DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
It was a cool autumn morning on the Island of Sodor. Thomas the Tank Engine was happily chuffing along his branch line with Annie and Clarabel, packed with passengers.
At that moment, there was a honk honk and Bertie the Bus tore across the bridge going over the railway, before he coasted round the bend and down the hill to start driving alongside Thomas and his coaches.
"Hello, slowcoach!" Bertie tooted cheekily. "I wonder who will make it to the level crossing today? Oh of course, who am I kidding, it'll be me! Hehe, toodle peep!" And he took off into the distance with a roar, leaves scattering behind him in the wind.
Thomas grinned cheekily and began to hurriedly pick up speed, as Annie and Clarabel were jolted forwards by the sudden movement. They cried out in alarm as Thomas flew along the line.
"Thomas! Slow down!" wailed Annie as she and Clarabel were dragged along down the line, hurtling along at a worrying pace.
"I'm going to win today!" Thomas called to Bertie, as he began to rapidly gather speed. A few lumps of coal suddenly bounced out of Thomas' bunker, followed by a few sparks from Thomas' funnel. They landed nearby on the grassy hillside with a thud, and then came a grey, smoky singe. Clarabel looked back towards where the coal had fallen out, and she gasped in alarm, as a fire began to rise up.
"Fire! Fire!" She wailed. Thomas and Annie heard her and came to a stop at the nearest signalbox. Bertie was already too far ahead in the distance to notice what was happening.
"We'd better call for the Sodor Search & Rescue Centre to help us!" exclaimed Annie. Thomas' driver and fireman leapt down from Thomas' cab as they ran up to the signalbox to explain the situation to the signalman, who was on the telephone straight away.
The fire was burning brightly in the now dry and charred grass on the hillside. Thomas looked back as he heard a loud whistle, followed by a bell ringing and a wailing siren, as Belle and Flynn the fire engines rolled into view.
"No worries, Thomas!" Flynn called, as he and Belle had their water cannons aimed directly at the fire, as the firefighters gathered around and sprayed water at it with the hose from Flynn's trailer. Before long, the fire was out.
"And everything is under control once again!" Flynn laughed with gusto. "Fiery Flynn has won another battle against a fiery foe!"
"Enough with the showboating, Flynn!" sighed Belle. "Honestly, I don't know why you still think you're on TV!"
"We're heroes, Belle!" argued Flynn. "Fighting fires is what we always do, and I don't see any harm in a little bit of dramatics! Makes it all the more exciting!" Flynn's bragging was cut short by an urgent call.
"There's a fire up at Abbey Station!" called the fire chief. "We need to leave immediately!"
"Right on!" laughed Flynn confidently. "Come on, Belle! Let's roll out!" Belle rolled her eyes and followed behind him, ringing her bell.
"See you later, Thomas!" She called. "Glad to be of service!" Thomas whistled goodbye, as he watched the two fire engines hurry away back down the way they came, before he looked back towards where the fire had been burning and sighed.
"Hopefully things can't get worse than this." He muttered. As if on cue, the Fat Controller drove up onboard Winston before stepping out and storming up to Thomas. Thomas groaned.
"And things just got worse…" The Fat Controller pointed up crossly at the tank engine.
"Thomas! What have I told you about racing around at dangerous speeds? I know you do enjoy racing Bertie, but this is exactly the reason why I warn you about it!" He boomed.
"I didn't mean to cause a fire, Sir!" Thomas protested. "It was an accident!"
"I know you didn't mean to cause an accident." replied the Fat Controller. "But you could have prevented one from happening by not being silly. I think the only way to get you to learn a lesson." He added. "Is by giving you a new job!"
"A new job?!" Thomas exclaimed in shock. "But I already have a job! Working on my branch line!"
"It will only be for a while, but I think it will help you learn how to be more patient and less careless." replied the Fat Controller.
"And where is it, Sir?"
"I'll be sending you to work at the Crosby Coaling Plant with Logan. Meanwhile, Stanley can do your usual branch line duties."
"The Coaling Plant?! But, Sir! It's so dusty and grimy, and I'll get covered in coal dust!" complained Thomas.
"Yes I know." chuckled the Fat Controller. "That's coal for you. Leave your passengers with Annie and Clarabel at the next station, and then go to the Coaling Plant straight away."
