help it, Edward. They've never met cows. I have, and know the trouble they are."
A few days later Gordon flew through Wellsworth with the express. After the switch to the branch line, the line splits into two and stays straight for a long while. Around halfway through, there is a small bridge. Gordon thought he saw something on the bridge and slowed the train down. He had seen something, a cow. It stared at him and, “moooooooed.” “Get out of my way!” said Gordon and he wooshed it rudely. The guard climbed down from their apartment and walked to the front of the train, “why did you stop?” “There's a cow on the line.” “So? Run it off the line.” “What do you want me to do? Run over it?” “If that will get the train moving, then yes.” “I’m not going to do that! You get her out of the way.” “I’m not going near that thing, it looks way too much like Harry,” While the two were bickering, Henry had come on the other line. “What this’s?” he said, “A cow? I'll soon settle her.” Henry was about to weeesh steam at the cow, but it turned around and, MOOOOED at Henry. He backed away nervously, “I don't want to hurt the pore thing.” Henry’s guard, who was climbing out of her apartment and fell off when Henry backed up, stroud back up, and walked to the front of the train. “You there,” she said to Gordon’s guard, “try to get the cow off the line, I’m going back to the last signal box to tell them about signalman obstruction.
Toby was at Wellsworth when the station master walked out, “Toby, go down the line and get the cow off the line.” “Yes sir, but can I bring Henrietta with me?” “Sure, whatever.” Then the porter ran up, “Mr. Murphy’s prize cow, Bluebell, has gone missing!” “I reckon,” said Toby, “that's the cow blocking the line.” “If it is, she won't go without her calf.” “I’ll tell you what, I’ll pick up her calf on my way and she can ride in Henrietta.”
Gordon’s guard and some passengers were yelling at the cow while Henry’s guard watched with amusement. In the distinct, there was the sound of a bell. Then Toby rolled up on Henry’s line. Mr. Murphy carried the calf down out of Henrietta. Bluebell and her calf had a small reunion then Mr. Murphy led them back into Henrietta. The guards helped the passengers back into coaches. “Not a word,” said Henry. “Keep it dark,” finished Gordon. The two felt rather silly.
“Well well well,” chuckled Edward once Gordon got back to the yards, “two big engines afraid of one cow.” “Afraid? Rubbish! We didn’t want the poor thing to hurt herself by running up against us. We stopped so as not to excite her. You see what I mean, my dear Edward?” “Yes, Gordon.” Gordon felt that somehow Edward saw only too well.
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• Edward the Blue Engine...
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