Trouble at the Crossing

**Trouble at the Crossing** is the fourteenth story of the first set of *Between the Lines*. It was originally published on May 24th, 2021.

## Plot

The engines have to deal with the roadways near the railway line. Mostly, it goes well as Rheneas greets a woman who is passing by on a bicycle. However, Rusty has an incident with George who's blocking his way. George wasn't the only trouble the engines had however, as Peter Sam, Ada, Jane, Mabel and Cora have a run in with a rude car driver.

Duncan quickly gets wind of the incident and decides to give the driver a piece of his mind. Unfortunately, the driver becomes even worse and he argues with Duncan. Mr. Percival scolds Duncan the following morning and he explains about Peter Sam's situation. When he reveals he ran off, Mr. Percival says that isn't the right way to go about it either.

Skarloey is out with Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima and Beatrice, and encounters the driver. The driver is rude, but Skarloey simply apologises and he was wishing him good morning. The driver is slightly embarrassed, but tells Skarloey to carry on. Just as he and the coaches clear the crossing, his car breaks down. Skarloey offers the man a lift and he climbs into Ruth. Skarloey meets up with Peter Sam and Duncan at Lakeside, and the driver apologises to the engines (and coaches) for his rudeness.

The driver is on better terms with the engines and coaches following the incident. This is later proven handy as he was able to get George to move off the crossing to let Sir Handel, Gertrude and Millicent pass.

## Characters

* Skarloey
* Rheneas
* Sir Handel
* Peter Sam
* Rusty
* Duncan
* Gertrude and Millicent
* Ada, Jane and Mabel
* Cora
* George
* Mr. Peregrine Percival
* The Rude Car Driver
* Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima and Beatrice (do not speak)
* Butch (mentioned)

## Voice Cast

### Official

* Keith Wickham as Skarloey, Sir Handel and Mr. Peregrine Percival
* Ben Small as Rheneas
* Steven Kynman as Peter Sam
* Matt Wilkinson as Rusty
* Tom Stourton as Duncan

### Fan chosen

* Fiona Riley as Ada
* Rachel Crow as Jane
* Savannah Smith as Mabel
* Sophie Reynolds as Cora
* Maia Mitchell as Gertrude
* Maisie Klompus as Millicent
* Fred Tatasciore as George

Undecided for characters who speak

* The Rude Car Driver

## Trivia

* This story was based on the stories *Trouble at the Crossing* and *Edward Saves the Day*.
* Other than the coaches and George, only characters from the CGI era of the show appeared. George was initially going to be in the CGI era, but was dropped.

## Differences between this series and the magazine stories

* The two stories are combined to form Trouble at the Crossing.
* Peter Sam, Duncan and Skarloey take the respective roles of Percy, Gordon and Edward in this adaptation.
* The adaptation has an opening describing how the engines interact with people and road vehicles who come to the crossing. One such example is Rheneas whistling hello to some people in their cars, and another being Rusty being irritated when George the steamroller shows up.
* Along with Peter Sam, the open coaches Ada, Jane, Mabel and guard’s van Cora all see the rude driver.
* Peter Sam met up with Duncan at Glennock station, while Percy met Gordon at the yards. Cora also lampshades how it’s odd that Duncan would be one to teach the rude driver manners.
* Duncan remarks that the rude driver should travel by train if he doesn’t want to be slowed down. Gordon doesn’t say this in the magazine story.
* In the adaptation, Duncan tells Mr. Percival the only reason he was rude to the driver was because he was rude to Peter Sam first.
* Edward is the one who tells Gordon and Percy that Gordon's line of thinking was worse than Percy’s. In the adaptation, it’s Mr. Percival who tells both Peter Sam and Duncan their lines of thinking was wrong.
* As well as Skarloey, the old coaches Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima and Beatrice run into the rude man the third time.
* The man appeared to have a dog in the magazine story, but in the adaptation, he doesn’t have one.
* Butch is mentioned to have picked up the broken down car, and the man mentions he’s heading for Lakeside. He doesn’t mention where he gets off in the magazine story.
* The man apologizes to Duncan and Peter Sam for being so rude to them.
* The ending scene showcases the man being friends with the engines, as he tells George to get out of Sir Handel’s way.

## Continuity

* The rude driver encounters the engines at the same spot where Sir Handel and George had their confrontation in *Funnels and Wheels*.
* Lakeside was mentioned to have been opened when the railway was operating for a century, a nod to *The Duke of Sodor*.

## Links

* DeviantArt
* Fanfiction.Net (Chapter 14)