Story 5 - Loco, the Timid Train - A frightened little train learns courage

Jul 17, 2026

Upload by Aurelia

A gentle new train, Loco, is admired for its lovely face and figure, yet it fears everything and refuses adventure. Comforted by older trains and reassured by a wise mentor, Loco meets the guard and trusts the engine driver Babu. On its first journey, Loco’s whistle-like sound scares birds, makes dogs run, and even startles a bull. Far from home, Loco’s reactions turn an unfamiliar world into a step toward courage.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time25 min

Story 5: Loco, the Timid Train

Loco’s fear and reluctance

Reassurance from older trains

The first journey and surprising reactions

Story 5: Loco, the Timid Train Author: Bharati Jagannathan Illustrator: Preeti Krishnamurthy English Copyright © 2011, © Pratham Books [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)[ ](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)[You are free to make commercial use of this work. You](You are free to make commercial use of this work. You)[ ](You are free to make commercial use of this work. You)[may adapt and add to this work. You must keep the](may adapt and add to this work. You must keep the)[ ](may adapt and add to this work. You must keep the)[copyright and credits for authors](copyright and credits for authors) , illustrators , etc. Story 5: Loco , the Timid Train Author: Bharati Jagannathan Illustrator: Preeti Krishnamurthy English When Loco , a lovely new train, was rolled into the railway shed , all the older trains admired its ̊ne face and ̊gure.“Oh, you will soon go to all kinds of strange and new places. What wonderful adventures you will have!” they promised. But Loco did not want any adventures — Loco was , you see , a frightened little train — not little at all , of course , but so scared of everything that it felt tiny! Loco didn’t want to leave the railway shed. Loco shrank when the cows in the ̊elds bellowed , but felt comforted by the friendly , older trains around. Loco was scared even when a dog ran barking towards it and wished to hide somewhere safe! A wise old train who had been all over the country saw how frightened Loco looked and pointed out that Loco was much bigger than dogs and cows. But Loco was not sure. “Oh, but they are all so strong and ̊erce. I don’t want togo anywhere alone,” said Loco. So the old train said ,“But you won’t be alone , dear Loco. The engine driver and the guard will be with you.” Loco knew the guard. He was a pleasant fellow who waved the ̎ag when trains had to leave the station. Loco saw that the guard was quite small. Loco didn’t think the guard could protect the trains from anything. But , Loco also knew the engine driver Babu and trusted her kind face. Soon the big day arrived when Loco was rolled out of theyard for its ̊rst journey. Loco was to go all the way across from Tamil Nadu near the sea to Jammu next to the mountains. Babu, the engine driver pushed some buttons , and twisted some knobs , and o̜ chugged Loco from the station , very excited but also very afraid. “Oooo,” cried Loco in fright. But what do you suppose happened? Loco’s sound came out like a sharp train whistle! Some mynah birds nearby quickly ̎ew o̜ cackling. And as Loco thundered on , o̜ ̎ew all the crows and sparrows and other birds perched on wires along the railway track in great fright. Loco was really surprised that anybody could be frightened of the sound. Loco laughed. At once, the ground shuddered , and dogs nearby took to their heels! Soon Loco was far from home. Seeing a big bull sitting on the track , Loco was so scared as to let out a piercing shriek ,“Oooo!” And the bull liftedits tail and sprang away , its legs ̎aying about wildly as it ran for dear life.

FAQs

Why doesn’t Loco want adventures?

Loco is a frightened little train that feels scared of everything, so it wants to stay in the railway shed.

How does Loco finally prepare for its first journey?

A wise old train explains that Loco is bigger than animals like dogs and cows, and tells Loco that the guard and engine driver will be there.

What happens when Loco begins its trip?

Loco’s whistle-like sound frightens nearby birds, and the ground shudders so that dogs nearby run away; later, a bull on the track also makes Loco shriek and the bull quickly runs off.

Jul 17, 2026

Upload by Aurelia