Ringo: So, who is this "Toby"?
Britt: A special little tram.
Ringo: Alright, and what does any of this have to do with him?
Britt: This episode's all about him.
Ringo: Alright then.
…
All the way up in the mountains, where no engines go unless their job requires them to, is an untapped section of the Island. There are some rails and roads that run here, and on the rails, is a little tram engine called Toby.
Toby (no surprise) is a tram engine. He has cowcatchers, side-plates, and looks nothing like a steam engine at all (For those that are either blind, or have never seen a tram engine before). But engine-ism aside, Toby himself is quite a decent engine. He takes trucks from farms and villages to the main line. When he usually does this, he isn't seen by any other engines, but despite this, he is cheerful to everyone he meets.
He has a coach named Henrietta, who had seen better days, such as when there were other tram engines besides just Toby alone. She also didn't have a face for some reason, likely because the producers couldn't decide what her face should look like. It also made Toby be given some weird looks whenever he talked to her.
"I want to know something, Henrietta." said Toby.
"What is it?" asked Henriette curiously.
"Are you nothing but a voice in my head?" asked Toby.
"Maybe." answered Henrietta in a way she hoped was honest.
"You sure? You're still faceless." replied Toby.
"It's not fair at all!" grumbled Henrietta. "Other coaches get to have faces but I don't! What kind of sorcery is this?!" She remembered that she used to be full of passengers and nine trucks rattling behind her, as brake vans were nonexistent around these parts.
Toby sighed and merely kept smiling for the cameras as he rounded the bend.
Nowadays, there were only three or four trucks, five or six at the most, as the farms and new factories sent their goods by lorry or road trucks. As an understandable result of this, Toby was not the biggest fan of lorries.
The cars, buses, trucks, and lorries all had unrelated accidents, but Toby never had an accident for years, and also can't really remember the last time he had an accident.
But the buses that weren't having accidents were always crowded, and Henrietta was empty in both ways, as Toby always had to console her every night.
…
"Dear, we'll do just fine." said Toby.
"You said that when the lorries first arrived, and look what happened!" replied Henrietta.
"I know, but-" said Toby.
"I even saw an engine, besides you of course." said Henrietta.
"Really? Who was it?" asked a surprised Toby.
"I don't know, he was a blue tank engine of some kind, and had two coaches with faces, and they all sped through here like it was nothing." said Henrietta.
"Interesting, honey." said Toby.
"Don't 'honey' me, Toby!" groaned Henrietta.
…
Next morning, Toby was doing his usual work as they arrived at a station named Lower Arlesbourgh, where he spotted a lady, a stout gentleman, and two children.
The stout gentleman happened to be STH, but Toby had no way of knowing this yet anyways.
"So, I see we'll have our holiday up in the mountains just like last time." said the lady.
"Indeed we are." said STH. "I had Bertie get us here for a reason or another."
"Come on, grandpa!" cried Stephen and Bridgett. "Look at this engine!"
"That's a tram engine there." said STH.
Toby merely smiled like normal.
"Is it electric?" asked a curious Bridgett.
"Whoosh!" snapped Toby, now angry and offended. He was never this rude, unless it was lorries mocking him about his line going down. But being compared to electric engines was the only thing worse than the former.
"Sshh!" shushed her brother. "Can't you see you've just offended him there?"
"But trams are electric! Aren't they?" said Bridgett.
"They mostly are, but this one's a steam tram." said STH.
"May we go in it, please?" asked both children.
"Stop!" said STH to the guard, and they all clambered in Henrietta.
"Yay!" chanted Henrietta happily. "I've got people inside me like old times!"
But Toby was still literally steaming as he steamed off.
"Electric indeed, ELECTRIC INDEED!" he fumed. He was still hurt and offended, and Henrietta playfully mocking him wasn't doing much of anything. He didn't snap out of this until they arrived at the next station.
The children got off and thanked him for the ride, and Toby couldn't help but smile and even thank them back. Lady Sybil merely scoffed at this.
"What's your name?" asked STH as he walked up.
"Toby, sir." answered Toby.
"Then thanks, Toby, for the nice ride." replied STH.
"Thank you, sir!" said Toby as his eyes whirled around a bit.
…
As they ran down the rails one last time for the day, Toby was now feeling enthusiastic.
"This gentleman!" he thought to himself. "Is a gentleman that knows how to speak to and treat engines!"
Toby and Henrietta both shared a laugh as they passed the title screen windmill, he had looked around for a certain blue tank engine that usually passed it, but there was no sight of him.
The children came every day for two weeks, sometimes riding with the guard, and sometimes even riding in the empty trucks because why not. But either way, Toby had adored it.
On the last day of all, they were invited into Toby's cab.
"Things are finally looking up for us, Toby!" said Henrietta happily.
…
Later, things were only starting to look down, as all of them were sorry when they had to go away. But STH and his family thanked everyone anyway.
"Come again soon!" said Toby as he sadly rang his bell.
"We will! We will!" called the children.
And they waved until Toby was out of sight.
…
Next day, Toby was sitting in his shed, looking sadder, as he had felt how lonely he was with only Henrietta to talk with.
"Toby? Are you alright?" asked a concerned Henritetta.
"I'm fine." said Toby in a broken voice.
"Our last day." said the driver sadly. "Manager says we must close tomorrow."
"Well, let's go out on a high note." said Tony, trying hard not to cry.
…
That day, everyone wanted the once in a lifetime last ride, and the passengers even joked and sang, but Toby and his crew wished they wouldn't. He rang his bell one last time, and started off.
Every old place they ever saw, Toby saw whatever remained of his line vanish piece by piece. He tried hard to keep his smile for the cameras, but Henrietta knew how heartbreaking this was.
"Goodbye, Toby!" said the passengers. "We are so sorry for your line's closing down."
"So am I." sighed Toby. "Henrietta… please take care, I'm sure you'll be the best coach ever."
"Toby, no! I won't go without you!" protested Henrietta. If she had arms, she'd have them crossed. "I'll wait for you." she whispered.
…
"I swear, it's like nobody wants me." sighed Toby, after taking a moment to bawl his eyes out earlier, and he went unhappily to sleep, and began having nightmares about being scrapped.
…
The next morning, the shed doors were flung open, startling Toby awake while his driver waved a piece of paper.
"AH! Wha-!" cried Toby.
"WAKE UP TOBY!" shouted the delighted driver. "LISTEN TO THIS! It's a letter from that Stout Gentleman!"
Toby smiled so strongly, having not felt this happy in a long while, so he listened to it, and…
Well, I'm not saying more, cause it will very likely spoil the next story.