Duck and the Diesel Engine

**Duck and the Diesel Engine** is the fourth special written for Classic Sodor Adventures, originally posted between June 16th and 20th, 2019 on both DeviantArt and FanFiction. The story is primarily an adaptation of the book of the same name, which was originally adapted for the second series in 1986, excluding *Domeless Engines*, adapted for the third series in 1991 (it was also not included in this special). In this series, this special is in series 2, and it takes up episodes 13-16; Old Square Wheels, Rusty Red Scrap Iron and Galloping Sausage excluded from the episode count.

## Plot

### Chapter 1: Pop Goes the Diesel

Gordon is waiting for Rheneas to arrive with his passengers, but is shocked when Bertie, Algy and a few other buses arrive instead. They explain he had a cramp and they had to pick up the passengers. Gordon asks the buses to pass a message from James to Mr. Percival that the engines down at Peel Godred desperately need help, and Algy rushes back to do that. At Knapford, Duck and Gordon express relief, as does Sir Topham Hatt. The latter's relief is washed away when he hears that Duck's former controller was talking about diesels and they were revolutionary. He reluctantly agrees to the arrangement of a diesel being trailed.

On British Railways, Jackie and Collet are working with other siblings of theirs as well as the new diesels. Paxton, a very young one, is proving to be promising, but Collet is still suspicious. The controller has picked Diesel to be sent to Sodor to be trialled. Keen to make an impression and not wanting to stick around engines who haven't given him a chance, Diesel agrees. Collet and Jackie believe this will stir up a lot of trouble for their brother.

Back on Sodor, Duck is running things like clockwork, which has gone to his smokebox. The big engines are displeased, but Henry is more optimistic. The next day, Diesel finally arrives, and Sir Topham Hatt partners him with Duck for the trial. Duck's doubts about Diesel start to fester when Diesel talks about being revolutionary, and the pannier assumes his siblings are sent for scrap. He crossly tells Diesel to find the trucks while he fetches Gordon's coaches. When Duck and Gordon chat however, the express engine reminds Duck that Thomas and Percy were on the Ffarqhuar branch line, and Edward may need help on the Brandam branch. With a new sense of confidence, Duck goes back to help Diesel. Unfortunately, the black shunter was tricked by Plank Wagon to take some old empty trucks. Duck tries to warn Diesel, but he refuses to listen and Duck collects the other trucks. Duck gently tells Diesel the trucks were supposed to be sent to the scrapyards, and he has to go. Diesel cleans up the mess and assumes Duck set this up deliberately, especially when the trucks start singing their 'new hit' Pop Goes the Diesel.

### Chapter 2: Devious Deeds

Duck talks to Edward about the mess he caused, and the pannier tank engine decides he has to make it right with Diesel before it's too late. When he gets back, Duck finds the trucks singing about Diesel. He shuts them up, but Diesel still refuses to accept Duck's apology. Henry says that Duck wouldn't make the trucks laugh at the engines, and this gets him, Gordon and James to pull off their 'three 'd's' routine (much to Diesel and Duck's bewilderment). Diesel still wants to pay Duck out.

Henry sets off with a goods train and the trucks are cross at Duck for shutting them up earlier. They decide to take out their anger on Henry. The trucks push Henry down the hill, past a shocked Thomas, Annie and Clarabel, and his tyres become flat. He clunked off to the Steamworks. More problems arise on Thomas' branch line as he becomes ill, and has to be sent to the Steamworks too. Johnson takes over for Henry on the mainline, while Edward takes Thomas to be repaired. When the two engines meet each other at the Steamworks, Thomas claims that you can't trust trucks.

Sir Topham Hatt decides it's time to test Duck out on branch lines, and tasks him to look after Annie and Clarabel (as Bertie can't handle Thomas' passengers alone). When Duck left, Diesel has told the trucks that he had laughed about the joke that the trucks told about him, and that Duck called Henry "Old Square Wheels" after his accident.

