The Mail Bag Snag

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## Summary

Memories of the scrapyard still haunt Atlas, so much so he's having trouble focusing on his work, and when summer storms affect The Region, he becomes more flustered than ever. Can he stay on track?

## Plot

Atlas has been having strange dreams, and is feeling quite out of sorts. The other engines, other than Cojak feel sympathy for him and suggest that he talks to his driver about his troubles. Atlas tells his driver that ever since he left Masonry Bridge, he's become even more aware of what he's missing. Jim tells him to keep his focus in the moment and to not worry and try to re arrange his thoughts like how he re-arranges his socks. That all changes when a very bad summer storm hits the Region.

Benjamin, who had been previously working on a bad section of track near Waterdown Bridge, has to be allocated to work with Mr Traverse, whose tunnels have collapsed from the intense weather. Traverse demands Charles Crawfoots send someone immediately resulting in Cojak taking over Benjamin's work in and his short temper causes trouble for the team. Atlas, the lightest of the mainline engines, is given numerous jobs, but is stressing out over everything. He goes too fast through dangerous sections, bumps the trains and causes trouble.

To help him calm down, Charles puts him on the Carousel Couriers Post Train. Throughout the night, Atlas remains unfocused, having trouble remembering where to stop. He speeds through Timesworth station and falls behind on his train. By the time he reaches Flunky, he's running late and feeling no better. Benjamin warns him to be careful, but his advice falls on deaf ears. Cojak delays Atlas' train even longer, and after annoying Atlas even more, the latter storms away in a huff much to Cojak's surprise. Atlas now unable to control his speed on the unbalanced track, despite his driver and fireman's best efforts, suddenly hurtles off the line and crashes into the river. Then, silence much to Jim's shock and sadness.

Benjamin and Cojak hastily start the rescue mission. However Atlas, battered and bruised, unlocks part of his memories. In his Memoryscape, another engine meets him. This is revealed to be M, from Masonry Bridge. Atlas then has a vision. He sees M is trying desperately to escape, but is stopped by Whistler and another diesel who prevent her from leaving and due to the fact that she swore not to hurt another engines her attempt fails and she returns to the shed. Whistler and the scrapyard manager called Killian Hardgraves discuss M's behavior, to which Hardgraves annoyed that she tried to escape reveals his plans to destroy her with the cutters torch as a last project before the scrapyard closes which both shocks and upsets Whistler who tries to state that they could find a home for her.

Atlas desperately calls out the M, promising he will try to help her which the latter heres but shrugs off. He wakes up in the Workshops, being tended to by Wurzel, Ramona and Cojak who accepted full responsibility to the poorly laid ballast on the track which caused Atlas to crash. Atlas then relays everything he saw to the engines present, also revealing that M's true name is Ember, revealing that the previous manager of the scrapyard will scrap her in secret before the scrapyard closes to which Wurzel promises that something will be done as soon as him informs Zebedee. Later, Atlas is resting in the yard outside the works and thanks Benjamin for saving him. Jim and Atlas' fireman, Craig, pay him a visit, and Atlas tells them that for the first time in forever he feels whole again taking on Jim's advice about re-arranging socks before listening to some songs on Benjamin's Jukebox.

## Characters

* Atlas
* Jim
* Benjamin
* Ramona
* Sherlock Hill
* Cojak
* Wurzel
* Ember (M)
* Mr. Traverse
* Whistler
* Charles Crawfoots
* Killian Hardgraves
* Craig
* Neville Armstrong
* Zebedee (*flashback, does not speak*)
* Paige Adams (*does not speak*)
* Clay (*cameo*)
* Dawn (*cameo*)
* Ince Castle (*cameo*)
* Bard (*cameo*)
* Enid (*deleted scene cameo*)

## Cast

* Haydn: Atlas and Wurzel
* Daniel: Charles Crawfoots and Mr. Traverse
* George: Cojak
* Lauren: Ramona and Ember (M)
* Joel: Sherlock Hill
* Sam: Whistler
* Jonathan: Benjamin
* Matt: Jim and Others
* Louie: Killian Hardgraves and Others
* Mayoorhan: Neville Armstrong, Craig and Others

## Trivia

* Atlas' driver is revealed to be called Jim.
* Stock footage from 'Nightmares' is used.
* This episode marks the first appearance of Killian Hardgraves.
* Jonathan, Matt, Louie and Mayoorhan join the voice cast. Jonathan takes over the role of Benjamin, Matt takes over the role of Jim, Louie takes on the role of Killian Hardgraves and Mayoorhan takes on the role of Neville Armstrong and takes over the role of Craig.
* This episode marks the first appearance of Bard.
* M is revealed to be called Ember.
* This is the second episode to have a trailer (the first being Nightmares)
* This is the first episode to use pop songs in the sound track, dubbed "Benjamin's Jukebox" in the credits