06x14 - Middle Engine

[bunniefuu]

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] Sir Topham Hatt's

engines love their work.

(train whistle blows)

Gordon likes

pulling the express.

Thomas likes his branch line,

(cheerful music)

and Percy likes taking the mail.

(train whistle blows)

But none of them likes

being the middle engine.

It's no fun being

stuck in the middle.

One morning Percy was

cheerfully collecting coal cars

from the smelter yards

where Arry and Bert worked.

They like to play

tricks on steam engines.

Percy didn't want to fall

for their tricks again,

but before he knew it, he

was stuck in the middle.

(train thuds)

(mysterious music)

"Oh bother," chuffed

Percy crossly.

"Little green piggy in

the middle," Arry teased.

Percy's driver was crossed.

With coal cars in front of

him and coal cars behind,

Percy had to go slowly.

(light music)

James was in the yards when

Percy steamed slowly by.

(laughs)

"It's Pokey Percy,"

James laughed.

"You wouldn't be laughing if

you were stuck in the middle,"

Percy fumed.

And he fumed all the way

to the coaling plant.

(train chugs)

One by one, he

shunted his coal cars

on to the tipper's loading

ramp, and the coal was unloaded.

Percy was not allowed to

cross the loading ramp

until the tipper

had been turned off.

It was against the rules,

but as soon as his driver

and fireman left,

there was trouble.

Henry arrived to pick up coal.

He bumped into the coal cars,

and the coal cars

bumped into Percy.

(tracks squeal)

Percy was pushed onto

the loading ramp.

(clarinet plays)

(ramp whirs)

(mysterious music)

"Help," cried Percy.

(ramp whirs)

(suspenseful music)

Percy was hoisted up,

(suspenseful music)

tipped over,

(coal clatters)

and brought back down again.

(ramp whirs)

After Percy was lowered

back onto the ground,

the manager was very cross.

"You have caused confusion

and delay," he said.

"I'll have to report

this to Sir Topham Hatt."

That night, Sir Topham Hatt

spoke severely to Percy.

"I'm very disappointed

in you Percy," he said.

"You know it's against the rules

"to go onto the

tipper's loading ramp."

"Sorry, sir," Percy said sadly.

"But it wasn't my fault.

"It's because those diesels

made me a middle engine."

"Nevertheless, you will shunt

freight cars in the yards

"until I can get to

the bottom of this."

"Puh," said James,

thinking no one could hear.

"I could handle those

diesels with bent buffers

"and a busted boiler."

"Then you will do Percy's

run to the smelter,"

said Sir Topham Hatt.

"Yes, sir," said James.

(train whistle blows)

Then next day, James

arrived at the smelter.

He was determined not be

tricked by Arry and Bert.

(suspenseful music)

"Hello, James," oozed Arry.

"Come to learn a thing or

two from those who know?"

"Just get my freight cars

ready, and stay out of my way,"

huffed James importantly.

"Yes, sir," Burt

chimed greasily.

(train chugs)

James cheerfully backed

up to his freight cars.

He was certain he had

fooled Arry and Bert,

but he was wrong.

(train thuds)

"Little red piggy in the

middle," chortled Arry.

"Just like Percy," jeered Bert.

"I am not like

Percy," huffed James.

"I'm not a middle engine,

and I'm not moving."

And he didn't.

When Sir Topham

Hatt heard the news,

he sent Percy to fetch James.

This made Percy happy.

He buffered up to James

and took him along

with all the freight

cars to the docks.

(cheerful music)

(train whistle blows)

"Right on time,"

said the manager.

"But what is that big red

engine doing in the middle?"

"Learning," Percy replied.

"Learning what?"

"Learning to be a middle

engine," Percy laughed.

James covered himself

in steam hoping no one

would recognize him,

but it was no good.

There was only one big

red engine on the island,

and everyone knows

his name is James.

(playful music)

(upbeat music)