Beeching (Episode)

**Beeching** is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of the Stories of Sodor and the sixty-seventh episode overall.

Beeching (Episode)/Transcript

## Plot

Doctor Richard Beeching was appointed Chairman of British Railways in 1962, at a time when the company was in hot water. To solve the various problems plaguing the company, he implemented massive layoffs and closures. Dr. Beeching then visited Sodor to oversee the organisation. On the main line, the yards of Carldon and Crosby were shut down, as well as Lower Knapford's and the Oil Depot, and then Elsbridge Harbour and other small goods stations before Beeching shifted to the branch lines. The engines knew this was concerning because the doctor knew well that branch lines were the main losses for British Railways. The Waterton Branch, which was still under construction, had its plans for goods services streamlined, with completed yards and depots going unused.

Whiff, Toby and Duck are annoyed at wasting time for construction and Duck makes snide remarks to Dr. Beeching, who tells Sir Topham Hatt he has heard worse as they leave and Sir Topham sternly tells Duck that he will talk to him later. Whiff comforts Duck as he was right to tell him off, though Toby points out that they shouldn't bad-mouth the doctor before he visits the Ffarquhar Branch, which has been seeing miniscule goods and passenger traffic for the past few years. The quarry and the tourists are now the only thing keeping the line afloat, with Toby being uncertain whether the branch will be saved from the chopping block.

At the quarry, one of the rock crushers had broken down and will need to be replaced. Luckily, work hasn't stopped completely but Thomas is skeptical about the branch staying open, mentioning he only had four passengers on his morning commuter service and Percy adds in that his goods train was cancelled due to not being "economically viable". Meanwhile, on the Peel Godred Branch, Dr. Beeching says that the branch hasn't made any profits in the past four years, assuming mismanagement or incompetence and brings up the  Jonny Cuba incident, but Sir Topham Hatt reminds him that Head Office would have known of his presence before them. Sir Topham that tells Dr. Beeching that the report he was given was wrong and gives him another report that is more accurate. Dr. Beeching decides to check, and if it is, he announces that all goods traffic will be kept intact, but Abbey station has to be closed, which Sir Topham agrees with. Arthur demands an apology for their supposed incompetence, to which Dr. Beeching says he will once he assumes they aren't at fault. Arthur then yells at Dr. Beeching, which makes Sir Topham sternly tell him that he will talk to him later, before he and the doctor leave. Paul comforts Arthur for doing so, as they talk about Jonny Cuba. Paul then tells Arthur about a rumour in which Cuba had stolen a supply train in the Midlands from the Ministry of Defence.

Next, Dr. Beeching visits Brendam Docks where he meets Edward. Dr. Beeching remembers working in the Ministry of Supply during the war and had heard of Edward's exploits. They then get into an argument, and he tells the rest of the Brendam Crew that night in the sheds. Donald admits he doesn't like the cuts but they are necessary, pointing out that Carldon Yard hasn't been at full capacity in a good long time. Just then, Sir Topham Hatt arrives, having concluded his meeting with Dr. Beeching regarding the Brendam Branch. He then announces that the Branch Line will be spared the axe entirely, and he's tired of the disrespect shown to Dr. Beeching. After hearing they don't believe he would follow Beeching's example, Sir Topham then tells them that Dr. Beeching is following his example. Before he was Chairman of the Railway Board, he was assigned to administer an underperforming region of the LNER and Head Office wanted him to turn things around as quickly as possible, and by cutting facilities, service and jobs, he did. He admits he would have become an axe man if he stayed on the Railway Board for longer. Sir Topham admits that he both does and doesn't support the cuts, but says they will have to adapt. Sir Topham also tells them that the new crusher for the Ffarquhar Quarry has arrived and instructs Edward to take it to Elsbridge where the Ffarquhar engines will take it up to the quarry. Sir Topham then brings up Edward's conversation with Dr. Beeching, and sternly tells him that he will talk to him straight away.

The next day, Edward tells Thomas and Toby about what Sir Topham Hatt told him. Thomas admits they'll be too busy with the rock crusher to be act sassy to Dr. Beeching while Toby realises about the dip after Ffarquhar leading to the quarry. At Ffarquhar, Percy wonders what the point of the dip is. Toby tells him that it was to stop runaway trains from racing down the line, as the sudden change in direction would cause the train to slow down or derail. Toby then remembers that when he and Thomas brought up the original crushers, the dip wasn't there, as management didn't seem to think that the crushers would eventually have to be replaced. Thomas decides that with him and Toby at front and Percy and Whiff at the back, they could manage. The four engines approach the dip and after passing through it slowly and carefully, they move on to the quarry, unaware that Dr. Beeching and Sir Topham had been observing their exploit.

That night, Sir Topham Hatt praises their efforts, and Dr. Beeching commented on the branch line's scenery, as well as the lack of attitude. However, he sadly tells them that beginning next month, every goods and passenger station will be closed. Percy admits they had been expecting this to happen. Sir Topham says that while the staff is getting redundancy payments, the four engines will continue to work because the stone trains are doing wonders for the branch. He was also able to convince Dr. Beeching to reclass the Ffarquhar Branch as an industrial line. When he and Dr. Beeching had a meeting in his office, on his desk was the Railway Series book, Branch Line Engines. He had asked Dr. Beeching that now Thomas is the poster boy for the Railway Series, how it would have played out if he had closed Thomas' Branch Line. Sir Topham also says that the tourist trains will also stay intact, with only one engine at a time assisting on the Waterton Branch, due to the Ffarquhar Branch being busier.

Without the burdens, the Ffarquhar Branch began flourishing. The quarry was able to purchase two more rock crushers and afterwards, stone trains were a common sight on the branch coming down from Ffarquhar, and this combined with the massive number of tourists turned the Branch Line into one of Britain's most profitable railways. Dr. Beeching had praised this decision, and left Sodor a few days later. He went on making more cuts and changes to BR, remaining a divisive figure long after his passing.  Some, including Edward, mostly believe he was a mindless hacker who didn't care about the people and communities he was affecting, especially as how the next story plays out…

## Characters

* Thomas
* Edward
* Percy
* Toby
* Duck
* Donald and Douglas
* Diesel
* Whiff
* Clive
* Arthur
* Paul
* The Fat Controller
* Richard Beeching
* Annie and Clarabel *(do not speak)*
* Johnny Cuba *(does not speak)*
* Henry *(cameo)*
* James *(cameo)*
* Oliver *(cameo)*
* Eric *(cameo)*
* Reginald *(cameo)*
* Rosie *(cameo)*
* Molly *(cameo)*
* Hurricane *(cameo)*
* Samson *(cameo)*
* Maggie *(cameo)*
* Alice *(cameo)*
* Winston *(cameo)*
* William *(cameo)*
* Charles *(cameo)*
* Neville *(cameo)*
* Wendell *(cameo)*
* Francis *(cameo)*
* Glenn *(cameo)*
* Bertie *(cameo)*
* Carlin *(cameo)*
* Dr. Simmons *(mentioned)*

## Trivia

* This episode takes place in 1963.
* The Breakdown Train music from Thomas and Friends plays as Toby, Thomas, Whiff, and Percy take the rock crusher over the dip.