Duck took to the branch line very naturally, and Annie and Clarabel also took a shining to him. Duck met Terence and got to know Toby and Henrietta better. The pannier tank was having a wonderful time, unaware of what was going on beneath the surface...

### Chapter 3: Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Duck was having the time of his life, and even got to interact with Bertie and Harold more too. However, on the main line, James and Gordon start bickering about the water tower, much to Johnson's disgruntlement. Gordon got splashed with water, and Diesel's driver comments about it looking like sausages in a pan. Diesel wasn't sure what to do with that information, but he holds onto it.

James and Diesel seemed to be getting on first rate, but some vague instructions and miscommunication meant that Diesel mishunted a train for James, and he was very late. Annoyed, Diesel wanted to get back at James too.

In the yards, Diesel overhears discussion between the trucks of Gordon's age and speed. He learns that many of his siblings were named after racehorses, such as Lemberg and Pretty Polly. This, plus the sausage comment, gives Diesel the idea that "Duck" dubbed Gordon "Galloping Sausage". Diesel was trying to figure out how to get James on the nicknaming list, when he learned of the bootlace incident. Diesel then came up with the nickname "Rusty Red Scrap Iron".

A few days later, Henry came back from the works, and he learned about what the trucks said about him. James and Gordon meet up with him and inform him they've been mocked as well. When they realised "Duck" was behind it, the trio decided to take a page from his book.

Next evening, Duck was saying goodnight to Annie and Clarabel, when Thomas arrived home. He thanks Duck for his help and tells Duck to get a good night's sleep. Duck heads back to Tidmouth, warm and happy. Unfortunately, that happy mood is ruined when he sees the big engines (James was blocking the turntable), and they accuse him for the nicknames. Duck protests he didn't do it, and Sir Topham Hatt stops the noise. When Duck tries to make his case, the big engines still rebuke him, and Diesel claims he 'knows nothing'. Outnumbered, Duck sadly heads to Wellsworth, but not before shocking Henry by saying he expected better from him. As Diesel secretly smirks in triumph, Sir Topham Hatt says he will look into things in the morning, leaving the big engines stunned.

Duck goes to Edward for much needed comfort, and he sobs while explaining what transpired. Edward firmly believes Duck is innocent and tells him to go to sleep. Unfortunately, Duck has a nightmare of being completely alone, and Edward has to sooth him to get him back to sleep.

### Chapter 4: Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Edward insists on swapping jobs with James and reports last night's incident to Thomas - who's handbrake is stiff. Thomas, Annie and Clarabel are shocked to hear Duck was blamed of the incident, and decided to report this to the rest of the Ffarqhuar crew. The red coaches warn Thomas to keep an eye on his stiff brake.

After reporting to the Midland engines, Edward swapped back with James. Edward accuses James of having another go at Duck, and Edward bombards him with a rant about Duck's depressed state. The red engine has a lot to think about.

Thomas, Annie and Clarabel meanwhile, were talking to Toby, Henrietta and Bertie, who feel that Duck should be praised for the effort he made on the Ffarqhuar branch. Percy however, feels their solution is simple, and tells everyone to remain quiet. They do, and they quickly realise the trucks on the Ffarqhuar branch weren't gossiping about the nicknames. Furthermore, the nicknames would have more likely been about the Ffarqhuar engines, not the Mainline engines, and Thomas, Annie and Clarabel vow to get the information to Henry.

Gordon and James talk with Henry over the incident and realise that things don't quite line up with what "Duck" said to the trucks, and the fact Duck had an alibi for not being able to spread the nicknames. Henry resolves to talk to Thomas, Annie and Clarabel, despite protests from Audrey, Hilary and Mark. Diesel realises Henry's onto him, and tries to think of a way to cover his tracks.

Thomas' fireman was ill at the last station, and he was in such a tizzy, he didn't realise his driver and relief fireman didn't adjust his handbrake properly. Thomas took off without his passengers and he couldn't talk to Henry. Harold goes to rescue Thomas while Percy rescues the passengers and speaks to Henry himself. Both of them realised that there were red flags, and suspect Diesel could be the culprit, but aren't sure how to catch Diesel out. Thomas, now stopped by an inspector brought by Harold after Annie and Clarabel slowed him down, feels guilty that he wasn't able to help Duck in a time of need.

