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Luke's Lucky Find
Season 1, Episode 16
LukesLuckyFind
Air date January 9, 2018
Written by Semaj5nodrog4
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Luke's Lucky Find​ is the sixteenth episode of the first season of the Many Adventures on the Island of Sodor.

Plot

All across the Island of Sodor, there are many beautiful places to see. Many of them can be seen along Sir Topham Hatt's Railway, but there are other places on the island that people enjoy seeing too. Some of the places that people enjoy seeing most of all are on the Skarloey Railway, for the railway is full of interesting sights. There are many forests, streams, and mountains for people to enjoy and the engines of the railway are always pleased to show the visitors around. Sometimes, there are other interesting places on the island that people want to see more than the railway, but the little engines are always positive that there will always be visitors for them, no matter what happens.

One day, at the depot, Luke came puffing in with a train of slate he brought from the Blue Mountain Quarry. When he puffed in, he saw Skarloey, Rheneas, and Rusty talking to each other.

"Hello everyone!" he whistled.

"Hello Luke," replied the engines.

"How are you all doing today?" asked Luke.

"Oh we're doing quite well, thank you for asking Luke," replied Skarloey.

"That's good," said Luke. "How was taking visitors today? Did you get to take a lot?"

"Well, actually that's what Rheneas and I were just discussing with Rusty," replied Skarloey. "We did take some visitors, but not as much as previous times."

"Oh," puffed Luke. "That's too bad. Well, at least you two were still able to take some."

"That's true," agreed Skarloey. "Though we wish people were still as interested in the railway as they used to be."

"I can understand that, Skarloey," sympathized Luke. "It would be nice if that could happen. By the way, why has there been less visitors lately? I always work at the Blue Mountain Quarry and I rarely take them, so I don't usually know about these things."

"Oh, well let's see," chuffed Skarloey. "For one thing, the Arlesdale Railway has been receiving plenty of attention lately."

"And for another," added Rusty, "Sir Topham Hatt is constantly finding new attractions for his railway."

"And on top of that," chipped in Rheneas, "ever since Sir Topham Hatt started turning that Misty Island into an amusement park, more visitors have been going there instead. Quite a silly idea, if you ask me."

"Yes, so you see Luke," continued Skarloey. "Among other reasons, there are several reasons why visitors are choosing to see places other than our railway."

"I do see," replied Luke. "That's a shame, but there has to be some places on this railway that people haven't seen, right?"

"There used to be," replied Rheneas, "but many of those places were part of the old Mid Sodor Railway. Now they have been revamped and are currently part of the Arlesdale Railway." Luke was disappointed.

"Cheer up, Luke," soothed Rusty. "There's still plenty of sights for people to see. Also, Mr. Percival has been looking for new ones as well. So things are bound to turn up for the railway sooner or later."

Luke smiled slightly. "I hope you're right, Rusty. I really hope you're right. I might be working at the Blue Mountain Quarry most of the time, but I just know there are several more places that people would love to see."

"That's the spirit, Luke," smiled Skarloey. "Glad to see you're thinking positively. It's just what we need right now." Luke smiled happily.

Just then, the engines looked over and saw Mr. Percival coming towards them from his house.

"Ah, good evening everyone," he said.

"Good evening, sir," replied the engines.

"I hope you all had a good day and are preparing for a good night's rest," said Mr. Percival, "but I'll need one of you to go to the coal mines tonight to collect coal for the engines in the morning. Any volunteers?"

Luke thought for a moment, then he had an idea. "I'll do it, sir!"

Mr. Percival was surprised. "You Luke? You want to go?"

"Certainly, sir," replied Luke. "I wouldn't mind collecting the coal."

Mr. Percival pondered. "Hmm, well I'm not sure, Luke. You've mainly been working at the Blue Mountain Quarry and I don't think you know the route from the coal mines to here."

"Well maybe someone can help me, sir," suggested Luke. "Also, I want to see more sights of the railway and this would be a good way to get to know it better."

