I'm back. Yeah, I know it's early, but I've been working on this one since like August or September and I thought I might get it out of the way. Consider it a start to the wintry season as it is, as the more festive stories will be up next month of course. Thank you, NeverLander852, for suggesting me this story idea. I know it was originally with Thomas, but I thought James would work better and besides, Thomas already has a story for this set. The moral stood out to me from the moment I saw it, as you will be able to see below. Enjoy!
The Little Engine Who Saved Christmas
Part I: The Missing Snowplow
Moral: don't take things that don't belong to you/always ask for permission
Short Synopsis: James gets into an accident while trying to clear lines of snow, damaging his snowplow. Victor says it will take all day to fix it, so James decides to borrow Donald's snowplow until his old one is repaired…without asking Victor for permission first! But he has much so much fun with it that he forgets to take it back. As the news spreads, James' bad feeling grows stronger…as Donald and Douglas pursue a wild goose chase trying to find The Missing Snowplow!
Winter had come to the Island of Sodor as the snowy season drew near. Ice and snow had just began appearing all around, and the weather became colder. But that didn't stop the engines from being really useful as they carried on with their important loads, knowing that they had warm toasty fires to keep themselves warm throughout the day.
James was running his usual late afternoon journey, delivering coal to all the stations around the North Western. Soon, all the station waiting rooms and village homes had warm toasty fires to keep them comfortable. Afterwards, James returned to the Shunting Yards to place his trucks back in line and get ready for his last passenger train of the day.
"Come on, you silly trucks!" he whistled, as he bumped them into line, "keep in line, and STAY in line while you're at it." The trucks groaned as James bumped them harder.
"Why the rush, James?" chuckled Thomas, as he stopped on the track across.
"The sooner I'm done with these trucks, Thomas, the sooner I can to finishing up with my passengers for the day. I am a mixed-traffic engine after all and I'm fine delivering coal, as important as it is, but these trucks have been nothing but trouble all the way."
"Trucks will be trucks, James," reminded Thomas, "Our job is to keep them in line, remember? Otherwise we'd never make our loads on time."
Donald and Douglas whistled and chuckled as they arrived in the yard, back-to-back with a brake coach between their tenders.
"I'm afraid Thomas has a point, James," Donald put in, "trucks are a nuisance, but luckily Dougie and I don't have to deal with 'em."
"Aye," agreed Douglas, facing James as the red engine pushed his trucks further towards Donald, "Donal' and I are taking workmen to inspect the line in case of ice on the track or a broken signal."
"We don't mind it at all. We love the snow," added Donald.
"Well, you'd better mind," warned James, as he chuffed up towards the twins, "snow can be a bother once you're up to his axels in it."
"Oh, yeh," said Douglas, facing James as they pulled away, "but we're used to it."
James couldn't understand how well the twins could endure the snowy weather and went about his shunting. But fortunately, he didn't have to worry about that for long, as it was soon time for him to pull his evening passenger train. Phillip wasted in no time in getting his coaches ready.
"Come on now, Phillip!" James whistled, "the sooner I'm done with my train, the sooner I can get home to Tidmouth!"
"Coming right up, James!" Phillip replied, as he hurried the coaches into the station and came to a hard stop. "There! You're ready to go, James!"
"All aboard!"
The shunter coupled James up, and he waited as the passengers boarded the train. Then, he set off as soon as the guard's whistle blew.
James ran his evening passenger train on time, and it wasn't long before his passengers were soon able to get home safe.
Meanwhile, Donald and Douglas, back-to-back with snowplows on their fronts and a brake coach between their tenders, were finishing up their maintenance run with the workmen, who have all checked every signal and part of the line to make sure it was safe for engines to run on. Afterwards, the twins dropped off the workmen at Knapford, and then headed to the SteamWorks to return their snowplows.
"Are you two sure you'll be safe traveling back to the sheds without a snowplow?" Victor asked.
"Certainly, Victor," Donald replied, as his snowplow was unfitted, and he chuffed off the turntable.
"Most likely," Douglas chuckled in agreement, as he chuffed onto the turntable and it turned him round, "after all, we are accustomed to blistering cold weather conditions.
"Okay. If you say so. But be careful, my friends. Ice and snow is not always good for an engine's wheels."
"Don't worry, Victor," Donald chuckled.
"Aye. Snow's not bother for us," Douglas added as the table turned him round, and the men got to work at unfitting his snowplow.
