Thief

**Thief** is the third episode of the second season of the Stories of Sodor and the eighteenth episode overall.

Thief/Transcript

## Plot

The specifics of Sir Topham Hatt's meetings with Mr. Star and Mr. Zorro had become known to the public. Businesses and communities feared a disruption in businesses with the removal of an entire rail company from the island. Many people made deputations and Sir Topham met with them to hear their thoughts. The engines on both sides didn't want to get shoved off Sodor. At the end of a very busy day, a shipment of fuel needs to be delivered to Barrow-in-Furness. Thomas is ordered to take on the job, as he is the first Nor'easter to return to the sheds. He arrives at Barrow where Adam and Lily are. After exchanging snide remarks, he drops off the tankers in a siding where Percy startles him, as both didn't know each other would be there. The two engines head home.

That night, a GWR saddle tank engine comes into the yard and steals the fuel tankers. The next morning, Whiff wakes up to discover they are missing. Adam arrives and Whiff informs him about the missing tankers. Adam meets up with Thomas to tell him the news and gets into an argument with him when Mr. Star shows up. Mr. Star sends Adam off to work before he tells Thomas how he has already received a complaint from the scrapyard. Thomas tries to explain that he had delivered the tankers, but Mr. Star has to believe the client's words and sends Thomas to do trackside maintenance with Terence as punishment.

As Thomas goes over to Terence and Percy, the former tells him that he heard Thomas' train is missing and that this is the talk of the island. Thomas, not finding this amusing, was certain that it would be once Terence found out. Diesel and Douglas happen to pass by and taunt Thomas. Terence informs Thomas that they'll need more ballast from the Skarloey Railway, which the Midis are also getting, much to Thomas' fury. Thomas meets up with Diesel and Douglas again at Elsbridge. After more taunting from the two Midis, who also claim him a crook, he heads off, annoyed.

Both Edward and Mr. Star were concerned about Thomas, but they never thought that the tankers were stolen. One night, the thief came to Sodor just after midnight. The inactivity and lack of observation allowed the thief to go through numerous yards to pilfer some trucks and make a quick getaway. Whiff, who had just left Killdane Scrapyard, notices the tank engine who stole the tankers which Thomas was blamed for. Whiff and his driver decide to follow the engine. Unfortunately, Whiff had a hard time keeping up with the thief as he pursued him beyond Sodor.

The next morning, a big meeting is held between the Nor'easters and the Midis at Knapford Harbour on how to try and catch the “thief”. Mr. Star and Mr. Zorro have come up with a plan, which will see all the engines going out in pairs, with one Nor'easter and one Midi each, to camp out in designated areas with trucks filled with flares that will go off if touched, and try and spot and nick the Thief.

Meanwhile, Whiff is searching where he lost the Thief the night before. His driver points over to an old branch line that has been closed for years and goes down it. At the end of the branch is a harbour, where the “thief” engine is being ordered by three horrid lorries to steal another train from Sodor. He must do so to keep his friend, a GWR 6100 tank engine, William, from being sent to the bottom of the bay. Whiff sees and hears everything, luckily avoiding being spotted.

That night, Mr. Star and Mr. Zorro’s big plan is put into action. Peter assures Adam and Lily that the Nor'easters are not guilty, since both sides have had their trains gone missing. Adam and Eric are paired together at Wellsworth. Lily arrives at Vicarstown where Thomas is. The two engines talk until Lily suddenly notices Whiff arriving. Whiff informs the tank engines of what he had seen. With no time to explain to the others, Whiff tells Thomas and Lily to follow him and he'll explain on the way.

The three tank engines go onto the closed branch line, they meet up with Wendell. He explains that he's been blackmailed to steal the trains and to have them sold on the black market to prevent losing William. Thomas has come up with a plan. He tells Whiff to go to the nearest station and call Joey while he, Lily and Wendell will go down the branch and keep watch on the lorries and they will stop them if they try to run away.

The three tank engines go down the branch line and stop at the station before the harbour. Thomas decides to stay there and keep watch. Suddenly, Lily sees two of the lorries leaving. Thomas tells Lily to go towards the harbour and save William while he and Wendell will stop the other two. As Lily approaches William, the three lorries hurry away, but Lily halts the third one before it can escape. Thomas and Wendell chase the two lorries when the second one loses his gasket and the first one speeds away. Thomas halts the former lorry while Wendell halts the latter lorry just after leaving the branch line. After stopping the lorry, Wendell triumphantly declares: "Now that's what I call the Great Western Way!"

Meanwhile, at Wellsworth, Adam and Eric have spent six hours of observation when Eric suddenly seems to have heard something enter the yard and he goes over, but it's only Gordon who has come to inform the two tank engines that the thief has been apprehended. Eric presently decides to move the flare truck out of the way but since it was still live, he set it off.

Throughout the rest of the night and next morning, Joey and a police squad cleaned of the criminality out the Springfield. At the abandoned Kingsley station, the five tank engines waited until Joey told them to leave. Joey soon arrives and tells the tank engines that they can all leave, except for Wendell, since he broke the law for stealing. Joey takes Wendell away to Railgate where the latter was sentenced to fifteen days in RailGate Prison and afterwards, returned to the GWR and was given a hero's welcome, as were Thomas, Lily and Whiff when they returned to Sodor. Everyone was very proud of the three tank engines. Their directors had also told them that the Fat
Controller was most impressed by their entire handling of the situation.

## Characters

* Thomas
* Henry
* Gordon
* Percy
* Toby
* Eric
* Donald and Douglas
* Diesel
* Lily
* Adam
* Peter
* Whiff
* Wendell
* William
* Joey
* Terence
* The Horrid Lorries
* Mr. Star
* Mr. Zorro
* Edward *(narration only; does not speak)*
* Reginald *(does not speak)*
* The Fat Controller *(does not speak)*
* The Purple Tender Engine *(does not speak)*
* James *(cameo)*
* Duck *(cameo)*
* Oliver *(cameo)*
* Colin *(cameo)*
* Matthew *(cameo)*
* Geoffrey *(cameo)*
* Ivo Hugh *(cameo)*
* Toad *(cameo)*

## Trivia

* This episode marks Wendell's first speaking role in the series.
* This marks Ivo Hugh’s first appearance in the series.
* This episode is based on the episode "Pirate" from Tugs.