Mr. Percival thought for a moment then conceded. "Very well, Luke. If you want to go, then that's fine, but you'll need someone to go with you to help you get there and back." He paused briefly. "Rusty, how about you? Could you help Luke get to the coal mines?"

"Um, yes of course, sir," replied Rusty. "I can help him."

"Excellent," said Mr. Percival. "Also, I suggest you two get going sooner rather then later. It's supposed to be foggy tonight, so please be careful when you two come back."

"Yes sir," replied Luke and Rusty. "We'll be careful, we promise."

"Good," said Mr. Percival. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go home and look over my schedule for tomorrow. Good night everyone, and take care."

"Yes sir, good night sir," called the engines, and Mr. Percival left.

Afterwards, the engine spoke to Luke. "Luke, why exactly do you want to go there? If you don't know the way, why should you go?" asked Rheneas.

"Because I want to see if I can find a new attraction for the railway," explained Luke. "There's bound to be something along the way. Also, Rusty will be there to guide me if I lose my way, so I think I can do this."

The three other engines looked at each other for a few moments.

"Well, you certainly thought about this," admitted Skarloey, "though I'm still not sure you should do it, but if Rusty goes along with you, then I guess it'll be alright."

"And you know what?" added Rusty. "After thinking about it, I like your idea myself, Luke. Finding something new sounds like a good idea, so yes, let's do it."

Luke was delighted. "Thank you, you three. I knew you would go along with this."

"Well do be careful tonight," warned Rheneas. "If it gets foggy like Mr. Percival said, you both will need to stay close together and make sure you don't get lost."

"Don't worry, Rheneas," soothed Luke. "Rusty and I will be fine."

"Indeed," agreed Rusty. "I know the route from the coal mines to here well and we'll get there and back safely."

"Very well," said Rheneas. "In that case, good luck to both of you and see you in the morning."

"Thank you," said Rusty and Luke, "and we'll see you in the morning too." And with that, Rusty and Luke whistled good-bye to Skarloey and Rheneas and set off for the coal mines.

"Do you think they'll find anything?" Rheneas asked Skarloey.

"Well it would be nice if they did," replied Skarloey, "but I'm more concerned about young Luke going too far with searching and then getting lost along the way. Even with Rusty there to help him, he could still lose his way."

"You have a point there," agreed Rheneas. "That young rascal could get sidetracked at some point. I hope he knows what he's doing." Skarloey could only agree.

Meanwhile, Rusty and Luke were well on their way to the coal mines. As they were puffing along, Luke was looking around to see if he could find something new.

Soon they were approaching a valley. Luke noticed that it was full of flowers.

"Ooh, this is a lovely area," he puffed. "What is this place?"

"This is the Bluebell Valley," replied Rusty proudly. "It's full of splendid bluebell flowers and many visitors come here to see the beauty of the valley and my friend, Stepney, whose branchline runs through here too."

"That sounds nice," puffed Luke. "Oh, but I take it it's a place that many visitors see?"

"Yes, all the time," replied Rusty. "So sorry, Luke. We'll have to keep looking."

Luke was a little disappointed, but he knew there were other places, so he smiled and they continued on their way.

Next they came to a large picnic area. Luke noticed the valley on the other side.

"Ooh, what's this place?" he asked Rusty.

"This is Woodland Way and the Valley View," said Rusty. "Many visitors come here to have picnics during the summertime and spend time around the lake. Sometimes, they even go sailing on the lake as well."

Luke frowned. "Oh, so I guess that means it's pretty popular too?"

"Yes, indeed," said Rusty. "Sorry again, Luke, but there's bound to be more places. I'm sure of it."

"Well if you say so, Rusty," said Luke, then they set off once more.

Next, the two engines came to a large causeway and Luke looked over to see a huge castle near the hills.

"Wow!" he chuffed. "What a magnificent castle. It looks so interesting. Does it have a name?"

"It certainly does," smiled Rusty. "That's Sodor Castle, one of the most prominent ones on Sodor. It's old, important and…" Rusty frowned. "Oh…a very popular tourist attraction too."