Thomas puffed sulkily away to Ffarquhar Station as he stopped beside the platform, and waited for the shunter to uncouple him from Annie, before he ran around to go back down the line the other way.
"It's for your own good, Thomas." said Annie, trying to make Thomas feel better with little success.
"You'll be back soon." added Clarabel.
"Not soon enough..." muttered Thomas unhappily to himself as he puffed away from his coaches.
Thomas coughed and grimaced as he rounded the bend into the dusty and large complex of the Coaling Plant. All manner of trucks, both loaded and unloaded lay scattered around the yard. The moment the Troublesome Trucks saw Thomas arrive at the yard, they all began laughing at once.
"Hehe! Here comes Thomas, the Search & Rescue Centre's best customer!" said one.
"Hey, Thomas! How's your coal throwing skills coming along?" guffawed another truck.
"He's a fire starter! Twisted fire starter!" sang a third truck and all the other trucks laughed long and loud.
"SILENCIO!" A sudden voice rang out, echoing around the Coaling Plant, making the trucks quiver in fear and go silent almost instantly.
"Hola, Thomas!" The loud and booming voice called out cheerfully. Thomas was pleased. Although almost all the trucks on Sodor were very troublesome, there was one very big truck that was quite friendly indeed.
"Hello, Hector!" Thomas whistled as he puffed closer towards the largest truck in the Coaling Plant. Thomas liked Hector. Hector was a very large hopper truck, and very friendly too. He used to be called Hector the Horrid but Thomas soon became great friends with him when he found out he was actually really nice.
"The Fat Controller told us you'd be working here, chico!" smiled Hector. "Glad to see you again! How have you been?"
"I've been doing great, Hector! But... I did have a bit of an accident earlier on my branch line." Thomas replied, feeling a little downcast.
"Great to see you too, Thomas, but we know you're here because you've been careless." came a rather stressed voice from nearby. A sharp, shrill whistle blasted out and Logan the Sentinel Shunter puffed into view, pushing a few grimy coal trucks towards the hopper. As always, he was completely caked in coal dust.
"Oh. Hey, Logan." Thomas grimaced with little enthusiasm. Now, Thomas didn't hate Logan. But he did find the scrappy little shunter to be rather rough around the edges.
"Listen, Thomas." said Logan, pushing the coal trucks into a siding before going back for some more. "I don't know if anyone's told you this before, but coal is supposed to stay in your bunker. It's no good to anyone if you just fling it about all over the place."
"I know that!" Thomas snapped crossly. "And I didn't do it on purpose, Logan! It was an accident!"
"Well, we won't have any here." replied Logan. "We've got a very busy quota to fill, and a lot of coal to be delivered. Now, this lot has to go to the hopper at Knapford Station and the bunkers at the Shunting Yard. Then this lot is going to Brendam Docks. And this lot-" It was a lot for Thomas to remember.
"No, no, no!" cried Logan. "Not there! Over there! You're putting the wrong trucks in the wrong places!"
Thomas glared at him from the siding. This had been going on for a while; Logan getting frustrated with him not doing what he wanted him to do.
"They're just coal trucks, it doesn't matter!" huffed Thomas. "Stop bossing me around, I have shunted trucks before, you know!"
"Not for a while, I can see!" replied Logan. "You're making a complete mess of things!"
"You're just a tiny little shunter, covered in grime all the time!" snapped Thomas. "You should be used to messes!"
Logan stopped and took several deep breaths before he sighed and looked back at some trucks being filled up underneath a row of hoppers.
"Trucks in Siding A are for Knapford Yards." He explained at last. "Please tell me you remembered where these trucks are going."
"Um..." Thomas tried his best to remember, but it wasn't quick enough for Logan.
"Come on, keep up!" He tutted impatiently.
"Logan." coughed Hector, trying to calm his friend down. "Thomas hasn't worked here for a while, and it's not a job he's used to. Try to ease up on him, ok?"
Logan heaved a sigh. "Ok, Hector. Sorry... let's just... try again, ok?"
Logan started to get more and more agitated as the day wore on. He wasn't used to teaching someone else.
"And there are the coal trucks going to the Wharf." said Thomas, pushing the train into a siding between several others. Logan puffed over and smiled at last, before his smile quickly vanished, replaced by a look of horror and distress as he began to panic.
