Tootle

His schoolwork includes tasks such as stopping at red flags and pulling a dining car without spilling the soup.

Bill, his good friend and teacher, tells Tootle that trains are not professional unless they get 100 A+ on staying on the rails, no matter what.

One day when Tootle is rolling down the tracks, he hops off to play in the meadow, but sees red flags everywhere in the grass.

Having learned his lesson, Tootle gets back on the track and says that playing in the meadow only brings red flags to trains.

Many years later, an older and wiser Tootle teaches some new locomotives lessons, including "Stay on the rails no matter what".

First edition