THE REPLACEMENT

The Sodor Dieselworks are always buzzing with activity. Diesels are always rushing in and out of the works, getting parts replaced. Den and Dart are very good at managing their workload, and they know all the diesels very well. However, some diesels are there more often than others, and this can cause Den and Dart to be worried. One day, Den was shunting trucks in the yards when the yard manager walked up.

"Distress call, Den. Norman's stuck out on the main line. They've sent another engine to take his train, but you need to take him here." Den sighed awkwardly.

"Yes, sir." Den said, and he headed off.

Norman is a diesel who works all over the island, doing odd jobs. He delivers fuel from the mainland, he shunts trucks at various yards, and he takes workmen to repair various machinery around the railway. He is a very smart engine, and likes having his driver read books to him when he is resting, or, as the case may be, broken down. However, his engine often causes problems for him. Ever since he arrived on the island, Norman had constantly had to visit the Dieselworks for maintenance. In that time, he had become good friends with Den and Dart. However, his visits were very frequent, and his friends began to grow concerned. Den saw Norman on a siding as James coupled up to his supply train.

"Salutations, Den!" Norman smiled weakly. Smoke had been billowing from his engine. Den winced as he eyed fuel leaking from his panels.

"You alright, Norman? What was it this time?" Den coupled up to the weak diesel.

"What do you think it was? It was my engine. It's never worked right and you know it." Norman sighed, "Old piece of rubbish. It's going to finally give out on me soon."

"Funny, that's what the Fat Controller would say about you!" James sneered and laughed as he puffed away. Norman looked miserable as Den began to push him to the works. Den tried to cheer his friend up, but it did no good.

"Cheer up, Norm!" Den smiled, "We'll have you fixed soon enough and then you can go back to being useful. You'll like that, won't you?" Norman simply looked down in embarrassment and shame.

Norman stood on the hoist as the men worked hard on his engine. Hammers banged and and wrenches turned, but Norman began to grow very bored. The fact that Den and Dart were busy meant he had no one to talk to. One night, Norman was especially tired, and as a result he fell asleep earlier than usual.

"I'm positively debilitated..." Norman's eyes slowly shut and he headed to sleep for the night.

The following morning, Norman awoke to the sounds of two men having a conversation below him. To his surprise, it was the Fat Controller and the Dieselworks Manager!

"...the replacement should be here in a few days. Norman can work until then." The Fat Controller said, as the manager wrote something down. Norman's eyes were bulging out of their sockets and his imagination was running wild.

"Replacement...?" Norman whispered. He couldn't be replaced! Could he?

"Of course, Sir. Do you want us to tell him?"

"Not yet. Not until I've signed the order. I've been considering this for a while."

Norman was starting to worry immensely. The Fat Controller was going to replace him!

"Alright, have a pleasant day, Mr. Renchmore." The Fat Controller hopped into a nearby Winston and started backing away. The manager gave a curt wave, and headed off to fetch some parts. Norman was terrified!

"I'm going to be replaced!" Norman babbled, "I'm a goner! I declare, I'm doomed! DOOMED!"

Norman's repairs were completed, so he headed out to fetch some oil from the mainland. He arrived at Barrow station, where his tankers were waiting for him. As he backed onto a siding to wait for another train to pass, he noticed something on the other side of the yard.

"Pardon me, sir," Norman politely addressed the nearby yard foreman, "I was wondering if you could bestow me with the information as to where those wagons over there are bound?" The foreman looked at his clipboard in agitation.

"Another engine was supposed to come and take these down to the shipping company at Brendam today, but no one's come yet. We need them delivered before the day's out, or the shipping company will complain." This gave Norman an idea.

"May I offer my services in this endeavor? I'm bound for Brendam anyhow; it's one of the stops on my fuel run. A few extra trucks would certainly be no difficulty." The foreman agreed, and Norman excitedly coupled the trucks up to the end of his train.

"This is sure to prove to the Fat Controller wrong! I'm valuable!" Norman revved his engine into life, and started off for Brendam.

Norman's trucks rattled behind him as he rolled along the line. They were much heavier than his normal load, but he struggled on nonetheless.

"Once the Fat Controller sees me pulling loads outside my..." Norman coughed, "...average capabilities, he's sure to see how much of an asset I am!" He approached a junction, where the signal was up.

"Curses, a signal! I'm sure to be tardy now!" He braked to a stop.

Down the line, Scruff was pushing some wagons full of rubbish from the nearby town. They were especially heavy, and Scruff was in a hurry to not be late. However, he was in such a hurry that he didn't notice that his trucks were uncoupled. He rolled over the hill, and lost control as the trucks rolled down the other side.