"What's wrong?" asked Thomas. "These ones should be ok here."
"But I always put those specific trucks on that line there! Now my system is ruined!" exclaimed Logan. "I'll have to rearrange them all over again, and that'll take ages!"
"Logan!" called Hector worriedly. "Oye, calmate, calmate!"
"¡No puedo trabajar así!" replied Logan, still hyperventilating and looking very irritated.
"I've been teaching him Spanish." explained Hector to Thomas. "He only really speaks it sometimes when he's stressed."
"I see." replied Thomas, as Logan's eyes darted around the yard before he puffed towards a long line of trucks near the back.
"Logan just gets very stressed out sometimes." explained Hector. "It's a big responsibility for him, being in charge of the Coaling Plant. Gets to him sometimes. He usually calms down after a while."
"Logan finds the best way to calm himself down is by counting trucks." Hector and Thomas watched as the small dusty shunter, looking back and forth across the sidings at each truck, muttering under his breath. "There he goes now."
"Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen…" Logan went as he slowly counted each truck in line, not taking his eyes off them for a second.
"All good now, amigo?" asked Hector after a while, when Logan puffed back up to him and Thomas. The shunter took a deep breath in and exhaled before he spoke again.
"Y-yep. Good now. Just… let's just get back to work." replied Logan as he whistled and scampered away to another part of the yard. Thomas was feeling bad for what he said to Logan, so he decided to try and make amends as he pushed a line of coal trucks carefully towards an empty siding.
"How's that?" said Thomas. Logan took a deep breath and gave a tiny smile.
"Good. That's much better." He said.
"Sorry for getting cross with you." sighed Thomas. "I just don't like working here very much. I felt very silly for causing that accident earlier."
"Learn from it then." replied Logan. "That's all you can do."
"You and Hector seem like really good friends!" said Thomas. Logan chuckled.
"Sometimes I worry I rely on Hector a bit too much. But he's a great emotional support for me. I don't know what I'd do without him." Thomas was a little too preoccupied talking to Logan as his trucks rattled along ahead of him, and he bumped into them.
"Just watch yourself on the tipper's loading ramp!" called Logan from across the yard. "I heard your friend Percy got stuck on that thing years ago and it didn't end well for him!"
Logan still didn't fully trust Thomas yet, and he still felt very uneasy. But he could definitely see improvements in the tank engine's work. He didn't feel like admitting it yet.
Later in the afternoon, Mr Hobson, the Coaling Plant Manager, came to see Logan with important news.
"The big coal delivery from the Mainland is ready and waiting for you at Barrow, Logan." He said. "You best head there now, there's a fog on the way."
"Maybe I could come with you?" suggested Thomas when Mr Hobson left. "It is a big job, and you could use some help."
"Best thing for you to do, Thomas, is stay here at the Plant!" replied Logan. "The Fat Controller told us you needed to learn about not rushing, so make sure to do that here!"
"Don't you need to take Hector with you?" asked Thomas.
"And leave you on your own with no proper guidance? No way! Leaving Hector with you ensures you won't get mauled to pieces by the other trucks."
"I can handle trucks fine, Logan!" huffed Thomas. Logan wasn't listening as he was already running around the train.
"Hector taught me a good deal of what I know. Just ask him if you need anything. I'll be back as soon as I get the coal delivery."
Thomas watched as Logan clattered slowly away with the long line of coal trucks following behind him, before he ran back into the yard. The clock ticked on, and the whole while, Hector directed Thomas this way and that. Thomas was feeling more confident now, and after a while, Hector left Thomas to his own devices, as the blue tank engine scurried about, marshalling trucks into the sidings and under the hoppers.
It was a moonlit night and the sky was rather cloudy and dim. Logan was hurrying back across the Vicarstown Bridge with a long line of loaded coal trucks clattering behind him.
"Those diesels took a while getting these loaded! I'm behind schedule now! I'd better hurry!" Logan puffed to himself, as he rattled through the junction of the station. The station was very quiet and there wasn't much going on, save for a porter or two sweeping up the platform underneath the overhead lights.
He was soon scurrying through Henry's Tunnel, and then through Crovan's Gate station, before he made his way to the next junction. He came across a signal set at red, and stopped beside it. He found himself waiting a long time.
