The Night Mail Mess!

The Night Mail Mess! is the sixth episode in Season 1 of Sodor's Tales!

## Plot

One night, Percy stops at a station with his mail vans. He backs onto a siding to have a drink and jerks suddenly to a halt. The driver finds his brakes have jammed and the fireman goes to phone the yard foreman.

Diesel, who is resting in the yards, objects to the arrangements, claiming he is far too busy for this sort of train. His driver reminds him he's the only engine spare and the little shunter purrs off to collect the train.

Meanwhile, Percy begins to grow cold and miserable in his siding, only to see the familiar shape of a black BR Class 08 shunter couple to his mail train - the familiar shape of Diesel. The two exchange insults until Diesel goes off to a bad start - he leaves the station without permission and the mail carriage doors are left open.

As Diesel hums along the line, his driver hears something strange and looks back to find parcels falling out of the carriages. The train is brought to a halt and Diesel is given a piece of mind from his driver. When the little shunter just looks away, the driver sighs and walks back to collect the fallen parcels.

The doors are securely locked at last and the train sets off again. Unfortunately, at the next station, Diesel meets Henry with the mainline post train. The two argue about their mishaps until the big green engine's parcels are loaded onto Diesel's post train. Henry then puffs off with a roar, leaving behind a very cross Diesel. Still fuming, the Class 08 oils away to his next stop.

Diesel speeds along the main line and is so eager to get the post delivered he does not hear his driver's warnings. Little does the Class 08 know he has made a big mistake...

Up ahead is a field where Terence first met Thomas. The field has been ploughed in autumn to brown earth, covered by a late frost. The rails around the embankment are dodgy and rickety and the engines have been warned to be careful.

Suddenly, Diesel comes in and rounds the curve much too fast. He derails onto his right side, breaks through the boundary fence, slides down the field, breaks another fence and ploughs into a muddy field. Thankfully, the helpless Gronk comes to a halt inches away from a shed - where a very surprised Terence is residing.

The next morning, help comes to get Diesel out and Terence jokes to him about helping with the plough. Diesel just dismisses it and demands the tractor to just get him out. He is soon put on a lowmac and shunted to Tidmouth by none other than Percy, who had just been repaired.

The Fat Controller is not happy with Diesel and demands an explanation. The Gronk spills the beans that he was careless and didn't let the workmen shut the doors, and that he was travelling on faulty rails when the crash happened. But the Fat Controller is still not happy with all the other happenings (Diesel hurrying with his train from the top station, barking at Henry, speeding round the curve etc.), so he confines the Class 08 to Elsbridge until he can be trusted to behave.

The next week, Diesel returns and is shunting trucks of coal near the junction. Percy and Henry joke about the night mail events, but the Gronk just stays silent and purrs away to collect more trucks, hoping he will not be asked to pull post trains for a while.

## Characters

* Diesel
* Percy
* Henry
* Terence
* The Fat Controller
* Toby (cameo)
* Annie & Clarabel (cameos)
* Neville (cameo)
* Derek (cameo)

## Trivia!

* Originally Murdoch was meant to be in the episode but he had to be cut from the story. He might be a cameo though.
* This marks Diesel's second role in an episode!
* This episode will be released in June 2014!
* This episode was renamed "The Night Mail Mess".
* A reference to the Thomas and Friends episode "Thomas, Terence and the Snow" is made.
* A rendition of the William Tell Overture plays when Diesel leaves his next stop.