Preservation

**Preservation** is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the Stories of Sodor and the eightieth episode overall.

Preservation/Transcript

## Plot

Although the Halifax lawsuit was dismissed, the investigation uncovered a number of violations at Marston Heights coal mine. Given how little coal the mine had left, the NCB decided to close it down rather than pay for repairs. Wanting to save it, the locals pulled through an effort to get the facility declared a heritage railway. It easily acquired Neil, Matthew and Clive, who had just announced their plans to retire at their 109th birthday.

At a yard, Kate and Thomas encounter each for the first time since their breakup in 1962. With an awkward vibe between them, Thomas apologizes for what he said, but Kate admits that her jealous behavior gave him a reason to, whereas he never gave her a reason to distrust him. Since neither wants to get back together, they agree to try to be friends. Kate explains that she was sold to BR and will be transferred to the Little Western. She then takes some trucks back to the newly-named MHCR (Marston Heights Coal Railway). She becomes worried when she sees Matthew speaking to himself, and she becomes alarmed when Neil forgets her name, his own name, his brother, and sentences he already said or was in the middle of saying. Once Mickey and Robert Hall arrive, it's determined that Neil has SS (Smokebox Syndrome). As a precaution, both Matthew and Clive are also checked on. When Kate asks about earlier, Matthew claims he was speaking to Patrick Clifton, a postman who was an old friend of his.

At the end of the line, Mickey has finished his check-up of Clive when Kate arrives to pick up new trucks. She asks him about Patrick Clifton. Clive explains that Clifton was killed in an accident Matthew witnessed. Mickey and Kate then bring him to Matthew in an attempt to make him come to his senses. Despite Clive's best efforts, Matthew continues to insist that Clifton is present in the moment despite the others not seeing him. Eventually, Clive breaks the truth to Matthew, that Clifton died in 1925. After a great deal of denial, Matthew's vision of Clifton disappears, and Matthew starts stumbling over his words, confused as to what just happened. Mickey assures Matthew that he will be taken care of.

In the end, both Matthew and Neil are cured of their SS and resume work on the heritage railway. A few months later, the MHCR opens for business, its engines now sporting a new livery. While the heritage line would prove to be huge success, Kate would have trouble adjusting to the new routines and regularities of ordinary railway life, which is a story for another day.

## Characters

* Thomas
* Kate
* Mickey
* Clive
* Neil
* Matthew
* Patrick "Pat" Clifton
* Edward *(narration only; cameo)*
* Henry *(cameo)*
* Gordon *(cameo)*
* James *(cameo)*
* Percy *(cameo)*
* Toby *(cameo)*
* Oliver *(cameo)*
* Reginald *(cameo)*
* Peter *(cameo)*
* Whiff *(cameo)*
* Samantha *(cameo)*
* BoCo *(cameo)*
* Bertie *(cameo)*
* Onslow *(cameo)*
* The Fat Controller *(cameo)*
* Robert Hall *(cameo)*
* Barry *(mentioned)*
* Avery Halifax *(indirectly mentioned)*

## Trivia

* There are references to British children's television series Postman Pat in this episode.
* Edward says Clive, Neil, and Matthew were 100. This is a mistake as they were built in 1856, which would make them 109.
* Smokebox Syndrome is the non-faceless steam engine equivalent to dementia, though unlike dementia, which is an incurable condition with a 100% mortality rate, Smokebox Syndrome is easily remedied.