Quarantine is the eleventh episode of the first season of the Stories of Sodor and the eleventh episode overall.
Plot[]
Spring is market season on Sodor. This is a time when farmers need their livestock exported as quickly as possible and every year, these deliveries always overcrowd the rails as the Nor'easters and Midis worked hard to complete these jobs between their regular ones. This year, there was an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Many cattle trains had infected cows on board and needed to have a customs agent waving a red flag. To ensure that no engine or farmer tried to cheat the system, the railway sent Senior Constable Joey to Sodor to oversee the operations. Joey was able to keep the foot-and-mouth disease confined to the island.
Burke and Blair, a pair of inspectors from the LNER's head office, have their eyes on Toby whose boiler has been acting up lately. They have already suggested to Mr. Star about making "improvements" to the Nor'easters' operations on Sodor, which irritated him to no end.
Thomas and Percy arrive at Knapford Sheds, late and having missed the briefing. After furiously threatening to take Burke and Blair's advice, Mr. Star informs Thomas that he was supposed to deliver a train to the quarry and that Toby is now taking care of it. Mr. Star orders Thomas is sent to help him and if Toby is alright, he and Thomas can join Gordon at Lower Knapford to be ready to take away any cattle trains cleared from Quarantine. Thomas goes off while Percy is ordered to go on the Loop Line since Farmer David McColl's farm is apparently meant to be cleared later in the day and that Percy should collect the cattle if they are cleared.
Meanwhile, on the Ffarquhar Branch, Toby is on his way to the quarry, still having problems with his boiler. Since Burke and Blair were convinced that Toby was too old to still be working, they blocked every attempt to give Toby an overhaul, which is why his boiler had never been replaced. Toby had been passing the Toryreck Sawmill, approaching to a dirt road crossing when he suddenly notices a lorry approaching him and it cuts right in front of him. Toby stops just in time, but his engine starts going backwards, which made his trucks bang into each other from the change in momentum, threw the guard off the footplate and broke a coupling. Meanwhile, the workmen at the Sawmill were loading one truck's load when it spilt over the tracks, just as the breakaway trucks flew in and went off the rails. Toby reverses back to the sawmill where Thomas sees the accident and the workmen go to get Mickey.
Meanwhile, Burke and Blair try again to convince Mr. Star that Toby is too old to work and needs to retire. Mr. Star threatens to have them inspect Gordon's undercarriage while he's pulling the express if they pester him again. Back at the Toryreck Sawmill, Mickey had arrived to clean up the mess and the damaged articles were put into Thomas's trucks. On their way to Lower Knapford, they meet up with Diesel and Lily. They ridicule about Toby's accident and are pleased that Thomas and Toby may not able to compete with them for the cattle deliveries.
When Thomas and Toby arrive at Lower Knapford, they find Gordon and the two Midis still waiting. Joey soon arrives and informs the engines that all the cattle trains are quarantined, having to be disposed of because they've been confirmed to have foot and mouth disease. After Joey leaves, Diesel tells Lily that he has a train to pick up at Carldon and decides to take the Loop to get there. Diesel leaves while Lily returns to Brendam. Thomas is puzzled upon seeing this, and since Diesel is apparently going over to pick up McColl's cattle, Toby and Thomas, knowing Diesel, suspect foul play and set off after him.
Percy is out on the loop and has reached Farmer McColl's farm. The customs agent is holding a red flag, but then Percy observes the customs agent shake hands with Farmer McColl and put up a green flag. Percy cautiously approaches the cattle train and McColl demands his cattle to be taken. Percy, still unsure about whether to do so, says he has to pick up another train first and promises to come back later.
Meanwhile, Diesel had been making his way to Carldon. He meets up with Percy and asks him what he is doing. Percy refuses to tell him, but Diesel will not let him off the hook. Fortunately, Thomas and Toby quickly come to Percy's aid. Percy explains that McColl's green flag was put up. Diesel, thinking the cattle train has been cleared, tries to seize the "golden opportunity" and immediately dashes towards the farm. Thomas gives chase, determined to beat Diesel to it. Toby follows Thomas and manages to stop him, albeit doing considerable damage to his engine in the process. After Percy explains what he had seen to Toby, Toby becomes certain that McColl bribed the customs agent to give him the clear. Toby brushes off the two shunters' concern for his engine, thinking he will have to be retired.
Diesel triumphantly reaches McColl's farm and prepares to take McColl's cattle while Percy, along with Thomas and Toby, return to Knapford, with the latter being towed by Thomas. Mr. Star is about to decide to retire Toby as Thomas and Percy try to explain what led to Toby's boiler failing until being appalled to tears by how many of his engines had let him down throughout the day. Burke and Blair show up yet again and tell Mr. Star that they have arranged for a heritage railway in Southern Wales to take care of Toby. Mr. Star asks Toby if this is what he wants. When Toby answers no, Mr. Star tells Thomas to take Toby to the works for a complete overhaul, and dismisses Burke and Blair. Mr. Star also sends Percy to continue his scrap runs to make up for the lost money.
Diesel was just about to take McColl's cattle when Joey arrives and demands the customs agent to know what is going on. The customs agent tries to get away, but policemen from Joey's brake van catch him and take him on board. Despite Diesel protesting that he was unaware of the red flag, Joey orders him to stay where he is until Joey can find out whether he is innocent or guilty.
For the rest of the season, Joey would keep a close watch on the Midis. Toby's overhaul had been completed without a hitch and Toby had been completely revitalised, continuing to service Sodor's railways for decades to come. Mr. Star would not regret arranging Toby's overhaul, but because he acted without the Board's approval, there would be consequences.
Characters[]
- Thomas
- Gordon
- Percy
- Toby
- Diesel
- Lily
- Joey
- Mr. Star
- Burke and Blair
- Farmer McColl
- Lorry 1
- Mickey (does not speak)
- Edward (narration only; cameo)
- Henry (cameo)
- James (cameo)
- Eric (cameo)
- Colin (cameo)
- Reginald (cameo)
Trivia[]
- This episode is based on the TUGS episode of the same name.
- The events of this episode take place in 1938.