Luck

**Luck** is the fifteenth and final episode of the first season of the Stories of Sodor and the fifteenth episode overall.

Luck/Transcript

## Plot

Toby is at the Skarloey Railway and rather hesitant about taking the lamp to the Mid Sodor Railway, but Skarloey assures him that the Mid Sodor Railway engines need the lamp more than Rheneas and him. With that, Toby departs to Arlesburgh with the lamp.

When he arrives, Duke informs him about the damage at the quarry, since some of the track needed to be replaced and that the winch was damaged when the trucks broke loose and repairs are slow-going. Andreas wonders if repairs would be quicker if Stanley wasn't with them, and Duke reminds him about the generator remark he made to Stanley. When Stanley arrives, Toby brings out the lamp he had brought from the Skarloey Railway. This lamp is magical, a lucky lamp. Toby tells the three engines a story...

Before the First World War, Sodor's mainline began at Vicarstown and ended at Knapford, but when the war started, the government decided to expand the mainline to Arlesburgh for strategic purposes: 1. To link up with the Mid Sodor Railway; 2. Exploit the coal deposits that were recently discovered near Marston Heights; and 3. Connect the island's most populated centres. Since the start of the war coincided with the closure of the Sodor and Mainland Railway, the government put its three engines in charge of the massive extension, while Thomas, Edward, Toby, Colin, Lily and Adam helped via delivering supplies to the various sites and double-heading the longer work trains. The project was slated to take eighteen months to complete, but the planners had underestimated the terrain that they needed to work through and shortages of fuel and raw material impeded the workmen's ability to lay down the tracks. There were also a number of accidents and some injuries.

One autumn morning in 1917, Edward arrived at one of the worksites with a supply train. There, two police officers are present. Neil explains to Edward that the night before, someone had broken into the shed and had stolen ten pounds of dynamite. Edward began to wonder who stole the dynamite from the shed and why.

Very early the following morning, two German spies and their British collaborator, Andrews, are outside Knapford Harbour. The two Germans go down into the harbour and near the fuel tankers and are just about to put the dynamite in them when a truck and two workmen catch them red-handed. Realising their cover is blown, the two German spies run back to the lorry where Andrews was waiting. The two Germans get into the back of the lorry and Andrews floors it, but is suddenly distracted by a lamp on a railway crossing, swerves, and crashes. Lily's driver and fireman, who were at the sheds, hear the crash and run over to investigate. They find out the lorry driver is out cold, but in the back, they find the German spies and the same ten pounds of dynamite that was stolen. The three men were taken to Elsbridge Hospital for treatment and police questioned them throughout their recovery. Once they recovered, they were put into Knapford Penitentiary where they spent the rest of their lives in prison. The stolen dynamite was recovered as well as the lamp that had foiled their escape. As no one claimed ownership of the unknown lamp, it passed around from person to person, presently making its way to one of the worksites along the extension. The worksite was about to start blasting to clear away for the tracks. The hazardous job had been completed not just in record time, but done without any setbacks. The project then suffered no further delays and met every construction deadline. The line eventually reached Arlesburgh and a few days later, the First World War had ended. As the years went by, the lamp continued to circulate and found its way to the Mid Sodor Railway in the autumn of 1923.

At Arlesdale, Duke is having routine maintenance when presently, Stuart arrives with a passenger train and jokes he may have to be kept in order in case he breaks down. Just then, Atlas arrives from the quarry looking depressed. Bob McKinsey, one of the workmen, didn't show up at the quarry. Atlas says that his wife said he never returned from his morning hike and they're searching for him.

Later, Duke is taking a goods train when just after Ulfstead Road, a lamp falls out of one of the vans. Duke suddenly notices something down in the ravine. Duke's fireman goes down to have a better look and upon approaching it, it's revealed to be Bob McKinsey, unconscious and with a broken arm. Duke sprinted to Ballamoddey and informed its stationmaster of Bob McKinsey's situation. A rescue team was dispatched immediately and brought McKinsey to Falcon who took him to Arlesdale Hospital where he fully recovered. The manager of the slate quarry commended Duke for his eagle eye and quick raising of the alarm, although Duke said that the lamp did deserve some credit.

Andreas is puzzled as to how the lamp managed to make it to the Skarloey Railway, but Toby assures him it's a story for another day. Stanley is still skeptical, in spite the convincing story. Suddenly, a fire starts in the nearby barber shop. A group of firefighters quickly get their hoses ready and douse the fire. Stanley is completely convinced about the lamp, and from then onwards, he was no longer bothered by his jinx and he suffered no more problems or accidents. Not only had the barber shop suffered minimal damage, the workmen had also found the crate that contained Stuart's replacement funnel. Stuart was overjoyed to be back in working order and around Stanley.

Edward then realises he made a mistake in a  previous story where he told Percy that the extension to Arlesburgh took two years instead of the four it actually took. He thinks he got that mixed up with the time it took to build the Ffarquhar Branch, and reminds himself to tell Percy the next time he sees him. Edward chuckles, remarking that at his age, he should be thankful such a misstep is the worst thing he's ever suffered, and concludes with, "And my advanced years have ensured that I have a great many more stories to tell. But for now, that's all there is. There isn't any more."

## Appearances

* Edward
* Toby
* Lily
* Neil
* Skarloey
* Duke
* Atlas
* Stuart
* Andreas
* Stanley
* Percy *(does not speak)*
* Clive *(does not speak)*
* Falcon *(does not speak)*
* Thomas *(cameo)*
* Henry *(cameo)*
* Gordon *(cameo)*
* James *(cameo)*
* Eric *(cameo)*
* Donald and Douglas *(cameo)*
* Diesel *(cameo)*
* Colin *(cameo)*
* Adam *(cameo)*
* Reginald *(cameo)*
* Matthew *(cameo)*
* Ten Cents *(cameo)*
* Mr. Star *(cameo)*
* Mr. Zorro *(cameo)*
* Rheneas *(mentioned)*

## Trivia

* This was the first episode to be fully filmed in Trainz: A New Era.