Thomas and Friends: Workhorse of the West
Chapter 1: Engine No. 425
It was a clear day on the Island of Sodor. All the engines on the Fat Controller's Railway were being really useful. One morning at Brendam Docks, Thomas and Percy were shunting trucks when they heard an odd whistle, "Bust my buffers, who is that?" puffed Percy, a new engine unlike anything they had ever seen has found a home on Sodor.
With a whistle and a wheesh, the new engine puffed into the Docks. Thomas had never seen an engine like that. The Fat Controller was there to meet him at the Docks, "Thomas, I would like for you to meet our new engine on the island, her name is Maisie," said the Fat Controller, "and I would like for you to show her around the island,"
"Yes sir," said Thomas, Maisie was a dashing engine. Like all the engines on Sir Topham Hat's railway, she wanted to prove that she is really useful. She had blue and grey paintwork, four truck wheels, six main driving wheels, and two smaller wheels behind them. Her wheels all had a white trim. Thomas smiled, "Hello Maisie, I'm Thomas,"
"Hello there, Thomas," puffed Maisie in a kind and gentle voice. Maisie beamed. Her silver bell rang, and she whistled to start her day. Thomas showed Maisie all over the island from the China Clay Works to Tidmouth Sheds. Maisie may have a kind demeanor, but she is a strong engine. There was a problem. Maisie was not like other engines.
It became very apparent when she tried to shunt trucks, but she could not couple herself to them. Maisie felt silly, "Well...not the best way to start the morning," she puffed. to herself. Gordon was coming back after pulling the express. When Gordon saw Maisie trying to shunt trucks and be a really useful engine, he snickered and laughed at her.
"Those are not your trucks," Gordon boasted, "you have your own trucks waiting for you at Knapford Station, a engine such as yourself needs the proper trucks and coaches," Maisie puffed out of Tidmouth Sheds, and steamed toward Knapford Station. Maisie was surprised to see coaches and trucks from her homeland, and they fit her perfectly.
"Hello, you must be Maisie," said one of the coaches, "I am Rosaline,"
"And I am Wilhelmina," said the other coach. Maisie beamed with excitement. They were just like the passenger cars she pulled when she pulled the express on her homeland branch-line. Even her trucks were specially made for her, and fit her couplings perfectly. Sir Topham Hat arrived at the station just as Maisie was coupled to her new coaches.
Meanwhile, Mavis was pulling trucks full of slate to Brendam Docks to be transported to the mainland. Suddenly, there was a rock on the rails. Mavis tried to stop in time, but she couldn't. With a 'snap' and a 'clank', she was bumped off the rails and into a ditch. Maisie was puffing along her branch-line when she saw Mavis had gone off the tracks.
"Keep on puffing, Maisie, you have to get your passengers to Rolf's Castle!" said Wilhelmina, but Maisie did not listen to her. The trucks cackled and giggled, and there was slate all over the tracks. The slate trucks also blocked off Maisie's branch-line to Rolf's Castle. Maisie was in quite a bind, but she knew that she had to do something for Mavis.
Maisie offered to help, "Smoldering smokestacks! That ditch sure saved your stars," said Maisie, "wait here, I'll get Rocky from the Search and Rescue Center," Maisie puffed as fast as she could, and raced on the line leading to the Sodor Search and Rescue Center, "Rocky! Rocky! Come quick, Mavis has gone off the tracks!" she said with urgency.
Rocky was surprised, "Mavis has gone off the tracks, you say? Well, we have no time to lose," said Rocky, but Maisie had a problem. She could not couple herself to Rocky. Maisie's couplings were different from those of the other engines on Sodor, "oh no," groaned Rocky, but then Rocky had an idea, "I know, I'll have Belle pull me to Mavis,"
"Right away, Rocky!" Belle puffed, "Maisie, we will use your flatbed, and you can carry Mavis back to the Dieselworks," instructed Belle, and with that Maisie rushed back to help Mavis with Belle pulling Rocky to where Mavis had fallen off the tracks. Rocky lifted Mavis onto Maisie's flatbed, and Maisie puffed over to the Vicarstown Dieselworks.
The rock had snapped one of Mavis's wheels, and cracked her piston rod, "Thank you, Maisie, for coming to my rescue," said Mavis,
"No engine gets left behind," puffed Maisie with a smile, and she went out of the Dieselworks, and went back to Knapford Station later that afternoon. When she arrived at Knapford Station, the Fat Controller was there. He was cross. She had forgotten all about the passengers she was supposed to take to Rolf's Castle. Maisie felt sorry indeed.
"Maisie, you have caused confusion and delay, you were supposed to take your passengers to Rolf's Castle, now your passengers will not be able to go back to the mainland until tomorrow morning," scolded the Fat Controller. Her driver then told Sir Topham Hat about what had happened, "I see...so Mavis had an accident on your branch-line?"
"Yes sir," puffed Maisie, "the slate cars spilled out onto the tracks on my branch-line, I couldn't go anywhere without making a bigger mess on the rails," The Fat Controller nodded in understanding at Maisie's explanation, "please sir, I couldn't just leave Mavis in a ditch all by her lonesome," the Fat Controller saw just how useful Maisie can be.
"What you did for Mavis was a very selfless act, welcome to Sodor, Maisie, you are indeed a really useful engine," said Sir Topham Hat. Maisie beamed with excitement. She puffed to the Sodor Steamworks were a brass nameplate was fitted to her blue boiler. Maisie had made a friend in Mavis, but Maisie's adventures were only just beginning.