Cartoon made of the childrens story "The Little Engine That Could" by Coronet. Bless her wheels. <br /><br /> In Search of Watty Piper: A Brief History of the "Little Engine" Story <br /> Celebrating More Than One Hundred Years of Thinking I Can! <br /><br />http://tigger.uic.edu/~plotnick/littleng.htm <br /><br />Story of the Engine that Thought It Could. Published in the New York Tribune on April 8, 1906, this story is attributed to a sermon by the Rev. Charles S. Wing to the Norstrand Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in Brooklyn; the church had just paid off its mortgage after many years. This is earliest full version I have discovered to date: <br /><br />In a certain railroad yard there stood an ex<br />tremely heavy train that had to be drawn up an <br />unusually heavy grade before it could reach its<br /> destination. The superintendent of the yard was <br />not sure what it was best for him to do, so he<br /> went up to a large, strong engine and asked :<br /> <br />"Can you pull that train over the hill?"<br /> <br />"It is a very heavy train," responded the en<br />gine.<br /> <br />He then went to another great engine and <br />asked:<br /> <br />"Can you pull that train over the hill?"<br /> <br />"It is a very heavy grade," it replied.<br /> <br />The superintendent was much puzzled, but he <br />turned to still another engine that was spick<br /> and span new, and he asked it:<br /> <br />"Can you pull that train over the hill?"<br /> <br />"I think I can," responded the engine.<br /> <br />So the order was circulated, and the engine<br /> was started back so that it might be coupled<br /> with the train, and as it went along the rails it<br /> kept repeating to itself: "I think I can. I think<br /> I can. I think I can."<br /> <br />The coupling was made and the engine began<br /> its journey, and all along the level, as it rolled <br />toward the ascent, it kept repeating to itself:<br /> "I ---think ---I can. I ---think ---I--- can. I ---think--- I ---can."<br /> <br />Then it reached the grade, but its voice could <br />still be heard: "I think I can. I----- think-----I-----can. <br />I -----think----- I----- can." <br /><br />Higher and higher it climbed, and its voice<br />grew fainter and its words came slower: <br /><br />"I -------think --------I-------can."<br /> <br />It was almost to the top.<br /> <br />"I ---------think" <br /><br />If was at the top. <br /><br />"I ---------can."<br /> <br />It passed over the top of the hill and began <br />crawling down the opposite slope. <br /><br />'I ------think------- I------ can------I----- thought------I-------could I----- thought----- <br />could. I thought I could. I thought I could.<br /> I thought I could."<br /> <br />And singing its triumph, it rushed on down <br />toward the valley.
