Heroes

**Heroes** is the nineteenth episode of the fifth season and the 128th episode overall. It is based on the magazine stories, In a Muddle and Heroes.

## Plot

Bill and Ben are working at the clay pits and are bored of doing the same thing. Ben asks Bill if he can hear something different, to which Bill replies that he cannot. Ben then states that it is because everything sounds and looks the same and that they need a surprise. Bill is puzzled but before Ben can say more, the clay pits manager comes with a message from the Fat Controller that they are to go to Wellsworth.

Bill and Ben hurry to Wellsworth worried that they did something wrong. When they arrive, the Fat Controller instructs them to shunt trucks in Vicarstown Yards while Edward is taking the Vicar’s Sunday School on a trip. Next, Bill and Ben meet Gordon at Vicarstown, who tells them to behave since they are on the main line. Ben jokingly says the sight of Gordon made them think that he was at the scrapyard. Gordon is furious and orders the twins to make sure that the express is ready by tonight.

The twins start shunting, thinking they know all about trucks, when they really do not. The trucks claim that they want to help Bill and Ben in organizing the yard; the twins accept the offer, unaware that the trucks are playing a trick on them. As a result, when evening falls, the yard has become a mess, causing the twins to be late in bringing Gordon's coaches to the terminus.

The next day, the twins are back in the clay pits when they hear a rumble. Ben's driver realises that it is a rockslide. The alarm is raised and the clay pits manager alerts everyone to evacuate. Bill and Ben wait as the workmen board their trucks. As Bill leaves with his load, the clay pits manager having been left behind shouts for help. Ben waits until he is safely aboard his train, and the clay pits are evacuated in time for the devastation to take its course. Seeing the wreckage shortly afterward, Bill and Ben hope that the Fat Controller will understand that it was not their fault. The next day, the Fat Controller arrives on board Edward and praises the twins as heroes for saving the workmen. Bill and Ben think that being called "heroes" is quite a nice surprise.

## Characters

* Gordon
* Bill and Ben
* Troublesome Trucks
* The Fat Controller
* Edward *(does not speak)*
* BoCo *(mentioned)*

## Locations

* Sodor China Clay Company
* Wellsworth Junction
* Wellsworth
* Vicarstown
* Vicarstown Yards
* Wellsworth Yards *(mentioned)*
* Crock's Scrap Yard *(mentioned)*

## Trivia

* This episode was originally part of the third season of the official TV Series, but it was moved to the fifth season of the Sodor Stories series. The reason being is because prior to Double Teething Troubles, the clay pits were operational, but in this episode, the clay pits get destroyed in a rockslide. So it would have been better to add it in the timeline later instead of earlier. Also, from this episode until the twelfth season episode, Scrambled Eggs, Bill and Ben were relocated to Ffarquhar Quarry to work with Mavis.

## References to Other Stories

* Bill and Ben recall the time of tricking Gordon into thinking he was at a scrapyard.