Diesel is in the yards and overhears some trucks talking about Henry's flying kipper accident. One of them claims Henry's an imposter because he 'wasn't rebuilt and replaced', so Diesel decides to manipulate the trucks into thinking there were two Henries.

### Chapter 5: Shave and a Hair-Quack

Duck is taking a passenger run, when he sees Trevor at the Vicarage Orchard. The traction engine gives Duck words of comfort, and he feels a little bit better as he carries on his way.

Henry was due to take out his next goods run, and he's shocked to hear the trucks calling him an imposter. Henry quickly shoots this idea down, mentioning that he remembers things that clearly happened *before* the kipper crash. Henry interrogates the trucks, and they fess up that Diesel had been the one behind the nicknames and Henry's 'imposter' claim. He also explains Duck's alibis. The big green engine regrets believing Diesel and the trucks, as Edward arrives. Henry informs Edward of what he had learned, and he must apologise to Duck right away.

Duck was on banking duties at Wellsworth, and is feeling a bit better knowing most of the railway was on his side. Henry then comes up and explains that Diesel had been ratted out by the trucks. When Henry struggles up the hill, Duck lends a buffer and banks him up. Henry apologises to Duck for believing Diesel's lies and thanks him for his help. Duck starts coasting down the hill, when half of Henry's train breaks away, and Duck races ahead to try and stop the trucks. The trucks, including Old Spiteful, bump into him, and he fights for control.

Things get worse when James is with Sean, Mick, Harry and Dexter at a station, and the passengers run for cover. Duck urges James to get out of the way, and they barely miss each other. Duck is veered into a siding and crashes into a barber shop. The barber, unsympthically, lathers Duck's face with shaving cream, while James and the coaches wonder what a barber shop is doing at the end of a siding.

Henry meanwhile, reported the runaway to Maron station, and the guard explains they were after Duck. Henry is about to explain about the lies Diesel spread about Duck, when the stationmaster got a call. He reported the accident to Henry, and that Thomas was taking Judy and Jerome to help.

As for Diesel, he was being stared down by Gordon, Percy, Toby and Johnson, and scolded by Sir Topham Hatt about the nicknames. Diesel tries to protest innocence, but Toby pointed out that Duck asked him, Percy, Annie and Clarabel for help while on the branch line, while Diesel did no such thing. Gordon also informed Sir Topham Hatt about Henry's 'imposter status', and Sir Topham Hatt blows off at Diesel, kicking him off the North Western Railway. No sooner than he left, James arrives, and the other engines inform him about Diesel's lies. Johnson laments how he and the Midis haven't been much help, but Toby assures him not to worry.

Thomas meanwhile, was clearing up the mess, very cross at the trucks. He asks Duck if he was okay, and Duck tells Thomas to not go near a building on a siding if he sees one. Duck also asks Thomas about his handbrake, and Thomas explains a workman fixed it when he was resting. Sir Topham Hatt tells the barber that Duck had prevented a worse accident and it was a close shave, much to Thomas' amusement and Duck's annoyance. When Duck is told about coming home, Sir Topham Hatt said that he didn't believe Diesel; he told lies about Henry, and Gordon and James are sorry and want Duck back.

On the Western Region, Diesel hopes he doesn't run into anyone right away, only to be proven wrong when Jackie and Collet show up. After Diesel realised Duck had called out to him to stop taking the trucks, Jackie and Collet say they'll be keeping an eye on Diesel. He's left with much to think about...

On Sodor, a week had gone by and Duck came out of the works with a lighter green livery with the number 8, and his Great Western Railway logo on his sides. Everyone is most impressed with this livery change. Gordon and James apologise, and Duck forgives them. Everyone gave a rousing welcome for Duck the Great Western Engine.

