A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I've been gone for a while, but now I'm back. Heads up, though, this will be a long chapter because of what I plan to do with it, so bear with me please. So sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Chapter 7: Thomas and the Breakdown Train
Thomas was happy to be working with Glynn. Glynn was a kind man who taught Thomas just about everything there was to know about trains. Edward helped as well, but he had his own branchline to run, so he was often too busy. Thomas didn't mind though, as Edward always had interesting stories to tell when he returned in the evening.
"It must be really cool to run your own branchline, Edward," Thomas said, "I don't think I'll ever be allowed to leave the yard. Not after all of my mishaps."
"Never say never, Thomas," Edward said kindly, "You never know what may happen."
The next day, Thomas was bringing a train of trucks into the station platform when he heard crying. He stepped out of the cab and saw two girls, about 10, that looked exactly alike, their brown hair pulled up into pigtails.
"Hello there," Thomas spoke to them kindly. "My name is Thomas."
"M-m-my name is Annie," said the girl on the right, "and this is my twin sister Clarabel."
"Nice to meet you," Clarabel said, still sobbing as she leaned on her sisters shoulder.
"Why are you so sad?" Thomas asked.
"Our parents have passed away," Clarabel said, "and we have nowhere else to go. No foster homes or orphanages have any room for us, and we don't have any money."
Thomas's heart sank. He couldn't bear to let these girls suffer.
"Come on, Thomas," Glynn called, "We need to clear the platform. The new driver will be here with his engine in just a few minutes."
"In a second, Glynn," Thomas called back, and then turned to Annie and Clarabel, "Don't worry, I'll find a way to help you out." And with that, he climbed back into the cab and drove away.
A few minutes later, a black tender engine puffed into the station. In the cab was a smartly dressed man in an engine driver's uniform. His name was James, and was brought in to help with the increased traffic. His engine was a mixed traffic engine, which meant it could pull coaches or trucks easily. James was proud of his engine, but it had one flaw. When it was built, it had wooden brakes, which could easily catch fire if he braked to hard. A group of Sledgehammers were preparing his train and decided to play a prank on the new driver. They made sure to weigh down the trucks heavily, and disabled the breakvan's braking mechanism, meaning it would leave the full force of the train on the engine if they went downhill. James, who was buying some coffee from the refreshment stand, was none the wiser. Once he was ready he set off. Unbeknownst to anyone, Annie and Clarabel had seen the whole thing, but before they could tell James he had already set off.
"We need to tell Sir Topham Hatt immediately," Annie said.
"Right!" Clarabel agreed, and ran off to find him.
Meanwhile, Thomas was doing some shunting near Maron when he saw a particular set of rolling stock. It was a works coach along with two flatbeds with a crane on each.
"Should we get that set over there into another siding?" He asked Glynn. When Glynn saw what Thomas was talking about, he shook his head.
"No Thomas, we don't need to move those," Glynn said, "That's the breakdown train. We only take it out if something has come off the rails. We don't usually have any accidents that are that severe, so it just sits here collecting dust most of the time. Now come on. We need to finish getting these trucks in order."
Thomas did so, and they were finished within the hour. Meanwhile, James was approaching Gordon's Hill, and was enjoying himself immensely.
"It's too bad that my first train on the island has to be a goods train," he said to himself, "Oh well, I'm sure that once I prove how splendid I am Sir Topham Hatt will let me be in charge of Passenger trains. Maybe I'll get to pull the express!"
James and the train soon reached the top of the hill. As they went down the other side, the guard pulled the lever, but the train wouldn't slow down. James, noticing something was wrong, pulled the air brake. Sparks flew from the brake blocks as the train rocketed down the line.
Thomas and Glynn were enjoying a rest when they saw James's engine roar past, smoke bellowing from the wheels.
"Help! Help! I can't stop!" James cried. The train rushed past and disappeared under a bridge. Within seconds the yard signalman rushed out.
"James's engine has come off the rails!" He called. "Fetch the Breakdown Train immediately!"
Thomas wasted no time and rushed off to do just that. Glynn coupled the train up to the engine and they set off.
James's engine had derailed next to a farm and landed in the cow's field. James himself had jumped clear and made it out with just a few scrapes and bruises. The farmer had helped him put the fire from his engine's brake blocks out and helped him make sure no further damage had occurred.
"Those stupid brake blocks," James said crossly, "I knew this would happen eventually, but no one listened. This is just fantastic."
Thomas soon arrived with the breakdown train and cleared up the mess. First, they re-railed the trucks that had come off the track and brought them back to the yard. Next they set their focus on the train. Slowly but surely, they managed to pull the engine back onto the rails. James got into the cab with Thomas and the three went back to Knapford, where Sir Topham Hatt was scolding the worker's responsible. Annie and Clarabel were with him.
"Your foolish antics have caused confusion and delay, which are two things I will not tolerate," he told them, "Because of your little stunt, one of my employees could have been seriously hurt. Get out of my sights. You all are fired."
The workers sighed, and then trudged slowly away. Sir Topham Hatt softened his gaze when he turned to Thomas and James.
"Good work, Thomas!" He exclaimed, and then turned to James. "Don't worry, James, I know the accident wasn't your fault. Your engine will be repaired at the works, where it will receive proper brake blocks and a new coat of paint. As for you, Thomas, you shall receive your very own Branchline."
"Oh, thank you sir!" Thomas replied. He then turned to Annie and Clarabel. "Hey, look. Why don't you guys stay with me? I can be your older brother."
"Really?" The two asked, and Thomas nodded. They then proceeded to pounce and hug him. Glynn came up to him.
"I think it's time I go now, Thomas" he told him. Thomas looked puzzled.
"Why? What if I need your help?" He asked. Glynn smiled.
"I know you'll do well without me, Thomas," he said, "You handled yourself well today. But if you need me, I'll always be there. Good luck, Thomas."
"Thanks, Glynn" Thomas said, "I'll make you proud."
"I know you will, Thomas," Glynn said, and left.
Nowadays, Thomas looks after his branchline with pride. Sir Topham Hatt provided him with his own little house for him and Annie and Clarabel to stay at, and Thomas makes sure to look after both it and them. The three had grown close, and now were almost inseparable.
Now, whenever Edward, Henry, or James come by the top station of his branchline, they would keep Thomas up to date with what has happened on the main line, and Thomas does likewise with news from his Branchline. Gordon normally doesn't have time to stop, but he always waves to Thomas when he passes, and Thomas always waves back.
A/N: Whew, that was a long one! So, what did you guys think? Did you like how I handled Annie and Clarabel? Most humanized stories have Annie and Clarabel be Thomas's sisters. That's fine and dandy, but in my story Thomas is an adult, and it wouldn't make sense for them to be around him full time. After all, they would still live with their parents. I thought of having Thomas adopt them, but he hasn't matured to the point where he can be a good father for them just yet. I settled for Thomas adopting them as his sisters. Hope you liked my interpretation.
As for everyone who likes Glynn, don't worry. I have plans to include him in later chapters, but not until after the James the Red Engine trilogy at least. This seemed like a good point for him to let Thomas take care of himself (and Annie and Clarabel), as he has shown that he has learned just about all that Glynn can teach him. Anyway, I will try to not keep you guys waiting so long for chapter from now on. Until next time, read, review, and enjoy!