From then on, Thomas worked hard in the yard and every day, the Fat Controller came to see him at the station. "Hullo," he always said. "Remember, don't be impatient, Thomas. You can never be as strong and fast as Gordon, but you can be a Really Useful Engine. Don't let the silly trucks tease you."

Indeed, Thomas knew that he wasn't as clever as he had thought. Besides, he wanted to learn all about trucks and coaches to be a Really Useful Engine. There were lots of trucks and Thomas worked very hard pushing and pulling them into place.

One day, Thomas was in the yard, when his Driver noticed him looking at Judy and Jerome sleeping in the siding. "That's the breakdown train," he told Thomas. "The cranes are for lifting heavy things like engines and coaches and trucks."

"I remember," said Thomas, and he made his way over to another line of trucks where Edward was waiting.

"The Fat Controller is coming by this afternoon, Thomas, to see how you're getting on."

Thomas was nervous. "I'm getting on okay now, aren't I?"

"Of course, you are," Edward smiled. "I think you nearly know as much about trucks as I do now."

Suddenly, they heard an engine whistling "Help! Help!" James came rushing through with a goods train much too fast and he was frightened. "They're pushing me! They're pushing me!" he panted.

"On, on, on!" laughed the trucks.

James brakes were hard on, but they wouldn't hold. Clouds of smoke streamed out from them on each side.

"James!" Thomas cried. He was so worried about his friend that he raced off.

"Thomas! Thomas! Come back!" Edward called, but it was no good.

Still whistling "Help! Help!" poor James disappeared with Thomas chasing after him.

"I'd like to teach those trucks a lesson," said Thomas to himself.

"On! On! Faster! Faster!" laughed the trucks again.

"I don't want to go any faster!" James called back. At that moment, sparks began to fly from around James' wheels. "My brakes!" he cried. At last, Thomas caught up with James and raced alongside. "Thomas!" James called.

"Use your brakes! Use your brakes!" Thomas called back.

"I can't! My brake blocks are on fire! They're made of wood!"

With one final burst of sparks, James brakes were filled with flames.

"I'm going to try to couple up behind you, James!" Thomas called. "I'm going to try to slow you down!"

"Hurry, Thomas!"

Thomas waited until they were near a signal box and whistled. The Signalman could see what was happening and he quickly changed the points and sent Thomas onto James' line.

James' Guard was watching everything from the brake van.

"Couple me up! Couple me up!" Thomas shouted. The Guard raced into the van and grabbed a spare shunter's pole. As Thomas came up behind, he tried to grab Thomas' coupling, but he missed. "Try again! Try again!" Thomas called.

The Guard reached out with his pole but missed Thomas' coupling again. Thomas was struggling to keep up, but he wouldn't stop. "Faster! Faster!" shouted the Guard. Thomas' boiler strained and his coupling rods clattered. He nearly buffered up to the van as the Guard reached for his coupling again.

Then, everything happened at once.

Screaming and shouting, James raced around a bend. There was a loud crunch and James and his trucks disappeared in a cloud of smoke and steam with ballast flying everywhere.

"James!" Thomas cried as he screeched to a halt.

When the smoke and steam cleared, Thomas could hardly believe what he saw. There was James, damaged, dirty and resting in a field of cows with trucks piled in a heap behind him.

Thomas didn't think twice; he knew what to do. "Stay right there, James! I'll go and get help!"

It's not like I can go anywhere, James thought to himself, sadly.

The Fat Controller had just walked into the yard when Thomas raced in.

"Wake up! Wake up! Emergency!" Thomas called to the cranes. He raced up and bumped them, and they woke with a start.

"Judy!"

"Jerome!"

"Emergency!" they called out together.

The Fat Controller was confused. "Thomas! what do you think you're-"

"Sorry, Sir," Thomas interrupted, "but this is an emergency! James is off the line! His brakes were on fire!"

"Right!" said Jerome with determination.

"We're ready!" put in Judy.

"Crew! Up!"

"Let's go!"

Soon, came the alarm. "James is off the line! The breakdown train, quickly!" Thomas was coupled on and off they went.

Thomas worked his hardest. "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" he puffed. This time, he wasn't pretending to be like Gordon; he really meant it. "Bother those trucks and their tricks. I hope poor James isn't hurt."

Meanwhile, James' Driver and Fireman were feeling him all over to see if he was hurt.

"Never mind, James," said his Driver. "It wasn't your fault.

"It was those wooden brakes they gave you," added the Fireman. "We always said they were no good."

Soon, they heard Thomas. He pushed the breakdown train alongside and Judy and Jerome set to work.

Then Thomas moved the unhurt trucks out of the way. "Oh dear! Oh dear!" they groaned.