Soon, Douglas's snowplow was unfitted, and both twins whistled as they left the SteamWorks, while Victor expressed a look of concern and went back about his work.
As James returned to the sheds that evening, Sir Topham Hatt was waiting for him.
"Well done, James. I have received many phone calls from the station waiting rooms, and the stationmasters are very pleased. You have used the time while you were on break to deliver coal to all the stations before taking your evening train."
"Oh, it was nothing, sir. It's not like I could lose sight in this weather of what jobs were important."
"Ah. I see. Well, now you may rest your wheels down for the night, because there may be much work to do in the morning. The weather report predicts a heavy snowstorm overnight, which means you are all to have snowplows fitted."
"Yes, sir!" the engines chanted.
"Right, well, I must heading back home now before the snow hits. It wouldn't be safe, would it?"
Then he turned around and headed back towards his car.
Nighttime came, and as the stars gleamed over Tidmouth, the snow began to fall. The whole Island was covered in a deep blanket of soft white snow.
The next morning, the engines awoke in surprise and amazement. But before long, the fire lighter arrived and had them ready to go. They headed off to the Fitter's Yard to have their snowplows fitted. Afterwards, they went about their usual jobs, while clearing tracks of heavy snow. Many engines are most cautious in this weather. James, on the other hand, was showing off as he coasted down the line and charged the snowdrifts recklessly.
"Next snow drift coming up. Wheeeee!
But James was heading for trouble.
Harvey was on the line up ahead with a brake coach. The workmen were inspecting the tracks to see whether or not they were icy. They had put up WARNING! signs too in case of danger. By the time James had made his way round the bend, he did not heed the warning in time.
"James! Look out!" Harvey shouted.
His driver applied the brakes, but it was too late for James, as before he knew it, he found himself skidding giddily on the icy rails.
CRASH!
James opened his eyes, to find a slab of rock laying on the line. James had so skid so far on the icy tracks that his front wheels had become derailed. He had also crashed right into the rock…and tore the front of his snowplow. It was well and truly damaged, and unfit for James to use.
"Oh, dear," he sighed, "what will will The Fat Controller say?"
He found out soon enough. Edward brought Rocky to help clear the mess. Sir Topham Hatt pulled up in Winston, and he did not look very pleased.
"Oh, dear, oh dear, James. This will not do at all!" he sighed heavily, and pointed the finger towards James. "YOU must report to the SteamWorks immediately for a replacement snowplow until your old one is repaired!"
"But…but…that will make me late for my next passenger train, sir."
"That depends on how long your visit to the SteamWorks will take, James. If you can't make it back in time, I will have to schedule another engine to take your train. Perhaps it will teach you to be more careful with snow."
Winston honked as Sir Topham Hatt drove him further on down the line.
James groaned slightly, as Edward shot him a look of sympathy and said firmly, "you should consider yourself lucky, James. What would have happened if you'd been carrying passengers?"
James thought he knew, but tried hard not to think about it, as he set off for the SteamWorks. The last thing he wanted to start his first train of the day by dealing with troublesome trucks.
Fortunately, it didn't take James very long to get to the SteamWorks. His crew waited outside while Victor and the workmen inspected his snowplow all over. Victor looked very concerned.
"I'm sorry, my friend, but I'm afraid your snowplow will take all day to fix. You'll have to use a spare one for now until we have this one ready for you tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Victor. But I do hope the workmen hurry it up a bit."
"They will once Gator arrives with a set of spare plows. A new order is placed for rental every year from the mainland. You'll have to wait in the SteamWorks until Gator gets here."
"But I don't want to wait," James groaned impatiently, "I'll miss my passenger train, and end up starting my day's work by shunting dirty trucks."
"I'm sorry, James, but you should have thought about that before you rushed through the snow in the state that you did. Please, wait on the turntable until Gator arrives and the men have a spare plow fitted on your buffer."
James rolled his eyes and whistled as he ventured slowly onto the table, and Victor went back to work.
As the table turned James around, he was still worrying over whether or not he would catch his morning train. Then…he came across two snowplows which he'd never seen before. They were big and black and had a nice sharp curve to them at the front, in much contrast to James' snowplow, which was rather pointy. He was very anxious indeed.
"Excuse me, Kevin!" James whistled loudly as the little crane strolled into view, "but what can you tell me about those two black snowplows over there?"
Kevin turned to look, and was rather puzzled.