Luke frowned. "Aw, I thought we had something this time."

"Well unfortunately, we didn't Luke," sighed Rusty. "Sodor Castle tends to be one of the top tourist places, so I'm sorry."

"Oh dear, well I guess we should keep trying," puffed Luke.

"Well, we could," said Rusty, "but the next place from here are the coal mines, so we probably won't find something else."

Luke felt very down. "Bother, that's too bad. Oh well, I guess we might as well head there in that case."

Now Rusty felt bad. "I'm sorry Luke. If we didn't have to collect the coal, we could continue searching, but since it's getting darker now, we really should get to the mines soon."

"Yes I guess you're right," sighed Luke. "We can always try another time."

"That sounds fine with me," said Rusty, smiling a little, then the two engines set off once more and headed for the coal mines.

Soon they passed the junction that split off from the coal mines and the rest of the railway. Luke looked towards the track that lead to the other railway, wishing that they could go that way instead.

Eventually, Luke and Rusty arrived at the coal mines. When they arrived, they saw Fearless Freddie shunting some trucks.

"Ah hello there," he called. "Surprised to see you two here. What brings you all this way?"

"Luke here has come to collect some coal for the other engines tomorrow," explained Rusty.

"Sounds like a good idea," puffed Freddie, "but why did you come along with him, Rusty?"

"Because he needed help with getting here and back," explained Rusty. "You see he mainly works at the Blue Mountain Quarry and does not know the whole railway very well."

"Ah, I see," said Freddie. "Though I have to ask: why does he look so glum?"

"Oh, well you see," began Rusty.

"We were trying to find a new attraction for the railway," cut in Luke. "Apparently, visitors haven't been visiting lately as they used to and we wanted to find something that was possibly new and unusual, but we couldn't find anything on our way here."

"Well, that's too bad," sympathized Freddie. "I know many places on this railway, but they are all ones that people have seen already. If you want to find something new and unusual, I would suggest searching along the lines that lead up to the old mines from the Mid Sodor Railway, but right now, as it's getting dark and the fog is supposed to arrive soon, I think it's best that you two leave the searching for another day."

Luke's eyes brightened. "The old mines? From the Mid Sodor Railway? I thought every place on that railway is now on the Arlesdale Railway."

"Well, most of them are," replied Freddie, "but there's a few places that are still abandoned and untouched. Maybe you could find something up there, but for now, you should really collect your coal and get home soon."

"Freddie's right, Luke," agreed Rusty. "The fog is already starting to appear and the sun is almost down. We really should get going."

Luke was still curious about what Freddie said, but he knew it was getting dark and the fog was arriving, so he quickly set to work arranging his train.

Soon, Luke had a train of coal ready and was preparing to go. By now, the fog had arrived and it was dark. Luke was a little nervous, but he was glad that Rusty was there to lead the way.

"Alright, that should be good," said Freddie. "You two be careful now. The fog can be thick and distracting, so watch where you're going and get back to the depot safely."

"Yep, we will, Freddie," replied Rusty. "We'll get back there in no time, right Luke?"

"Yes, absolutely," agreed Luke, "and thank you for the warning, Freddie."

"You're very welcome," replied Freddie. "Take care now, and see you tomorrow."

"We will, and good night," called Rusty and Luke, and with that, the two engines whistled and honked good-bye to Freddie and set off into the night for home.

On their way back, the fog was indeed thick and it was very dark as well. Luke was a little nervous, but he felt safer with Rusty.

"Don't worry, Luke," said Rusty. "As long as you stay nearby me, we'll be fine and we'll be back soon."

"That makes me feel much better," said Luke with relief. "Thank you, Rusty."

Rusty smiled, but little did they know that there was trouble up ahead. They were approaching the junction from earlier and the signalman had dozed off, unaware that the engines were coming. Rusty came by first and he honked his horn so loud, the signalman jumped and fell out of his chair. He stumbled up and tried to look out his window, but he couldn't see anything. Then he could make out the faint glow of a lamp and heard the sounds of an engine's puffing.

