History Recap / TheRailwaySeriesB1TheThreeRailwayEngines

* RuleOfThree: In "The Sad Story of Henry", it took three attempts for The Fat Director to get Henry out of the tunnel, but none of them worked. First, pulling him, then pushing him from behind, and third having an unnamed red engine push the train. It is after the last everyone gives up and leaves Henry there.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: For Henry. Not only does he redeem himself by pulling the heavy Express, but he is also rewarded a new coat of paint.

* DownerEnding: ''The Sad Story of Henry'' ends with Henry being walled up in the tunnel and left there. Fortunately for him, he is let out in the next story.

* CryCute: Edward is visibly crying after the other engines laugh at him for being smaller and weaker than they. This gets the driver and fireman to feel sorry for him.

* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: Although published in 1945, the stories are all set in 1923 except for ''The Sad Story of Henry'', takes place in 1922.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Gordon is quick to point out Edward is too small to pull the Express on his own.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gordon becomes one in "Edward, Gordon, and Henry". He sulks pompously throughout the whole ordeal, but it's him that convinces the Fat Director to release Henry.

* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: Although published in 1945, the stories are set in 1923, except for "The Sad Story of Henry," which takes place in 1922.

* AllThereInTheManual: According to Awdry, the other two blue engines in the shed were named 87546 and 98462. They had been sent to the railway on trial, but were later sent back by the Fat Director for being rude and nasty.
* ArtEvolution: The book was originally illustrated by William Middleton, who used a watercolor art style with much more simplistic character designs. C. Reginald Dalby later redrew the book with a relatively more realistic style. Since he did so halfway through his own tenure as illustrator, this has the effect of the first book looking more detailed than some of his later entries.
* BreakTheHaughty: This happens to Gordon twice - first when he has to pull trucks instead of coaches, and then when he bursts his safety valve and is laughed at by Henry.
* CanonWelding: "The Sad Story of Henry" was not written with any connection to the first two stories initially, though publishers asked for a fourth story that connected the three engines to one railway.

* ComedicSociopathy: Edward delights in scaring the trucks by bumping them hard into each other.
* TheDandy: Henry cherishes his "green paint and red stripes".

* DownerEnding: "The Sad Story of Henry". It is reversed in "Edward, Gordon and Henry".

** Sir Topham Hatt is known as the Fat Director and two engines can be seen in the sheds that were never seen or heard again. (The change in title for Sir Topham can be attributed to the story being published before nationalization as British Railways.)
** The original book lacks the traditional foreword that would preceed every book from the second book onward. A special foreword by Rev. W. Awdry was added in the Japanese printing in 1973 and one by Christopher Awdry was later added to later printings starting in the 90s (which even acknowledges the lack of foreword prior).
* EarnYourHappyEnding: For Henry, not only does he redeem himself by pulling the heavy Express, but he is also rewarded a new coat of paint.
* ExtremeOmniGoat: The Fat Director leans out of the window to wave at Edward and Henry, only for the train to move so fast that his hat blows into a field where a goat eats it for tea.

* GoToSleepEnding: "Edward's Day Out" ends with Edward going to sleep in the sheds after a long day's work.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Henry cares more for his paint than his passengers.

''The Three Railway Engines'' is the first book of ''Literature/TheRailwaySeries'' published in 1945. It was originally illustrated by William Middleton, but Awdry despised his amateurish illustrations, and it was completely redrawn by C. Reginald Dalby a few years later. The four stories are:

* AchillesInHisTent: Henry refuses to come out of the tunnel due to his fear of the rain spoiling his paint. As a result, he's bricked up by the Fat Director and is left there indefinitely. Eventually resulting in his paint getting spoiled [[DramaticIrony for real]]. He finally leaves the tunnel to help Edward pull the Express.
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: The five engines towards Edward. They teased him for being no longer useful and became resentful when he was let out by the driver.
* AllThereInTheManual: The other two blue engines in the shed were stated by Awdry to be 98462 and 87546. They served a trial at the railway, but were later sent back by the Fat Director for being rude and nasty, as evidenced in their brief appearance.
* AndIMustScream: In the beginning of "Edward, Gordon, and Henry", Henry is left to rot in the tunnel for "Always and always and always" at the end; the narrator even mentions how Henry has no steam left to answer with. He quite literally has no coal, and he must steam.
* ArtEvolution: The earliest editions of the book were illustrated by William Middleton, who used a watercolored artstyle with much cruder designs that Awdry was dissatisfied with. C. Reginald Dalby later redrew the book with a relatively more realistic style. Since he did so halfway through his own tenure as illustrator, this has the effect of the first book looking more detailed than some of his later entries.

* TimeSkip: "The Sad Story of Henry" took place in 1922. During that time, the other stories took place in 1923.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The events of "Edward and Gordon" is based on the common instances of trains stalling on the Lickey Incline near the Awdry family's home in King's Norton.
* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Blue Paint]]: Edward is rewarded with a blue coat of paint, and so is Henry after he helps Edward pull the express.
* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Although published in 1945, the stories are set in 1923 ("The Sad Story of Henry" took place in 1922.)

* CanonWelding: "The Sad Story of Henry" was not written with any connection to the first two stories initially, though publishers asked for fourth story that connected the three engines into one railway.