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Saddle and Well.

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"Nothing could spoil this..." "You're still 15 minutes late."

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"Toodle-pip!"

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"Isn't it a splendid evening to have your photograph taken?"

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"Make way for the Photo Charter!"

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He's inevitable...

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Coming along...

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He's coming...

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"OK, Falcon... This is your big moment... The Heavens are literally shining down upon you... Don't shatter the Guard's van..."

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"Back in a minute..."

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"Yes... Bask in my glory, 'Standard Service' passengers."

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'Sir Handel' is a very oddly paced story and probably not everyone's favourite, but I appreciate it for not just giving us time to get to know Sir Handel as a character, but for bucking Awdry's usual formula. When it comes to boastful characters, Awdry usually structures a character arc into 4 stories to make up a book:

Character gets introduced and gets into a small accident. 2. Character thinks nothing of the accident and becomes conceited, only to trip up and have a worse accident which puts them under scrutiny. 3. Character is put to work on a lowly duty and works hard to rebuild their reputation which gets them back in good graces. 4. Character gets a chance to shine (usually as a result of helping another character who has failed) and gets what they were trying to achieve in the first place by being more humble and all ends happily. In just 3/4 of one story, Sir Handel makes multiple offences before slipping up with the coaches as a result of his own insults to them, leading to a dressing down from the Thin Controller: ("You are a troublesome engine." He said, "You are rude, conceited and much to big for your wheels. Next time, I will punish you severely." Sir Handel was impressed, and behaved well for several days.) This seems like the last straw, so when Sir Handel is given the lowly duty in the last 1/4 of the story, we would expect him to rise to the occasion; as others have done before him... But he doesn't. Sir Handel doesn't just backslide, he makes the biggest offence that any engine has ever performed in the Series (deliberately defying the primary function of a locomotive - to stay on the rails!) and then the story ends with a punishment. Technically, the formula has been fulfilled, but the harshness of The Thin Controller's initial dressing down and Sir Handel's heel-face turn in behaviour makes us assume he's learned his lesson; but it's only cowardice. He hasn't truly learned his lesson and needs more time to understand where he's going wrong.

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The basketcase, in video format

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Typical Sudrian behaviour when in camera shot.

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The full Picnic, basketcase and all.

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What a small blogspot! Ah, hello. Sir Tramdel, here. This blog is all about Sir Handel and anything else that the author finds interesting about the RWS and its affiliated franchises.