It was winter and everywhere was covered in a blanket of soft snow. Nia was excited; it was her first winter on Sodor and she had never seen snow in her country. She thought it was so beautiful and was looking forward to Christmas.

"It is beautiful," said Emily, "but it can be troublesome too, so you must take care."

"Yes, I haven't forgotten." Nia could well remember her accident in China. There had been an avalanche in the Himalayas, and she almost fell down the mountain. Luckily, Thomas and Yong Bao were there to rescue her. She had told her friends, but she accepted their reminders.

One morning, the Fat Controller arrived at Tidmouth Sheds. "There is heavy snow on the way this evening," he said. "Be sure to get all your jobs done safely." Nia wanted to be ready for anything and reminded her Driver to top-off her sandboxes as she built up steam.

Later, at Knapford Station, Nia watched as Rebecca backed down onto her local train, but as she applied her brakes, her wheels slipped fiercely. "Oh, slow down, slow down," she groaned and bumped her coaches.

"Rebecca, are you alright?" asked Nia.

"I don't know. I've always had a problem with slipping. I may be big and strong, but I'm not very heavy and sometimes, my wheels won't grip. Snow and ice only make things worse for me."

Nia felt sorry for Rebecca. "Well, go slow and steady when you can and make sure you use plenty of sand."

Rebecca smiled. "Thank you, Nia. I will." And her Driver checked her sandboxes again as her passengers climbed onboard, but Rebecca couldn't help slipping again as she puffed out of the station.

The hours passed. It became colder and the snow got heavier. Even with her snowplough, Nia was finding it hard to get her work done. Sometimes, the drifts were so deep, she had to charge them more than once to get through.

Then there was trouble.

The Fat Controller received a call from the Coaling Plant. The equipment was freezing, and operations had to stop. The Fat Controller knew Tidmouth and Knapford would need extra coal for the oncoming freeze, so he telephoned the Mainland at once.

Late that evening, Nia had made her final delivery to Vicarstown. She was late, but the Yard Manager understood. "This snow has caused delays everywhere," he said.

Nia went to refill her tanks; the icy water made her shiver. Then, she saw Rebecca waiting nearby. "What are you doing here, Rebecca?"

Rebecca was worried. "Murdoch managed to fetch the coal from the Mainland, but he's broken down and Henry, Hank and Hiro have cooled their boilers already. I was told I was the only engine available, but I'm worried. I got stuck earlier; my wheels wouldn't grip, and Neville had to pull me out. Now, the weather has gotten worse, and these coal trucks are heavy. We could get stranded out there."

Nia thought for a moment. "Well, if neither of us can make it alone…then we will have to work together."

"What?"

"People in Tidmouth and Knapford need this coal. If you get stuck or stay here, they'll freeze. I've had trouble with the snow too, but two engines are much better than one. If we work together, with my grip and your strength, we will have a better chance."

Rebecca was still anxious, but she knew their help was needed. "…Alright, let's try it."

Rebecca refilled her own water tank, the two engines collected more coal, and their Drivers and Firemen made sure they both had plenty of sand. Rebecca buffered up to the trucks, her snowplough was removed, and Nia was coupled in front.

"I'll telephone ahead," said the Yard Manager. "Please be careful out there."

"We will," said the engines and when everything was ready, they pulled their hardest and were off.

It was getting dark, but the engine's lamps shone brightly, and Nia's extra sand helped Rebecca grip the rails better.

Soon, they came to drift on the line. "Snowdrift up ahead!" Nia called back. "Full steam together, Rebecca!" Rebecca picked up speed and was soon pushing Nia. They charged at the snow. They slowed down, but Nia kept pulling forward and soon, they had pushed the snow aside.

This went on and on, and they saved their biggest efforts for Gordon's Hill. After passing through Maron Station, Rebecca gathered speed and pushed against Nia as they neared the hill and quickly raced upward. "Full steam together!" they called and in no time at all, they were coasting down the other side of the Hill.

At Knapford, the Fat Controller paced the platform. It was very cold, and it was getting late. Suddenly, two whistles echoed from beyond the Junction…and freezing but unbeaten, Nia and Rebecca steamed in. "You made it!" the Fat Controller called.

"I couldn't have made it without Nia," said Rebecca.

"Neither would I without Rebbeca," added Nia.

The Fat Controller smiled warmly. "Good work, both of you!"

The engines left some of the trucks at Knapford and quickly made their way to Tidmouth with the rest. When they got back to the Sheds, all the other engines were waiting up for them. Nia and Rebecca told them all about their adventure.

"Well done!" praised James.

"Really Useful," said Thomas.

"We would expect nothing less from hard working engines like you," added Emily.

Nia and Rebecca were happy to be back in their nice, warm shed, but their friends' words seemed to warm them from the inside-out. They were tired, but they were very happy that the people in the town would be just as warm as they were.