"Oh no!" Scruff cried, giving chase. But it was too late. The trucks swerved down a sideline, approaching Norman at his signal. Norman's eyes bulged in shock as the trucks hit him with a dull bump, sending rubbish flying all over him.

Norman coughed as the foul-smelling waste covered him from buffers to cab. He groaned, disgusted.

"This is...revolting!" Norman gagged, "Filthy, disgusting, unclean..." Scruff rolled over apologetically and began to move the trucks onto a siding.

"Sorry, Norm. Lost control of my trucks on the hill. Do you want us to help clean you off?" Under normal circumstances, Norman would have agreed in a heartbeat, but he couldn't be late. Not today.

"No thank you, Scruff. I have a schedule to uphold! No time to dally around!" And with that, Norman rolled away as quickly as he could, covered in rubbish and with a foul smell trailing behind.

"What a strange diesel..." Scruff muttered, before taking a deep breath to try and escape the smell.

Norman approached the docks in record time, and he was very proud of himself. He arrived at the docks and honked loudly.

"Ouch!" Cranky groaned at the loud noise.

"Present! Right on time!" Norman grinned. Cranky rolled his eyes.

"Keep your bonnet on, Norman, you're ten minutes early. Make yourself useful and shunt your trucks into their proper sidings." Norman grumbled to himself as he moved the trucks into their sidings.

"Ignoramus..." Norman grunted. Cranky sniffed the air and recoiled in horror.

"And what's that stink? Jeez, Norman, you reek. Get outta here before the entire yard smells you!" Norman shuffled away, offended, but satisfied.

"Early! Ha! I'd like to see the Fat Controller try to replace me now! In fact, I'll go see him!" However, Norman had forgotten about the rubbish...

Norman excitedly rolled into Knapford, where The Fat Controller was in his office. Gordon was at the platform with the express, and he groaned in disgust as he smelt Norman.

"What on earth is that stench?" Gordon scrunched up his nose.

"The smell of a really useful, completely irreplaceable engine, my friend!" Norman grinned proudly. However, the passengers smelt him too, and dashed to get to their trains. The platform was practically deserted, but Norman was far too proud to notice. The Fat Controller, however, noticed.

"Norman, what is the meaning of-" The Fat Controller held his nose at the stink. Norman grinned eagerly.

"Did you want to speak with me, sir? About how up to par my work has been?"

"We can talk later, Norman. Right now, I urge you to get a wash. You could have come through the station with bags of fertilizer and it would not smell this bad." Norman realized that he was still covered in rubbish, and looked down at his buffers.

"Oh, yes...apologies, sir..." Norman shuffled away to get a wash, while the Fat Controller returned to his office. He looked at the empty station.

"This place needs an air freshener..." He decided to go out and buy one.

Norman was relaxing at the washdown. He felt very proud of the work that he had done.

"A job well done," he smiled to himself as the men scrubbed off the rubbish, "he's sure to keep me on now!" A perfectly clean Norman then began to try to leave the washdown, but smoke erupted from his engine.

"W-WHAT!?" Norman coughed as he desperately tried to struggle on, "Not now! Please, not now!" But Norman spluttered to a stop nonetheless. He shouted out in anguish. His driver stepped down and sighed.

"I'll get out our Steinbeck after I've called for help..." As the driver went to find a telephone.

As Norman and his driver read Of Mice and Men, Den received the call that Norman had broken down at the washdown.

"Oh no..." The maintenance diesel sped off to pick up Norman. Norman sat miserably as his driver sat on his running plate and read. Den honked his horn to signal his arrival, and the driver stepped down.

"Come on, Norman," Den buffered up behind Norman and began to push the solemn engine to the Dieselworks. The faulty diesel was in hysterics as they approached the Dieselworks.

"This can't happen! Not now! Not after I've worked to my limits to prevent it!" Norman was practically in tears.

"That sounds like exactly what the problem is," Den sighed, "you overworked your engine. Should be a quick job, only a few hours."

Norman was still miserable. As Den pushed him through Knapford, he saw that the Fat Controller's window was open to his office, complete with a new air freshener. But Norman didn't care about the air freshener. The Fat Controller was talking on the telephone.

"Yes, alright...the replacement should be here in a few days? Perfect." As the Fat Controller addressed the caller, Norman was completely broken.

"Even after all my work...I WAS COVERED IN GARBAGE AND HE STILL WANTS TO REPLACE ME! I guess I am completely useless. Completely and utterly..." Norman couldn't finish his sentence as he began to cry in fear and misery. Den looked at him with pity, and they continued their journey.

Meanwhile, James had finished his work for the day, and was eagerly looking forward to to getting a good rest.

