Gallant Old Engine is the seventeenth book of The Railway Series published in 1962. The book contains four stories focusing on the Skarloey Railway:
- Special Funnel: Winter is approaching, and one day a washout sweeps a bridge away. The workmen manage to repair it by the next market day, during which time the weather becomes frosty. Peter Sam, who is taking the passenger train, has his (already loose) funnel knocked off by an icicle in a tunnel. His crew replace it with a drainpipe, until his new funnel, a "Giesl ejector", arrives. Although the engines tease him about its design at first (Sir Handel and Duncan continually ask him why he sat on it), the engines soon become jealous of it.
- Steam Roller: Sir Handel is always slipping between the rails, so he is given new wheels with broad tyres. The engines nickname him "a steamroller", until Skarloey tells him about George, the anti-railway steamroller working near the line. The next day, Sir Handel is taking a special train when he sees George rolling home. Sir Handel tries to pass, but George refuses and eventually they crash. Rusty and Mr. Hugh arrive to clear the mess, and next day, after a fence is put up to separate the road and rail, George leaves. Sir Handel thinks he made George go away, and is more conceited than ever — at least until some boys start talking about the "race"!
- Passengers and Polish: Nancy, the guard's daughter, is giving Skarloey a polish when Duncan asks if he can get polished too. Nancy does not have the time, however, and Duncan starts to sulk. Later that day, one of Skarloey's coaches derails and Duncan is sent to take the passengers home. He arrives in time for his own train, and is so annoyed he stops right on the viaduct. Skarloey comes to take him to the top station, but the passengers are furious at the delay.
- Gallant Old Engine: Duncan is still complaining, so Skarloey tells him and Peter Sam the story of Rheneas... The year before Peter Sam and Sir Handel came, the Skarloey Railway was facing hard times. Skarloey was tired, so Rheneas offered to do some of his work too. Then, one day, he was pulling a full train home when his valve gear jammed. The Thin Controller and Mr. Hugh managed to fix him so he could struggle to the next station. It was hard work, but he managed to get there. The passengers were so grateful that they promised to come back with all their friends. Duncan realizes he has been silly and thanks and apologizes to Skarloey. The next day, Edward brings Rheneas back to the Skarloey Railway, and a huge celebration ensues. But Rheneas feels the happiest when he's with Skarloey.
The book contains examples of:
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: Sir Handel's wheels. He gets even worse when he thinks he scared George away.
- All of the Other Reindeer:
- Peter Sam is teased by the other engines for his funnel until he gets a new one.
- Sir Handel gets teased for his new wheels.
- All There in the Manual: The Island of Sodor reveals that after the race between Sir Handel and George, the Sodor Island Council, who owns the latter, attempted to sue the Skarloey Railway for damages. Their attempt was thwarted by a photographer who witnessed the event and sold the story to the Crovan's Gate Gazette.
- Break the Haughty:
- The other engines eat their words when they see Peter Sam's new Giesl ejector funnel.
- Skarloey tries to do this to Sir Handel by telling him about George, but this doesn't shut him up. That is until some boys laugh at him about his race with a steamroller.
- Determinator: Rheneas.
- Fantastic Racism: George hates railways and wants to turn them into roads.
- Green-Eyed Monster:
- The other engines at the end of "Special Funnel". No one laughs at Peter Sam's new funnel anymore. They want one just like it.
- Duncan bemoans all the engines' makeovers in "Passengers and Polish", with him not even having the time to be polished after Skarloey being the last straw:
Duncan: It isn't fair! Peter Sam gets a special funnel, Sir Handel gets special wheels, passengers get ice cream, but I'm not even polished! - It's All About Me: Duncan blames his driver for thinking about the passengers and not him.
- Jerkass: George the Steamroller.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Duncan becomes more appreciative of the passengers in the last story.
- Karmic Trickster: Skarloey tries and fails.
- Never My Fault: Sir Handel, George and their drivers argue over who caused the accident and who was supposed to move for the other to pass.
- Never Say "Die": When Skarloey chews Duncan out at the beginning of "Gallant Old Engine", he talks about how no passengers means no railway. That ultimately means they end up on the scrap heap.
- Stubborn Mule: Both George and Sir Handel refuse to leave way for the other as George works to close to the tracks. This eventually leads to George crashing into Sir Handel's train as he attempts to pass through, cueing the expected argument over whose fault it was. A policeman has to come and separate the engines' drivers before they start hitting each other.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story:
- Peter Sam gains his Giesel ejector after his Talyllyn Railway equivalent Edward Thomas gained one. The latter's was removed in 1969.
- The collision between George and Sir Handel is based on an event that took place in Muskerry, County Cork, Ireland in 1927.
- The events of the final story are inspired by events that occurred on the Talyllyn Railway in 1951.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Skarloey and Nancy.
- Whole Episode Flashback:
- The events of this book take place in 1961.
- In "Gallant Old Engine", Skarloey tells Duncan of Rheneas' story in 1952.
