Thomas the Tank Engine is normally confined to his branch line, where he works passenger trains, goods trains, shunts sidings, and many other varied actions on the line. However, there are some days when he has to take stock along the main line when another engine isn't available. Admittedly, it is rare when this happens, given the number of engines that now reside on the island, but it does still occur. Thomas is rarely happy when it does happen.
"For all my desire to see the world," he said, one morning, as he puffed along, "I do enjoy staying on my branch line. It's scenic, and I know it very well. "But how can I run it if I'm never on it?"
"Sir Toppham Hatt knows what he's doing," Twilight told him. "Besides, there's a lot of goods to shift. The harbour at Barrow is out of action, so all goods that would have been landed there is being landed at Tidmouth instead, customs cleared, and then shipped onwards to the mainland where it is needed."
And it was an incredibly busy few days. The repairs to Barrow Harbour took a lot longer than expected, and every engine that was in running order was being pushed into service to help clear the backlog of goods at Tidmouth. Thomas struggled into Knapford Junction with one such load to refill his tanks.
Just then, James flew through with a laugh. "Look at Thomas! Trying to do tender engine work, are we?"
"At least I can work without a truck attached to my bunker!" Thomas snapped. He was in a very bad mood.
"Thomas," Twilight said, "don't let them get to you. If you're worked up you can't concentrate on the thing that you're doing. And then accidents will happen just like that!"
"It's been a very long time since I had an accident," Thomas replied, the point sailing completely over his smokebox. "I hope that continues."
By the time Thomas got to Wellsworth, he was exhausted, and had to refill his tanks again. As Twilight was filling him up, BoCo rattled down the hill with empties bound for the harbour. Attached to his front was a strange bogie wagon with a curved top.
"What's that?" Thomas asked, innocently.
"It's called a brake tender," said BoCo. "It's a long truck filled with heavy objects that increases my braking force. This will allow me to come to a complete stop more easily. Luckily, the next train is entirely of fitted wagons, so I won't need it for my next trip. You're welcome to use it then if you'd like."
"I think I'll be able to manage," Thomas replied. "It's fuel capacity that's the issue, I think."
"My offer still stands," BoCo answered, as he pulled away.
Thomas had an incredibly hard time getting over the hill. The trucks, silly and noisy as always, refused to cooperate, and going up required constant work. Going down was no easier, with the brakes set to emergency more or less the entire way. Thomas was worn out when he returned to the sheds that evening, and hoped things would be better tomorrow.
They weren't. The next morning, Twilight filled him in on their work as she lit his fire. "We've got a pickup goods to work on the branch today," she said. "We need to collect empty wagons at every station and then drop them at Knapford Junction for another engine to take onwards."
"Oh great," Thomas yawned. "More heavy trucks. My lucky day."
It would prove to be very hard work. Thomas' brakes were quite weak, and as a consequence he had long stopping distances. Stations passed and the train grew longer and longer. When he arrived at Knapford Junction, there was no engine to take the train onwards to Barrow.
"Looks like we're going down the mainline again," Twilight sighed.
"Indeed we are," Thomas sighed. When he got to Wellsworth, he had to stop for water (again). As his tanks were refilled, he spotted the brake tender sitting on a neighbouring siding. "Twilight," he said, "wouldn't a brake tender make the journey down the other side of Gordon's Hill easier?"
"I guess it would, and BoCo did say we could borrow it," Twilight replied. "Good thinking, Thomas! Let's go get it right away!"
The brake tender was added, but Thomas hadn't realised something critical. As he went up the hill, the train got slower and slower. "This doesn't seem right," he said.
And he was. The brake tender had added more weight to the train, and Thomas could barely shift it. He applied his brakes- too soon, too hard- and the coupling connecting the trucks to the brake tender snapped. The trucks rolled backwards down the hill and derailed all over the track, blocking it.
Thomas, in the meantime, was sliding backwards down the hill, the brake tender dragging him back. "Drop the tender!" he shouted.
But Twilight couldn't uncouple it safely, and the brake tender (and Thomas) slammed into the derailed stock, knocking them off the track as well.
BoCo later arrived with a breakdown train, and Sir Toppham Hatt onboard. "Playing tender engines, are we?" He asked. "Well, I think you can see now that tenders do not suit you. You also must not take things that are not yours. I hope you will reflect on that, as you shall remain here, at the lineside, whilst we get this mess cleaned up."
"Sir, I did offer to let him use it," BoCo said.
"That," said Sir Toppham Hatt, "was most foolish of you. The yards at Tidmouth are short of a shunter now, and I think a Metropolitan Vickers Type 2 will do the trick just nicely."
Thomas was there for hours as the brakedown train cleaned up the mess. The delays were palpable, and the other engines laughed at him as they passed. They all thought it was hilarious.
Thomas did not, and simply vanished in a cloud of steam to hide himself from those watching.