Toby and Henrietta were enjoying their new job on the Island of Sodor, but they do look old-fashioned and did need new paint.

James was very rude whenever he saw them. “Yecch! What dirty objects!” he would say.

At last, Toby lost patience. “James,” he asked, “why are you red?”

“I am a splendid engine,” answered James, “ready for anything. You never see my paint dirty.”

“Oh!” said Toby innocently. “That’s why you once needed bootlaces—to be ready, I suppose.”

James went redder than ever and snorted off. It was such an insult to be reminded of the time a bootlace had been used to mend a hole in his coaches.

At the end of the line, James left his coaches and got ready for his next train. It was a “slow freight,” stopping at every station to pick up and set down cars.

James hated slow freight trains. “Dirty cars from dirty sidings! Yecch!”

Starting with only a few, he picked up more and more cars at each station till he had a long train.

At first, the freight cars behaved well, but James bumped them so crossly that they were determined to get back at him.

Presently, they approached the top of Gordon’s Hill. Heavy freight trains halt here to set their brakes. James had had an accident with cars before and should have remembered this.

“Wait, James, wait,” said the Driver, but James wouldn’t wait. He was too busy thinking what he would say to Toby when they next met.

The freight cars’ chance had come.

“Hurrah! Hurrah!” they laughed, and banging their buffers, they pushed him down the hill.

“On! On!” yelled the cars.

“I’ve got to stop! I’ve got to stop!” groaned James.

Disaster lay ahead.

Something sticky splashed all over James. He had run into two tar wagons and was black from smokebox to cab. He was more dirty than hurt, but the tar wagons and some cars were all to pieces.

Toby and Percy were sent to help and came as quickly as they could.

“Look here, Percy!” exclaimed Toby. “Whatever is that dirty object?”

“That’s James. Didn’t you know?”

“It’s James’ shape,” said Toby, “but James is a splendid red engine, and you never see his paint dirty.”

James pretended he hadn’t heard.

Toby and Percy cleared away the unhurt cars and helped James home.

Sir Topham Hatt met them.

“Well done, Percy and Toby.” He turned to James. “Fancy letting your cars run away. I am surprised. You’re not fit to be seen; you must be cleaned at once. Toby shall have a new coat of paint.”

“Please, Sir, can Henrietta have one, too?” said Toby.

“Certainly, Toby.”

“Oh, thank you, Sir! She will be pleased.”

All James could do was watch Toby as he ran off happily with the news.