| Useful Railway | |
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Author |
Rev. Wilbert Awdry |
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Illustrator |
Gunvor and Peter Edwards |
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Published |
1967 |
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Book |
Small Railway Engines |
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Previous Story |
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Next Story |
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TV Adaptation |
Useful Railway Season 20 |
Useful Railway is the fourth and final story of Small Railway Engines.
Plot[]
The small controller announces that the farmers throughout the line are going to use the railway for transport their wool to market, Mike and Bert are confused by this so the small controller puts Rex on the first train.
The wool is loaded onto the train at the lane and Rex takes the train down the line stopping at all the farms and crossings. There was one more stop before they were off, the driver reckoned it would be a smooth run but that wasn't to be true. Willie was a farm hand, he worked along the line, he had been late and when he heard Rex's whistle he sped to try to meet up with him, someone said his load was slipping, Willie was going too fast and just hoped it would hold and it did, at first.
Willie swept around to bring his trailer alongside the line, the trailer tilted, the ropes snapped and the bales fell onto the line, Willie ran down the line to warn Rex. Rex was puffing down the line saying it was easy happily to himself. Suddenly everything happens at once, Willie warns Rex who goes 'round the bend, under the bridge, and clips the wool bales. When the small controller arrives Willie apologizes, and Bert takes away the trucks but Rex stayed where he was. Trains passed by Rex for the rest of the day, the passengers where awed by the fact there was an accident, and while he laid there Mike and Bert would laugh and teases him. Rex apologized for being stuck up and Mike & Bert apologized for laughing at him. The small controller congratulated them on the days work and Rex's quick thinking, the railway's customers after this would come to see the Arlesdale Railway as a "proper" railway.
Characters[]
Locations[]
Gallery[]
Video[]
Willie Rushton Narration (uploaded to YouTube by NewController01):