"Come on, come on!" He whistled. "Is it broken or something?!"
"Must be." muttered his driver. "We could carry on slowly and see what the problem is further on..."
"No time for going slow!" exclaimed Logan. "I can't leave the Coaling Plant alone any longer, and this train will be very late if I go slow!" And he took off as quickly as he could.
The signalman had accidentally set the points at the next junction the wrong way, as he'd been waiting so long for Logan to arrive. But the fog was so thick, that neither Logan nor his crew realised this. Logan puffed down the bend and into some thick bushes and brambles as he looked all around him.
"Ah great! Where am I now?!" He huffed. "Now we're completely lost!"
"We should try backing up, this doesn't seem the right way!" called the fireman. But it was too late. The coal trucks were too heavy and pushed Logan on when he tried to stop, and they sent him barrelling onwards down the rickety line. By now, Logan was all in a panic.
"Thomas is bound to be causing trouble at the Coaling Plant! And everything will be in disarray! Hector will be struggling to keep the trucks in order! And then-!"
But he was suddenly cut off as he felt his wheels leave the rails with a sudden jolt, as he splashed into a boggy marsh.
"Great. Just… just great. Now I'm stuck in the mud." Logan muttered bitterly.
"We best wait here until help arrives." sighed the driver. "I don't think we should risk it going into that fog. We might get even more lost."
The fireman agreed as he and the driver huddled in the cab to keep warm. Logan sighed sadly as he looked up to the cloudy sky.
"Thomas was right. I should have brought Hector with me. He's the best at helping me keep calm..."
Back at the Coaling Plant, Thomas had just finished up the last of the shunting. Every truck was in its right place, everything was tidy and arranged, and he was feeling tired.
"I could really do with a good rest now…" He yawned sleepily to Hector. The large hopper truck laughed heartily.
"I agree, mi amigo! You've earned it! I think even Logan would be impressed with how well you shaped up!"
At that moment, Mr Hobson rushed up to Thomas, looking very worried. "Logan still hasn't returned from his last delivery!" He exclaimed. "He should have brought the coal back from the Mainland by now!"
"Oh no!" cried Thomas. "Did something happen to him?"
"We don't know!" replied Mr Hobson. "If he's held up or had an accident, we can't say! He had been reported passing through Crovan's Gate, but he didn't get to Kellsthorpe Road!"
"Let me go out and look for him!" said Thomas. "He could be in big trouble!"
"It's too risky!" replied Mr Hobson. "It's very foggy out there, and you don't even know where Logan is!"
"I still have to help him!" Thomas puffed determinedly. "My lamp is working well, and I'll watch out for detonators on the line!" Mr Hobson realised at last Thomas wasn't going to back down and caved in.
"Alright then. Thank you, Thomas. But please stay safe, and be back soon!"
Thomas headed through the thick fog, and into the countryside as his lamp shone brightly, guiding him past junctions, sidings and stations. He jolted a little as his wheels ran over a detonator, making a loud bang sound beneath him. But he pressed on.
"He didn't get to Kellsthorpe Road..." He thought to himself. "So he must have gone down the wrong line near to here. I need to be really careful. This fog isn't helping me concentrate."
Thomas slowly puffed towards a junction, almost hidden by thick brambles and bushes. Thomas' part of the junction was set to go straight on, but the other part was set to go down the old line.
"He's got to be down here somewhere." murmured Thomas. "These tracks haven't been used for years. It leads to the old marshlands and bogs." He waited for his driver to get down and change the points as he puffed down the bend towards the old line. Tree branches and leaves scratched at his sides, but he pressed on.
"If he's down here, he'll surely hear me whistling!" exclaimed Thomas as he took a deep puff and blew his whistle loudly several times. It echoed around the tall, gnarled trees. Logan gasped when he heard the sound.
"That's Thomas' whistle!" He cried. "Thomas! Thomas! Come quickly!"
"Logan!" Thomas shouted, whistling loudly. "Logan, are you here?!" He pushed through some more branches before he found Logan and the coal train, stuck in the marshlands.
"Thomas! Thank goodness you're here!" Logan shouted back thankfully, as Thomas puffed up behind his brake van and was coupled up, before he began to reverse backwards slowly, hauling Logan and his train out of the marsh.
