Thomas and the Great War

Two New Engines/Hide and Peep

The very next day was Easter Sunday. Edward had already gone off for work with his passenger train from Tidmouth, he met Thomas with his two coaches at Knapford Junction.

"Good morning, Edward," greeted Thomas. "How's Christopher?"

"He's still sleeping back at the shed," replied Edward. "Yesterday, 98462 had deliberately forced me to pull a megatrain of thirty trucks filled with war supplies. But I got the job done by taking the train in sections after I brought Christopher and the children home."

"More likely, he wants you out of the way," suspected Thomas.

"What makes you say that? He and 87546 used to be so kind and courteous."

"At lot has changed in us since the attack. Henry is completely depressed, James is feeling sorry after what happened to Eagle, Gordon is complaining over foreign passengers who do not appreciate the luxury of British travel and Percy is very suspicious about Diesel."

Edward's mood soon changed. "On the brighter side of things, one of the War Department Officials is from the Board of Trade, and he's Sir Andrew Duncan, Minister of Supply."

"Minister of Supply? Here?" asked Thomas, excitedly.

"Yes," said Edward. "He even got to drive one of the latest Austerity locomotives. As a matter of fact, he is sending two new engines from the Southern Railway to replace Eagle. But even so, the Fat Director wants us to sort the yard out for their arrival."

Thomas decided to volunteer, the Southern Railway used to be his old railway, the LBSCR and it would consider himself a great honor to treat the two engines from his old home with grace and comfort. He went back to Tidmouth and shunted the trucks into a single siding next to the shed, and even though there was still work to do, he thought that a little fun in his life would do him good, so he puffed back to the shed where Christopher was just waking up.

"Thomas?" he yawned. "You would not believe what Edward and I had been through yesterday."

"No need to," replied Thomas. "Edward told me all about it. But what I like to know is, would you be interested in a game of hide and peep?"

"You mean hide and seek?"

"Something like that, except you and I have to whistle when you find the person you are looking for. You, Christopher will hide, and when I find you, I blow my whistle loudly."

"Indoors might be fine," said Christopher, doubtfully. "But a train yard is a little dangerous for such an innocent game."

"Perhaps," replied Thomas. "But it will be quick. Two new engines from the Southern Railway will be arriving anytime soon."

So Christopher started the game, and Thomas closed his eyes, waiting for at least four minutes while Christopher hid in the coal stage. Thomas looked around and when he approached the coal stage, he was sure to have seen Christopher's shadow against the maroon wall of the coal stage.

"Found you!" he whistled.

Christopher came out of the coal stage, unimpressed by Thomas having found him so easily.

"How did you find me?"

"Your shadow helped me."

"That's cheating!"

"No, it isn't because I am the best finder ever!"

"Or so you think."

At last, the new engines arrived. One was a USA tank named Rosie and the other was a boxy Bulleid Q1 named Neville, both of them were painted black with the word "Southern" written on their sides and Neville's tender. They saw Thomas arguing with Christopher and they decided to drop in on the conversation.

"Hello, we're the new arrivals," said Rosie.

Thomas stopped to look at her.

"My apologies and welcome to our railway," greeted Thomas. "And what can I do to help you in learning our way of life?"

Thomas was so busy in questioning Rosie and Neville, that he did not notice Christopher walking away to hide in a teal colored coal truck named Rickety who was very awkward like all the other Troublesome Trucks in the yard who were silly, noisy and like to play tricks on an engine who was not used to them.

"Where should we start first?" asked Neville.

"You can start by taking those trucks," replied Thomas, then he looked to see that Christopher was gone!

"Now where has he gone to?" muttered Thomas, angriliy.

He puffed all around the yard, but what Thomas did not know was that Christopher had found a new hiding place: inside Rickety.

"He'll never find me here," Christopher laughed to himself.

But just when he thought Thomas had left the yard, there was trouble. Neville had arrived to pick up coal, he coupled up to the coal trucks and pulled them over to the coal stage. Christopher jumped out of Rickety just in time before he was filled with coal and he ran back to Thomas, who was confused when he saw him.

"I don't think I want to play this game anymore," he panted. "Hiding in a coal truck is risky, had it not been touched."

"I understand your predicament," agreed Thomas. "A game like Hide and Peep isn't meant for an engine and a boy like yourself. There's always Percy."

He set off to resume work on his branch line and that is when Rosie followed him. There was something about Thomas that made her feel like a copycat and when she arrived at the junction, she tried to copy Thomas' whistle, but it sounded much too high.

"If you want to make yourself useful," Thomas said to her. "You can start by working at the quarry. A shipment of stone is needed for the War Department's slate stock."

And he puffed off with Annie and Clarabel, with Rosie following him so that he could lead her to the quarry.

When Neville took an oil train to Crovan's Gate, Diesel was interested in seeing a steam engine that was square like his own kind.

"This one is bound to be an ugly duckling," 98462 whispered to Diesel.

"Help from you two is good enough," Diesel whispered back. "But when more diesels come to this island...I will have all the help I need."

Diesel's driver was making up his mind about placing the indoctrinate papers in the Fat Director's office, so that he could send them to schools all over the island. With Sodor's youth educated in the German way, they would create a new society from the ground up...whether if their parents objected to their ideas or not.

Thomas had reprimanded Christopher in his shed that night. Rosie thought that she too would play another game of Hide and Peep, but Thomas had blamed Rosie for distracting him and letting Christopher hide without him knowing.

"If it's anyone's fault," Christopher concluded the argument. "It's Neville's, if it wasn't for him, I would be buried alive in a coal truck."

"But you got out on your own," protested Thomas. "If anyone is to blame, it should be me. I never should have made you play that game."