Labor Strife on Sodor

So many unanswered questions. Today I ponder the mysteries of Thomas the Tank Engine, the televised version, or at least one or two mysteries. The engines on Sodor Island are clearly autonomous, even sentient beings who make decisions about their future courses of action and then follow through. Why then do they need drivers? Every now and then a driver will pop out of the cab to do something, such as make an emergency call for help, usually after the engine has done something thoughtless.

Do the engines ever get into arguments with their drivers? One time one of the engines got it into his steam-powered head to drive into an abandoned mine shaft. If I were that driver, I’d put on the brakes before that could happen. So what happens when the driver wants to stop but the engine doesn’t?

But most of the time, the drivers are shadowy figures who don’t seem to do much, certainly not driving. Maybe the rail workers’ union insists they be there anyway. Margaret Thatcher might have broken the power of some trade unions, but not the drivers of Sodor! (Assuming Sodor is part of the UK, which seems a safe bet.)

You’d think Sir Topham Hat wouldn’t brook any of this union nonsense. I’m waiting for the episode in which the drivers go out on strike, and Thomas and some of the other engines go scabbing for Sir Topham. Being useful and all. That is, until Thomas is derailed on a lonely stretch of track by a gang of union men. The damage is too expensive to repair (says Sir Topham), and Thomas is sold for scrap.