James (Engine Adventures)

"Don't forget your bootlaces, James!"

- Charlie

James is the first book in the Engine Adventures series.

Plot
James is a new mixed-traffic engine with shiny red paint who is sent to pull coaches with Edward. Edward warns James that coaches do not like being bumped, but James is too busy thinking about his smart paintwork to listen. When James and Edward pull into the station, James lets off steam and covers the Fat Controller in a shower of water. James steams quickly away and Edward tells him to slow down. James is going so fast that he and Edward steam straight past the platform at the next station. They have to back up to let the passengers off the train.

The next day, the Fat Controller goes to see James and tells him that if he does not behave better, he will have James painted blue. He then orders James to go and fetch his coaches, which James does not like one bit.

James collects his coaches and speeds away. James puffs his hardest, but finds himself going slower and slower until he comes to a complete stop. Upon inspection, it is revealed that he has made a leak in the brake pipe. The passengers and crew all get off the train and the leak is mended with the help of a passenger's bootlace. James knows he will be in big trouble now.

The Fat Controller sends James to the sheds in disgrace. James has to stay there all by himself. Then, one morning, the Fat Controller arrives and tells James he can pull trucks again. James is very pleased to be let out of the shed.

The Troublesome Trucks are not happy to see James and cause trouble for him. As they are going up a steep hill, ten trucks break away and roll back down again. James has to go back and get them. When James gets back to the station, the Fat Controller is very happy with James who has made some of the most Troublesome Trucks on the line behave. The Fat Controller allows James to keep his red paint. Now, James knows he will enjoy working on the Fat Controller's railway.

Characters

 * Edward
 * James
 * Troublesome Trucks
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Charlie
 * Jeremiah Jobling

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Cronk

Trivia

 * This story is based on the first series episodes James and the Coaches and Troublesome Trucks.
 * Charlie replaces the Little Blue Tank Engine as the engine who teases James about the incident with the bootlaces.

Goofs

 * Edward is directly in front of James when pulling the coaches, but when they first arrive at the station, Edward is nowhere to be seen.
 * Charlie is said to be the tank engine who brought James his trucks, but the events of the book take place way before Charlie came to Sodor.