"Um, you mean those snowplows, James?"
"Yes, Kevin. I'm in desperate need of a plow at this moment in time, and I was wondering if I could use one of those as a spare."
"Well, you see, James, those plows belong to Donald and Douglas. Most engines leave their plows here overnight unlike you engines down at Tidmouth near the Fitter's, and I think the twins will be heading down in a little while to begin their work in the snow. So I don't believe it's a spare."
James thought hard over Kevin's words, but then watched in anxiety as Duck whistled and left the SteamWorks with his snowplow. He moaned quietly. But then, he had an idea…
"How about if I, hmm,…borrowed it? I promise to have it back after I'm finished with my coaches. The twins are bound to be here afterwards."
"Borrow it?" Kevin gasped, "another engine's snowplow?" He chuckled slightly and continued "oh, I'm not sure that's such a good idea, James. It might be a better idea if you stayed here until the spare set of plows arrives. I'm not sure Victor would find it such a good idea."
"Mmm, no. Maybe not," James thought, then he looked, then he looked cheekily over at Kevin, '…unless…I asked Victor myself, that is."
Kevin gasped.
"No! Please don't do that!" He groaned and sighed, "well then, we'd better have one of those plows fitted on for you, boss, I-I mean…James."
And so it was arranged. Kevin had told the workmen to have one of the twins' snowplows fitted on James…so he could make it on time for his morning train.
"There you go, James. But, please, have it back here immediately after you're finished with your train."
"Don't worry, Kevin," James whistled as he exited the SteamWorks, "you can rely on me." He stopped outside the SteamWorks and waited as his driver and fireman hopped inside his cab. Then he whistled and chuffed away.
But unfortunately, James was making a very big mistake as he took a snowplow that didn't necessarily belong to him…and didn't ask Victor for permission either! His driver and fireman didn't know this…as they hopped into his cab and James set back to work at once. However, back in the SteamWorks…
"Wait, James! Wait!" Victor called, as he chuffed outside the SteamWorks, "You can't go out in the snow without a plow!"
But it was too late. James had already left for Knapford and was too far away to hear Victor.
Victor paused for a moment, and sighed with concern.
James was able to collect his next passenger train from Knapford on time, and felt very pleased with himself. He was confident that the snowplow he had borrowed would work just as well as his old one, as he charged about the drifts once more.
"Wheeee!" he cheered, as he passed Toby and Henrietta, "look at me now, Toby!"
"Slow down, James!" Toby rang back, "you'll cause an accident if you're not careful."s
But James didn't hear Toby. Despite going much faster on occasion, James was able to control his speed this time, and the driver dropped sand on the rails to help him maintain his traction. He soon arrived at Crovan's Gate as Gordon's express pulled out. James couldn't have felt happier in the current weather conditions. He was having so much fun with his snowplow that he forgot all about Donald and Douglas…and he didn't see them arrive at the SteamWorks nearby as he headed off. The twins didn't see him either as they entered the SteamWorks, eager to prepare for their day's jobs worth of clearing snow.
"Hello, everyone," Donald whistled.
"Ah, hello Donald and Douglas," said Kevin, as he rolled up across from them.
"Hello, Kevin," Douglas chuckled.
Kevin strolled on and Victor pulled up across from the twins.
"Good day, Victor," Donald greeted.
"Hello there, my friends. I see you're here a tad bit early. Sir Topham Hatt does need your help indeed to clear the tracks, and so do the other engines."
"That's good," replied Douglas as he ventured onto the turntable and it turned him round. "Our favorite job to do is after teatime, plowing the snow and taking the workmen to inspect the tracks just in case to ensure railway safety in these cold snowy conditions."
The workmen fit Douglas' snowplow on, and then waited, watching outside the SteamWorks for James, who unfortunately hadn't returned like he promised. As the table turned Donald around, he was surprised to see that his snowplow wasn't there.
"Aye…that's funny," he thought, "our plows are usually placed on the left side near the turntable.
"What do you mean, Donal'?" Douglas asked, confused.
"It's not there today, Dougie, but yours happened to be for some reason. I just can't think of what could have happened to it."
"Oh, Donal'," Douglas sighed heavily, "don't stand 'round here tellin' me you lost yer snowplow."
"What?!" gasped Donald, raising an eyebrow at his twin, "I didnae lose it!"
"Did too!" Douglas argued.
"Didnae!"
"Did!"
"Didnae!"
