The Last Mail Train

The Last Mail Train is the final episode of Tales From The Tracks' Third Season. It follows Thomas and Percy attempting to stop the cancellation of the nightly mail trains they used to take.

## Toby's Church Service

### Director

Leland Nitzel

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## Plot

Thomas and Percy have pulled nightly mail trains for many years. These trains drop off letters and parcels all over Sodor, so they can be delivered in the morning. One night, however, Thomas' mail van is only half full. Edward didn't come to the docks with the mail from The Mainland either, and Thomas and Percy start thinking that the mail trains could be changing. The next day, the best friends are waiting at Knapford Station, when they hear the radio over the P.A. system. The host talks about the declining rail post traffic and that British Rail is shuttering the Mobile Post Office services. Percy says that such a thing couldn't happen on Sodor, they're doing fine! But Bert points out one of the new post vans, while it's parked outside the station. Thomas reassures Percy that things will be okay. But that night, there isn't any mail for Thomas to take. Before Thomas returns to the sheds, James races in with the last of the mail from the mainland, and tells Percy and Thomas that the other railway is stopping all rail mail services to Sodor after this night. As they go along their routes, many more stations say that their post was delivered in the afternoon by the new road vans. The next morning at the sheds, Thomas leaves early for a special train, but not before asking Sir Topham Hatt about the mail trains. He tells Thomas that he's unsure if the blue engine will pull one that night. When Thomas arrives to collect Annie and Clarabel, he couples his old mail coach up in front of his coaches, so he can take the mail instead of the new fangled vans. He orders the porter at Knapford to load the mail into the car instead of giving it to the courier. When he reaches Great Waterton, Thomas is told that some mail will have to be given to the vans, as not everything can fit in the mail coach. Thomas leaves in a huff, not waiting for the door to the mail van to be latched properly. He arrives at Maithwaite, but leaves crossly when he spots a familiar van speeding down the road. The post courier was trying to tell Thomas that he'd left the mail behind and that the door to the coach wasn't locked. Later, at Dryaw, Thomas is told of the unlocked door, and trying to not let Percy down, tries to find the missing mail bags. He spots them up ahead on the main line, but Gordon is racing through with the Express! Thomas steams to the points as fast as he can, and Gordon stops just in time! Sir Topham Hatt and the courier arrive at the scene, but before Thomas can explain, Percy races in, and begs the controller not to scrap the mail trains. They meant a lot to him, letting him see the world around him wake up, bond with his best friend, sleep well at night and have something to look forward to. Sir Topham Hatt can only tell Percy the truth, that the post train just isn't efficient anymore, but says that Percy could still take his old mail coach along the line on his first train of the day to take the mail to stations around Sodor, so it can wait until the couriers come by in the afternoon to take it around the island. Percy agrees to compromise, and a few days later, Percy shunts his mail car to the front of his train. Toby asks him how the new routine is going for him. Percy says it's still a lot for him to get used to, with the mail trains being gone. But Blake, one of the mail couriers, reminds him that the mail trains will always be with him, in his heart.

## Characters

* Percy
* Thomas
* Dockyard Manager
* Oliver
* Cranky
* Radio Host
* Bert
* Blake Belladonna *(Not Named)*
* Crewe Stationmaster
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Diesel
* Emily
* Annie and Clarabel
* A Porter
* Dryaw Stationmaster
* Gordon
* Toby
* Sodor Mail Company Manager *(Mentioned)*

## Locations

* The Main Line
* Knapford
* Crewe (station)
* Brendam Docks
* Great Waterton
* The Mainland *(Mentioned)*
* Maithwaite
* Dryaw

## Trivia

* This episode creates a bookend for the Third Season, being about Thomas and Percy, and being set primarily at night time.
* This episode marks the only occurrence of a few things:
	+ The only time a Bachmann model was used for a character that already has a Hornby model. Skye's Bachmann Toby was used in the scene where Thomas races by Toby, due to said model's ability to change between different facial expressions.
* This episode was the second to feature a recognizable road vehicle in the background, the Mach 5 from *Speed Racer (1967)*.
	+ The model of the Mach 5 is owned by Skye Rose, who lent the car to Leland alongside the Museum Coaches for this episode and Special Coaches, Special Trick.
* This episode was originally going to feature more footage of Blake's close-up model, but the footage went unused.
	+ In addition, this episode was originally going to feature 3D animation like *Thomas & Friends' Twelfth Season*, for Blake waving out the window of her post van to Thomas, but this was dropped for looking jarring in Tales From The Tracks. This animation was later added back in for the DVD releases.

## Goofs

* In the script for the episode, the stationmasters are all referred to by "Station Man".
	+ Skye says this was an inside reference to the official *Thomas & Friends* Memory Flash Game, where the same thing occurs.