In a Sulk

“Go away! Leave me alone! Haven't you caused me enough harm already?"
"No hard feelings. It was an accident."
"You would say that! Thanks to you, nobody needs me! Even a small engine like yourself can take my place pulling the express!”

― Gordon and James

In a Sulk is a magazine story. The first part of this story is titled Gordon's Express.

Plot

Gordon is at the works after James bumped into him, jamming his brakes. Gordon thinks James had collided with him on purpose and he is sulking. Worse still, James had been given the job of pulling his express. The engineers work hard to mend Gordon. They manage to release the brakes, but find some valves need replacing.

The next day, the new valves are fitted. The engineers light Gordon's fire, but he will not budge. The engineers think that James' bump had caused more damage than first thought. What the engineers do not know is that Gordon is sulking and does not want to move.

Meanwhile, James is happy to be pulling the express. Just like Gordon, it makes him feel very important. Pulling the express once is one thing, but pulling it constantly for three days is quite another and it is not long before it becomes too much for James. That night, James passes the works where he whistles hello to Gordon. Gordon is very depressed and is snappy with James, who admits that pulling the express all the time is too much for him. Gordon perks up at once.

The next morning, the engineers come to work on Gordon. They light his fire and try to start him. This time Gordon roars into action. Gordon's driver and the engineers are very puzzled. Gordon then returns to pulling the express and is now prouder than ever.