Nelson Gets Carried Away
Written by Davey Moore
Nelson the Ballast Tractor is a credit to the machines of the Sodor Construction Company. He is clever, wise and always willing to help out a friend or fellow workman in need.
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"Here you are, gentlemen!" he proclaimed one day, as he dropped them off at a construction site.
"Thanks, Nelson!" the foreman expressed gratefully.
Nelson smiled as the men walked off, then looked over at a nearby Alfie.
"Good day, Alfie!"
"Hi, Nelson! Ummm, I need to get back to the yard right away! Can you take me there please?"
"Absolutely! Hop onboard!"
"Thanks, Nelson!"
He proceeded to go onto the ballast tractor's low-loader, and Nelson pulled him away.
"Next stop…homebase…oof!"
At that moment, Nelson felt a slight strain in his engine.
"Nelson!" Alfie called. "Everything alright?"
Nelson winced and shut one eye.
"My system's acting all funny! That's the third day in a row now!"
"Are you going to be okay with getting back to the yard?"
"Don't worry about that! I have it all under control! I'll get you there on the double! Hold on!"
And he sped up, his engine rattling even louder.
Nelson had Alfie back at the yard in no time, and the little excavator was ready to start work.
"Thank you, Nelson!"
"Any time, Alfie!" the ballast tractor called back.
The foreman walked up.
"Now, Alfie, Jack is waiting for you at the dig site so I suggest that you get to work and start digging right away!" he instructed.
"Yes, sir! Much obliged!"
And he raced off, while the foreman turned towards Nelson.
"And as for you, Nelson, unfortunately, Monty's run a flat tire and needs to be taken to the RoadWorks. I need you to take him there straight away!"
"On it, sir!" Nelson honked.
And he set off, sighing to himself.
"Always something up with those two…" he murmured to himself.
"Clever idea to race along over that pothole, Max!"
"Me? Don't blame me, Monty! You coulda backed out!"
"Ah, but you're always the one with the bright ideas, eh?"
"Hey, I didn't run over the pothole! I dodged it!"
Miss Jenny sighed heavily.
"Thst will be enough from the two of you!" she demanded. "Now, Max, return to the yard at once!"
"Yes, Miss Jenny!"
And he raced off, catching Nelson just inches in front of him.
"Whoop! Watch it, limp loader!" he remarked, and swerved aside.
Nelson pulled up beside a broken down Monty, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah, Nelson!" Miss Jenny expressed gratefully. "Thank goodness! You'd make a mother proud!"
"I'll have Monty at the RoadWorks for repairs in no time!" he promised.
"Splendid! And afterwards, I would like to see you back at the yard straight away!"
"Oh," Nelson wondered, deep in thought. "What about?"
Miss Jenny smiled.
"You'll see!"
Nelson smiled back, as he backed his low-loader in preparation to let Monty onboard.
On the way to the RoadWorks, Nelson felt a sudden jolt in his engine again.
"Oof!" he winced, and listened as his engine slightly strained.
"That's done it!" he groaned.
"Ooooh," Monty taunted. "Doesn't sound very pleasant to me!"
"It's only a little strain! Nothing serious!"
Monty sniggered.
"Not what it sounds like to me! Sounds more like a tiring old tractor ready for retirement! You heard the Miss! She'll have it in for you the moment you get back!"
Nelson paid no attention and struggled on, though his cheeks went red and he panted heavily while pulling forward, his engine rattling loudly.
"Told ya so!" Monty remarked.
Nelson tried his best to ignore Monty, but as he continued on his route, his engine continued to rattle.
"Almost…there!" he panted.
He passed the sign leading to the RoadWorks, increasing his traction gradually at the road downward.
"Here you are, Monty!" he said at last.
"Ha! 'Bout time too!" the dump truck remarked.
As soon as Monty was unloaded from the flatbed, Nelson set off back for the yard.
"Later, rattler!" Monty called.
"Phew!" Nelson sighed. "Close one that was!"
By the time Nelson arrived back at the yard, his engine was still rattling.
Miss Jenny expressed a surprised look of concern, but Max sniggered slightly.
"Got a bit of a clank there, don't you, rattlebox?"
"Ahem!"
Miss Jenny raised an eyebrow at him, giving him the clearance to rush off and leave. She then looked over at Nelson, smiling.
"Spot on, Nelson! You were quick! Now, I have some even bigger news for you! Before I…"
"Miss Jenny!"
She looked over to see a workman running over to her.
"The foreman would like to see you in his office straight away!"