"Did!"
"Didnae!"
"Did!"
Eventually, Donald gave up, and sighed, "ach! Yer hopeless, man! I'm standing here missing my plow and yer standin' here saying I lost it! You and I both went home together last night, remember?"
"I don't know," Douglas scoffed, "I thought you were the one leading the way! Not me!"
"Ach! There you again," Donald groaned, "you know something? Yer surely not helpin' by standin' round and blamin' me for it, are you now?"
Douglas sighed and said "you want my help or not, man?"
"Oh! Don't you start now and say I can't find my own snowplow."
"Okay. Suit yerself."
Donald scoffed, and looked away with a pouty expression, as Douglas sighed and looked over at his twin.
"Maybe it was taken by mistake," suggested Douglas, "just a thought."
"By mistake?!" Donald gasped, quickly glancing back over at his twin and thinkin, "oh, no! I can't imagine how an engine would consider taking a distinctive plow like the pair we have." He whistled loudly as he chuffed off the turntable.
Douglas widened his eyes in surprise and raced up beside him, spluttering, "aye! Where ya goin', man?!"
"We must hurry, Dougie. We must find my snowplow."
"Are ya mad? It's not safe to go out in the snow without a plow, Donal'."
"I'm sure I'll be fine. Besides, what's more important is that we get that snowplow back."
The twins exited the SteamWorks side-by-side, as their drivers and firemen quickly aboard their cab hopped. Then they set off in a huff.
"After all," Donald continued, "the snow can't be that bad just yet. The drifts look as though they've been well cleared. That's why we were able to make our way down here. The Fat Controller would have sent us back to Duck's branch with our plows if the weather were to be any worse."
Douglas sighed.
"Alright, man. Ya win. But if you want to do this, we must split up into pairs, but we should do our work as well."
"Of course. We're very capable of sticking to that. We'll catch the engine who took my snowplow before we can even chuff the snow off our wheels. I guarantee it."
And so the search began for The Missing Snowplow! However, the twins had left just as Gator pulled in with the set of spare snowplows, tied down to a flatbed. The workmen were surprised to the twins leave the SteamWorks.
"Hello, Gator. Nice to see you," greeted Kevin.
"Good to see you too, Kevin. That was a long journey," Gator chuckled. But then he looked confused. "I say, though, was that Donald or Douglas I just saw go off without a plow?
"What are talking about, Gator?" Kevin asked. Then he looked over at the workmen and gasped. "Uh oh."
The workmen shouted as they ran outside the SteamWorks to see the twins leave.
"Oi, Donald!"
"Come back!"
"The spare plows are here!"
But it was no use. The twins were well out of sight, and there was nothing that the men could do about it. Kevin rolled up alongside them. Upon seeing the workmen find a spare plow, he remembered James' visit to the SteamWorks and grew rather concerned.
"What is going on here?" Victor asked, as he rolled up alongside Kevin. "It's a little too late to think of a spare plow, isn't it? James has already left."
"The spare plow was for Donald, Victor," Kevin explained, "but…um…"
"What do you mean, Kevin?"
Kevin whimpered nervously. He knew he had been caught now, as Victor shot him a stern glare.
"Kevin," he demanded, "what happened?
"I-I-I've…been meaning to tell you, boss. But James did seem in a bit of a hurry this morning and…"
"What?!" Victor gasped, widening his eyes.
"Oh…um…" Kevin paused for a moment and chuckled nervously. "…oops. Sorry, boss."
Victor groaned and rolled his eyes with agitation, as Kevin reversed slowly back into the SteamWorks.
Donald had a little bit of time before going to pick up his first goods train, and so he used it to pursue his goal. Meanwhile, James had finished his passenger train, and was ready to begin the afternoon with his goods duties. He started at Brendam Docks by picking up trucks of rock salt. Thomas had trucks full of them too, and they were needed for his branch line to keep the surfaces firm and safe.
The manager looked hard at his clipboard and explained "I believe this load rock salt you have, James, needs to be delivered to the Blue Mountain Quarry. Do you think you can take it there?"
"Of course," said James proudly, "after all, this replacement snowplow is so smooth and so reliable that I'll make it there in double time."
"Replacement snowplow?" Thomas asked, confused. "What happened to your old one?"
"Long story, Thomas," James sighed, "but to make a long story short, I had an accident with my old one and now it's being mended." Then he left for the Quarry with his trucks. "Goodbye, Thomas."
