The Missing Mail

Moral: patience is a virtue/it takes time to learn new things

Short Synopsis: Rosie takes pride with her work in the Shunting Yards, but wishes for a bit of adventure. Her wish is granted when Percy breaks down and is due for repair at the SteamWorks, so Rosie volunteers to pull the mail train in his place. However, problems arise as delays occur so Rosie's excitement eventually leads to impatience, resulting in Charlie giving her a wild goose chase around the Island to give her a missing package.

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Sometimes, Rosie works as a station pilot at Knapford, shunting coaches for the big engines to start their day's work.

Gordon: (whistles, impatiently) Hurry up, Rosie. The express can't wait all morning, you know.

Rosie: (panting while pushing the heavy coaches) Just about there, Gordon. (grunts, and then she finally brings the coaches to the platform)

Gordon: (whistling) All aboard!

Rosie: (gasps) Wow. You must be very big and strong to pull the express, Gordon.

Gordon: Indeed. And very important, too.

Rosie: Amazing. I wish I could have such a special job. It would be nice to leave the yard and see the rest of Sodor.

Gordon: Ha! You? A special job? (chuckles) Nonsense. Pulling coaches requires great strength and expertise. You, Rosie, are a tank engine shunter, so you'll never enough of that to be in my position.

(guard's whistle blows. Gordon whistles and chuffs away)

Rosie thought about what Gordon had said, and he felt very sad. She wished more than ever that she could have a job that seemed as important as some of the other engines.

(Rosie slowly chuffs further into the station, watching Thomas leaves the station with Annie and Clarabel through Knapford Junction and Percy leave the platform with the mail train. Emily chuffs up beside Rosie)

Emily: (whistling) What's wrong, Rosie? You seem a bit upset this morning.

Rosie: (sighs) I enjoy my work in the Shunting Yards, Emily, and I especially like being a station pilot on occasion. But sometimes I do wish for a bit of adventure.

Emily: (confused) What do you mean by adventure?

Rosie: Well, you know, Gordon has the express; Thomas has his own branch line; Percy delivers the mail; even you have your own coaches, Emily. You engines are all so lucky to have such exciting jobs. As for me, I'm just a shunter.

Emily: (chuckles) I enjoy pulling passenger trains, Rosie. But just remember that I'm a mixed-traffic engine. I also spend some of my time during the day, shunting trucks and pulling them, like you do. Every job on the railway is important, Rosie, no matter how exciting one particular job may be.

(guard's whistle blows and Emily leaves with her coaches)

Emily: (whistling) Goodbye, Rosie.

Rosie thought about what Emily had just said. But she still wished for something exciting to happen, even if it were a temporary change.

(Scene cuts back to the Shunting Yards with Rosie shunting trucks about)

As usual, Rosie spent most of her afternoon in the Shunting Yards. Luckily, the trucks behaved well and refrained from grumbling or causing trouble, and Rosie found them easy to handle.

(Rosie shunts a line of trucks up to Harvey, and the shunter couples them up before he pulls them away.

Harvey: (whistling) Thank you, Rosie.

But Rosie didn't hear Harvey. She still remembered what Emily had said, and felt a little bored, despite realizing how important her job was as much as any other job.

(Rosie lets off a little steam and sighs, still a bit sad)

Thomas arrived through the Yards with Annie and Clarabel.

Thomas: (whistling, as he stops on the line across from Rosie) Hello, Rosie.

Rosie: (quietly) Hi, Thomas.

Thomas was a little puzzled. Rosie was usually very excited to see him, but he could see she was upset.

Thomas: What's wrong, Rosie?

Rosie decided to tell her friend Thomas all about it.

Rosie: (takes a deep breath) I just feel a little bored of all this, Thomas. Surely, working as a shunter and a station pilot may be as important as any other job, but sometimes, I just feel I could a bit of adventure. Just for a change. You know, taking trains to destinations far and wide and seeing how exciting life can be out there on the rails.

Thomas: (sympathetically) Pulling trains is not so easy, Rosie. It's hard work and it requires patience. Sometimes, it takes time to learn new things. I learnt that when I first arrived on Sodor, and I have my own branch line now, and I've run it for years.

Annie: (chuckles) Only just, Thomas.

Clarabel: (jokingly) Only because we help stay on track.

(Thomas, Annie and Clarabel laugh and Rosie also gives a slight chuckle)

Rosie: (chuckles) Thanks for the advice. You've cheered me up, Thomas. I feel much better about my work now.

Thomas: No problem, Rosie. I better get going now. A couple more stops and a few more passengers to pick up and drop off. (whistles) Bye, Rosie. (chuffs away)

Rosie: (whisting) Bye, Thomas! (sighs happily)

Rosie always felt better from seeing Thomas. But she also thought over what he had said about patience, and was confident that she would learn it in future when it came to pulling her own train.

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