Thomas and the Cyclist

"You see? A bicycle is much faster than a train!"

- John

Thomas and the Cyclist is a magazine story.

Plot
Every morning, Thomas takes children from the town on the hill to the school near the sea. They all love their daily train rides, but one day, a boy called John speaks to Thomas. The boy tells Thomas that he will not be going to school by train for much longer as he is getting a bike for his birthday. He is sure it will be much faster and fun than going by train. Thomas is not very happy with this as he does not like to think there is any better way to travel than by train.

The following week, John does not catch Thomas' train. As the little tank engine puffs down the line, he sees John rushing down the road on a bicycle. Thomas thinks the young lad does not look safe going so fast on a bike. When Thomas arrives at the station by the school, John and his bicycle are already there.

When school is over, the children come back to the station and wait for Thomas. As Thomas puffs up the hill, he sees John and his bike again. This time, he is not riding it; instead, he is pushing it very slowly. When he gets to the bridge where the road crosses the railway, John stops and waits for Thomas. When the engine approaches, John tells him that he is tired of pushing the bike and asks if Thomas can take him back to the town. Thomas finds the situation quite funny. John explains that bicycles can be fast going downhill, but trains are much better when going uphill. Thomas says he will take John home if he promises not to ride his bike so fast and dangerously in the future, to which John agrees.

Now, John still rides his bike to school every day when it is sunny, but he always rides Thomas' train home.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Annie and Clarabel

Trivia

 * It is likely that this story was written by Andrew Brenner.