"Oh, there must be a train coming," he thought but he didn't know where it was supposed to go. "Hmm, maybe it's a train for the Blue Mountain Quarry." So he changed the points. However, what he didn't know was he had sent Rusty back to the depot and accidentally sent Luke down the wrong track leading to the other parts of the railway. Neither did Rusty or Luke know this yet, for the fog was so thick, they could barely see past their buffers.

After a while, Luke began noticing that Rusty was very quiet. "Hmmm, hey uh, Rusty? How much further is it to the depot from here? Can you tell?" But there was no reply. "Rusty? Is everything okay?" Still nothing. "Rusty? Rusty?!"

Then Luke realized what had happened. "Oh dear! I'm all alone! I don't know where I am! What am I going to do?" Then he thought for a moment. "Hmmm, maybe this could work," he puffed. "I can continue my search for a new place after all. Can we keep going please?" He asked his driver.

"Well, I'm not sure," he said. "We really should go back home, but at the same time, we do have all night to deliver the coal and if we grow tired of searching, we can always turn around and go back the way we came. So yes, we can keep searching for now."

Luke was delighted. "Great! In that case, let's keep going." He felt proud of himself. "What a clever engine I am," he puffed, and he set off again.

As he puffed along, the fog was thinning out a little, so Luke could see some sights more clearly. He looked at some of the places along the way, like the Viaduct, the Old Iron Bridge, the Mountain Village, the Elephant Park, and the Old Wooden Bridge. He thought they all looked nice, but like the places he saw with Rusty earlier that day, he had a feeling they were all popular attractions as well, so he puffed even further down the line.

Luke puffed so far that he was beginning to enter the older parts of the railway. "Aha, this area seems to be abandoned," he thought. "Maybe I'll find something around here." As he was looking though, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous as he looked around at all the trees surrounding him and how enclosed they made the area. The fog also made it a little spooky too. Luke was scared, and so were his driver and fireman a little, but they were determined to find something, so they kept on going.

Eventually, they puffed out of the forest and the area was clear. Then in the distance, Luke could see some buildings. He slowed down as he approached them.

"This must be one of those old mines Freddie was talking about," he thought to himself. Then the fog slowly lifted and Luke stopped. When he could see ahead, he was surprised. There in front of him was a carousel, a few carnival games, and mine tunnels leading into the mountains.

"This is strange," Luke puffed. "Why would all of this be doing at a mine?"

"I don’t know," replied his driver. "It certainly seems odd, but you know, it looks like it has been abandoned and hasn't been used in years. So you know, Luke, I think we've found that new place you were looking for."

Luke's face brightened up. "That's right!" he puffed excitedly. "We have found something! A carnival would definitely attract more visitors to the railway! So this is perfect!" Then he whistled loudly with excitement and started to puff back. "Oh just wait 'till Mr. Percival…"

"Hey!!! Who goes there!!!" a voice boomed around the mine.

Luke stopped quickly, nearly jumping off the tracks. "Wow! W-w-w-what was that?" he asked nervously.

"I-I-I-I don't know," said his driver, also nervous. "I think someone else is here."

"Who dares enter my mine?" came the voice again. "Be off with you!!!"

Luke's face was beginning to turn as white as his stripes. "Uh, y-y-y-your mine? I-I-I d-didn't know, I'm sorry."

"Don’t be sorry, go away!!!" the voice boomed again. "Visitors are not welcomed in the presence of the Old Warrior."

"T-t-t-the O-Old Warrior?" asked Luke. "W-w-who is the.." But before Luke could finish his sentence, he looked ahead and saw smoke billowing out of one of the tunnels and then a dark figure emerged from it. Luke was so terrified that he nearly shrieked.

"Be gone!!!" the figured boomed again.