Miss Jenny sighed, flustered.
"Stay put please, Nelson! I'll be right back!"
And she rushed off, much to Nelson's astonishment.
"Hmmm…" he thought to himself. "I wonder what Miss Jenny could be talking about…"
At that moment, he heard an unfamiliar horn. He gasped and looked over at what he saw roll up beside him.
"Hello!"
Nelson came face-to-face with a ballast tractor that he had never seen before! He was painted dark green with white on his door sides, and red lineage and drive wheels.
"I'm Nigel!" the newcomer introduced.
"Ummm…Nelson!" he confusedly replied.
The new ballast tractor beamed at him, and Nelson smiled back.
"Welcome to the Sodor Construction Company!" he warmly greeted. "So tell me, what brings you about the yard?"
Nigel thought for a moment.
"I'm pretty sure that the ship from the Mainland got me off at the right place! At least my operator was able to get me here on time!"
"Ah," Nelson thought, listening on.
"I'm due for what my operator describes as a de…errr…demeanor…errr…"
He groaned and sighed.
"I forgot," he admitted.
"Demonstration?" Nelson suggested.
"Right! That was the word! Thank you, Nelson! Anyways, operator says that if I do well, I may very well join the team!"
"Hmm…" Nelson thought. "Well, I hope that goes well then!"
But secretly, Nelson was having thoughts of his own.
"I wonder what that could mean for me…" he wondered to himself.
"What's that, Nelson?"
"Huh?" he thought.
Just then, the foreman walked up.
"Ah, Nelson! Nigel! You're both handy! Darcy needs to be taken to a site that has just been paved for some tunnel boring! I was wondering if maybe…"
"I'll do it!" Nelson volunteered
And he rushed off.
"Wait, Nelson!" Miss Jenny called, running up into sight. "I asked you to…stay put."
She sighed and nodded.
"Nelson!" Nigel called.
But Nelson was too far away to hear.
Along the way to the site, Nelson was beginning to feel very exhausted, as he pulled Darcy along.
"I heard there's a new recruit, Nelson!" the tunnel-boring machine began. "Is it true that he's a ballast tractor like you?"
"Yes," Nelson wearily replied.
"Oh, well, I'm sure he'll do a fine job then!"
Nelson groaned as he continued along.
"Yes!" he coughed, squinting an eye. "He will!"
"As for me, I'm sure I'll do a fantastic job on boring the tunnel for the site!"
She aimed her drill into position, causing Nelson's flatbed to rattle.
"Just like this!" she pointed out, "and off I go, drilling away at the site!"
"Mmhmm…"
Nelson winced as he continued to pull Darcy along.
At last, Nelson had Darcy at the site, where Byron had just finished paving the grounds.
Byron listened with concern to the sound of Nelson's engine, as the ballast tractor arrived at the site.
"Thank you, Nelson!" Darcy called out.
She set towards the tunnel right away, as Byron looked over at Nelson, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you alright, Nelson?" he asked.
Nelson blushed slightly, as his rattle quieted down.
"Gotta run!" he blurted out.
And he rushed off, as Byron coughed with confusion at the dust revved his way.
On the way back to the yard, Max and Monty's words continued to float around Nelson's head.
"…sounds more like a tiring old tractor ready for retirement…!"
"…got a bit of a clank there, don't you, rattlebox…rattlebox…RATTLEBOX!"
Nelson shut his eyes tight.
"…ready for retirement…retirement…RETIREMENT…"
"Look out!"
Nelson opened his eyes with a start to the sound of Isobella's horn. He quickly swerved to the other side of the road and pressed further on, still rattling.
"Retirement," he thought, "taken out of service! Oh, I dread the very thought of it! Nigel sure does look like a fine ballast tractor and in much better condition, but I'm a credit to the team too and I must prove myself!"
And he raced on, still rattling.
When Nelson arrived back at the yard, Max and Monty, who had just come back from being repaired, were ready for a tease!
"Ey, look, Monty! It's old rattlebox himself!"
"We heard there's a new ballast tractor in the yard!"
"Yeah, and that he's a lot more modern-looking than you are!"
Monty sniggered, just as the foreman walked up.
"Max! Monty! You need to collect some fallen rocks from the quarry! Run along now!"
"Me first!" Max claimed, starting up.
"No, me first!" Monty shouted, racing after him.
"Phew!" Nelson sighed, relieved.
"Nelson! By golly, it's a pleasure seeing you again!"
Nelson looked over to see a familiar new face roll over beside him, smiling.
