PERCY AND THE CHRISTMAS TREE

One Christmas Eve night, the lorry delivering the Christmas trees to Tidmouth market has broken down. It is up to Percy to collect them from Hackenbeck and deliver them on time.

 

OLD GROANER

James is grumbling about getting old to the others, but they take no notice. A few days later, an Inspector arrives. It seems people who live near the yard are complaining of a groaning noise that keeps them awake at night. It turns out it is James: While he was shunting, his brake-blocks were rubbing together and making the sound. James is pleased he gets a rest, but not when the others nickname him “Old Groaner”!

 

TERENCE TAKES A BATH

Terence is called to clear a branch causing a blockage at the bridge near Hackenbeck Halt. As he goes to work, the damp earth on the riverbank slips, and Terence slides into the water. Luckily, Thomas comes quickly to the rescue with the breakdown crane. Later, a grateful Terence thanks Thomas: “Remember that snowdrift? This makes us quits, I reckon.”

 

FUNNEL TROUBLE

Poor Oliver is feeling stuffed up in his smokebox, but the Inspector can find nothing wrong. He becomes so ill, that Duck has to take his ballast wagons for him. After giving some trucks a big bump, Duck’s driver later finds that his water gauge is dropping rapidly. It turns out a plate was loosened when Duck bumped the trucks and his tank is leaking. Algy takes Duck’s passengers, but when Oliver tries to help Duck home something shoots out of his funnel. He had something jammed there, and now feels well enough to pull his ballast train.

 

GOLDEN OLDIES

While on the Ffarquhar Sunday School outing, one of the teachers falls ill. An ambulance would take a long time to arrive, but luckily, Bertie is on hand to take her to Wellsworth hospital. This creates another problem, who will take the children home?

 

GORDON’S STOWAWAY

Gordon makes fun of Oliver’s friend, Dilly the duck, saying animals don’t help to run a railway. One winter’s day, while visiting the mainland Gordon feels a scrabbling under his tender. The next day, while resting Gordon discovers just what that scrabbling was and makes a surprising new friend.

 

YOU NEVER KNOW

Toby tells a story about his old line, of how he and Henrietta were sad because the buses were taking all their passengers. One day however, they came to rescue of the passengers of a bus that had suffered a mishap…