17x20 - The Frozen Turntable

[bunniefuu]

[theme music playing]

[train horn honks]

♪ They're two, they're four They're six, they're eight ♪

♪ Shunting trucks And hauling freight ♪

♪ Red and green And brown and blue ♪

♪ They're the Really Useful Crew ♪

♪ All with different Roles to play ♪

♪ Round Tidmouth Sheds Or far away ♪

♪ Down the hills And round the bends ♪

♪ Thomas and his friends ♪

[narrator reading title]

[train whistles blow]

[narrator] It was the end of a snowy day

on the Island of Sodor.

Thomas and his friends were making their way back

to Tidmouth Sheds.

But when they got there, they discovered

that the turntable was stuck.

It was frozen and it wouldn't turn.

The turntable only pointed to one berth.

So only one engine could go into the shed.

I should sleep in the shed.

It wouldn't be right for me to sleep out in the snow.

I don't want to sleep out in the snow either, Gordon.

Snow and ice are not kind to my paint work.

What about Percy?

He has to pull the mail train tonight.

He'll need a berth to come back to.

I don't mind, Thomas.

I can find another shed to sleep in.

No, Percy, you should sleep here.

We can all find other sheds to sleep in and we should.

[train whistles blow]

[narrator] The engines all agreed that Percy would sleep

at the sheds that night...

and the rest of the steamies went to find other sheds to sleep in.

They met Flynn coming back from fighting a fire.

Where are you all off to it at this time of night?

The turntable is frozen at Tidmouth Sheds.

We're all looking for somewhere else to sleep.

There are two empty sheds at the Search and Rescue Center,

if anyone wants to sleep there.

I am not sleeping at the Search and Rescue Center.

It will be far too noisy if there's an emergency

and the alarm goes off.

[narrator] So James and Emily went to sleep

at the Sodor Search and Rescue Center.

Thomas and the other engines decided they should ask Victor

if there was room at the Steamworks.

Well, my friends, we only have room for two of you

to sleep here tonight.

I'm not sleeping here.

The Steamworks always makes me think of breaking down.

I'm quite sure I wouldn't get any sleep at a all.

Okay, Gordon, but you do need to find a shed for the night.

Sitting out in the snow and ice is not good for an engine.

[train whistle blows]

Gordon, there's an empty shed at Whiffs waste dump.

I am not sleeping at a smelly waste dump.

It's simply out of the question.

[narrator] Thomas and Gordon left Henry and Edward

to sleep at the Steamworks.

Gordon was sure he could find a better place to sleep.

Then they met Norman, hauling his last load of the day.

Hello, Norman, the turntable at Tidmouth Sheds is frozen.

Do you know a place we can sleep for the night?

There's room for another engine at the diesel works

if one of you wants to sleep there.

I'm not sleeping at the diesel works.

It's too oily and I don't like the smell of their fuel.

[narrator] So Thomas decided to sleep there instead.

Now Gordon was on his own.

I'm sure I can find a better place to sleep

then the smelly old diesel works.

[narrator] But no matter how hard he tried,

he couldn't think of anywhere else to sleep.

Ooh.

[narrator] Then an idea flew into Gordon's funnel.

Oh, what silly engines.

They've all gone off to sleep in other sheds,

but the turntable is sure to be working by now.

[narrator] But the turntable wasn't working,

it was still stuck in the same place.

And there was still only one berth that an engine

could get into.

What silly engines.

I know where I'm going to sleep tonight.

[train whistle blows]

[narrator] It was very late indeed by the time Percy

got back from pulling the mail train,

he was tired and ready to go to sleep.

But the berth was not empty.

[Percy] Gordon?

[Gordon] Oh, what is it, I'm sleeping.

Move in Gordon and make room, I need a place

to sleep too, you know.

Nonsense, Percy, this berth is too small for two engines.

If you need somewhere to sleep, there's a spare shed

at Whiff's waste dump.

[narrator] Percy was not very happy,

but he was too tired to argue with Gordon,

so he headed off to sleep at Whiffs waste dump instead.

Gordon liked the idea of having Tidmouth Sheds

all to himself.

I really should ask Sir Topham Hatt to give me a shed

of my own, it's much more peaceful

without all those other engines chattering and making noise.

[Gordon shouts]

[narrator] But then the men started working

on the turntable again, they were being very noisy.

Gordon found it very hard to get any sleep at all.

Before he knew it, it was morning and his fireman

was warming up his firebox so he could pull the Express.

[men shouting]

Then the men got the turntable working again.

But no sooner had it turned away from Gordon,

it stopped, the cold weather really didn't agree with it.

[train whistle blows]

[men shout]

[whistle blows]

Gordon was very surprised, he was ready to go.

It was time to pull the Express...

[tooting]

but the turntable wouldn't turn back.

It was well and truly stuck again.

And that meant Gordon was stuck too.

Oh, the indignity.

[narrator] Sir Topham Hatt was very cross.

He wanted to know why Gordon hadn't picked up his passengers

that morning.

What are you doing in there?

Edward told me Percy was going to sleep in the shed.

Oh, I'm sorry, sir.

But I needed somewhere to sleep as well.

Percy slept at the dump.

I didn't know I was going to get stuck.

[train whistle blows]

[narrator] Then Percy arrived, looking bright and cheery.

Good morning, everyone.

Very well then, Percy can pull James' coaches today

and James can pull the Express.

But I pull the Express.

Well you can't pull it if you're stuck in here

now can you, Gordon?

Ah! Ooh.

[narrator] Sir Topham Hatt stayed at the sheds

to supervise work on the turntable.

All Gordon could do was wait and wait.

I wish I could go out and do my job.

Like a really useful engine.

[narrator] At last, the work men got the turntable

turning again.

-[men cheer] -[train whistle blows]

And Gordon steamed eagerly out of the shed.

But it was already getting dark and the other engines

were coming back for the night.

Gordon was very disappointed.

I haven't done anything really useful all day.

Then you shall do something really useful all night.

You shall pull the mail train tonight Gordon.

Oh no, the mail train is a job for a small engine, sir.

No, Gordon, the tables have turned, tonight the mail train

is a job for you.

[engines laugh]

Ooh, the indignity.

[train whistling]

[children singing]

[theme music playing]