"Hi, Nigel," he murmured back.
Nigel expressed a look of surprise.
"You look troubled, Nelson! What's the matter?"
Nelson sighed.
"You seem like a really useful ballast tractor, Nigel!" he admitted. "And I'm sure you'll make a great addition to the team, too!"
"Oh…thanks!" he beamed, as Nelson went on.
"But my concern is really whether Miss Jenny was considering putting me out of service"
Nigel thought for a moment.
"Out of service?!" he wondered with slight disbelief, as Nelson went on.
"I've been striving very hard, you see, to ensure that I am still a credit to this team."
He sighed, then smiled slightly.
"Why, the more I keep at it, the more likely I am to rattle my last!"
He chuckled, rather uneasily glanced over at the new ballast tractor. Nigel gasped, but before he could say anything else…
"Come along, Nigel!" his operator called, hopping aboard. "Some workmen need to be picked up from the demolition site for the lunch break!"
Nelson widened his eyes.
"Oh, I got this!"
And he raced off, leaving Nigel in the bewilderment.
"Nelson taken out of service?!" he cried.
Nigel thought long and hard about the information that was just given to him. Nigel was a ballast tractor with a very slow processing speed, meaning that more often than not, he had a tendency to misinterpret things!
"I was brought in to replace Nelson!" he gulped.
Nelson picked up the workmen for the demolition site, though as he started off again, he was still struggling.
"Uh…uh…" he groaned, advancing along.
Oliver took notice of his condition as he watched him set off.
The excavator pondered slightly to himself, as he watched Nelson while lowering his shovel into the next load of dirt.
As he neared the route back to the yard, Nelson saw a steep hill ahead of him.
"Here goes," he thought to himself.
He started fiercely at the slope, but as he did, his rattle became even louder than ever.
"Oof!" Nelson winced.
He continued up the steep slope, while listening to the workmen chatter quietly aboard his loader. He shut his eyes, panting slightly as he went red in the face.
"Nearly there, gentleman!"
At long last, Nelson reached the top and rolled on further down the other side.
"Did it!" he sighed with relief. "Nigel may go far, but I can prove to Miss Jenny that I don't need to be retired after all!"
Nelson brought the workmen to their destination. Nigel was there waiting for him.
"Nelson!" he gasped.
"Hi, Nelson!" Alfie shouted out, as he arrived.
But Nelson rushed past, much to his surprise.
"Oh," he murmured.
"Hi, there!"
Alfie looked over in surprise upon hearing an unfamiliar voice. He widened his eyes at who he saw.
"Hello!" he greeted.
"I'm Nigel! I'm new here! What's your name, fella?"
"Alfie! I dig up and load dirt around these sites! How are you enjoying your stay so far?"
"Mmmm, not bad! Did some errands here and there! Demonstration's going well thus far, though there is one thing I'm not so certain about!"
"What's that?" Alfie wondered.
"Well, you see, I was speaking to Nelson earlier and he said something to me about being put out of service!"
"What?!"
"I do like it here and all, but I'm not sure how I feel about being Nelson's replacement!"
This left Alfie in deep thought.
"Replacement…?"
Jack was just finished digging up some dirt at a nearby site when Nelson arrived, dropping off some workmen.
The front loader noticed Nelson straining as he dropped the men off at their stop. The ballast tractor let out an exasperated sigh, his face going slightly red.
"Are you okay, Nelson?" Jack wondered. "Your face looks almost as red as my paint!"
"Yes, Jack!" Nelson replied. "Everything's fine and accounted for. Just dropping off some workmen, that's all!"
Just then, Jack's operator walked up.
"Jack, we're needed back at the yard right away!"
"I'll take him there!" Nelson proclaimed. "Hop aboard, Jack!"
Jack advanced steadily towards the ballast tractor.
"Are you sure about this, Nelson?"
"As sure as I'm a credit to the team! Come along now, Jack! No time to dawdle!"
On the way back to the yard, Nelson's engine started to rattle again, and he was straining as he pulled Jack along.
"Uh…uh…" he groaned, wincing an eye as he pulled tight
Jack raised an eyebrow.
"Alright, what's the deal, Nelson?" he demanded.
"Deal? What deal?" Nelson wondered, trying to keep it in.
"Obviously, you're struggling…"
"Ummm…that's nothing! I-I-I mean nothing a bit of hard work can't fix! Nearly there now, Jack!"
He turned towards the entrance to the yard, and rolled further on, stopping right by the station and honking aloud.