## Differences between the book, episodes and this version

### General

* *Pop Goes the Diesel, Dirty Work* and *A Close Shave* take place in 1957, with the three annual stories taking place in the same timeframe. Albeit, probably loosely as Gordon had his nickname out of the gate first in *Dirty Work*, while in the annuals, Gordon's nickname was last. *The Runaway* takes place in 1985 in the books. In this series, they all take place in the same year of 1982.

### Pop Goes the Diesel

* City of Truro does not influence Duck’s pride in his yard work as he hasn’t visited Sodor yet, per the TV adaptation.
* Diesel’s pre-Sodor days at Paddington are shown. He’s in the same yard that Duck used to work at.
* Diesel is also shown to have hints of insecurity as the pannier tank engines don’t give him a chance.
* The engines’ reactions to seeing a diesel for the first time is expanded on. In the book, they would have at least seen Rusty by now, unless he came after Diesel was sent packing.
* Duck’s unease around Diesel is expanded upon, fearing that Jackie and Collet may have been withdrawn and replaced, as well as many other siblings. In real life, the Class 08 shunters would eventually take over from the GWR 5700s, and Duck’s real life basis, No. 5741, was withdrawn from service in June 1957 before being broken up for scrap the following year.
* Duck is shown to be collecting Gordon’s coaches and the two have a deep conversation about how Sir Topham Hatt promoted Thomas and Percy to branch lines, not getting rid of them.
* Plank Wagon - later to be known as Scruffey - is the one who tricks Diesel into pulling the wrong trucks, and also comes up with the song to taunt the black shunter. This also provides an explanation as to why the trucks sang a song to taunt Oliver after his own incident much later on.
* When he sees Diesel trying to move the old trucks from their siding, Duck calls out for Diesel to stop, but he doesn’t. When Duck comes over to talk to Diesel, instead of chuckling and saying “you didn’t ask”, he gently tells Diesel that the old trucks were meant to be taken to the scrapyard in two weeks - now they’d have to go ahead of schedule. Not that Diesel takes this well, but still.
* The “rev-whatever-it-was-you-said” line is reused for *Diesels and Westerners*.
* In the book, it’s mentioned the coaches also laugh at Diesel. The episode and adaptation both drop this.

### Old Square Wheels (Doesn't have an episode counterpart)

* Diesel complaining about “never getting a moment’s peace” is dropped as it was already shown in *Dirty Work*.
* Henry getting his goods train is shown shortly after Diesel was complaining, rather than the next day.
* The trucks taking out their aggression on Henry is because they were interrupted from their song when Duck bumped them, not simply because they were “full and cross”.
* Henry was looking forward to getting updates on how Sir Handel and Peter Sam’s restorations were getting on. When this annual story was taking place, both engines were well and truly in service.
* Thomas doesn’t talk to Henry as the big green engine stops. Instead, he anxiously exchanges worried comments with Annie and Clarabel.
* Henry goes straight to Steamworks instead of the sheds, meaning he doesn’t talk to Duck and Diesel.
* Duck is scolding the trucks instead of in the shed with Diesel, and the tank engine is sent to help out on Thomas’ branch line following his illness, rather than “tactfully remembering another job”.
* Diesel speaks to the trucks “the next day” in the annual. In this story, he speaks to them on the same day.
* Henry doesn’t find out about the nickname until Diesel comes up with the other two as Henry’s at the Steamworks.
* It’s Thomas who talks to Henry about “not trusting trucks”, not Duck, as he’s been sent to the Steamworks following his illness.
* Henry does not find out about the “Old Square Wheels” nickname until he returns from the Steamworks per the annual story. However, it’s also after the names “Rusty Red Scrap Iron” and “Galloping Sausage”, respectively referring to James and Gordon, have been spread among the trucks.

