The Present Train - ThomasNATION Fanstory
December 24, 2024
It was a cold December evening on Sodor, and after a long day of pulling, pushing and everything in between, the engines were ready to wrap up and get a good night's rest. This was especially the case with James, who had just dropped off his coaches at Knapford Yard.
"What a day!" he sighed. "I just wanna get home and rest my axels."
"You said it, James," chuckled Stanley. "Thank goodness I don't have any more jobs to do."
"I wish I could say the same," said Nia. "I still have one last job to do. I have to take some slate up to Vicarstown."
"Can't say I envy you, Nia." responded Stanley. "Do you need any more coal before you go?"
"I think I have enough for one more trip," smiled Nia as she disembarked. "I'll see you back at the sheds, James!"
"Later, Nia." said James as he began to leave for Tidmouth. Just then, he was stopped by Sir Topham Hatt.
"Just a minute there, James!" he said. "I have one last job for you."
"Aw, what?" James asked. That was the last thing he wanted to hear.
"I need you to handle a very important mail train tonight."
"Me?! But that's Percy's job!"
"Percy can't take it tonight, his safety valve is broken." Sir Topham Hatt explained. "I would've asked Thomas to do it, but he's doing his last passenger run on his branch line."
"Well...okay. If it's my last job of the night." James conceded.
"Oh, that reminds me." added Sir Topham Hatt. "I also need you to escort Percy to the Steamworks."
"Seriously?" James groaned. "There's other engines on the railway than me, you know."
"I'm aware, and I did originally plan on having Oliver take it," explained Sir Topham Hatt, "but you're currently the only engine available. Besides, maybe he can give you pointers on how to handle the mail train."
James rolled his eyes. "Fine."
"Great. Now, it's imperative that you make it to Vicarstown before 10pm. That's when the post office closes." instructed Sir Topham Hatt as he left.
"Alright. Fine." sighed James.
James trundled along the Main Line with the mail train, with Percy and Toad in the back. A snowstorm had started up, and it was a bit hard to see for James.
"Hey, Toad, I got a question," asked James, "is Oliver okay with me taking you?"
"I think so, Mr. James." thought Toad. "He's handling passengers, so I don't really think-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, who cares?" James interrupted. "Anyone know where we're going? I can barely see."
"I think we're headed the right way." said Percy from the back. "I definitely recognise this bit of track."
"Well, I don't," James sighed, "but at the same time I can't even see my own buffers in this blizzard."
"I just hope you know where you're going, James." called Percy. "This is a really important train."
"...it's the mail."
"Not just any mail."
"How?"
"This train is full of-"
"Er, Mr. James?" called Toad. "I think you're on the wrong track."
"What gives you that idea?" James asked before immediately crashing into a couple of oil tankers in a siding. "Aw, come on! Well, that's just great!"
"What's happened?" asked Percy.
"I just crashed into some oil tankers! And look at what's happened to my paintwork!"
"Mr. James," said Toad. "If I may, we may not have time to panic about your paintwork right now. We need to get the mail to Vicarstown!"
"Okay, um...what time are we on?"
"I think 8:40pm, sir."
"Okay, and it's usually a 45 minute chuff from Knapford." Percy deduced. "I think we can still make it by half 9."
"So let's get moving!" James declared. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I get back to my shed."
James, Percy and Toad kept moving down the main line. The blizzard got heavier and heavier, getting so bad that James' lamp started flickering until it flat out turned off. James noticed, but didn't care, only caring about getting the job over and done with. He didn't even notice going down another line...but Toad and Percy did.
"Uh, James?" asked Percy. "You sure this is the right way?"
"Yes. Positive." groaned James.
"Then why are we going past a junction?"
"I think it's a shortcut? I don't know."
"You don't know?" gasped Toad as they went down a hill. "Mr. James, I think we should turn back."
"Trust me, we're going the right way..." James grumbled. "I think, it's hard to see. The fact my lamp turned off doesn't help."
Toad immediately hit his brakes when he heard that. "Mr. James, your lamp turned off?!"
"I was gonna get it fixed if I stop for coal!"
Percy was at his wit's end. "James, why aren't you taking this seriously?"
"Why are you taking this so seriously? It's just mail!"
"It's not! It's-"
Then, a pile of snow came plummeting down from the bridge from above.
"Well," Toad said, "I know it was snowy, but I wasn't expecting this."
"James?" asked Thomas from on the bridge. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" called James from below. "Aren't you supposed to be on your branchline?"
"I am on my branchline!" said Thomas.
"And so are you!" replied Annie and Clarabel.
