DEAR FRIENDS,

You may be familiar with the first series of Thomas & Friends, as well as the 2015 special, The Adventure Begins. As they are both part of the Television Series, you may be confused regarding certain events. Well, what if I told you that everything that you saw on screen actually happened, just not in the way you were shown?

This book will tell you everything that happened all of those years ago and, hopefully, shed some light in other areas that have not been shown due to budgetary reasons, the flow of the stories, character exposure or otherwise. For the first time, you can find out what really happened when the characters we all know and love first came to the Island of Sodor.

THE AUTHOR

A long time ago, on the Island of Sodor, there were lots and lots of small railway lines. Two of them were known as the Sodor and Mainland, and the Tidmouth, Wellsworth, and Suddery. One day, it was decided that the two lines would become one big railway traveling across the whole island, and it would be known as the North Western.

The man in charge of the new railway company was Sir Topham Hatt, but the engines would soon know him as 'the Fat Controller.' It was his job to make sure all the trains ran on time and the construction of the new railway was a success.

Sir Topham Hatt knew that more engines would be needed, so he borrowed three engines from the Mainland to help. Their names were Edward, Alex and Isaac and they would take it in turns to pull trains on the main line and help build the new railway.

One day, Edward was in the yard at Vicarstown, when he heard a voice he'd never heard before.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where Vicarstown is?"

Edward heard Isaac answer. "But this is Vicarstown. Where are you from?"

"Oh, uh, Brighton…on the Mainland."

Edward puffed excitedly to himself. "Sir Topham Hatt's new engine." He had heard that another engine would be coming to help them, and they were glad of the help, but as he backed alongside Isaac, Edward couldn't believe his eyes.

The new engine had six small wheels, a short stumpy funnel, a short stumpy boiler and a short stumpy dome. Edward, Alex and Isaac were all bigger than the other engines on Sodor, but the new engine was smaller than all three of them.

The engine noticed Edward starring at him. "Hello? What's the matter? Do I have soot on my face?"

"No. It's just…well…" Edward tried to choose his words carefully. "…you're not a big engine."

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not," Isaac chuckled.

"Well," huffed the engine, "I was big enough to do my work on the Mainland."

"Wait! Wait!" said Edward quickly. "All I meant was…you're not as big as I am."

"I may not be as big as you, but I'm very hard working," the new engine said confidently.

Edward sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm Edward, by the way."

"And I'm Isaac."

At that moment, Sir Topham Hatt arrived. "You must be Thomas, my new tank engine. Welcome to Sodor. I am Sir Topham Hatt."

"Pleased to meet you," said Thomas politely.

There was an awkward silence as Sir Topham Hatt cleared his throat.

"Sir," whispered Edward to Thomas. "You're supposed to call him 'Sir.'

"Oh." Thomas quickly corrected himself. "I'm pleased to meet you…Sir."

Sir Topham Hatt smiled. "I'm very pleased to meet you too. Now, as you can see, I'm a very busy man and this is a very busy railway. So, I expect you to make yourself Really Useful right away. Edward will show you what to do." And he left.

Edward spent the whole day taking Thomas around the yard and showing him how to shunt the trucks and coaches into place, but Thomas was so eager to work that it was not easy for him, and he kept making mistakes; he bumped into Edward, he almost shunted a line of trucks through the buffers twice, and he found himself on the wrong line and got in the way of the other engines more than once.

That night, Thomas was the smallest engine at Vicarstown Sheds, but at least his new friend Edward was there too. "I like being on Sodor, Edward," he said. "I just can't wait until I get to pull trains."

"You'd better learn how to shunt trucks and coaches first, Thomas," said Edward sternly.

"Oh, I'll soon get the hang of shunting, Edward, but I want to see the world."

Edward could only smile. Thomas did have a lot to learn, but he was sure they would become good friends.

The next morning, Sir Topham Hatt came to the sheds.

"Good morning, Sir," said Thomas cheerfully.

"Good morning," he replied. "There is a change in schedule today. Alex, I want to see how you manage the Express this morning. The rest of you know your jobs." And Sir Topham Hatt left.

"I have to fill up with more water first," said Alex. "Can one of you fetch my coaches please?"

"You'd better do it, Thomas," said Edward. "I have a train to pull today."

Thomas was puzzled. "But…I thought we were going to be working together."

"We are, just not all the time."

With that, the two engines left the shed, but Thomas was lost in his thoughts and hadn't noticed that the shunter had accidently left the points switched to the wrong siding. Thomas rolled up to two small coaches and gently bumped them.

The coaches woke with a start.

"I say," said one, "where are you taking us?"

"To Alex. It's time for the Express."

"But we're not the Express coaches," they protested.

"I'm Annie and she is Clarabel," said the first coach.

"And the Express coaches are on the other sidings," said the other.

Thomas realized his mistake and felt embarrassed. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, your ladyships. You see, I'm new around here. I'm Thomas."

Thomas quickly backed out of the siding as the coaches watched with interest.

"Oh, what a sweet little engine," chuckled Annie.

"Indeed, Annie. Delightful."

"He'll go far, Clarabel. Just you wait and see.

Thomas wasn't used to working in the yard on his own. It was very busy all day long and by the time evening came, he was very tired.

"I'm puffed out," wheeshed Thomas. "I didn't know shunting could be such hard work."

"It can be," said Alex. "I've shunted my fair share of trucks and coaches before."

"So have I," put in Isaac. "You'll get used to it in time."

Thomas hoped he would.

The next day, Thomas' Driver and Fireman came early. Thomas was excited. He liked starting work while the yard was still quiet.

As he shunted, he noticed a line of trucks in the corner of the yard. There was a small coach, some flat trucks and two strange things Thomas had never seen before. "I wonder where those trucks are meant to be going," he said to himself. Thomas puffed alongside the strange sleeping things. "Wake up, lazy wheels!"

The two things woke with a start.

"Judy!"

"Jerome?!"

"Emergency!" they shouted together.

"Where's the accident?!" said one.

"Is an engine off the rails?!" said the other.

"Or is it a breakdown?!"

"A fire?!"

"A bridge out?!"

"No! No! No! No!" Thomas cut in. "I am…well…I just wondered where you were going, that's all."

"Thomas," said a voice, "over here." It was Clarabel calling from the other side of the yard.

"Sorry to disturb you," apologized Thomas as he hurried away and rolled alongside Clarabel.

"You mustn't touch those trucks."

"That's the breakdown train," Annie added.

Thomas was confused. "But why are they in the yard if they're not meant to be shunted? Don't they ever go anywhere?"

"Usually in emergencies," said Clarabel.

"Like when a poor, helpless coach needs lifting back onto the rails," said Annie. "That's what the cranes are for."

"So that's what they are," said Thomas.

"But they also help with building, clearing and mending the line," Annie continued.

"They've been helping to build the new railway," said Clarabel.

"But you can't wake them like that."

"Then they'll think there's an emergency."

Thomas looked back to the sleeping cranes thoughtfully. "Okay, I won't bother them again."