### Galloping Sausage (Doesn't have an episode counterpart)

* Henry and James blocking Duck out of the shed without Gordon is cut, as is Duck spending the night on the siding and seeing Diesel. Duck spending the night on a siding is reused for The Duke of Sodor, and instead of Diesel snickering when he sees him again, he demands to know where he’s been all night as he left the coaches at the platform and disappeared. As an added bonus, Gordon shows up a few moments later.
* It’s mentioned Diesel had heard discussions about how an engine’s siderods are attached to an engine’s wheels to look like a horse from some engines on the Western Region.
* It was James who was filling up at the water tower, not Henry as per the annual, as he’s still at the Steamworks. Furthermore, this happened before Diesel talked to the trucks, not after.
* Part of this story takes place concurrently with Rusty Red Scrap Iron. As such, Diesel tells the trucks both nicknames at the same time.
* Gordon is already aware of his nickname when Henry comes back from the Steamworks - as is James - and the green engine isn’t.
* Gordon doesn’t confront Duck without James and Henry as per in the annual story.
* The very last part of the story is held back for the final part of the special for obvious reasons.

### Rusty Red Scrap Iron (Doesn't have an episode counterpart)

* It’s mentioned that “James isn’t fond of diesels”, but at this point in time, James hadn’t met any diesels. In the books, it’s possible he may know Rusty, but they wouldn’t have interacted much.
* It’s mentioned the trucks were being sly and didn’t show their dislike of Diesel. That’s not brought up here.
* Diesel thought James was being vague, but in the annual, he was being boastful and not paying attention. James also thinks Diesel tried to make him late on purpose.
* James realizing he had the wrong train is expanded upon.
* The story the trucks tell to Diesel is of James and the Bootlace, as Old Iron hasn’t happened yet.
* Diesel doesn’t say that “James would be the color he is.”
* Diesel comes up with the nickname right after he hears the story, as he lied about Duck mentioning the bootlace incident to him in passing. In the annual, he tells the trucks the nickname “Rusty Red Scrap Iron” later on.
* Part of this story takes place concurrently with Galloping Sausage. As such, Diesel tells the trucks both nicknames at the same time.
* James is already aware of his nickname when Henry comes back from the Steamworks - as is Gordon - and the green engine isn’t.

### Dirty Work

* At the beginning, Edward tells Duck that he’s welcome on his branch line anytime, and Duck also clears his smokebox with the whole “withdrawal” situation.
* Gordon, James and Henry are all waiting at the coal hopper in the CGI adaptation. In the book, we don’t know where they are, and in the episode, they are on some of the sidings.
* Gordon also mentions he and Duck talked at Knapford station, yet he doesn’t mention what that was.
* Diesel and Duck are both confused by the “three D’s” routine by the big engines. This isn’t shown in the book or model episode.
* Diesel’s lies have been spread out over the course of a few days, and the engines don’t confront Duck until Henry’s back from the Steamworks, as per the annual stories.
* Duck is filling in for Thomas on his branch line, giving Diesel ample opportunity to strike.
* James is standing on the turntable denying Duck entry into the sheds. This does not happen in the model adaptation, not to mention there being two empty berths Duck could easily have gone into - as a matter of fact, Duck himself is blocking the turntable - while in the book, it’s implied that all four berths are filled up by the big engines and Diesel. Not to mention the points are blocked.
* While Duck was betrayed in the episode and the book, the CGI rendition makes most of his betrayal directed at Henry, as he was the one who had actively stood up for Duck at the beginning of the episode.
* Duck talks with Edward at night, and the two sleep at Wellsworth sheds together. Poor Duck has a nightmare about being alone.

### The Runaway

* Any details mentioning Thomas and Percy’s feud in the book are dropped, as are Donald and Douglas’ mention as they aren’t on Sodor yet.
* Duck takes over for Thomas when the latter falls ill; this gives Diesel the chance to begin spreading his lies about Duck.
* Duck bonding with Toby and Henrietta is shown in more detail.
* Thomas overrunning the station platform while talking to Edward - who swaps jobs with James so he could pass an important message to Thomas - happens on the same day his driver falls ill. Furthermore, his fireman falls ill in the actual story.
* Percy collects Thomas’ passengers when Harold goes with the inspector to stop him.
* Thomas is more concerned with proving Duck innocent than running on time.
* Annie and Clarabel don’t joke about Thomas’ mishap with the guard.