Thomas glanced at James and getting a short glimpse of his plow as he left. Just then, Donald whistled as he pulled up, panting and breathing heavily, and surprising Thomas.
"Oh…Thomas…, thank goodness. I'd be having the most peculiar day."
"How so, Donald?"
Donald took a deep breath, calming and explained. "Well, it all started off rather well, you see, but then Dougie and I arrive at the SteamWorks to find me own snowplow missing? Have you seen anything of the sort by chance?"
"I wish I could help you, Donald, but I can't even recall what your snowplow looks like. Could you describe it to me perhaps?"
"Well, as a matter of fact, I can, Thomas," Donald sighed, "though it would take a wee bit of effort before I need to carry on to my next job and search for it at the same time. For starters, it's a wee a bit like any other, like yours for instance, only that it isn't pointy and it's rather around the front. It's distinctive, you see, and it matches my color for sure."
Thomas thought hard about the description that Donald gave him.
"Did you say the color was…mmm…black?
Donald rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, "I'm sorry, Thomas. I really don't have time for this. I have jobs to do, and me own snowplow to recover. Please, just let me know if you see it any where 'round." Then he whistled and raced away.
"Wait! Donald!" Thomas called out, "I think I know where your snowplow is." He watched in shock as he left. "Wasn't…James wearing a black snowplow?"
"Search me, Thomas," said Cranky, turning around, "but it looked rather darkish from where I'm standing."
Thomas expressed a look of concern, as his guard's whistle blew, and he whistled and chuffed out of the docks.
What Donald didn't know was that he had been sent on a wild goose chase for his very own snowplow, which would have seemed unattainable unless he and James crossed paths with their deliveries.
Meanwhile, Douglas picked up his goods train from the Shunting Yards. He carried on along the line, but kept on the lookout for a snowplow that was relative to his. His next stop was at Maron Station, where Percy was dropping off and picking up parcels for his afternoon mail run.
"Hello, Douglas."
"Good day, Percy. Just out of curiosity, have you seen a snowplow around these tracks that looks similar to mine by chance? Poor Donal's missing his, you see, and now we're searching the whole track to find it."
"I'm sorry, Douglas. I haven't."
Then he observed Douglas' snowplow carefully.
"But I will keep on the lookout. This doesn't make sense. It's not right to take things that don't belong to you."
"Aye, Percy. And not very practical to refrain the asking for permission either." And the two engines whistled as they left the station with their loads.
Up at the Blue Mountain Quarry, the narrow gauge engines went about their work with their usual hustle and bustle.
"Going down. Next load going up," Owen called.
"Thanks, Merrick," whistled Peter Sam, as he pulled his trucks away.
James arrived at the Quarry with his trucks of rock salt. He passed Duncan at the crossing.
"You got these trucks here faster than usual, James," Duncan teased, "must be setting a record, eh, or is the lack of timetable The Fat Controller keeps for you standard gauge engines?"
James ignored Duncan and carried on. He left his trucks at the platform, and the workmen got to work at unloading it.
"Do you have another job to do today, James?" Rheneas asked, as he pulled up.
"Well, of course. I have coal to deliver later on this evening, but first I must clear the tracks as a heavy snowfall is due." Then he whistled as he chuffed hurriedly away, Rheneas glancing after him in bewilderment.
Donald and Douglas searched all the stations on the North Western line, in search of The Missing Snowplow. But no matter how far and wide they searched, they just couldn't reach James in time, as he always left the station after they pulled in.
"Hello, James," whistled Donald as he pulled in time to see James leave, "say, I have a wee bit of a question to ask ya…"
"Sorry, Donald. Can't stop. Tracks to clear. Goodbye."
"Wait! James!"
But it was too late. James had already gone.
"Oh, dear," sighed Donald.
"Any luck at all, Donal'?" Douglas asked, as he pulled up alongside his twin.
"No," Donald huffily replied, "I tried asking James, but he left in a hurry."
"Hmm, well, I still think it was a bit silly of you to leave the SteamWorks without a plow. The heavy snowfall's bound to cause trouble for you up to yer buffers."
"Ach! There you again, man! I'll be fine, 'ight?"
"Okay, okay," Douglas replied, chuckling, "I just warned ya to be careful. That's all."
Donald sighed and said, "maybe yer right, Dougie. My goods train is delivered and on time too, so it's best I head back to the SteamWorks and fetch a replacement plow." He whistled, slowly chuffing away. "We can't do our favorite job in the snow later otherwise."