"Aaaahhhh!!!" cried Luke, and then without thinking about anything else, Luke shot backwards as fast as he wheels and driver would let him. He didn't stop once. He didn't care where he went, he wanted to get away from the mine as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Rusty was nearly at the depot, still unaware that Luke wasn't behind him. "How are you doing back there, Luke? Are you doing alright?" But no one answered. "Um, Luke? Luke?!" Then Rusty realized what happened. "Oh no! I've lost him! He must've gone down the wrong track! I better go and find him." But there was no need for that as Rusty could feel the rails vibrating and then he heard the sounds of frantic whistling. "Huh? What the…" Then Luke came rushing by.

"He's going to get me!!!!" he cried as he shot by Rusty, and was out of sight.

Rusty was very surprised. "What on earth is going on here?" he thought. "What was Luke talking about and where is he going?" He decided to keep going and find out where Luke was heading.

It was morning when Rusty returned to the depot, but to his surprise, there he saw all the engines waiting for their coal, but Luke was no where to be seen. Rusty was worried.

"Hello Rusty," called Peter Sam. "Where were you last night?"

"I was helping Luke with collecting the coal for all of you," explained Rusty, "but we got lost along the way and he raced by me on the way back. Have any of you seen him?"

"No we haven't," replied Sir Handel. "We heard some shouting earlier, so that might have been him, but we don't know where he went. Did he at least have our coal?"

"Yes he did," replied Rusty. "He had plenty for all of you."

"Well, do you have any idea where he went?" asked Rheneas.

"Unfortunately, I don't, Rheneas," said Rusty. "Luke could be any where. He seemed horrified about something when he raced past me and he seemed like he didn't know where he was going."

The other engines frowned. Now they were a little worried about Luke. Then Mr. Percival came up, revealing he had heard everything.

"Well if that's the case, then I'll sent out a search party to find him," said Mr. Percival. "Once Freddie brings down more coal for all of you, I want each of you to be on the lookout for Luke while you're working and if you find him, inform me at once. Understand?"

"Yes sir," replied the engines. "We will." Then Mr. Percival went to call the manager at the coal mines for more coal.

Freddie soon arrived the depot with a new train of coal for the engines.

"Oh thank goodness we have coal now," said Rheneas. "Thank you, Freddie."

"But did you by any chance see Luke on you're way here?" asked Skarloey.

"No I haven't," replied Freddie. "I heard about him though. That's too bad. I wish I could find him with all of you, but I still have work to do at the mines. I'll keep an eye out for him if you want."

"That would be very generous, Freddie," said Skarloey. "Thank you."

Freddie smiled, then he whistled good-bye and headed back for the mines.

"Well, everyone," said Skarloey. "We all know what we're supposed to do. Once our fires are burning, let's go out, be really useful, and find our young friend. Agreed?" The other engines agreed.

Soon when the engines were working, they started their search for Luke. They search through every station, through every siding, and through every mountain side, but there was no sign of him.

At the Blue Mountain Quarry, Skarloey and Rheneas were searching as Merrick loaded their trucks.

"Here you go you two," said Merrick. "All loaded and ready for the wharf. Oh, you two look concerned about something. Is everything alright?"

"Well, no not really, Merrick," replied Rheneas.

"Have you or Owen seen Luke today?" asked Skarloey. "Apparently he got scared by something last night and he ran away and we thought he might have come here."

"Oh dear. I'm afraid I haven't," sighed Merrick. "Owen might have seen him since he was awake earlier. Owen!" he called. Owen looked over towards them. "Have you seen Luke? He ran away last night and hasn't been seen at all today."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I haven't," replied Owen. "The quarry was rather quiet last night and there was no one working here. I don't know where he's gotten to."

Skarloey and Rheneas were disappointed. "Oh well," said Skarloey. "Thanks for telling us anyway you two. We best be going now."

"Alright, well good-bye, you two," called Merrick.

"Yes, good-bye and good luck with your search," added Owen encouragingly. "Hopefully you find Luke soon." Skarloey and Rheneas whistled to them and were soon on their way to the wharf.

