A/N This episode name in my country's Thomas Saves The Day and since his name's in the title of the episode, he's the one telling it.
Peep Peep! Hello, it's me, Thomas, again and I shall tell you how I got my branch line. Since the breakdown train played a role, I'm telling how I found that, too. That happened when I was working in the train yard, shunting the Troublesome Trucks. I quite like shunting, but I'm also fond of pulling trains, especially on my branch line. I'm rather chuffed about this story, as getting my branch line made me the happiest ever in my whole life.
Every day, Sir Topham Hatt came to the station to catch his train.
"Hello", he always said to me. "Don't let the silly freight cars tease you. Remember, you have an important job as a special helper in the train yard.". I believe it was his way of showing he cared. He loved us engines and his son and his son were taught to be the same.
There were lots of freight cars and I worked very hard, pushing and pulling them into place. I really had no problem with that, being an engine. It's how our minds work, I guess. We're just fine with hard work when we're not ill, usually.
There was also a small coach and two strange things Driver called cranes. I wondered what it was for, so Driver, my advice-giver, told me.
"That's the breakdown train," he told me. "The cranes are for lifting heavy things, like engines and coaches and freight cars." I hoped I could use it because it sounded like a way to help and be a Really Useful Engine. Being a Really Useful Engine and helping are some of my favorite things.
One day, I was in the yard. Suddenly, I heard an engine whistling. It sounded like our newest engine, James, since I knew all the other whistles by then.
"Help! Help!" A freight train came rushing through much too fast. The engine was James-and he was frightened. His brake blocks were on fire! I could smell the smoke and I wanted to do something.
"They're pushing me! They're pushing me!", he panted.
"On, on," laughed the freight cars.
Still whistling "Help, help!" poor James disappeared.
"I'd like to teach those freight cars a lesson", I said. Due to pulling Edward's train for him and all the work shunting in the train yard, I knew about the Troublesome Trucks.
I tried to catch the runaway train, but only got close enough to say "Couple me up!" But it didn't work out and James derailed.
I heard the alarm. "James is off the line-the breakdown train-quickly."
Driver got me back to where it was, then I was coupled on and off we went.
I worked my hardest. "Hurry, hurry, hurry," I puffed. I wasn't pretending to be like Gordon, unlike when I said that before. I really meant it this time. "Bother those freight cars and their tricks. I hope poor James isn't hurt." I never much liked seeing other engines sad or anything, even if I can be cheeky.
I found the accident and James was in a field, with the front cars off the line. The back ones were still on the rails, though. James's driver and fireman were feeling him all over to see if he was hurt. I heard them talk to him.
"Never mind, James, they said. "It was those silly freight cars and your old wooden brakes that caused the accident."
I pushed the breakdown train alongside, so the workmen could do their part. Then I pulled away the unhurt freight cars.
"Oh, dear, oh dear," they groaned as I pulled them.
"Serves you right, serves you right," I puffed. Those Troublesome Trucks deserved it.
I was hard at work puffing backwards and forwards all afternoon. "This'll teach you a lesson. This'll teach you a lesson," I told the freight cars.
And they answered, "Yes-it-will, yes-it-will." They seemed to agree with me, but time would tell. I'd learned to be skeptical of Troublesome Trucks. The workmen did their job.
They left the broken cars. Then with two cranes they put James back on the rails. He tried to move, but he couldn't. So I helped him back to the shed. I knew he needed to go the Works.
Sir Topham Hatt was waiting anxiously for us.
"Well, Thomas," he said to me. "I've heard all about it and I'm very pleased with you. You're a Really Useful Engine. James shall have some proper brakes and a new coat of pain, and you shall have a branch line all to yourself."
"Oh, thank you, sir!" I said. Being called a Really Useful Engine was quite good, but the branch line made me so happy.
When I got to my branch line, I was as happy as can be. I cried for joy, something I'd never done before, now that I had a branch line and two coaches called Annie and Clarabel. I puffed proudly backward and forward with them, all day.
I was never lonely. Edward and Henry stopped at the junction quite often and told me the news.
Gordon was always in a hurry but never forgot to say, "Poop, poop." and I always whistled, "Peep, peep" in return. I still work on that branch line today, when not needed for other jobs. And I love it even now, to the point I'd cry my eyes out if it ever was closed for always or I lost it.
A/N There's not always a title engine, like in some of my next ones, but I'll find the best engine to give their perspective on those stories. He's British, not me, so I used as much British terminology as I felt okay using, but translated (if that's not too strong a word for saying cars instead of trucks) some. I've listened to TRS and TAB on YouTube, so this chapter may contain a mixture of the two and the model version. I say cars outside of the phrase Troublesome Trucks. Don't make fun of his name or flame this because I'm Thomas sensitive and don't like flame reviews.