- “Be careful what you say in front of the passengers. We can't be worrying them with Red Indians and grizzly bears!”
- ― the Fat Controller
Silly Skarloey! is a read and colour magazine story.
Plot
One day, Skarloey is moaning about doing boring jobs like shunting trucks all day. He does this so much so that Gordon becomes fed up with him and tells Skarloey to imagine doing something more interesting. This is exactly what Skarloey does; he imagines that he is in the Wild West guarding trucks of gold dust. Skarloey is pleased with himself; there is no limit to the adventures he can have now and he cannot wait to do his next job.
A short while later, Skarloey is taking passengers to Wellsworth. His driver tells him to slow down, but Skarloey informs him that he is being chased by Red Indians and in his imagination, he is.
Later on, Skarloey limps back to the main station with a faulty piston. The Fat Controller asks if he has had any trouble. Skarloey tells him that he has only had a bit of bother with grizzly bears. The Fat Controller has heard about his stories and reminds him not to say things like that in front of the passengers as they do not need to be worrying about grizzly bears and Red Indians.
The next day, Skarloey is waiting to leave Wellsworth Station when a party of schoolchildren hold him up. He has to wait for the teacher to ferry them onto the train. The teacher tells the children to "form a crocodile" which is a way of getting the playful kids to stand in a straight line. Skarloey wonders what the hold-up is. His driver explains that Miss Brown is having trouble getting her children to form a crocodile.
When Skarloey has finally taken the children back to the main station, the Fat Controller asks about the delay. Skarloey tells him that they had some crocodile troubles. The Fat Controller tells Skarloey to stop with his imaginative stories. Skarloey insists it is true and his driver tells the controller about Miss Brown and the children's crocodile formation. The Fat Controller laughs and apologises to Skarloey for the misunderstanding.
Characters
Goofs
- Skarloey is depicted as a standard gauge engine and is able to go to Wellsworth and the main station. He is also said to be a young engine.
- In the second illustration, Skarloey is missing his number.
Gallery
