Diesel 199 and the Coaches

***Diesel 199 and the Coaches*** is the eighth episode of the first series.

## Plot

D199 is settling into his new life on the Island of Sodor quite nicely. The Fat Controller tells him that he can take coaches and trucks easily, but must learn from his mistakes. Remembering a nasty accident with trucks on his first day, D199 knows just what he means by that.

D199's first job of the day is to take a passenger train with BoCo, who warns him not to bump the coaches. People have arrived on the platform to admire BoCo, who gets overexcited and lets off steam without warning, causing a shower of water to fall on the Fat Controller's brand new top hat. It is time for the train to leave and D199 tries to get out as fast as he can, which bothers BoCo and the coaches. This causes trouble at the first station stop when D199 causes two of the coaches to run beyond the platform forcing the train to reverse to let off passengers. However, it seems that no one knows what happened with the Fat Controller, to D199's relief.

Next, D199 and BoCo stop at the Junction on Diesel's new main line where the diesel shunter greets them before leaving. The train later passes the field from D199's accident which is now cleaned up. Finally, the journey ends and after unloading the passengers the two engines start home, with D199 still wondering what the Fat Controller will have to say about his top hat.

The next morning, the Fat Controller visits D199 in the shed and threatens to have him painted green if he cannot behave. D199 hates the idea of losing his blue coat, but rather than calming down, he gets very angry and takes it out on the coaches while bringing them to the station. He grumbles about having to fetch them on his own, unlike Diesel 10. To make matters worse for D199, none of the passengers dare go near him.

D199 pulls the coaches very roughly and runs too fast for comfort, causing the coaches to force him to stop. The driver determines that D199's rough treatment has caused a leak in a coach's brake pipe, and his only recommendation is patching the leak with newspaper and a leather bootlace. Since the driver doesn't have a bootlace, the guard proceeds to ask each of the passengers and at last finds a man with a leather bootlace, who refuses to give it up. The guard explains that the train cannot continue without the repair, making the other passengers very cross at both the railway and the man for stranding them. Under pressure, the man hands over his bootlaces. The damage is temporarily repaired, and D199, knowing that he is going to be in more trouble with the Fat Controller, makes sure to never bump coaches again as he carefully proceeds on his way.

## Characters

* Diesel
* BoCo
* Diesel 199
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Jeremiah Jobling (*not named*)
* Troublesome Trucks (*do not speak*)
* Stephen Hatt (*cameo)*
* The Little Boys (*cameo)*
* Lady Hatt (*cameo)*
* Diesel 10 (*mentioned)*

## Trivia

* The episode is based off the eight episode from the first season of Thomas & Friends, *James and the Coaches*.
* This is the last episode in which Class 40's Tunnel is seen until the fourth series episode, Class 40 and the Elephant.
* The guard in this episode has a beard that strongly resembles Ringo Starr's, the narrator of the first and second season of Thomas & Friends and drummer of The Beatles.