"Ah, no more trains, no more shunting...just rest..." James grinned as he slowly shut his eyes. However, he suddenly heard a horn and popped an eye open.

"Oh, what is it now?" James saw Winston and the Fat Controller awkwardly attempting to drive towards him. Eventually they came to a stop on the turntable. The Fat Controller stepped down.

"Hello, James." The Fat Controller walked over with a schedule in his hands.

"What do you need, sir?" James muttered through gritted teeth.

"I need a load of ballast taken down to Vicarstown, but neither Donald or Douglas are available. Looking at the timetables, you were available, so I need you to go down to Arlesburgh Junction and collect the train." James pouted.

"But, sir! I just finished my work! Can't Norman or one of those other diesels do it? They're dirty, they like trucks!"

"Really useful engines don't argue, James!"

James grumbled as his crew began tending to his fire again as the Fat Controller left.

James collected his train and started off, his trucks trundling behind. Along the way, the trucks decided to start having fun with him. They bumped and banged him back and forth as they approached Gordon's Hill.

"Hey! Stop that!" James tried to keep control of the trucks, but he couldn't. They cackled as James began to pick up speed as they trundled over the hill.

"On! On! On!" The trucks shouted as James began speeding down the line. He surged his brakes against them, but it did no good. James cried out as he nearly came off at a bend. His driver meddled about with the controls but nothing could slow James down.

"HEEEEEEEEELP!" James screamed as he sped through a station.

At the Dieselworks, Norman's repairs were completed, and he was sadly shunting trucks into various sidings. He was visibly upset, and Den felt sorry for him.

"You alright, Norm?" Den asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Do I look alright? Shunting these trucks is like being on death row! The Fat Controller is getting rid of me...I attempted to prove that I was irreplaceable...fat lot that did. I pulled extra trains, I was early...but I'm still just some kind of...lemon." Norman looked dejectedly down at the ground. Den sighed.

"Norman, if it makes you feel better, I think you're irreplaceable." Norman raised an eyebrow.

"Way to bestow upon me exactly what I wish to hear, Den." Norman let out a low noise that sounded like a cross between a whimper and a chuckle. But Den looked determined.

"Norman, I mean it. You bring our fuel from the mainland! Without fuel, not a diesel on Sodor would be running! And you shunt trucks in every yard on this railway, without you, everywhere would be a mess! And without you bringing workmen to the machinery, we wouldn't have working signals, or anything! You're absolutely irreplaceable! So what if you're a little faulty, you still get the job done!" Norman's shame turned to determination.

"You're right," Norman grinned with a fire in his eyes, "I'll prove it again, even when I'm down and out, I can still make a comeback!" Norman eagerly returned to his shunting with vigor. Den smiled.

"That's Norm. Always striving to be useful." And he rolled away.

James was still speeding down the line. Up ahead there was a level crossing where Trevor the Traction Engine was pulling a cartload of apples. James saw Trevor and yelled out in horror.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY, TREVOR!" Trevor looked in shock and desperately sped up. But James was going far too fast. James' driver slammed on the brakes, but it looked like they were going to crash.

"AAH!"

"AAH!"

"AAH!"

"AAH!"

"AAH!"

"AAH!"

James managed to jam on his brakes on just in time and screeched to a halt. He jolted forwards as he came to a sudden stop. Trevor let out a sigh of relief, before continuing along his way. James' driver stepped down and inspected him.

"Well, we haven't crashed, James. But you've damaged your brakes. We can't keep going now; we need another engine to take our train." James cried out in exasperation.

"I'll be stuck here for hours!" James groaned, "Have you seen how busy everyone is?"

"Not much we can do, James." The driver sighed, "I'll go back and call for help."

Down at the Dieselworks, Den and Dart had gone out to pick up some parts. As a result, Norman was left alone to his shunting. To his surprise, the Dieselworks manager walked up to him.

"James is stranded down the line with our ballast. His brakes failed and he can't start off again. I need an engine to go down there and take the train for him." Norman thought for a moment, and grinned.

"I'd be happy to offer my services, sir. I am freshly repaired and eager to probe my worth. A steam engine with an ego and a couple of ballast trucks should be absolutely no issue." The manager thought for a moment.

"Alright, Norm. Off you go. Be careful and don't strain yourself!" Norman eagerly rolled away to rescue James.

"This shall be my swan song! If I'm being replaced, I'll make them regret it!" Norman shouted as he rolled out of the Dieselworks. The Dieselworks manager looked confused.

"Replaced...?" He muttered, scratching his head.

James was surprised to see Norman backing down in front of him.

"What are you doing here? I need an engine, not a broken toolbox." Norman rolled his eyes.