### A Close Shave

* What happens in between Duck’s isolation to Wellsworth and his subsequent accident at Crosby is expanded upon, enough to be an entire episode by itself.
* Diesel’s lies about Henry are explained, in that he was an “imposter who came to replace the original”. This is a nod to the “two Henrys” controversy. Henry dispels the rumours quickly.
* Even the Ffarquhar engines and their friends are aware of Duck’s situation and quickly work to prove him innocent.
* The engines in the book that Duck respectively banks up the hill and nearly crashes into are unidentified. In the episode, the former is Edward and the latter is James. In this adaptation, Edward is changed to Henry.
* The entire train breaks away from the foreign engine and Edward. In the adaptation, it’s just half of Henry’s train.
* Diesel is shown being caught out for his lies and is sent packing. When he returns to Paddington, Jackie and Collet give him a chewing out for his treatment of Duck.
* Thomas is amused about the “close shave” comment, while Duck is annoyed.
* Old Spiteful and Scruffey - then Plank Wagon - are on Henry’s goods train.
* James lampshades why a barber shop would be put onto a siding.
* Duck is repainted into his TV livery at the end of the story. Up until that point, he was in his old GWR livery.

## Characters

* Thomas
* Edward
* Henry
* Gordon
* James
* Percy
* Toby
* Duck
* Julie (Mentioned)
* Johnson
* Lauren (Mentioned)
* Jackie
* Nicole
* Katie (Mentioned)
* Collet
* Duck's brothers and sisters (indirectly mentioned)
* Gordon's brothers and sisters (indirectly mentioned)
* Lemberg (Mentioned)
* Pretty Polly (Mentioned)
* Diesel
* Paxton
* Skarloey (Mentioned)
* Rheneas (Mentioned)
* Sir Handel (Mentioned)
* Peter Sam (Mentioned)
* Annie and Clarabel
* Henrietta
* Sean, Mick, Harry and Dexter
* Audrey, Hilary and Mark
* Judy and Jerome
* Plank Wagon
* Old Spiteful
* Bertie
* Algy
* Bertrand (unnamed; does not speak)
* Wendy (unnamed; does not speak)
* Terence
* Trevor
* Harold
* Sir Bertram Topham Hatt
* Mr. Peregrine Percival (Mentioned)
* Western Region Controller

## Voice cast

### Official

* John Hasler as Thomas
* Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, Bertie, Harold and Sir Bertram Topham Hatt
* Rob Rackstraw as James and Toby
* Nigel Pilkington as Percy and Trevor
* Steven Kynman as Duck and Paxton
* Kerry Shale as Diesel
* Teresa Gallagher as Annie, Clarabel and Judy
* Mark Moraghan as Dexter
* Tim Whitnall as Jerome
* Maggie Ollerenshaw as Henrietta
* Tom Stourton as Terence

### Fan chosen

* Lewis MacLeod as Johnson
* Neve Campbell as Jackie
* Rachael Miller as Nicole
* Patton Oswalt as Collet
* Lara Jill Miller as Audrey
* Wendy Patterson as Hilary
* Will Harrison-Wallace as Mark
* Ian Hart as Sean
* Thomas Sangstar as Mick
* Sam Bell as Harry
* Steve Blum as Plank Wagon/S.C.R.uffey
* Jason Isaacs as Old Spiteful
* Kevin Frank as Algy

## Trivia

* *The Runaway* was initially going to be in *The Tank Engines' Quarrel*, but upon realising it had little to do with Thomas and Percy's big fight, it was moved to this story. This also builds on the subplot of Duck eventually getting a branch line, and gives Diesel a chance to strike.
* The prologue of *Never Be Alone* takes place at the same time as this story; the rest of *Never Be Alone* picks up after Duck gets back from the Steamworks, and *Henry and the Elephant*.

## Links

* Chapter 1 on DeviantArt
* Chapter 2 on DeviantArt
* Chapter 3 on DeviantArt
* Chapter 4 on DeviantArt
* Chapter 5 on DeviantArt
* Fanfiction.Net