On their way, Skarloey and Rheneas were trying to think where else Luke could have gone.

"Hmmm, you know, I can't think of any other place, Skarloey," chuffed Rheneas. "Everyone has looked everywhere and still no sign of Luke."

Skarloey thought, then he had an idea. "Well, not every place. I don’t think anyone mentioned the wharf and we're heading there now. Perhaps Colin the Crane might have seen him."

Rheneas thought and smiled. "That's true," he puffed. "Luke could be hiding somewhere at the wharf. Let's hurry up and see if we can find him."

"Fine with me," agreed Skarloey, and the two engines hurried on their way.

Soon they arrived and started looking for Luke as they headed for Colin. So far, there was no luck yet, but soon they came to Colin.

"Oh hello you two," he said. "Glad you could make it. I see you brought some slate for me. How kind of you."

"You're welcome Colin," replied Skarloey, "but right now, Rheneas and I need your help."

Colin was surprised. "Oh, yes of course. What can I help you two with?"

"Well, we're not sure if you know him," said Skarloey, "but have you seen Luke anywhere?"

"He's a small green engine with white stripes and usually works up at the Blue Mountain Quarry," added Rheneas. "He was last seen running away last night and we're trying to find him."

Colin thought for a moment. "Hmmm, well I don't know any Luke, but now that you mention it, there was some engine running like a mad man through here last night and whistling frantically. Perhaps that was him."

Skarloey and Rheneas' eyes widened. "Really Colin? Do you know where he went?" asked Skarloey hastily.

"Not exactly, but I saw him heading that way towards the big warehouse at the end of the dock. Maybe that's where he is."

Skarloey and Rheneas were delighted. They quickly left their train with Colin and went for the warehouse. "Thank you, Colin!" they called.

"You're very welcome you two!" replied Colin. "And good luck!"

Soon Skarloey and Rheneas arrived at the warehouse. They puffed quietly inside, and started looking around. All they could find was several trucks lined up. Then they heard steam sizzling and once they puffed up past a line of trucks, there to their relief was Luke, tired, scared, and lonely.

"There you are!" exclaimed Skarloey. "We've been looking all over for you, Luke."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Luke. "I-I didn't mean to make you do this."

"It's quite alright Luke," soothed Rheneas. "We're just glad that we found you and you're safe."

"Indeed. Everyone was looking for you," added Skarloey. "We didn't know where you had gone. Mr. Percival has been looking for you too, which reminds me: we should let him know about this."

"Oh yes, definitely," agreed Rheneas. "How about you go and find him and I'll help Luke?"

"Sounds fine with me," said Skarloey. "I'll be right back." Then he left to find Mr. Percival.

"So how was the searching last night?" Rheneas asked Luke. "Got a little carried away and got lost, huh?"

"Yes, and I really wish I had continued to follow Rusty," puffed Luke.

"Well sounds like you should have," said Rheneas. "Otherwise, this wouldn't have happened. By the way, did you find a new place?"

"Oh yes I did," muttered Luke, "but I'm never going back there again. It's haunted."

Rheneas was puzzled. "Haunted? What place was this, Luke?"

"Well, I came across this old mine," began Luke, "and it looked rather unusual because it had a small carnival. I thought this would be a great addition to the railway, but before I could leave, this dark, spooky figure came out of one of the mine tunnels and scared me. I didn't get a good look at him, but all I can remember was he claimed to be the Old Warrior. I have no idea what that's supposed to mean, but nevertheless, I'm never going back to the place again as long as he's there."

Then Rheneas laughed, Luke was very surprised. "Oh, I think I know who you're talking about," smiled Rheneas. "I remember the Old Warrior well. He's actually a good friend of mine and Skarloey's."

Luke was flabbergasted. "Friend?! You call a spooky, haunted figure that scares others your friend?"

"Certainly," chuckled Rheneas. "In fact, I think we'll make a little trip up to that mine to see him."

Luke's face went pale again. Just then Skarloey returned with Mr. Percival.

