Thomas and Friends Fanfiction Series 3

Long Distance Friends

There are three railways on the Island of Sodor. There is the main railway owned by the Fat Controller: the North Western Railway, where all the standard gauge engines work.

(Thomas and Gordon can be seen.)

There is also the Narrow Gauge Railway owned by the Thin Controller, Mr Percival, where all the little engines work.

(Skarloey and Sir Handel can be seen.)

And of course, there is a railway owned by Mr Fergus Duncan, the Small Controller: the Arlesdale Railway, where the miniature engines, Rex, Mike and Bert work.

All three types of engine on these railways may be different in size, but they are all Really Useful and all good friends with one another.

One day, Mike was shunting and bashing trucks in the Arlesdale Junction, ready to load ballast into Duck's trucks.

"You are rather grumpy today, Mike." said Duck who had to shift his trucks rather quickly, as Mike was being too brash to go at a safer pace.

"The Small Controller wants me to pull passengers tomorrow! I can't stand grumpy passengers!" snapped Mike.

"That makes two complaining engines." said Oliver, who just whistled in with some trucks of slate.

"Pray tell." said Duck.

"Just been to the Blue Mountain Quarry to collect slate." said Oliver. "Guess which grumpy little engine felt the need to complain about grumpy passengers earlier that day and yet still hasn't cheered up now he's shunting trucks?"

"Duncan." chuckled Duck.

At first, Mike thought that Duck and Oliver were teasing him. But until now, he had never heard of Duncan before. He was interested.

"Another engine who feels as I do about passengers?" he said to himself.

But Duck and Oliver heard him.

"Yes, but to us, he's just another engine who complains and grumbles as much as you do." chuckled Duck.

Mike was indignant. But he was still interested. He wanted to know about Duncan the Narrow Gauge engine.

For a few days, whenever an engine from the Fat Controller's Railway passed by, Mike would ask them to tell him about Duncan. He learned more and more each time.

A week after the last trip, Oliver returned to the Blue Mountain Quarry. Duncan was there again, shunting the trucks down from the upper terrace.

"Hello, Duncan." said Oliver.

"Hmph!" frowned Duncan.

"You have a fan out of another engine these days." said Oliver innocently.

"A fan?" Duncan had never received outside interest before. He felt flattered.

"Yes, Mike on the Small Controller's Railway." continued Oliver. "He thinks you and he have a lot in common."

"Och aye? Such as what?" asked Duncan doubtfully.

So Oliver told Duncan all about Mike. The more he talked of Mike, the more interested Duncan became. In fact, by the end of the conversation, he had a smile on his face.

"Oh, uh, please tell Mike I said hello." said Duncan.

Oliver chuckled to himself as he pulled away. "Did you hear that, Toad? Duncan said 'please'."

"I did indeed, Mr Oliver." smiled Toad. "Perhaps Mr Duncan and Mr Mike should meet."

"I don't see how, Toad." said Oliver. "There are no lines between either railway."

Oliver was not the only one who saw this problem with the long distance friendship between Duncan and Mike.

Soon, the realization had dawned on Mike and Duncan themselves. And the more they realized the likelihood they would never meet, the more sad they became.

Mike was not even moaning and grumbling anymore. Not even when a flock of sheep blocked his line for an hour before Willie the Farmer came to shoo them away.

He slinked into his shed feeling very sorry for himself. He wanted to see Duncan and converse with his new friend properly.

Rex and Bert saw how sad Mike was.

"This just isn't like Mike." said Bert sadly.

"I wish there was something we could do about it." agreed Rex.

Duncan was feeling depressed too. He didn't complain, he was silent all day. The other engines were as worried as Rex and Bert. They all wondered how they could help Duncan...when Rusty had an idea.

That evening, he went to see the Thin Controller and explained everything. Mr Percival thought the idea was a good one.

So the next day, he waved down the Fat Controller whom was visiting on board Winston.

He told the Fat Controller about the new friendship between one of his engines and one of the Small Controller's engines, and their subsequent upset.

The Fat Controller agreed with Rusty's idea, but needed to telephone the Small Controller. Soon all three Controllers on the Island of Sodor were in on the plan and they looked through their railways' respective timetables and settled on a date for their plan.

A few days later, Mike wasn't too busy. He was just shunting some trucks into the junction sidings when he heard Oliver's whistle.

When Mike looked up, he was very surprised to see Oliver was pulling a flatbed with an engine on it. It was a Narrow Gauge engine, a yellow engine and he had a broad smile on his face.

It was-

"Duncan?" gasped Mike.

"Mike?" said Duncan excitedly.

Before either engine could speak again, the Small Controller arrived.

"Mike, I know all about your long distance friendship with Duncan here. You were both rather unhappy when you couldn't meet, so I arranged with Sir Topham Hatt and Mr Percival to find a day each week when neither of you are busy, then we would send an engine on the Fat Controller's railway to take one of you to the other's railway for a visit to the other, starting on this week!"

"Oh, sir!" cheered Mike.

"Thank you, sir!" grinned Duncan happily.

Rex and Bert were delighted to see Mike happy again.

And so from that week on, Oliver would bring Duncan to Mike, and Duck would bring Mike to Duncan. And the two new friends would chat and smile...and complain happily together before going back home to be what they both aimed to be: Really Useful Engines!

(The End!)

(The End of Series 3!)