Thomas The Tank Engine plans a Christmas suprise which turns into an exciting adventure in the snow. Percy and Toby come to the rescue and even Terence the tractor joins in.

"Thomas, you could almost manage without me,"

laughed his Driver one day.

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This is the story of what happened when Thomas really did go out on his own.

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Two days before Christmas the Fat Controller sent Thomas to fetch the tree for Tidmouth Station. The other engines were looking forward to the Christmas party round the tree. That day they waited and waited for Thomas to return. The next day they were still waiting. What had happened to Thomas.

Diesel had come to help the Fat Controller while Percy was away being mended. He was delighted to be back, but Thomas and Toby were not so pleased to see him. They remembered the tricks he had played on Duck the last time he came. The trucks remembered too. "Here's Evil Diesel," they whispered to each other. This made Diesel very angry and before he knew it he was causing trouble again.

When Gordon comes off the rails and slides down a bank into a ditch, Thomas upsets Gordon by saying he can smell a funny smell when he gets near him. The Thomas has an accident and Gordon is asked to rescue him. Thomas wishes he hadn't been so cheeky to Gordon!

After a stormy sleepless night in the shed, the next morning Thomas finds himself battling through a hurricane force wind which uproots trees, sends whole roofs flying through the air and blows the signals down. He nearly has a very nasty accident, but some footballers save him just in time!

Policeman Len joins Thomas and his friends as they encounter graffiti artists, vandals and trespassers on the railway line, who learn how important it is not to try and cause trouble on the Fat Controller's Railway!

The children of Sodor learn valuable lessons about keeping safe near the Fat Controller's Railway with help from Thomas, his friends and their new friend, PC Len!