"Oh Luke," said Mr. Percival. "Thank goodness you're alright. We've been worried sick. Now where have you been and what happened last night?"

"Um, excuse me sir," Rheneas cut in, "but with your permission, I think Skarloey and Rheneas could help explain that question by making a little journey tonight."

Mr. Percival and Skarloey were puzzled. "Ummmm, I don't quite understand what you mean, Rheneas," said Mr. Percival.

"I mean I know where Luke was last night and it could explain why he was scared last night," explained Rheneas.

Mr. Percival was still a little puzzled, but he conceded. "Very well, Rheneas. If you think this will work, then alright, but Luke will be leading the way since he was there last night."

Luke squirmed. "Yes sir," he said nervously, then he gave Rheneas a quick little glare as the latter just chuckled.

That night, the three engines and Mr. Percival went on their journey to the haunted mine. On the way, Luke was telling Mr. Percival about everything that happened the previous night. Mr. Percival was intrigued, and a little nervous himself. Rheneas just remained calm during the journey and Skarloey was still trying to understand the situation.

Soon, the engines arrived at the mine. The fog was back and the area felt very spooky.

"This is the place, sir," said Luke. "This is where that Old Warrior spooked me last night."

Mr. Percival looked around the area. "Hmmm, well I have to admit, after looking around this mine, it certainly looks like a jolly and happy place and would attract more visitors, but first, I want to know who this Old Warrior is first and demand some answers."

"Excuse me, sir," said Rheneas, "but I think I can help with that." Then without any warning, Rheneas blasted his whistle loudly. The sound echoed everywhere.

Luke and Mr. Percival were horrified. "Rheneas, are you out of your smokebox?!" hissed Luke. "Don't bring him to us! He'll get…"

"Hey, who's out there!" came the same voice. Then everyone looked and the dark figure puffed out of the tunnel once again.

Luke and Mr. Percival's face went paler then ever. "There he is, sir!" cried Luke. "That's the Old Warrior! He's coming to get us!!"

"Go away!! Leave this place, or I will come after you!!!" roared the Old Warrior.

Luke was about to take off again, but then Rheneas and Skarloey puffed forwards. Luke was surprised.

"Skarloey," said Rheneas calmly. "Do you remember this engine?"

"I certainly do now," chuckled Skarloey.

"What are you two doing?" Mr. Percival whispered. "Get back here this instant!"

But then, taking a deep breath, Skarloey and Rheneas said at the same time, "Hello Bertram."

The Old Warrior stopped blowing smoke and everything was quiet. "Huh? Skarloey? Rheneas? Is that you?"

"The ones and only," said Skarloey.

Then the Old Warrior moved forward and there in front of them was a little brown tender engine. "Well, isn't this a surprise," said Bertram. "I haven’t seen you two in decades. How have you been?"

"We've been quite well, thanks for asking," replied Rheneas. "We're still old, but still really useful."

"Ha, same here," chuckled Bertram, "though I'm just old now. Would like to be useful again."

"Oh I'm sure you still are," soothed Skarloey.

"Um, excuse me!" said Mr. Percival. "What is going on here? You two know this engine?"

"Oh absolutely sir," replied Skarloey. "This is the Old Warrior Luke was talking about. His name is Bertram."

Mr. Percival turned to Bertram. "Hello there, sir," said Bertram. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Well I could almost say the same thing," huffed Mr. Percival. "Now as controller of this railway, I demand to know why you thought it was a good idea to scare me and one of my engines for absolutely no reason."

Bertram was surprised. "You're the controller? Oh dear, I'm terribly sorry sir. I had no idea. I was trying to scare trespassers away from my mine so they wouldn't vandalize it, that's all."

"Well I can certainly assure you that I and Luke here would not even think about doing that," said Mr. Percival. "Would you, Luke?"

"Definitely not, sir," agreed Luke, puffing up. "I would never do such a thing. If anything, I was hoping we could open this mine up for visitors, unless you have a problem with that, considering what happened last night," he said to Bertram.

