Oliver and the Snowman

**Oliver and the Snowman** is the fourteenth episode of the first season.

## Plot

Oliver and Duck are Great Western engines, they deliver goods and passengers on their very own branch line, where roads were closed by deep snow. Oliver doesn't like snow, and one morning, he was complaining about it to Toad at the sheds.

"All this snow is making my wheels chilly." Oliver complained. "I should stay in my shed."

"Beggin' your pardon Mr. Oliver." said Toad. "You remember the time we crashed into the children's snowman and you didn't think snow was magical, but you did after that incident?"

"Yes, I know," Oliver huffed, "I thought it would've been after all, but like usual, it has become a complete nuisance, I hate snow and always will do."

"Only trying to say, Mr. Oliver." muttered Toad.

"I know you're Toad," wheeshed Oliver, "but I'm not really happy in weathers like this." he said. "Anyway, I have coaches to pull and I'll see you later." said Oliver and he chuffed away.

Oliver had collected his coaches from the yards and was puffing along his branch line, but the rails were icy and slippery, and Oliver kept slipping on it. "Woah!" he cried as he slipped down the track, then he stopped. "Phew, that was close." he puffed sighing with relief. "Stupid snow and icy rails, I have a train to pull and I can't stay slipping on these icy rails." Oliver groaned. Oliver had arrived at Arlesburgh Station and had finished his passenger run. "Good," Oliver chuffed, "now I can go to the shed for some rest."

"I'm afraid not Oliver." said a voice coming from the station, it was the Fat Controller. "Oliver, I have a job for you." he said, "I want you to collect ballast and take it to the tracks by Rolf's Castle village." the Fat Controller said. Oliver sighed.

"Oh, but sir, can Duck do it? I don't want to do it in this snowy weather."

"I'm sending you to do it because Duck is busy doing his work." the Fat Controller said sternly. "And also really useful engines should do as they're told."

Oliver sighed as he chuffed out the station. "Pah!" he scoffed.

Oliver had arrived back at the yards to collect Toad. "Anything alright, Mr. Oliver?" Toad asked. Oliver sighed sharply.

"Oh, nothing matter Toad," Oliver steamed, "I have to take a train of ballast to the village at Rolf's Castle." said the 14xx auto tank engine and he chuffed away.

Oliver arrived at Arlesburgh Junction, he sighed as he chuffed under the hopper with the empty ballast hoppers. Bert could see the cross expression on his face and he looked over to Rex who looked over to Mike. The three engines were confused. "What's up with you, Oliver?" asked Bert.

"Oh, nothing really Bert." sighed Oliver. "It's this snow, it's stupid and it's always in my way. I was pulling a passenger train before and I kept slipping along the icy rails." Oliver explained.

"Oh, I see." said Bert. "Don't worry Oliver." said Mike. "You're not the only one who's had trouble in the snow."

"Really?" Oliver asked.

"Ye-"

"Yes indeed." Rex interrupted.

"Hey!" huffed Mike. "I was trying to say something to Oliver, before you interrupted me."

"Well," said Rex, "yesterday, Mike was taking a train of trucks to Arlesdale Road and because Mike wasn't paying attention, he almost crashed into Willie and his tractor at a level crossing." laughed Rex. Mike's face grew red as his paintwork, his face looked like he was about to explode with rage.

"That's not true!" he snapped. "When I came towards the level crossing, Willie was crossing over and he looked at me and looked forward again and didn't bother to let me go first."

"But still," teased Rex. "You didn't pay attention!" Mike was so cross, that he blew steam which went all over the place. After the steam had cleared away. Bert blew his whistle loudly.

"Enough!" he boomed. "You two can be a pain-in-the buffers sometimes." he scolded. Mike and Rex didn't say anything else after that. Bert was pleased with himself. "Well, it seems like I've done it again." he chuckled, Toad laughed, but Oliver wasn't, he was still grumbling because of the snow.

"Sorry everyone, I have to go now." Oliver sighed. "I'll see you later." and Oliver steamed away.

"See you later, Oliver!" replied the three small engines.

Oliver was chuffing along the line, but this time, he was looking down on the tracks rather then looking forward. "Huh! Silly snow!" he scoffed.

"Erm, Mr. Oliver." said Toad.

"What is it, Toad." asked Oliver.

"Are you even looking forward?" asked the Great Western 20-ton brake van.

"Yes, I am Toad," Oliver lied, "I am indeed!" he sniggered a little, but the points at the village were frozen and Oliver was diverted into the station siding. Oh, shiver my boiler." cried Oliver, his driver applied the brakes.

"Uh, Mr. Oliver," said Toad, "I think we're about to-"

"CRASH!" cried Oliver, he crashed through the buffers and crashed into a children's snowman. "Oh, not again." Oliver sighed.

"Another accident with a snowman?" exclaimed Toad, Oliver felt awful.