"But, what about the Coaling Plant?" asked Logan worriedly. "All those trucks need to be arranged perfectly, and-!"
"It's ok, Logan!" said Thomas. "I sorted the whole yard out by myself before coming to rescue you!" Logan was surprised.
"I guess you're not so bad after all. Thanks for coming to rescue me." Thomas smiled.
"Engines help engines, Logan!" He replied. "Besides, how would the Coaling Plant work without its main shunter?"
"Bit ironic, isn't it?" chuckled Logan. "I end up in trouble because I was rushing about, and you helped me out by being the calm and cautious one."
"I suppose so!" laughed Thomas. "But at least you're safe now!"
Hector looked out into the dense fog. Nothing had happened for a while, and he was feeling rather anxious.
"Come on, amigos... where are you?" He muttered to himself. Suddenly, he saw a shadowy shape looming towards him through the darkness and his eyes widened when he heard two familiar whistles.
"We're back!" Thomas shouted out, whistling loudly. Mr Hobson hurried out of his office and waved towards them as Thomas, pulling both Logan and the loaded coal trucks, steamed into the yard.
"Thanks goodness you're both back safe and sound!" He sighed with relief. "Now you can both leave the coal delivery in the furthest siding, and then head off to the shed for a rest."
Hector stayed underneath one of the large hoppers as Thomas and Logan backed into the dusty two road shed.
"It's not much, but it's home." said Logan. "Thanks again for all your help today. I think I might have been a pretty rubbish host."
"No, you were fine, Logan!" laughed Thomas. "It's not always easy getting adjusted to new things." Hector chuckled as he listened to their conversation.
"Haha! It seems like you're both diamonds in the rough!" He said. Thomas felt confused.
"What does that mean?" Thomas asked curiously.
"It means you're both a bit scrappy and shabby, but you've both got a heart of gold and are really useful!"
"I guess you're right, Hector." said Logan. "I think I'll be alright now with you around, Thomas." He added. "I suppose we could learn a thing or two from each other."
"Yes." smiled Hector. "We just have to keep it 'coal' and carry on!"
And the three friends laughed together as they settled down for a good night's sleep.
THE END
Obligatory Thomas centric episode number one! Thomas is honestly a fun character to write for as there's a lot of scenarios you can plonk him into and make them work easily. Starting the story off with an iconic set up of Thomas and Bertie racing was easy enough, and carrying on from there was good; throwing in Belle and Flynn with a bit of banter between the two was a good laugh.
Bringing back Logan and Hector was a lot of fun. The first returnees in this season and I did enjoy using the Coaling Plant as a returning location. I really love the idea of Hector being a sort of older mentor to Logan, and Logan being rather obsessed with routines and being a bit panicky, always fun to give older characters without much personality more to do.
Also Hector is Spanish now, because of that one episode where Michael Brandon gave him a Spanish accent for some reason and also because it's funny and I like it.
Another human character who gets a name. This time, it's the Coaling Plant Manager, Mr Hobson. He's actually an official character, but only really mentioned in the Mr Perkins segment 'Mr Perkins' Fancy Costume' and only heard over the telephone.
As always, here's what's next:
- Better Safe Than Sorry - After a rather bad inspection, the Fat Controller is told to start a health and safety campaign. Emily decides to make a good impression on the railway inspectors, and goes around the railway making sure everything is what she views as safe.
- Traffic Warden George - Whilst working nearby both a busy intersection and a level crossing, George decides to take on the role of a traffic warden and commandeers the road for himself, when he feels that nobody is appreciating his hard work.
- A Holiday For Sir Handel - Fed up with being 'mistreated' on the railway, Sir Handel decides that he should go for a holiday. But when he goes to Harwick for a railway gala, he finds that it's not as relaxing as he thought it would be.
- Environmentally Henry - When people aren't being as considerate about the environment as they should be, Henry takes a stand and protests against the people spoiling his forest.
- Freddie Without Fear - The other narrow gauge engines wonder if Freddie is really as brave or fearless as he claims to be, after the old engine has an accident. Freddie decides that the only way to get the mere shred of respect he has from the others back, is to be even more daring and risk taking than ever, which, understandably, goes horribly wrong.