Im back!, and with a story mainly focusing on Thomas, this and the next 2 or 3 episodes will be a small little story arc for Thomas, after thoses, we'll be finishing up with the 1920s and starting up with the 1930s, with all that aside, i hope you enjoy.
Sodor 1927
Thomas The Tank Engine had been growing bored of being stuck in the yards, for the last few years it had been the same routine day in, day out, he longed to go and see the world.
While he was glad he had helped Edward by giving him the Farquhar Branch, he wished he could have gone with him, but the Director said that the workload was stable and another engine wouldn't be needed for awhile and besides Thomas was needed in the yards.
As a result Thomas would often get grumpy and jealous everytime he saw one of the other engine's heading out onto the mainline with their trains.
He would voice his complains to the others and while they were sympathic towards him, They grew tired of Thomas's constant complaining.
One such day, got very bad as Thomas came puffing into Knapford with some coaches for another train.
"I spend my time pushing coaches about ready for you lot to take out on journeys" Thomas grumbled.
The other engines either rolled their eyes or groaned to themselfs, they had heard this all before.
Thomas continued on complaining,"Why can't i pull passengers too?!".
At last Gordon lost his patience,"Your too impatient little Thomas, your only a tank engine and you'd be sure to leave something behind".
"Rubbish!" Thomas chuckled with cockyness,"I show you one day!".
His chance came sooner then expected.
One night he, Alysaa and Douglas were alone in the sheds, this was unusual, but Gordon had taken the Express to the other railway and wouldn't be back until morning, James had been stuck at Kildane due to a points failure and was stuck there until someone could come and repair it, Douglas was taking the midnight goods to the other railway and Edward was busy working on his branchline.
Douglas was dreadfully ill, he was coughing and spluttering, the men tried hard, but he couldn't get better. Alyssa was trying to distract him from his sickness by telling stories or saying soothing things.
The Fat Director came to the sheds to see what was wrong with him.
"His pipes will need a full cleaning Sir" said a workmen,"It would take most of the morning to finish".
"Oh dear" The Director sighed,"Douglas has to pull the first stopping passenger service in the morning and all the other engines have fully booked scheduales for tomorrow".
Hearing this, Thomas saw a chance to escape the yards and spoke up,"I can take it Sir!" Thomas peeped.
The Fat Director turned to the blue engine and smilied,"Well it should be no hassle for the other engines to shunt their own trains and you won't be gone for the whole day so would you-".
"Yes Sir, please Sir!" Thomas cut in.
"Very well then Thomas, you shall pull the first train tomorrow, i suggest you let Douglas explain what to expect for tomorrow then" and with that, The Fat Director turned on his heel and walked away.
Thomas's eyes lit up and he began to talk about seeing the world and how this was his chance. Douglas and Alyssa gave each other concerned glances.
"Now Thomas, the Mainline s'alot different than young yard" Douglas coughed, still feeling stuffed up ,"I suggest you take care and listen to your driver".
"Stuff and nonsense!" Thomas chuffed,"I can manage".
"I wouldn't be so sure, when comes down to me and you, i have alot more experience in how to run my trains" Douglas replied.
Thomas let off steam,"Rubbish!, i've been on this railway longer than you and i know how to handle coaches".
The two engines went backwards and forwardd arguing until Alyssa broke them up by blowing her whistle loudly.
"That's enough you too!" she said, raising her voice, the two engines piped down.
"Now Thomas, you may have been here longer than both of us, but you've been shunting in the yards for most of that time, i suggest you take Douglas's advice and take care, something will go wrong if you don't" said Alyssa.
Thomas said nothing and backed into his shed, Douglas looked over at Alyssa and was about to say something, but she beat him to it.
"It's alright, if he listens he listens, if he doesn't than he'll have to learn the hard way".
Douglas smilied,"I still don't know how you raise your voice like that?".
Alyssa chuckled,"Someone has to keep you boys in order when Edward's not around, what with Gordon and James's boasting coupled with you and Donald arguing every once in awhile".
The two engines chuckled and soon went to sleep, Douglas found it hard with his ill state but he tried.
Next morning he was getting his pipes and tubes cleaned out, Thomas was prepared for his train, his paint was polished, his joints were oiled and his brass shone bright in the morning sunlight, we a long blow of his whistle, he set off.