"Oh not at all," puffed Bertram. "In fact, I love that idea. I've been hoping that this mine would reopen for years."

Luke and Mr. Percival were surprised. "Really?" asked Luke.

"Yes really," replied Bertram. "You see, about twenty years ago or so, this mine was founded by an engine on the standard gauge railway, I think his name was Toby, and this mine became a popular tourist attraction for everyone. Skarloey, Rheneas and I would take visitors to and from here and even give them rides in the tunnels as well, but then some time later, miners were blasting too close to here and their blasting damaged the mine. Because of this, the area was deemed too dangerous for people to be around and I guess it was some man, called Sir Topham Hatt, who decided to close the mine down for good. I refused to leave, so reluctantly, they left me here and I have been guarding the mine from vandals since."

Everyone was amazed. "Wow, I forgot about all of that," said Rheneas.

"Me too," agreed Skarloey. "That blasting certainly did cause a stir."

"It did definitely," agreed Bertram. "Also, the other reason it closed was because of a rise of new attractions on other areas of the island as well."

Mr. Percival thought about Bertram's story. "Well, after hearing your story Bertram and with your permission, I would be glad to reopen your mine as a tourist attraction. We have been needing more attractions lately and this certainly seems like an excellent place for visitors."

Bertram smiled. "Really? You mean it, sir?"

"Absolutely," said Mr. Percival.

Bertram was delighted. "Oh thank you! This would make me very happy, mister…um…"

"Mr. Percival," replied Mr. Percival, "and you're very welcome Bertram, though I think you should be thanking someone else." And he moved to show Luke.

"Oh yes, of course," said Bertram. "Luke, thank you very much for finding me and this mine. I owe you a lot for this. Oh, and also, sorry for scaring you last night. I didn't know who you were."

"That's alright, Bertram," smiled Luke. "I didn't know who you were either. I was just trying to find a new attraction for our railway, that's all."

"And I'm glad you did," smiled Mr. Percival. "First thing tomorrow, I'll start making the arrangements to repair this area and make sure it is safe and secure for the public."

Everyone was very happy, especially Bertram, who even blasted his whistle in excitement. Everyone else laughed, and they joined in too.

The next day, Skarloey, Rheneas, and Luke began their work clearly away the ruble and helping the workmen make sure that the mine was in stable condition. It was hard work and it took several days, but at last after a week, the mine was as good as new and ready for the visitors. The engines, especially Bertram, were very pleased indeed.

Soon, after a few days, the mine was flooded with visitors. They came from everywhere to enjoy the carnival rides and games, as well as Bertram's rides throughout the mine tunnels too. They even enjoyed some of his stories about working on the Mid Sodor Railway and all the times he protected the mine.

Some of the other narrow gauge engines came to see the mine as well, and even Toby came with visitors on occasion as well.

Luke had gone back to working at the Blue Mountain Quarry, but he always hears from the other engines how popular the mine is and Bertram is still grateful to him for finding the mine. They even mention that because of Luke's lucky find, there has been a significant increase in visitors lately as well. Luke feels proud of himself for this and even though he still has a lot to learn about the Skarloey Railway, he says that he is always happy and ready to find another new place for the railway, but without getting lost again, that is!

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • A few references to the fifth season television series episode, Toby's Discovery, were made in this episode.
  • Another reference to A Friend in Ferdinand was made as well.
  • Going canonically by the television series, this episode marks the first for a few characters:
    • Bertram's first appearance since Toby’s Discovery.
    • Merrick's first speaking role since the seventeenth season television series episode, Luke's New Friend.
    • Colin's first speaking role since the twelfth season television series episode, The Party Surprise.
    • Mighty Mac's first appearance since The Party Surprise as well.
  • This episode also marks the first three aforementioned characters' only speaking roles in this season of The Many Adventures on the Island of Sodor.
  • Bertram mentions that the events of Toby's Discovery happened twenty years ago, which is surprisingly accurate as this episode was released twenty years after the former episode aired back in 1998.

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