James realised his mistake. "Oh..."
"Uh, Mr. James?" said Toad. "Beg pardon, but it's five past 9 now and the post office closes at 10!"
Soon, James, Percy and Toad were off the branchline and back on the main. On the way, James was scratched a little by some of the trees surrounding the line. James was fed up with the delays as his driver swapped out his lamp with Percy's.
"I don't get it." James grumbled. "Why are you making so much fuss about the mail?"
"Because this isn't mail!" Percy started off.
"Then what even is it? What could be so important about this train?"
Just then, Toby passed them on his way back to his shed. "Hi, James! Lucky you, getting the present train!"
James gulped. Did Toby just say what he think he said. "Did he just say...the present train?"
"Yes!" said Percy, exasperated. "That's why I've been causing a fuss. If we don't get this to the post office, nobody will get any presents!"
"Oh...what have I been doing?!" James said. From here on out, getting to the post office before 10 was now his top priority.
James, Percy and Toad rushed to Vicarstown at full speed. Now that James understood the severity of the situation, he knew he had to get there in time.
"Toad, what's our time?" called James.
"It's twenty-five past nine, Mr. James!" replied Toad. "I reckon we're ahead of schedule!"
"That's what I like to hear!" smiled James. Just then, a group of guards began flagging the present train down. Nia was stranded on the line in front of them. "Eh? What's happening?"
"James?" called out Nia. "Is that you?"
"Nia?" gasped James. "What happened?"
"I've ran out of coal!" Nia explained. "I can't get to Vicarstown. And with all this snow coming down, I may be stuck here until morning!"
Percy began hyperventilating, clearly panicking. "No...no! We were so close!"
"It's alright, Mr. Percy," Toad said, trying to calm Percy down. "We'll be okay!"
"No, it's not alright!" whimpered Percy. "Now we're never gonna get these presents delivered by Christmas!"
But James wasn't willing to give up now. "Guys, seriously! We've still got half an hour left! We can't stop now!"
"But what are we gonna do?" cried Percy. "We can't get there in time with Nia stranded in the snow."
"...then I know what to do." James declared. "Driver! Take off my snowplough!"
James' driver unhooked his snowplough and he immediately started shunting Nia with all his might.
"Mr. James?" called Toad. "What are you doing?"
James started slowly moving Nia up the line. She was freed!
"Thank you, James!" called Nia.
"Ha!" Percy laughed. "What a comeback!"
"We aren't out of the woods yet!" James declared. "We have to keep going!"
James kept shunting Nia down the line, but time was running out!
"Toad!" cried Nia. "Keep track of the time!"
"I'm on it, Ms. Nia!" said Toad. "Right now it's quarter to ten!"
"That's not enough time!" cried Percy.
"Oh, yes it is!" boasted James. "We're almost there!"
The engines kept racing to Vicarstown as Toad kept track of the time.
"Ten minutes left!"
"Five minutes left!"
"TWO MINUTES LEFT!"
"WAIT!!" screamed James as he pulled into Vicarstown. "I have one last delivery for you!"
"Oh, cheers, James." said Tom Tipper as he began unloading the present train. "I'll get to it right now."
Percy was in disbelief. "We...we did it!"
"And with only two minutes to spare!" cheered Toad.
"What a rush!" panted James.
Even after delivering the present train, James' work still wasn't done. He still had to drop Toad the mail vans off in a siding, escort Nia to a coal hopper, send Percy to the Steamworks, and collect his snowplough. And by the time he got back to Tidmouth Sheds the next morning, he was exhausted and still covered in scratches, oil and snow.
"Late night, James?" asked Rebecca. "You look quite rough."
"Yeah, no kidding." James yawned. "It was a very long night."
"Yeah, Thomas told us he saw you on his branchline last night," laughed Gordon. "Why is it always something with you and lamps?"
James just trundled into his shed smokebox-first. He just wanted to rest his wheels for one second. But then, Sir Topham Hatt arrived.
"James," Sir Topham Hatt said, "I have to properly commend you for your work last night. Tom Tipper told me how you made it with two minutes on the clock. As a reward for your efforts, I'm granting you a day off to get a fresh coat of paint."
No response from James' shed. "...er, James?"
"Let me check on him, sir." Thomas said before heading into the shed. "Oh. He's asleep."
"Really?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.
"Can you blame him, sir?" chuckled Rebecca. "After a long night like that, wouldn't you want a long lie?"
The engines left James there as he slept through the morning. After such a hectic night, a sleep-in was just what the doctor ordered.
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