Thomas

**Thomas** is a blue tank engine who works on the North Western Railway. He originally worked as the station pilot at the Big Station but longed to leave his yard to go out and see the world. After helping to rescue James from a nasty accident, Thomas was rewarded with two new coaches, Annie and Clarabel and was given the responsibility of running the Ffarquhar Branch Line. He works there to this day.

## Biography

Thomas originally worked as the station pilot at Vicarstown, shunting trains for the bigger engines on the main line to take out. He enjoyed teasing the other engines, especially Gordon, who he would quietly sneak up on and whistle loudly at while Gordon dozed on a siding. Eventually, Gordon managed to get back at Thomas by pulling out of the station before he could be uncoupled from his coaches, dragging him down the line at a tremendous speed. Thomas vowed to never tease Gordon again. Perhaps as a result of his brief excursion beyond his boundaries, Thomas longed to see more of the world and become a part of it and became jealous of the bigger engines for having the chance to pull trains.

On an occasion when Henry fell ill, Thomas took his morning passenger train since there were no other engines available, much to his delight. However, for unknown reasons, Thomas left the station before he could be coupled to his train, leaving behind the coaches, the passengers, and their luggage. Thomas was not aware of his mistake until he was stopped by a signalman who asked where his train was. Ashamed and humiliated, Thomas returned to the station and collected his coaches. Subsequently, the incident made him a laughing stock among the other engines.

Thomas continued to grumble to the other engines, though they took no notice of him. However, Edward felt sorry for him and allowed him to take his goods train to Wellsworth while he handled his shunting duties in the yard. Although Edward warned him to be careful around the trucks, Thomas took no notice and bumped the trucks as he started. When they reached Gordon's Hill, the trucks pushed him down the line, causing him to lose control. Thomas raced through Maron station and came to a stop, where he was confronted by the Fat Controller. Sometime after this, Thomas was relocated to Wellsworth to learn more about handling trucks.

Thomas was present in the yard when James ran out of control with his trucks and derailed in a field outside the station. Thomas fetched the Breakdown Train and rushed to James' aid and he helped to clean up the broken trucks and bring James back to the shed when he was re-railed. As a reward for his actions, Thomas was given two new coaches, Annie and Clarabel and was given the responsibility of running the Ffarquhar Branch Line, much to his delight.

Thomas loved his branch line dearly and had many adventures during his first days on the line. He once left his guard behind by accident and on another occasion he accidentally swallowed a fish in his tank when he took on water from the lake, causing him tremendous pain. During the autumn, Thomas met Terence and teased him for his caterpillar tracks, though he later came to regret this after he became stuck in the snow and had to be pulled out by him. Thomas later met Bertie and was challenged to a race to Ffarquhar. Although he was behind for most of the race, Thomas managed to overtake Bertie and won.

During the Winter a few years later, the engines struggled to cope. Thomas often overshot the platform due to icy rails on his line, which eventually was closed till the snow and ice melted. In the meantime, he was set to deliver sand to all the stations on the Main Line, since Edward's Branch Line was closed too. He later arrived at Wellsworth during a heavy downpour, bringing sand and salt for the station. He also intruded on Edward and James arguing about whether the weather was too harsh for James to continue up the hill. Edward reluctantly agreed to help James, and Thomas headed into the nearby sheds, where he dozed off. He was then awoken by a warning that James and Edward were out of control and surging down the hill. Quickly thinking, he rolled over the points and charged into Edward, applying his brakes as the train hit him. As they round a bend, they heard Gordon whistling in the distance, and the engines barely manage to stop before hitting each other. That evening, Thomas, Edward and Percy laugh as the big engines complain about the events that day.