Enterprising Engines

“Please tell everyone, that whatever happens elsewhere, steam will still be at work here.”

― Sir Topham Hatt to the Flying Scotsman's enthusiasts

Template:Railway Series Enterprising Engines is the twenty-third book of the Railway Series.

Foreword

Dear Richard,
Do you remember the photographs you took of what happened to your train on the way to Waterloo in April 1967?

Your Mother, very kindly, gave me a set, and they helped our artist to draw at least two of the pictures for "Super Rescue".

Anyway, "Super Rescue" is the story which your pictures told me. I hope you will enjoy it, and the other three stories as well.
The Author

Stories

Tenders for Henry

The engines wrongly attribute Gordon's surly mood to boiler sludge from a dodgy water tower on the mainland, and matters are made worse when Gordon finds only one of his brothers are left in existence. The Fat Controller feels sorry for Gordon and arranges for his brother, Flying Scotsman, to visit, but Henry is jealous of Flying Scotsman's two tenders and claims he deserves another. Duck offers Henry six tenders. Henry is delighted and accepts, but is made to look like a fool when it is revealed they are full of boiler sludge!

Super Rescue

Two diesels, 7101 and 199, arrive. 7101 is friendly, but 199 is rude, saying diesels are more reliable than steam engines. The next day, Henry is rolling home tender-first, his regulator jammed, and meets 199 with a train of oil-tankers at a signalbox. 199, ironically, has failed, and so does 7101 after his ejector leaks and he is unable to pull his passenger train. Henry, with some help from 7101, still able to move, bravely takes 199, the oil-tankers and the passengers to the next station. "Flying Scotsman", to the delight of the passengers, takes the passenger train, while Donald takes the goods. 199 is sent away in disgrace and Henry helps 7101 to the shed.

Escape

Douglas has taken the "Midnight Goods" to the Other Railway, and is preparing to return when a stranded steam engine, Oliver, asks for help. Douglas buffers up, and the two crews scribble "Scrap" over Oliver. However, a diesel shouts out a warning, and the foreman stops them. They manage to coax their way past, and eventually reach the Works. A friendly watchman shows them where to hide Oliver, his coach Isabel and his brake van Toad.

Little Western

Douglas arrives in time to see Flying Scotsman off, and tells the others his news. The Fat Controller overhears and enquires about the fuss. Duck tells him they need another steam engine, but the Fat Controller gravely tells them they are rare to find. Douglas is about to interrupt when the Fat Controller reveals Oliver is being mended.

In the end, 7101 stays and is renamed "Bear" after the growling noises he sometimes makes, Oliver, Isabel, and Toad are repainted, three new coaches are rescued from scrapping and given to Oliver and Duck, and the Fat Controller re-opens the Little Western and asks Duck and Oliver to run it.

Characters

Henry
Gordon
James
Duck
Donald and Douglas
Oliver
Flying Scotsman
Bear
D199
The Fat Controller
The Passing Diesel (not seen)
Toad (does not speak)
Isabel and Dulcie (do not speak)
Alice and Mirabel (do not speak)
Other Railway Diesels (do not speak)
Gordon's Brothers (mentioned)
Flying Scotsman's Controller (mentioned, not named)

Locations

Trivia

1968, the year the book was first published, was the year steam was finally withdrawn on British Railways.
In the second illustration of "Super Rescue", you can see a British Petroleum symbol on a tanker.
"Super Rescue" is based on a real event which happened at Waterloo in April 1967, as acknowledged by Awdry in the introduction, where he states that photographs depicting the incident sent by the mother of a boy named Richard were used as inspiration for at least two of the story's illustrations. As a result, this is the only introduction in the series, aside from The Little Old Engine, that admits that the stories and characters of The Railway Series are fictional.
A similar event to "Super Rescue" occured in Virginia in November 2016.
The Reverend acknowledged the help given by Flying Scotsman's owner, Mr. A. E. Pegler, and his assistant, Mr. E. Hoyle, in the preparation of this book.
In the illustrations of "Escape", Oliver has British Railways' 'cycling lion' logo on his side tanks.
This marks Bear's only speaking role in the Railway Series.
In the final illustration of "Tenders for Henry", a number 9 is just visible on the first old tender that Henry is pulling.

Goofs

In the last illustration of "Tenders for Henry", Donald and Douglas have Fowler tenders and in the same illustration, Henry is missing his number.
Bear's face is smaller in "Little Western" than it is in "Super Rescue".
In "Super Rescue":
- In the fifth illustration, Henry's wheels are grey instead of green.
- In the seventh illustration, Flying Scotsman only has one tender.
- In the eighth illustration, Bear's buffer beam is black instead of red.
- Despite having a failed regulator, Henry somehow manages to pull Spam-Can forward.