"Thank you, Nelson!" Jack expressed, as he rolled off the flatbed and onto the ground. " Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
"Yes, thank you very much! Must be off! Bye!"
And he rushed off, leaving Jack to his own thoughts.
"Hmmm…he seemed rather tense…"
He made a turn around the corner in time to hear…
"Are you sure that's what you heard, Nigel?"
"Yes, Alfie! As much I heard him speak of being taken out of service!"
Jack rushed over.
"What's all this?" he demanded.
"Something about Nelson being replaced! Nigel over here heard it, not me!"
"I was only repeating what I heard!" Nigel admitted. "I don't quite fancy the idea of replacing Nelson myself!
He looked across to Jack, who smiled at him.
"I'm Nigel, by the way!"
"Jack!" the front loader greeted back. "Pleasure to meet you! But, uhhhh, I really do think we should ask around about what's going on with Nelson!"
"Good idea!" Alfie agreed, racing off.
"But…why?" Nigel wondered.
"Shhhhh, trust me!" Jack soothed, as he set off about the site.
Nigel gulped and trundled along himself, feeling anxiously as he gibbered quietly to himself.
Jack spoke to Byron about the incident, whilst some grounds for the yard were being paved.
"Out of service?!" the bulldozer spluttered. "What nonsense!"
He smiled as he continued to pave the grounds.
"No machine has ever been replaced before, and I don't suppose that will ever be the case!"
"Really?" Jack wondered.
"Why, certainly, Jack! Some of us have been on this team an awful long time, you know!"
"But…what do we do about Nelson then?"
"Mmmm…" Byron thought hard. "I did see him struggling earlier as well! He's probably due for repairs! Perhaps a talk with Miss Jenny would be the most valuable solution!"
Jack watched Byron set off, thinking to himself.
"If one of us talks to Miss Jenny," he thought to himself, "it could risk getting Nelson sent away for good! There must be another solution!"
He set steadily off, groaning quietly.
"Retired!" Max chimed.
"Out of service!" Monty added.
"Sounds about likely to me!"
"Worth for scrap!"
Alfie gasped.
"But…but…but…there must be another solution!"
"I'm afraid that's the best we can think of!" Max sighed, before smiling smugly at his twin.
"Poor old Nelson!" Monty feigned. "Won't be of much of use once his rattle goes out!"
Alfie widened his eyes slightly
"His rattle?"
Max sniggered.
"I think he means the moment when Nelson stops altogether!"
"Yeah!"
"Oh, no!" Alfie gasped.
He rushed off, leaving Max and Monty in amusement.
Nigel spoke with Kelly the Crane about about what he had heard.
"Are you sure that's what you heard, Nigel?" the crane wondered.
"Yes, Kelly! Said to me himself! Striving hard so that he doesn't have to be put out of service!"
Kelly listened hard to the new ballast tractor.
"Even said some thing about rattling his last! I'm pretty sure that'll be it for him unless we can do something about it!"
"Hmm…" Kelly pondered. I highly suggest you ask Nelson to tell you the story again, Nigel! I'm pretty sure you'll understand much more once you do! I highly doubt that any of us machines will ever be replaced!"
"But…but…"
Kelly smiled.
"Go on, Nigel," he soothingly encouraged.
"Fine," Nigel sighed.
He set off, Kelly watching him carefully.
Meanwhile, Nelson had just finished dropping off some workmen at a dig site.
"I'll come back for you all shortly once the job is complete!" he promised, beaming slightly.
He rushed off, revving dust about with his wheels.
On the way back to the yard, he felt very exhausted indeed.
"Phew!" he sighed, letting out a breath of exasperation. "Been rushed off my wheels all day! Not giving up yet though! Can't let Miss Jenny down!"
He kept a steady pace, while his engine still rattled loudly. Elizabeth came rolling down the road towards him when she heard it herself
"Oh, my dear!" she groaned, as she passed him.
"Mustn't give up! Mustn't give up!" he said confidently.
At last, Nelson reached the steep hill that lead back towards the yard.
"Oh, boy. Here we go!"
He made a run at it and started up, groaning slightly as his rattle got louder and louder.
"Uh…uh…must…keep…going! The other machines…need me…uh!"
But try as he might, Nelson couldn't go any faster than his current pace!
"Phew!" he blew, going red in the face.
He nearly reached the top of the hill when…
CRACK!
"Oof!" he groaned.
All at once, his rattle got quieter but the strain in his engine got worse!
"Oh, goodness!"