"Serves you right. Serves you right," puffed Thomas. "I hope this will teach you troublesome trucks a lesson."

Thomas was hard at work puffing backwards and forwards all afternoon.

"This'll teach you a lesson, this'll teach you a lesson," he told the trucks, and they answered, "Yes it will, yes it will," in a sad, groany, creaky, sort of voice.

They left the broken trucks. Then Judy and Jerome got ready to put James back on the rails.

"Have you got him at the front there, Judy?"

"Yes Jerome, ready to lift."

"Me too. Let's go."

James was nervous. He didn't like wobbling in the air with nothing under his wheels.

"You're all right, you're all right," chuckled Jerome.

"We've got you," Judy added.

At last, James was safe and back on the track. He tried to move but he couldn't.

Just then, Edward arrived. The Fat Controller was anxious and had come to make sure that everyone was okay. "Well done, Thomas," he said proudly. "Now, I'd like you to take James to the Main Works. Do you know the way?"

"Yes, Sir. I do, Sir. It's where I was painted blue."

The Fat Controller laughed. "That's right."

So, Thomas helped James to the Works Shed and Edward stayed behind to help clear the rest of the mess.

That night, the other engines were very happy to see Thomas indeed and the workmen clapped and cheered for him.

"Well done, Thomas," said Edward, proudly. "Today, you really were the best engine."

Even Gordon seemed impressed.

"What you did was…terrific," added Henry.

"Really Useful, that's what I'd say," said a voice. It was the Fat Controller. "Well, Thomas," he said, "I've heard all about it, and I'm very pleased with you. You're a Really Useful Engine. "James shall have some proper new brakes, a bit of repair here and there and a new coat of paint, and you, Thomas, shall have a Branch Line all to yourself."

Thomas gasped. "My own branch line?! Do you really mean it, Sir?!"

"Yes, Thomas. You have learned a lot since you first arrived. After that, and due to your unselfish bravery and heroism today, you have shown yourself worthy of having your own Line."

"Oh, thank you, Sir!" said Thomas.

All the other engines cheered happily, except Gordon. "But who will fetch our coaches for us, Sir? Tender engines are not meant to…shunt," he shuttered.

"I don't know, Gordon. I'm sure Alex and Adrian will be able to help out occasionally, but they still have their own work to do. In the meantime, perhaps you'll have to fetch your own until I can get another small engine like Thomas."

"But…but...," Gordon protested, and the other engines just laughed.

Edward and Alex showed Thomas everything he needed to know about running his branch line; how to stop and start gently at every station, and how to handle the trucks, and a few days later, Thomas was getting ready for his first passenger train.

Then, an engine came into the yard that Thomas and Edward had never seen before. It had bright and shiny red paint and looked very impressive. As the engine came to a gentle stop, Thomas recognized who it was. "James?! is that really you?!"

"Of course, it is," chuckled the red engine. "How do you like my new paintwork?"

"Wow, James! You look splendid."

"I know," said James proudly. "I'm ready for my coaches."

"We're Thomas' coaches now, James," said Annie.

"That's right," added Clarabel, "and he's got his very own Branch Line too."

"Off to see the world now, Thomas?" Edward asked.

Thomas laughed. "Yes, Edward, I am."

Thomas pulled into the platform and waited for his passengers. Gordon was resting alongside, waiting for his coaches. After Thomas' passengers were on board, he whistled loudly. "Wake up, lazybones! Really Useful Engine coming through!" he laughed.

"Oh, the indignity," Gordon groaned, and Thomas set off.

Thomas had a lovely day. He knew exactly where he had to stop and soon, he reached the last station on the line, Ffarquhar. The new station had just opened, and everyone clapped and cheered as Thomas pulled in.

On a siding, Thomas noticed a small engine. It was rusty, covered with vines and its boiler pointed up in the air. Thomas knew who the engine was, especially when he saw its number.

"Oh," said the old engine, "you must be the new number one."

"I'm Thomas."

"Well, look after the branch line, Thomas, and wear that number with pride."

"Don't worry Mr. Coffee Pot," said Thomas confidently. "I will. You can count on me."

"But I'm not 'Mr. Coffee Pot,'" chuckled the engine as Thomas pulled away. "My name is Glynn."

Now Thomas is as happy as can be. He has a branch line and two coaches all to himself, and he puffs proudly backwards and forwards with Annie and Clarabel all day.

He is never lonely. Thomas still sleeps with the other engines at Tidmouth and Edward and Henry stop quite often at Elsbridge Junction and tell him the news. Gordon is almost always in a hurry; but never forgets to say 'Poop, poop,' and Thomas always whistles 'Peep, peep' in return.

The End