DEAR FRIENDS,

I am sure a lot of you are expressing concern over the state of Sodor at the present time, but I can assure you that everything is quite alright.

Thomas the Tank Engine and all of his friends are still hard at work, and I am happy to share more of their stories with you. I admit that some things were a little strange for a while when Thomas got his chance to travel around the world, but everything seems to be settling down now.

I hope you enjoy meeting all of our new friends and visiting many new places from Sodor and beyond, because I certainly did.

THE AUTHOR

It was the end of another busy day on the Island of Sodor and a big storm was on its way. At Tidmouth Sheds, all the engines had made it back safely when Edward pulled up.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" asked Thomas.

"The Dock Master had me make a delivery from Brendam to Knapford, but this storm is coming sooner than expected and I won't make it back to Wellsworth in time." Edward paused for a moment. "No offense, but I was hoping there would be an empty berth here."

"I'm afraid not," said Rebecca. "Sorry, Edward."

Then, Emily had an idea. "I know! What about the old Works Shed? There's enough room there, Edward, and Annie and Clarabel are there already, so you won't be alone."

"What a good idea," said the old engine.

"But it's an open shed," said Percy. "Will you be alright, Edward?"

Edward smiled. "Don't worry, Percy. Do you remember that big storm that made the Suspension Bridge collapse? If I can get through a storm like that up at Ffarquhar Quarry, I'll be just fine here." Suddenly, lightning flashed, and thunder crashed. "And I better hurry," Edward added.

Annie and Clarabel were surprised to see Edward, but he quickly explained the situation. "Of course you can stay here with us, dear," said Annie.

"I don't like being at this Shed in such weather either," said Clarabel, "but it's good to have another friend nearby."

The storm lasted all night long. It was so noisy, the engines had trouble sleeping.

"I do hope Edward is alright," quivered Percy.

"Nothing to worry about, little Percy," said Gordon confidently. "Edward is a brave engine, and he can easily 'weather' this." And he laughed.

Percy didn't understand. "What does that mean?"

"It means that he can get through a bad situation no matter how difficult it is," explained Nia.

"I hope so."

By morning, the storm was gone, and the engines felt exhausted. As they puffed out of the Sheds, they noticed the storm damage.

"Edward, Annie, Clarabel, are you alright?!" Thomas called.

"We're fine," answered Edward, "but that storm left a big mess behind!"

Luckily, there wasn't much of a mess in front of the Works Shed, so Thomas was able to collect Annie and Clarabel and Edward soon set off for work. Thomas brought his coaches to Tidmouth Station when he saw a surprising sight. There was Henry inside his old Branch Line Shed. "Morning, Henry. Why are you here?"

"I was supposed to take the Flying Kipper last night when I heard about the storm," explained Henry. "I went into the Yard for more coal when my train was cancelled due to the weather. Luckily, I saw that your old Shed was empty, so I stayed here for the night."

"I wish Edward could've made it here before the storm began," said Thomas. "He spent the night in the Works Shed with Annie and Clarabel."

"It was scary," said Annie.

"But at least we had good company," added Clarabel.

As Thomas went about his work, he kept thinking about his friends. "I wish there was a way we could be more ready if something like this happens again," he puffed to himself, "but what can we do?"

Later that day, Thomas had to collect a delivery from the Wharf. Skarloey was resting nearby. "Hullo, Thomas. Is something bothering you?"

"Yes," said Thomas, "that big storm last night meant that Edward and Henry couldn't get back to their Sheds. "Edward had to sleep in the Old Works Shed and Henry stayed at my old Branch Line Shed.

"What's wrong with that?"

"The Works Shed is an open shed and Percy was worried about Edward, and Henry was alone at Tidmouth Station."

"Can anything be done?" Skarloey asked thoughtfully.

"I don't know. There isn't room for another shed close to ours and it would still take a long time to build a new one."

"Well," Skarloey went on, "do you remember my old Sheds at Crovan's Gate?"

"Yes."

"The wooden shed I used wasn't always there. Before Sir Handel and Peter Sam arrived, I was worn out and Rheneas had to run the line himself. It was going to a long time before I could be mended, so our Chief Engineer and Repair Manager, Mr. Hugh, had the idea to build that wooden shed so I could see everything and not be lonely."

"But that's an open shed too," said Thomas, "and there's another like that at the Depot. Did storms ever bother you?"

"Sometimes," Skarloey admitted, "but it was better than waiting at the back of the Main Shed away from everyone. It's not always good to sleep outside, but it's much better when you have a roof over your funnel. Has anyone ever slept outside at Tidmouth?"

Thomas thought. "Sometimes Toby would sleep on the siding next to the Sheds when he had to collect workmen early in the morning, but he had to stay in the Works Shed when the weather was bad." Suddenly…Thomas had the answer. "Of course! That's it! Thank you, Skarloey! Now, I know what to do!" And he raced away as fast as his pistons would pump.

The next evening, Toby was shunting at Knapford Station when Henry arrived with some trucks. Edward was their too, waiting for his evening train to Brendam Docks.

Just then, the Fat Controller stepped out of his Office. "Ah, Edward, Henry, Toby, I'm glad to see you are all here."

"Why, Sir?" asked Henry.

"Because I have a surprise for you all."

"A surprise?" asked Toby.

"That's right. Edward, Philip will shunt your coaches. Now, we must be off for Tidmouth Sheds." The Fat Controller climbed aboard Edward and the three engines set off together, puzzled, but excited.

When they arrived at Tidmouth Sheds, the three engines were surprised. It seemed that the workmen were building something on the siding next to the Sheds. Kelly the Crane and Ms. Jenny were there too and so were all the other engines.

"What is all this?" asked Edward.

"It's your surprise," said the Fat Controller as he climbed down.

"I felt bad for what happened to you and Henry last night," explained Thomas, "and I wanted to do something in case that happened again. So, I thought we could build a new shed on the siding if another engine has to stay here for the night, and it will have walls, so the weather won't bother anyone."

"What a wonderful idea, Thomas!" grinned Henry. "Thank you!"

"You should thank Skarloey too. This wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for him."

It wasn't long until the new shed was completed, and it proved to be Really Useful indeed. Toby would spend the night there if he needed an early start and Edward and Henry would stop by to get ready for their evening trains. Other engines would use the new shed as well, and they thought it was very clever, but no one felt happier than Edward, Henry and Toby.