Douglas watched his twin leave, expressing a bit of concern.
Meanwhile, James was having the time of his life clearing the tracks, and he hadn't yet remembered about the snowplow he had borrowed.
"Wheeee!" he cheered as he drifted the tracks clear of snow, "clearing snow is a fun job after all." He saw a red signal up ahead, which changing his mood. "Oh, botheration! And I was going so nicely too. What a nuisance signals can be."
James stopped at the signal, but Percy was also there with his passenger train.
"Harvey and the workmen are inspecting the line up ahead in case of icy tracks, James. Caution must be taken in winter conditions after all."
"Quite so, Percy. Snow can have it's advantages when you're having fun clearing tracks, though. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes, James. But I'm worried about Donald. Have you seen him at all today?"
"Donald? Well I saw him as I left Tidmouth platform. Why do you ask?
"Because he's missing his snowplow. Someone must have taken it from the SteamWorks this morning."
James thought hard, then gasped, remembering.
"The question is…who would take someone else's snowplow?" Percy wondered.
James had suddenly remembered the trick he had played on Kevin, and the snowplow he had taken without asking for permission.
"Um…Percy…" he gulped.
"Yes, James?"
"There's…um…something I have to tell you about that missing plow."
"What, James?" asked Percy, confused. Then he looked at the plow on James' buffers, gasping. "James! Is that…Donald's plow?"
"Yes, Percy. It is. My old snowplow was damaged, so I decided to borrow this one until my old one was repaired."
"But…this doesn't make any sense. Did you…ask Victor first?"
"No! I didn't!" James snapped, startling Percy, and he calmed down. "I must have been having so much fun with this one that I forgot all about taking it back. I just don't know what I'm going to do. I still have tracks to clear. It's better I carry on. I'm sure Donald will be fine."
"No, James," said Percy firmly, "you must find Donald first, and return his snowplow. It's not right to take things that don't belong to you."
"But…but…I have jobs to do, and…"
Percy raised an eyebrow, looking seriously over at James.
"James."
James sighed as the signals turned green and the two engines whistled and carry on with their work.
Deep down, James knew Percy was right. Soon the tracks were inspected, and Percy and James were on their way again.
It wasn't long before dark clouds loomed overhead and Donald made the last of his deliveries before heading off to the SteamWorks. He had searched all afternoon for his missing snowplow, but to no avail. He looked nervously at the sky above him.
"Snow's no bother for me," he said confidently, "I'll make it to the SteamWorks and reach Knapford all in good time."
But he grew more and more concerned as he carried on along the tracks, while the drifts became deeper and deeper. James, on the other hand, just couldn't escape the feeling of guilt in his boiler. As the snow got heavier, the feeling became stronger and stronger. James was on his way over to the Coaling Plant to pick up his coal trucks and deliver them all across the station on the North Western. Eventually, the snow began to fall heavily. Now, Donald regretted leaving the SteamWorks without a plow, but he decided not give up.
"Must…keep…going," he grunted, "Dougie's…countin' on me, and so are the workmen."
But it seemed that the farther Donald seemed to chuff, the slower he was actually able to go. Soon he was up to his wheels in deep snow, and his driver shut off steam. Donald ground to a halt.
"Can't…go…any longer," he panted.
"I'm sorry, old boy," his driver soothed, "it's best we wait for an engine to come and help us, eh?"
"Aye," Donald sighed in agreement.
Fortunately, Donald and his driver didn't have to wait long. They soon heard a whistle of an engine in the distance, and Donald was surprised when he saw who his rescuer was.
"James!" he gasped, "lad, would we happy to see you?"
Donald's driver and fireman explained the situation to James' crew, who agreed to help Donald out of the snowdrift.
"Oh, James. Ye'd never believe what happened to me today!" Donald burst out, "Dougie and I went to the SteamWorks, ya see, to get ready for our day's work. But then my snowplow went missing and I've been searching all day to find it."
"Um, yes, Donald," said James nervously, "about that. That's why I've been looking for you."
"Why, James?" Donald asked. Then he gasped, looking over the plow on James' buffer. "Me snowplow! You had it all along, didn't ya, James?"
"I'm afraid so, Donald. Mine got damaged this morning you see, and I wanted to make it in time for my passenger train. But I didn't ask Victor for permission, and I played a trick on Kevin and the workmen. I'm very sorry, Donald."