He found himself going slower and slower when right as he reached the top, his wheels stopped altogether!
"What has happened to me?" he wondered.
He watched anxiously as his operator hopped off and checked him over.
"Hmm…" he thought
He rose up and walked towards him.
"Your engine's broken down!" he informed him. "I need to find a nearby telephone pole to call for help!"
Nelson sighed sadly.
"Oh, dear. There may be a slight chance I'll retire after all!"
"Nelson!"
He was caught off guard by a familiar horn, before Nigel pulled up alongside.
"Not on my watch!" the new ballast tractor assured him.
"Nigel!" Nelson gasped. "B-but… I don't understand…"
"I just came from a demonstration at a dig site, you see, so this hill just happened to be back on my way! I'll give you a tow back to the yard, and I'll make sure you aren't let go either!"
"What? B-but…I don't understand…"
"Say no more, Nelson!" Nigel beamed. "Just hop on board!"
Soon enough, Nelson was loaded aboard Nigel's loader and the cavalcade set off.
"Oh my," Nelson thought to himself. "What will Miss Jenny say?"
When they arrived back at the yard, Nelson found out soon enough.
"Nelson, where on earth have you been?!" Miss Jenny demanded, hands over head. "I've been meaning to talk to you all day!"
Nigel gulped nervously.
Nelson sighed.
"I'm sorry, Miss Jenny! I was scared! My engine's been rattling all week and I've been feeling a slight strain too. Today it's worse, but if I decided to keep at it and work as hard as I could! That way, if I could still prove to you how useful I am, there would be no need for me to…"
He stopped in the middle of his sentence, as Miss Jenny and the other machines watched him hard.
"…to…"
Nigel raised an eyebrow with surprise.
Nelson sighed.
"… to be put out of service," he finished calmly.
"What?!" Miss Jenny gasped.
She nearly fell back in surprise, as the other machines began to chatter and murmur amongst each other.
"Nelson," she replied, "why do you think I would allow something like that?"
"Because, Miss, you bought Nigel here and I figured that since he's in much finer shape than I am that he might better off rather than an old ballast tractor such as myself!"
Miss Jenny looked at him long and hard.
"We're all part of a team!" she explained. "Let me assure you all that none of you will ever be replaced! I noticed myself, Nelson, that all the rushing around from place to place was a lot for you to handle. Therefore, I have brought Nigel onto the team to help out with the extra lifting and loading!"
All the machines side with relief, including Nigel.
"Phew! So I'm not a replacement after all!"
Nelson was embarrassed and went red in the face.
"I'm sorry, Miss Jenny! I've been very silly!"
"Ah, no worries about that now, Nelson," she soothed. "All you need is a little bit of repair to make yourself as good as new. Nigel, Will you drop Nelson off at the Roadworks please?"
"With pleasure, mum!" Nigel obliged.
He honked aloud.
"Come along, Nelson!"
And he pulled him away.
On the way to the RoadWorks, Nigel had a little chat with Nelson.
"Errrrrr, I'm sorry for misinterpreting things, Nelson! I was the one who told the other machines about my fear of being your replacement!"
Nelson listened long and hard as he went on.
"I took your words too literally and must have shared misguided information! I tend to do this, you know! It's all part of my slow processing speed but I try my best to work on it, you see!"
Nelson smiled.
"Don't blame yourself, Nigel! I was the one who got all worked up about the thought of being replaced! What I meant to tell you was that that was my concern. It had nothing to do with me actually being replaced!"
"Oh!"
Nelson expressed understanding at what he was currently being told.
Nelson chuckled.
"Anyways, I'm just glad I'm not actually the case! Somehow deep down, I knew that Miss Jenny would be rather understanding of my situation! By the time I'm repaired, surely I'll be as good as new!"
Nigel smiled.
"Oh, I hope so!"
The new ballast tractor sighed with relief.
"I'm just glad I can keep myself useful!" he admitted. A hunch tells me we're nearly there!"
"Good call, Nigel! Straight off the next exit!"
"Got it!"
He saw a sign for the Roadworks up ahead and got ready to turn.
Nigel found his way to the Roadworks after all and
"I did it! We made it, Nelson! First time too!"
"Way to go, Nigel!"
Nelson sighed with relief as he was loaded off of Nigel's flatbed. By the time he was, the latter honked, ready to go.
"Bye, Nelson! Have to collect some workmen from a dig site now! Good luck!"
"Same to you, Nigel!" Nelson called back.
He watched as his new friend set off, then sighed as the men proceeded to look him over.
