A Really Useful Engine

A Really Useful Engine is the first episode of Season One. It is also the very first episode of Thomas' Friendship Tales.

Plot
Thomas, the new engine, is very excited to start work on the island of Sodor. He meets Henry at the station who greets him warmly. Thomas then meets Sir Topham Hatt, the controller of the railway. He tells the little tank engine to go work in the yard and help Edward the Blue Engine. There, Thomas meets a splendid red engine called James. Thomas finds the yard in a mess, as James refused to shunt the trucks saying that big engines like him don't shunt. Just then, Edward arrives and kindly asks Thomas to shunt some trucks. However, Thomas shunts them onto the Express line nearly hitting Gordon, an express engine. Gordon angrily tells Thomas to be more careful and tells him he's too small to be of any use. Thomas, wanting to be Really Useful, asks Edward to teach him how to be a great shunter.

That night, Thomas thanks Edward for his help. The old engines congratulates him for his hard work. However, Gordon and James tease the little engine about his size, saying that he's not fit to pull trains like them. This leaves Thomas upset the next morning, when Edward cheers him up by allowing Thomas to pull his goods train. Thomas ignores Edward's warning about the Troublesome Trucks and nearly lands into trouble. He manages to stop in time, but Sir Topham Hatt, dissapointed with Thomas, has the little engine work in the yard until he knows as much about trucks as Edward.

A few weeks pass by as Sir Topham Hatt congratulates Thomas for his hard work and tells him about the Breakdown Train, two trucks used for emergencies. As Thomas finishes shunting the trucks into place, he hears James whistling for help as the trucks push him down the line. Thomas, wanting to teach the trucks a lesson, pushes the Breakdown Train to a field where James has come off the line. Thomas manages to clear the mess with the crane and gets James back on track. James thanks Thomas for his help as he is taken back to the shed. Sir Topham Hatt is pleased with Thomas' brave actions and rewards him with his very own branchline. Thomas is overjoyed and promises to be a Really Useful Engine as he sets off for his new life on the branchline.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Troublesome Trucks
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Annie & Clarabel (cameo)
 * Butch (cameo)
 * Lorry 1 (cameo)
 * Oliver the Excavator (cameo)

Notes & trivia

 * This is where you can put notes and trivia, anything that is interesting or strange can be included here