Enthusiasts

**Enthusiasts** is the third episode of the fifth season of the Stories of Sodor and the seventy-eighth episode overall.

Enthusiasts/Transcript

## Plot

Ever since railways started there have been railway enthusiasts, and Sodor experienced an influx of them when the new bridge was opened. Most of them would go about their hobby as safely as possible, but some not as much.

After one such incident, Emily rants to Kate about it before she takes her next train. Kate informs her that the mine can't afford newer trucks and isn't expected to survive for much longer given that the coal supply is running low. Emily heads off with her train, but her old trucks malfunction, and to make matters worse, she encounters a troublesome enthusiast.

It would appear that the enthusiast in question, Avery Halifax, has been a frequent disturbance to the railway before, as Gordon and James could attest to. BoCo wonders why Halifax couldn't be outright banned from the railway by the Fat Controller, who explains it's because he doesn't have the authority to do so. Accompanying him is Reverend Wilbert Awdry, who has returned to Sodor for the Railway Series' 20th anniversary. The Fat Controller also informs the engines that crews will be ordered to keep Halifax at bay and for to everyone to be on guard. James sardonically asks if he could wheesh steam at Halifax, but the Fat Controller says he cannot.

Keeping Halifax away from risky situations would be easier said than done. Given that he is a favorite among the crews at the pubs, many are hesitant to keep him at bay. Meanwhile, he continues to put himself at risk. When he speaks to her crew one day, Emily warns that he could get himself killed standing on the tracks, but Halifax dismisses her concerns.

When she arrives at the mine to collect new trucks, she is shocked to learn that the NCB has approved even older wooden trucks for use. Kate explains that inspectors from the BR approved them and she can't do much about it. Despite this, Emily is reluctant to believe the trucks are safe as claimed.

This would later prove her right when she travels up Gordon's Hill, where the last part of her train breaks away. Halifax, at the bottom picturing a passing James, is blinded by his wheesh of steam before the runaway trucks run him over, killing him.

The repercussions of the accident was severe: While there were significantly less problems with enthusiasts, Emily's crew were sacked for being culpable for their role in the whole ordeal, with both Emily and James being reprimanded as well. Additionally, Halifax's family would file a lawsuit against the BR and the NCB, which will be discussed in a future story.

## Characters

* Henry
* Gordon
* James
* Emily
* Kate
* BoCo
* The Fat Controller
* Wilbert Awdry
* Avery Halifax *(death)*
* Edward *(narration only; cameo)*
* Thomas *(cameo)*
* Percy *(cameo)*
* Duck *(cameo)*
* Douglas *(cameo)*
* Eric *(cameo)*
* Diesel *(cameo)*
* Peter *(cameo)*
* Reginald *(cameo)*
* Samantha *(cameo)*
* Whiff *(cameo)*
* Matthew *(cameo)*
* Joey *(cameo)*
* Molly *(cameo)*
* Samson *(cameo)*
* Annie and Clarabel *(cameos)*
* Bertie *(cameo)*
* Trevor *(cameo)*

## Trivia

* This episode marks the only appearance of Avery Halifax.