Thomas gets his Coaches

***Thomas gets his Coaches***is the fifth episode of the first season.

## Plot

One day at the station, Thomas is getting fed up, sick and tired as Gordon calls to him to hurry up with the express. When Gordon calls him a small engine, Thomas feels even angrier and just then, the Fat Controller comes out of his office to stop the noise. Thomas tries to tell him that Gordon called him small, but he is not interested in listening to him, and Gordon tells him to make himself useful and shunt coaches for the other engines but the Fat Controller snaps at him, too. Then Gordon's guard blows his whistle and Gordon is off. Thomas watches crossly as Gordon leaves, wanting his *own* coaches.

Later, Thomas shunts the coaches away and Edward arrives. Thomas complains to Edward that Gordon thinks he is too small to pull his own coaches but Edward reminds Thomas that he is still a young engine and does not know much about that job and Thomas says he has seen Gordon, Edward and the others doing it hundreds of times and he is sure it cannot be as bad as pulling trucks. Edward says Thomas is still young, but Thomas just imitates him and angrily puffs away, leaving Edward feeling cross.

The next day, Thomas is shunting Gordon's coaches when Gordon starts rushing him again but Thomas knows that the express cannot wait and shunts them into place and Gordon is off. Later that day, Thomas has to work at the shunting yard with Stanley and Percy. He tells them about what Gordon has told him and Percy tells him that he should know better than to listen to Gordon and that he has always been pushing them around, too. Thomas then says he just wants to pull his own coaches for once, Stanley quickly warns him to be careful about what he wishes for. Later, Percy and Stanley deliver trucks to the Coaling Plant while Thomas stays and shunts the remaining trucks who spot the chance for a tease, but Thomas angrily bumps them hard, ordering them to be quiet.

That evening, Thomas has finished his jobs for the day and heads back to the sheds. On the way home, he keeps thinking about what it will be like if he has his own coaches, then he will show Gordon he *can* pull passenger trains. Little does Thomas know that his wish is about to come true. First, the points are switched to an old track, but Thomas does not notice until it is too late. It gets darker and Thomas is scared. Then a thick fog rolls in around him. Suddenly, he hears a strange noise in the dark, Thomas hopes it is not a ghost, then he hears a voice. Thomas races away as quickly as he can, hoping the ghost will not chase after him.

Suddenly, Thomas hits some old doors and as he backs away, he hears two voices and looks around nervously, he sees an old shed in front of him and the voices are coming from inside it. He puffs slowly towards it. His driver opens the doors and there are two, old coaches inside, looking very sad. Thomas puffs bravely towards the coaches and introduces himself to them and they introduce themselves as Annie and Clarabel. Thomas asks them what they are doing in the shed. Annie says it is a long story and Clarabel asks Thomas if he likes stories. Thomas says yes and they start to tell him their story about when Edward pulled his first passenger train.

Edward loved Annie and Clarabel and cared about them very much as he took them across the Railway with lots and lots of tourists. But after years have passed, there were less visitors coming to the island and the Fat Controller is worried that if no tourists come, the Railway will have to close down and Annie and Clarabel will be scrapped Edward does notwant this to happen, so his crew decides to do something secretly. They put Annie and Clarabel in the old shed to keep them safe. He is sad to leave them, but promises he will think about them every single day. Edward says his final goodbyes and sadly leaves. And when more engines arrive on the Railway, it is back to it's normal self again, but no one knows that Annie and Clarabel are still on the island.

Thomas is speechless. Annie and Clarabel tell him that they have been feeling so sad and useless for a long time and Thomas feels sorry for them and says "Coaches as beautiful as you deserve to be in service." Annie says it is the *sweetest* thing they have ever heard and Clarabel thinks Thomas is a cute tank engine too. Thomas blushes red in the face and he promises that he will take them to the Repair Yards so they can be made as good as new. Annie and Clarabel smile at Thomas and say "Thank you" to him and then he goes to sleep with them in the shed for the rest of the night. The next morning, Thomas couples up to the coaches and sets off for the Repair Yards.

At Brendam Docks, the Fat Controller is worried about Thomas, who should be shunting Gordon's coaches. Gordon says Thomas cannot be Really Useful if he is late and Percy hopes he is okay. Just then, Thomas arrives with Annie and Clarabel. The Fat Controller asks him where he has been and Thomas explains that he got lost on his way home last night and had to spend the rest of the night in the shed where he met Annie and Clarabel. The Fat Controller realizes Annie and Clarabel as they say hello to him. Thomas then tells the Fat Controller that they told him all about how they have been in the old shed for years and asks if they can be mended and repainted again. The Fat Controller says yes and then Thomas can pull them on a branch line all of his own! Gordon asks about his express train and the Fat Controller says he will have to get his own coaches, but Gordon thinks that Percy or Rosie should do it, but the Fat Controller tells him to do what he is told, so Gordon does what he is told.

After three days, Annie and Clarabel are mended and repainted and happily working on Thomas's new branch line. When Thomas stops at the signal, Edward puffs up to say hello to Thomas. Annie and Clarabel notice him and Edward is delighted to see them and asks Thomas how he found them. Thomas says it is a long story and he will tell Edward all about it tonight and puffs away with Annie and Clarabel. Edward is so happy that Thomas has found Annie and Clarabel that he lets of a long, and happy whistle.

Now, every day, Edward and Thomas will bring each other the news from their own parts of the line. Annie and Clarabel will also tell Edward how kind Thomas was to put them back in service. And as for Gordon, it looks like he has learned his lesson never to tease Thomas about getting his coaches ready again.