"Clever. Insulting my color and my shape. Allow me to take part in this sort of verbal jousting. From far away, you somewhat resemble a horse pill on wheels!" Norman chuckled at his own wit while James went as red as his paintwork.

"Now, we haven't time to chat, we have a train to pull...oh, sorry. I have a train to pull. Just try and keep this as minimally difficult as possible. Keep your brakes off and we should be smooth sailing." James growled under his breath as Norman started off, pulling the indignant red engine and screaming ballast trucks behind him.

Norman coasted down the main line. The trucks were exhausted from their previous runaway and as a result gave him a nice smooth ride. James trundled along behind him, silent in his brooding. Norman loved every moment of the ride. He had never felt more powerful in his life.

"What a finale!" Norman grinned, "The underdog comes back just before his final fate and shows them all! But, alas, it seems the Fat Controller's decision is made." Norman smiled sadly, while James raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Do you think the Fat Controller is sending you away?" James seems absolutely bewildered.

"Seeing as there is no evidence to the contrary, I'd say it's much more likely than not." Norman said, "I've heard various exchanges that suggest that he has already acquired a replacement for me." James raised an eyebrow.

"That doesn't sound like the Fat Controller...maybe you were just hearing it out of context?" Norman thought for a moment, and sighed.

"Seems too good to be true. I thank you for the thought." Norman continued on while James chuckled.

"I know the Fat Controller. You'll see. I'm sure this is just a huge misunderstanding. I'm sure of it." James paused before taking a small breath as they rolled into the Dieselworks, "T-thank you for helping me out, by the way. I've been a bit rude to you and you still helped me out of a jam."

"Is that a bit of respect in there, horse-pill?" Norman grinned smugly, and it was James' turn to laugh.

"I guess it is, toolbox."

After they came to a stop, Norman uncoupled from James and the ballast trucks and rolled over to refuel. To his surprise, the Fat Controller was there with the Dieselworks Manager. They walked over to Norman.

"Norman, thank you for rescuing James. You are a really useful, irreplaceable engine." Norman beamed proudly, but he looked confused.

"Irreplaceable, sir...?" Norman's eyes widened in sheer joy. The Fat Controller chuckled.

"Now I don't know where you got this 'being replaced' business from, but you are an absolutely valuable member of this railway, Norman. All my engines are." Norman was silent for a moment before breaking out into the biggest smile he ever had.

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir! I won't let you down for a moment, sir!" However, his expression froze and he raised one side of his unibrow in confusion.

"If you're not planning on replacing me, then what was all that business about the 'replacement' you were talking about on the telephone?" The Fat Controller laughed loud and long.

"The 'replacement' is for your engine, Norman! I bought a new engine for you to have put in once the workload calms down!" The Fat Controller wiped a tear from his eye due to his laughing, "I have no intention of replacing YOU at all, Norman! I'm giving you a stronger, more reliable engine so you can be as really useful as you want to be!"

Norman beamed as the Fat Controller laughed. As Norman began to excitedly chatter to his friends, the Fat Controller walked to James.

"By the way, I haven't forgotten how you stopped a nasty accident with those ballast trucks. The Vicar called me up to tell me about it. Expect a new coat of paint while your brakes are repaired, eh?" He pat the red engine on the buffers as James grinned.

After a few months, Norman returned to work. His engine allowed him to get more jobs done than ever before, and he was twice as efficient.

"Clear a path, important train on the way!" Norman called as he sped through Maron with a long line of oil tankers.

"Well, have you ever seen anything like it?" Thomas laughed at the platform as James passed with another train.

"That's Norm for you, always taking pride in his work." The red engine grinned as he watched his friend speed down the line.

Norman still breaks down sometimes; all engines do. But he still knows that he is a valuable part of the North Western Railway, just as everyone is. And he has also learned a lesson about jumping to conclusions.

THE END

Well, that was an adventure, wasn't it? Seeing as the TV Series hasn't done much to expand on Norman's character, I figured I'd take a swing at him. I've sort of combined his canon persona with his Enterprising Engines persona; eager to please, but somewhat pompous and far too wordy for his own good. This is one of many stories I'll be posting on the site, so keep on the look-out for these in the near future:

- Skiff to the Rescue - Skiff doubts his usefulness after almost causing an accident, but ends up being just the right engine for the job when Donald's driver falls ill and needs to be taken to the hospital.

- Thomas and the Were-Engine - Thomas is sent to work on a scenic branch line with an engine named Lucian, who he fears is a were-engine and is going to turn him into one too!

- The Sad Story of Glynn - Gordon tells Ryan the story of Glynn the "Coffee Pot", his technical problems, and his fall from grace. (This story is supposed to do for Glynn what The Replacement did for Norman).