Thomas Turns Red

Thomas Turns Red is a magazine story.

Plot
One morning, James rolls out of the shed with his red paint shining brightly. He begins to boast how he will be taking the express while Gordon is away having a service. Thomas states to himself that James is getting too big for his buffers. James overhears him and begins to tease Thomas by saying the most useful engines are red but Thomas states he is proud to be blue.

The Fat Controller later instructs Thomas to collect bricks from the harbour and take them to the building yard in Wellsworth. Thomas' trucks decide to be extra troublesome that day and bump him around, despite Thomas' protests. Thomas soon reaches the harbour and the bricks begin to get loaded. However, some dust from the bricks is blown off in the process and covers Thomas, making him more upset. His driver insists that Thomas will need a thorough washdown once the job is completed.

At the building yard, even more brick dust is blown about during the unloading. When Thomas returns to the main station, he is almost entirely red. James sneers at Thomas for being dirty but The Fat Controller congratulates Thomas for being useful and sends him off for his washdown. The Fat Controller then tells James that he will be the engine that will collect another shipment of bricks later in the day, leading Thomas to tease James by saying he will get more red than he already is!

Characters

 * Thomas
 * James
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Gordon