"Aye, lad. Apology accepted," Donald sighed, "not much to do aboot it now, but I appreciate the fact that you owned up aboot it."
Then James' driver came up.
"We're going to shunt Donald to the Works now, James," he explained, before shooting him a sharp look, "and we're probably going to miss our coal deliveries too. Perhaps this will teach you to obtain another engine's belongings."
"Yes, sir," James replied gracefully, "but I wonder: who will pull the coal trucks then?"
Percy whistled, as he chuffed into view.
"Ah, James. I see you've found Donald then."
Donald shot Percy a strange look of confusion.
"Yes. And I'm going to miss my coal deliveries too to take him to the SteamWorks," James explained, "please, Percy, if you have no other job at the moment, could you collect my trucks from the Coaling Plant and deliver coal to all the stations?"
"I'd be happy to, James," Percy whistled, "after all, my next job isn't until the mail run later on this evening."
"Thank you, Percy," said James, as he buffered up to Donald. "Say, Donald. These tracks do need to be cleared for us to make our way to the SteamWorks. Please, could I use your plow to get us there?"
"Of course, James," Donald chuckled, "now that you've asked."
"Thank you, Donald. I'll get us there in no time," James whistled, as they set off.
"Thank you, James. You came to my rescue, and you asked my permission kindly too." Then he sighed worriedly as he chuffed along with James. "Although, you'd better have a pretty good excuse for Victor and the workmen for when we get there. But then so might I."
And the two friends laughed all the way to the SteamWorks.
But when they got there, Victor was waiting for them especially, and he did not look very happy.
"I've been wondering all day where you two have been. What were you thinking causing all the trouble you both were responsible for? Now, look at you, Donald."
"Sorry, Victor," sighed Donald, "I probably should've waited for a replacement plow to be found."
Victor especially looked at James, who felt very ashamed indeed.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, James. You have caused considerable confusion and delay to my SteamWorks, and you're lucky I don't tell Sir Topham Hatt. But you do owe everyone here an apology, especially Kevin and me."
"I can pretty much vouch for James, Victor. He did apologize when he rescued me after all."
"Ah. So I see," said Victor, understandingly."
"Sorry, Victor. I shouldn't have taken Donald's snowplow without your permission, and I certainly shouldn't have done it knowing that it didn't belong to me."
Then James looked over at Kevin, who glanced back over at him and sighed.
"Sorry I played a trick on you, Kevin. And the workmen as well. I knew you were responsible, Kevin, when Victor was busy, and I took advantage of you for that matter. I just didn't want to miss my passenger train."
"That's alright, James. The situation was partially my fault after all. We both probably should have waited for the boss to come back," he chuckled slightly.
"All is forgiven, my friends," said Victor, and then turned towards James and Donald, "now, you two. Kevin and the workmen will have that snowplow ready in no time, and have Donald's plow refitted on him immediately. You're both lucky to be the only two engines here after all."
And so it was settled. James waited patiently for his replacement plow to be fitted on, and then Donald has his plow fitted. Then they both set off for Knapford Station.
"Bye, Victor! Bye, Kevin!" they called out, as they left. Victor and Kevin watched after them as they chuffed out of sight, and then smiled at each other as they set back to work.
James and Donald arrived at Knapford, where Douglas was already waiting back-to-front with the brake coach. The workmen had already begun boarding the train.
"Yer a wee bit late, Donal'. The workmen arrived only a few minutes ago."
"I'm sorry, Dougie, but James and I had a very important conflict to resolve."
"Ah, I see," said Douglas, understandingly, as he watched his twin chuff past him before saying cheekily, "well, at least you found yer snowplow. I'll give you that."
Donald huffed, as he chuffed outside the station towards the set of points and onto the next track, before backing down towards the brake coach. Then he had a thought.
"I just remembered, Dougie. The Fat Controller wanted us to take a goods train to Arlesburgh. We had all day to do it, but I guess I wasted my time looking for me snowplow."
"I can take it for you," James whistled as he chuffed up alongside.
"You, James?" Douglas gasped, "but don't you have passengers to deliver?"
"Oh, I don't mind. I can always ask another engine to look after them for me."
Just then, Emily whistled as she chuffed in through Knapford Junction.
"Emily!" James called out as he raced up to her.
"What's the matter, James?" she asked.
