Every day, Sir Toppham Hatt came to see Thomas and Twilight in the yard before catching his train to Vicarstown. “Hello you two!” he exclaimed. “I hope you learned a lot in Edward’s yard.”
“I did sir,” Thomas said. “Hopefully I can handle trucks now.”
Twilight frowned. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves Thomas,” she said.
“Precisely!” Sir Toppham Hatt said. “Remember Thomas, you’re not as strong or fast as Gordon, but you can be really useful. Don’t let those trucks bother you!”
Thomas and Twilight worked very hard in the yard at Tidmouth, pushing and pulling many, many different types of coaches and trucks about the yard. However, there were some oddities in the yard that puzzled him.
There were, for example, two large machines with great big arms, coupled to a four-wheel coach marked ‘WORKS UNIT’. Thomas wondered what those machines could be, and so Twilight took the opportunity to explain what they were.
“That’s a breakdown train Thomas,” she explained. “It consists of a tool coach and two 45-ton cranes. The cranes are for lifting engines, coaches, and trucks back onto the rails when they have come off the rails. But it’s only for emergencies, so don’t move them about unless you absolutely have to.”
“OK Twilight,” Thomas replied. Those few days at Wellsworth had taught him to listen carefully and not to act impulsively, but still he wished someday something would happen.
That something would come all too soon.
One day, Thomas and Twilight were shunting, when suddenly frantic whistling could be heard from higher up the line. This was soon followed by a loud screeching noise.
Just then, an engine shot past with a goods train, going much too fast. He was painted completely black, and had 2 small wheels with 6 larger ones behind them. Flames were shooting from his brake blocks mounted behind the centre driving wheel, and he was shouting in a panic.
“Help! Help!” he cried. “They’re pushing me! They’re pushing me!” As he said this, a girl, presumably his driver, leaned out and shouted to them.
“Please, somebody do something!” she shouted, as they roared into the distance and out of sight.
“What was that?” Thomas exclaimed.
A few minutes later, a bell rang out from the signal box. “James is off the line!” the signal man shouted. “Somebody get the breakdown train, quickly!”
Twilight adjusted Thomas’ regulator. “That’s us!” she called. “C’mon, let’s go!” Gently buffering him up, they reversed out with the train and headed up the line.
“Hurry, hurry, hurry!” he shouted. But he wasn't pretending to be like Gordon. This time he really meant it. “Bother those trucks, I hope James is OK.”
They reached the crash site soon enough, and what they saw was horrifying. Wagons were thrown all over the field and scattered over the tracks, and the engine-James-was lying on his side, whilst the girl from earlier was checking for any damage to him. Her eyes were wet, and as a consequence her mascara was running down her face. She had white skin and purple hair with blue eyes. She wore a pair of white boots, purple shorts with a diamond pattern on them, white socks, and a turquoise sleeveless shirt.
“Whose idea was it to fit you with wooden brake blocks?” she asked, as she checked James over.
“I don’t know!” he exclaimed. “I told them they were no good, but somebody was clearly intent on cutting corners!”
Just then, Thomas arrived with the breakdown train, and Twilight called out. “Is anybody hurt?” she asked.
“Thankfully, no darling,” the girl replied, walking over to Thomas. “But poor Jamesy here is such a mess, and his paintwork has been ruined. This is the WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!”
Twilight shook her head. “We’ll get the remaining wagons out of the way. Focus on lifting James.”
So they started by moving the damaged trucks away and putting them back into the yard. Thomas moved them roughly, as they moaned as they were pulled away and shunted into sidings.
“Oh dear, oh dear,” they groaned.
“Serves you right, serves you right!” Thomas said angrily, stunned that the trucks could act so recklessly. He really felt no sympathy for the silly things at all. “This’ll teach you a lesson!”
Those tucks that had derailed were recovered next, until at last, all the needed to be moved was James. The breakdown gang slipped two chains under James, one under his front bogie, and the other under his rear driving wheels, and the two cranes began to lift, pulling the steam engine out of the dirt and mud in which he had been lying. It took a lot of work, as the engine was very heavy, but at long last they had him back on the rails. However, it wasn’t safe to move him under his own steam from the damage he had taken, so Thomas was coupled to him who began to tow him back to Tidmouth.
The new girl rode in Thomas’ cab, and was very impressed with Thomas and Twilight. “Thank you for saving us from that accident,” she said, with a smile. “James and I do appreciate it most certainly.”
“No problem,” Twilight replied. “I never did catch your name.”
“Rachel Belle,” she replied. “But you may call me Rarity.”
Presently, they reached the shed, where Sir Toppham Hatt was waiting for them.
“Well done!” he said. “James shall go to the works to have his brakes replaced, and a new coat of paint.”
“Sir,” Rarity asked, “may I remain James’ driver?”
“Of course!” Sir Toppham Hatt replied. “Now as for Thomas and Twilight, you have shown to me you are both really useful. As a result, I have decided to give you both a branchline to run.”
“Oh, thank you sir!” Thomas said happily.
Twilight smiled. “We won’t let you down sir.”
Nowadays, Thomas puffs happily up and down his branch line, which runs between Knapford and Ffarquhar. He runs up and down the line with Twilight and his two coaches, but he is never lonely. Edward and Henry stop regularly in order to tell him the news, and although Gordon and Rainbow Dash are usually in a hurry, they never forget to say hello to Thomas and Twilight, who always say hello in return.