Duck Takes Charge

**Duck Takes Charge** is the seventh episode of the second season and the 37th episode overall. It is based on the story of the same name from the eleventh Railway Series book, Percy the Small Engine.

## Plot

One day in the sheds, Percy is eager to tell a disinterested Gordon and James some news. Both quickly tire of Percy's usual manner and the tank engine tells them that as the work in the yard is getting too hard for him, the Fat Director is planning to bring a new bigger engine in to help. James is unimpressed and tells Percy that if he worked harder instead of chattering, the yard would be a happier place. Percy then leaves to do his work.

As he works, Percy is grumbling to himself about how the larger engines see him as a "silly little engine" ever since he accidentally reversed at a signal and often order him about. Percy wants to teach them a lesson, but does not know how to do it. He works very hard all day and by the afternoon he is worn out. After bringing some express coaches to the station, he sees the Fat Director on the platform who notes that Percy looks very tired, which Percy confirms. The Fat Director cheers Percy up by telling him the new engine is bigger than him and can probably manage the work alone. He then asks Percy if he would like to help Thomas and Toby build the new harbour, which cheers Percy up straight away.

Soon, the new engine arrives. The Fat Director asks the engine his name and the engine introduces himself as Montague, but tells the Fat Director he is often called "Duck" due to his supposed waddle. Although he does not believe that he does, he admits to liking Duck better than Montague. With that, the Fat Director agrees that the new engine will be known as Duck. Percy arrives and the Fat Director asks Percy to show Duck around.

Duck does his work quietly as he brings some coaches to the station, leading Gordon, James and Henry to decide to boss him about like they do to Percy. Gordon and Henry then start to leave the station on either side of Duck, quacking and blowing steam at him. As Percy sees everything and is cross, Duck takes no notice and just wants to wait until the larger engines get tired of their teasing. Duck then asks Percy if the larger engines boss him about and Percy confirms they do. Duck decides to take charge and put a stop to it and tells Percy what they will do.

That afternoon, the Fat Director is sitting at his desk looking forward to having toast for tea when he suddenly hears a horrible commotion coming from the yard. Looking out his window, he sees Percy and Duck blocking the turntable and preventing an enraged Gordon, James and Henry from entering the sheds. The Fat Director grabs his hat and rushes to the yard.

At the sheds, Gordon, James and Henry are furiously wheeshing and whistling loudly when the Fat Director arrives and demands silence before demanding an explanation from Duck and Percy. Duck politely explains that - as a Great Western engine - he prefers to do his work without any fuss, but wants the other engines to know that he and Percy will only take orders from the Fat Director. As the three larger engines start whistling angrily again, the Fat Director silences them. The Fat Director then tells Duck and Percy that he is pleased with their work that day, but not with their behaviour that night, as they have caused a disturbance. Gordon, Henry and James snicker at Percy and Duck's dilemma, but the Fat Director turns back to face the three larger engines and admonishes them too, as their actions have been much worse; he declares that they *made* the disturbance by ordering the two tank engines around and that Duck is right, that this is *his* railway and *he* is the one to give the orders, not them. With that, the three engines quickly fall back into line.

When Percy is sent to work at the harbour on Thomas' line, Duck is left to do the work alone, something he manages easily.

## Characters

* Henry
* Gordon
* James
* Percy
* Duck
* The Fat Director
* Thomas *(mentioned)*
* Troublesome Trucks *(cameos)*
* Toby *(mentioned)*

## Locations

* Tidmouth Sheds
	+ The Works
	+ Goods Station
	+ Sir Topham Hatt's Office
* Knapford
	+ Yards
	+ New Knapford Harbour *(mentioned)*

## Trivia

* This marks the first episode of a few things:
	+ The first appearance of Duck.
	+ The first episode where a character reads the first line instead of the narrator.
* This episode is the only time that Duck is referred to as Montague until the eleventh series episode, The Thomas Way.