Douglas watched him go as the workmen began to get ready to clean and repair his pipes and tubes,"I did try to warn him" he said to Alyssa.
"He'll learn soon enough" Alyssa replied as she set off to take her morning train.
"Hurry along!, hurry along!" Thomas fussed to the coaches as he arrange them in a line for his train.
"There's plently of time!, There's plently of time!" The coaches chortled.
Thomas took them to the station and ran round in front at once, he wanted to leave as quickly as he could, but his driver wouldn't let him.
"Don't be impatient Thomas!" he warned him, but Thomas was too excited to listen.
As the passengers began to get into the coaches, Thomas's Guard get ready to blow his whistle and wave his flag, but as he got them out, a Porter on the platform called out to him for assistance.
He was pushing a trolley piled high with luggage, and needed help to load it onto another train. The Guard set down his whistle and flag in the brake coach's compartment and rushed over to help.
As he did, two teenagers came onto the platform, they were messing around and one of them spotted the whistle. They both walked inside the coach, picked up the whistle and flag and decided to have some fun.
Thomas's driver looked back and saw the flag being waved out the window and heard the whistle.
"Right away mate!" he called out.
Thomas soon began to puff away,"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" he puffed, pretending to be like Gordon.
The Guard turned around and saw the teenagers in the brakecoach, he shouted at them and ran after the moving train, the teenagers quickly hopped off the train last minute and rushed out of the station.
Everyone waved and shouted but to no aval, Thomas was well gone by the time they tried to get his attention.
Thomas puffed down the line singing to himself with glee, he was overjoyed.
"Finally!, im out of that boring old yard",he scoffed.
"Steady boy steady" called his firemen,"Your pushing yourself too hard".
Thomas just ignored him and carried on, however unbeknowst to him and his crew, trouble was rising fast.
Thomas says it was the weight of the coaches holding him back, his driver said it was Thomas straining himself but no one truely knew what it was that happened next.
As Thomas passed Crosby, a loud bang was heard, followed by steam hissing everywhere. Thomas yelped, his driver stopped the train.
"What's happening?" Thomas grunted,"I feel so weak".
His crew inspected the damage and quickly found the problem.
"You've burst your safety value" said his Firemen,"You can't pull the train anymore".
"Oh bother!" said Thomas,"And we were going so nicely too!" he let out a sad peep on his whistle.
"Nevermind" said his Driver,"I ask the Guard to telephone for help".
He went down the train to find the Guard, but he was nowhere to be seen, the driver looked all over the train, but he couldn't find him anywhere.
"We must have left him behind lads" said the driver when he came back.
"Well that's just tops!" groaned the firemen,"Now what do we do?".
"I'll run up the line to the nearest signal box and telephone for help, you stay here and look after the train" replied the driver as he quickly began to sprint up the line, Thomas felt even more embrassed and hoped help would come soon.
Back at the big station, Douglas was in a siding filling up on coal, his tubes and pipes had been cleaned out and he felt much better.
Just then, he saw the Stationmaster and a Guard walking up to him.
"What's the matter Andy?" asked Douglas Driver, the Stationmaster told him about the Guard and Thomas's situation.
Douglas scowled,"I told him to be careful, but that young devil wouldn't listen" he huffed crossly.
"Nevermind lad" said his Firemen,"We've got to help, think of the passengers".
Douglas couldn't argue with that and once the guard hopped on board his cab, he quickly set off down the line.
He sooned arrived to find a downcast Thomas and a train full of grumpy passengers. The Guard jumped down and climbed back into the train. Thomas looked at him with guilt and was about to apologise, but Douglas cut him off.
"Dinna apologise to me laddie" he said in a stern tone,"Save it for Hattie".
Thomas knew that Douglas was right, The Fat Director would not be pleased.
Douglas coupled up to the front of the Thomas and took the train onwards to Wellsworth. Once he got there, he shunted Thomas onto a siding out of the way and took the train on.
Workmen arrived to repair Thomas's safety value. Once it was fixed, Thomas soon puffed home, with alot to think about.
The Fat Director was not pleased with Thomas and told him he had alot to learn about pulling trains before he could leave the yards, Thomas understood and continued to work hard in the yards.
But for a long time afterwards, Gordon and James would often puff by and say,"Look!, there's Thomas, the one who forgot his guard and broke down with his train, oh what a shame!, what a shame!" they laughed.
Thomas thought they were being very silly indeed.