The staff at the Roadworks wasted no time in having Nelson repaired. They looked him over from top to bottom, side to side.
Nelson cringed slightly as a drill was set to lock the bolts on his wheels into place.
"Oof!" he winced, as the drill went off.
He groaned even louder as one workman used a jack to knock at his engine. He watched as a workman with a helmet on blew a torch towards his engine, checking it over from the inside.
"Hmm…" he thought, as he observed the interior. "This could take a while…"
Nelson wants with curiosity as he rose up and walked back about the building.
A few days later, Nelson was repaired and ready for work again.
"Nelson!" Jack beamed, as he saw him arrive.
"He's back!" Alfie exclaimed.
He excitedly raced about towards his site, Jack suddenly following after him.
"Welcome back, Nelson!" the front loader greeted.
"Thanks!" the ballast tractor expressed. "Glad to be back!"
"Nelson!" Nigel gasped, rushing into sight beside Jack and Alfie.
"Hello, Nigel!" Nelson chuckled.
"I'm so glad you're back! Also, I have some even bigger news!"
"Oh?"
Nelson raised eyebrow with curiosity.
Jack and Alfie looked over, smiling, as Nigel went on.
"I am happy to inform you that I have succeeded in my demonstration and am here to stay!"
"Hooray!" Jack and Alfie cheered.
The other machines honked and flashed their headlights in congratulation as well.
"Miss Jenny told me this morning! Wonderful how so many great things can happen all in one day!
"That is great news, Nigel!" Nelson admitted. "Welcome to the team!"
"Welcome to the Pack, Nigel!" Alfie blurted out.
"We're a cracking a crew!" Jack called.
"All the better for Nigel being here and Nelson being back!" Kelly added.
Nelson chucked.
"Come to think of it, I really do feel as good as new! The men at the Roadworks did a fantastic job!"
Nigel smiled at his good friend.
"We'll make a good team, you and I, Nelson! I'm sure of it!"
Nelson smiled back at him before honking at him and making it on his way.
And with that, the busy machines set off to work.
"Where is it I'll be taking you then, gentleman?" Nigel inquired, as he backed down alongside the workmen.
"To the dig site at Cronk!" the foreman replied.
"Oh, right!" he remembered, as they all hopped aboard, then he thought to himself, "ermmm…how to get there again…"
He sighed confidently as he set off.
"Ah, well, I'll get the hang of it!"
Nigel the new Ballast Tractor still had quite a ways to go before knowing his way around, but that's another story…
First of the Pack two-parter for this set, we have Nelson the Ballast Tractor starring alongside newbie Nigel. Nigel was originally in the storyboards for the spin-off series about the Sodor Construction Company, so I thought that bringing him onboard here might be fun. In terms of his character, he is a slow processing speed, which means he can only absorb information slowly and takes things rather literally, which causes him to get the wrong idea when Nelson expresses his concerns to him. As for Nelson himself, I thought this a rather fitting lead role for him to star in; he is clever and wise, proven by his interactions with other machines, but he also tends to be/feel overworked and this story revolves around just that. The next story will focus more on Nigel in the spotlight, and explore more of his character/personality. Till then, be sure to leave thoughts on this story and as always, stay tuned for...
Nigel Knows It All - Nigel the Ballast Tractor, the newest addition to the Pack, is tasked with numerous different jobs to do. However, he is too afraid to admit his inability to process different pieces of information, and ends up causing a great deal of confusion…
Thomas, Percy And The Rabbits (based on Rabbits by Christopher Awdry) - the Fat Controller settles a 10 mph speed limit on Thomas's Branch Line to sort out a problem with rabbits burrowing under a stretch at Dryaw. However, disaster strikes as Thomas and his crew miss the memo and runs into trouble while taking out his passenger train!
Blistering Cold! - as winter arrives, Macy and Merle The Blister Engines don't have much work to do it after the mine closes. However, when Bert's new tubes need to be delivered, it is up to the pair to strive through the cold weather to deliver it to him!
Secret Santa - a Secret Santa is arranged at the RoadWorks for all the vehicles, and George and Cleo are paired up, something the steam roller is not too keen about! He decides to give her a surprise what she thinks will bring about grief, with unexpected results…
Get The Loot! - Diesel 10 instructs Splatter and Dodge with obtaining a load of fireworks for a New Year's Eve celebration at the DieselWorks; however, things don't go as planned when they struggle to find the fireworks and end up sending them to the Town Hall where they're meant to be delivered!