"I have a goods train to deliver to Arlesburgh for Donald and Douglas while they clear tracks of snow. It's to make up for the snowplow I took from them without permission. Please, will you take my coaches and look after my passengers so that they get them home safely?"
"You can count on me, James," Emily whistled, as she set off to fetch her coaches as well as James'.
"Thank you, Emily," James called.
And James chuffed away to fetch the goods train. He wasn't entirely happy about having to give up his passengers, but he knew he had an obligation for doing so to make it up to the twins, and deep down, he understood that he couldn't do the jobs he liked best.
James whistled, as he slowly puffed up alongside the twins back to back with the brake coach.
"Thanks again, James," Donald called out, as the guard's whistle blew and they both left the station.
"Ay! What about me, lad?" Douglas asked, "I helped too, you know."
Donald chuckled and replied, "of course, you did, Dougie. You tried your very hardest and I appreciate that. Thank you for being a good brother and showing concern. Sorry I forgot to mention it."
He chuckled nervously, as Douglas heavily sighed.
"Ah, typical! I get nothing! Especially from helping you. Is that seriously the best you can come up with, man?"
"Hey! I was being honest about it."
"Oh, sure…"
"Aye! What's'a that supposed to mean?"
"Ah! There you go again, Donal'! Arguing over the wee matter of things!"
"What?! It's not me who's arguing…!"
"It is too!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
James chuckled as he carried on with the goods train, and Emily chuckled too as she left the station with their passengers.
While Donald and Douglas couldn't get over their usual banter, James had learnt a valuable lesson from his day's experiences, and was careful in future about taking things that didn't belong to him…AND asking for permission in that regard.
Well, this was a nice simple story to write. Having said that, I'm glad to have used James in the spotlight instead of Thomas. Expanding upon the dynamic between the latter two was fun to do, and I feel that I've brought out a more grown and mature side in James to blend in with the vanity of his character, something I did differently with the character than I did with the likes of Paxton Proves A Point or The Overhaul Express. Percy being assertive with James about resolving the conflict was something I had in mind for Thomas at first, but I figure that if the neww of the Missing Snowplow was going to spread, using Thomas only would just have been boring, and Percy seems like a grown enough of a character for me these days to put James in his place while expressing concern for the conflict at hand in the way that he usually does. I had lots of fun pairing James up with Donald and Douglas and the banter between the twins was just something I thought of last minute: it worked in Love Me Tender in a surprisingly similar yet more effective way than it did in Twin Trouble, so I'm glad to have added it in. Victor and Kevin were especially fun to use; Kevin falling submissive to James' cheeky nature was somehow the only natural way I could set up the main plot points, and using Victor to reprimand James and Donald seemed a lot more creative for me than it would for TFC, and probably less consequential for the latter as well. I shall be back the second weekend of December to continue the set, but I decided to have this one out of the way so that I could get right back to focusing on studies for final exams. Happy Thanksgiving, and till then, stay tuned for...
Snowed Under - Rusty discovers fog detonators on the track, so Mr. Percival warns his engines to have their tail lamps fitted on for their evening trains. Unfortunately, Peter Sam and his driver miss the memo. As a result, Peter Sam gets caught in an avalanche, and Rusty comes to his rescue.
Mavis' Christmas Surprise - it is Christmas time. Paxton shockingly discovers that Mavis has no time for parties and decides to cheer her up by organizing a Christmas party at the quarry, but doesn't feel ready yet to tell Sir Topham Hatt and has trouble avoiding his fellow diesels with the party preparations.
Thomas Saves Christmas - it's nearly Christmas, and Thomas discovers that Mrs. Kyndley and her fellow villagers in Hackenback are currently lacking from a state of poverty. Struggling to find a solution, Thomas' luck turns on Christmas Eve when he is asked to deliver the Presents Train. He braves a fierce snowstorm, and makes it through Hackenback with the help of Mrs. Kyndley and the villagers, so Thomas then makes a plan to return the favor and give them a Christmas they will never forget. (I decided to change this plot line around a major step, because the original didn't end up sticking with me. Please, feel free to leave your thoughts of this new storyline as a replacement)
A Salty New Year - it is New Year's Eve but Cranky feels out of the spirit and is blamed for an accident at the docks. When he holds Salty responsible for his tendency of telling tales, the two of them make an agreement to go through changes for the New Year. However, disaster strikes in the midst of these change attempts and both Salty and Cranky learn that they don't have to change themselves completely to be useful.