"This is why snow isn't magical and why I hate it so much." he said crossly to himself. Suddenly, they heard two whistles, it was Donald and Douglas, they were busy ploughing all the tracks on Sodor so that the engines wouldn't slip on the icy rails.

"Aye Donal' whut is that in tha' snowman?" asked Douglas.

Donald looked. "Well rattle 'me rods, it's yon Oliver." Donald wheeshed.

"Oliver!" exclaimed Douglas. "How did 'ye end up in that snowman?" he said, chuckling a little.

"Long story." Oliver groaned. "But could you please get me out of here?"

"Right behind 'ye Oli." said Donald.

"We like the snow, and pushin' through it." added Douglas. Donald and Douglas switched onto Oliver's track, but Oliver was no longer on the rails as he was too far for the twins to reach him.

"Driver!" Donald called. "Can 'ye please get some long piece o' string so we can tie it 'ta me and Oliver's coupling."

"Right." said Donald's driver. Donald's driver soon returned with the string and it was tied to both Donald and Douglas' couplings as well as Oliver's.

"Ready?" Donald asked.

"Ready!" Oliver called.

"Right, three, two, one." The twins pulled and pulled with all their might, but as they tried pulling Oliver, he wouldn't move. "Och! 'A can't do it." said Donald.

"Neither can I." groaned Douglas.

"Sorry Oliver." Donald sighed. "But we can't move 'ye, ye're stuck tight in that snowman."

"Aye," steamed Douglas, "we hav' 'ta go now, we'll try and see how we can get 'ye outta there Oliver... another time."

"We tried 'r best." Donald muttered and the twins puffed away and continued with their own work. Oliver sighed sadly.

"Don't worry, Ollie ol' boy." said his driver. "I'll go and phone for help." and Oliver's driver walked away. Oliver's driver had found an empty cottage in the village and he telephoned the Fat Controller. The Fat Controller was in his office, when he got the call. "Duck will bring Jerome and Judy first thing in the morning." he said to Oliver's driver.

"Okay." replied his driver and then he exited the cottage.

It was dark by the time Oliver's driver came back. "I'm afraid you'll have to stay here over night." said his driver.

Oliver felt sorrow, he and Toad had to stay stuck in the snowman until morning. "Do you think I can handle out here?" Oliver asked.

"Well, we've done it before, so I'd say you can do it again." his driver suggested.

"Oh, great," moaned Oliver. Oliver's driver slept in a village inn nearby and Oliver and Toad were left to freeze, Oliver's firebox had gone out and his funnel was covered in icicles. "Ooh!" shivered Oliver. "I can hardly feel my buffers."

"I can't even feel my w-w-wheels." Toad shivered.

"Toad, you were wrong and I was right, there's nothing magical about snow at all." Oliver sighed and shivered. "This accident is much worst then the previous one I had."

Toad said nothing and shivered. "Buh-h-h-h-h!" After a good while with Oliver trapped in the snowman, he started yawning, and with that, Oliver fell fast asleep, but Toad couldn't sleep at all that night.

The next morning, Toad had just woken up after having only an hour's sleep and when he looked, he saw children crowding around them. "Oh, great." sighed Toad. "Mr. Oliver." but Oliver was still fast sleep. The children laughed at the situation.

"Look!" a little girl shouted. "It's sleeping beauty." she laughed.

"No," laughed the Fat Controller's grandson Stephen Hatt, "It's Oliver."

"But what's he doing in our snowman?" asked another girl. "This is the second time?"

"I don't know," said Stephen, "but we can do what we did last time though." he said, so while Oliver was sleeping peacefully. The children climbed up the snowman and lifted off the giant snowman's hat and placed it down onto Oliver's funnel and they rapped its scarf between his smokebox and his running board which was covered by the snow and ice. The children laughed as they looked at Oliver. Oliver had woken up and he was surrounded by children laughing and cheering at him.

"Oliver's a wonderful snow engine." they cried. "You're our snow engine." laughed a little girl. Oliver smiled at the children and he was so relieved, he didn't feel cold anymore. "So they decided to do what they did last time to me?" he thought. "Interesting."

Duck had arrived with Judy and Jerome, but Oliver was enjoying the winter festival, so much that he didn't want to leave. He laughed with the children and had fun. "You were right Toad," Oliver called, "snow is magical, I know I said that last time, but now I will always think that it is magical no matter what." Toad said nothing as icicles covered the top of his roof. Oliver had never felt much happier.

## Characters

* Donald and Douglas
* Oliver
* Bert
* Rex
* Mike
* Toad
* The Fat Controller
* Stephen Hatt
* Duck (*does not speak*)
* Judy and Jerome (*do not speak*)
* Jock (*cameo*)

## Locations

* Castle Loch
* Ulfstead
* Arlesburgh Sheds
* Arlesburgh West
* Rolf's Castle
* Tidmouth Tunnel
* The Fat Controller's Office

## Trivia

* This episode is similar to the seventh season episode *Snow Engine*. References to said episode are also made.