Salty's Tightrope

***Salty's Tightrope*** is the eighth episode from the third series.

## Plot

Dennis arrives at the quarry to pick up stone for his trucks. The only other engine in the quarry at the moment is Molly, who is sheltering between rocks looking miserable. Dennis tells the young steam engine to cheer up, but she explains that the manager found out about her going down Salty's line and causing trouble and has confined to the quarry. She calls Salty a fusspot again, angering Dennis, who tells her that Salty knows a lot about trucks and that they must be left where he wants them. Dennis then leaves to take his trucks to the harbour. Although Molly likes Dennis, she still does not understand why she cannot go down the line.

The siding arrangements at the quarry are very awkward and Molly is forced to make several journeys to put the trucks in the correct place. Molly is desperate to leave the quarry and makes a plan; she starts by telling her driver the work would be a lot easier if she could use a small part of Salty's line. Her driver (suspecting nothing) agrees and allows her to go as far as the first level crossing.

The weather changes, with the snow and ice melting away. This causes an increase in work and Molly takes trains that are so long that she has to go beyond the level crossing. She decides to proceed with her plan to go further down the line without making it look like her fault and asks the trucks to bump her at the level crossing. The trucks agree, but things go awry when Salty arrives while she is gone and decides to shunt them himself. The trucks decide to bump Salty instead, and when Salty reaches the level crossing, the trucks give him a fearful bump and push him down the line.

Melted ice and snow has caused the river on Salty's line to become a torrent and it washes away a crumbling wooden bridge after a log collides with it, leaving only the rails behind which form a tightrope across the abyss. Salty's driver fights for control and by the time Salty is finally able to stop, he is on the "tightrope" precariously above the water, ready to fall any second as more pieces of the bridge crumble into the torrent.

When Molly hears what has happened, she is horrified and immediately goes to help. Salty is anchored to some rocks with chains as Molly takes away the trucks. Eventually, she is able to pull Salty to safety and later apologises about what happened with the trucks. Salty thanks Molly, telling her that while he had heard of tightrope walkers from a circus, he had not imagined doing it himself.

The Fat Controller sees Molly later and congratulates her for doing well in an emergency. Molly admits she was responsible for the trucks' behaviour but asks if she can still use Salty's line, as Salty has offered to show her what to do. The Fat Controller agrees on the condition that Molly's manager allows her to, which he does. Molly is now happier than ever and is considered to be a Really Useful Engine.

## Characters

* Dennis
* Salty
* Molly
* Troublesome Trucks
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Ffarquhar Quarry Manager (*mentioned*)

## Trivia

* The episode is based off the fifteenth episode of the third series from *Thomas & Friends*, Toby's Tightrope.