Flatbeds of Fear

"I don't want to hear the Flatbeds of Fear, I don't want to hear the Flatbeds of Fear."

- Henry

Flatbeds of Fear is the third episode of the eighteenth season.

Plot
It is a very misty day on Sodor and Thomas is at the docks to collect a flatbed of pipes. While they are being unloaded, Thomas hears an eerie whistling noise. Salty tells Thomas that the noise is "the Flatbeds of Fear". Salty explains that, long ago, some flatbeds broke away from an engine on a hill and, to this day, they roll the island whistling and wailing, looking for an engine to couple up to.

Soon, Thomas is puffing through the countryside with his flatbed of pipes when he suddenly hears the spooky noise again. Thomas looks around, but he cannot see anything that could have made such a strange whistling sound.

Henry and Emily are at the shunting yard when Thomas arrives with his flatbeds. Thomas tells the two engines all about the Flatbeds of Fear and that he has heard them. Emily thinks this is ridiculous and is sure there is a sensible explanation, but Henry is worried.

The next morning, Henry is sent to collect the pipes from the shunting yard and take them to Vicarstown. On his way to the yard, Henry gets a fright when he hears a loud noise. Fortunately, he realises it is just a cow in the field. Then, as Henry passes through Wellsworth, he hears another loud noise. He thinks it is the Flatbeds of Fear, but notices that it is just the stationmaster blowing his whistle.

It is not long before Henry has collected the flatbeds of pipes and is on his way to Vicarstown. During the journey, Henry hears the ghostly whistling. Henry is terrified and slows right down. Thinking something is wrong, the driver pulls Henry onto a siding. Once on the siding, Henry refuses to budge.

Emily is called to take over Henry's train. Emily thinks Henry is being very silly, but Henry insists that he actually heard the Flatbeds of Fear. Emily is still convinced there is a sensible explanation as she is coupled to flatbeds of pipes.

As Emily puffs along, she hears the eerie noise herself. She thinks it is Thomas playing a trick on her at first, but when she realises Thomas is not there, she speeds off as fast as she can. Now thinking the Flatbeds of Fear are real, Emily goes fast and faster to escape the Flatbeds of Fear. She goes round a bend much too fast and the pipes topple off the flatbeds. Rocky is called to put the pipes back on the flatbeds.

Meanwhile, Thomas arrives at the docks as Cranky is unloading more pipes for him. As Thomas is waiting for Cranky to load the pipes, he hears the spooky noise again. Thomas thinks it is the Flatbeds of Fear again until Cranky tells him it is just the wind whistling through the pipes he is loading. Thomas is not very happy with Salty, but Salty admits he had just been teasing.

That night, Emily arrives back at the sheds very late. Emily admits that the Flatbeds of Fear are real. Thomas tells her that she had been right all along, there was a sensible explanation. Emily feels very foolish when she is told it was just the wind whistling through the pipes. After that, no-one ever mentioned the Flatbeds of Fear again - except Salty who tells the story to a very worried looking Bill and Ben. As Emily jokingly tells him to stop telling made-up stories, the Flatbeds themselves roll away from behind Bill and Ben.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Emily
 * Salty
 * Cranky
 * Rocky (does not speak)
 * Stanley (not named; does not speak)
 * Edward (cameo)
 * Gordon (cameo)
 * James (cameo)
 * Percy (cameo)
 * Bill and Ben (cameo)
 * Charlie (cameo)
 * Stafford (cameo)
 * Farmer McColl (cameo)

Locations

 * Brendam Docks
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Wellsworth
 * Shunting Yards
 * Vicarstown (mentioned)

Trivia

 * Emily's eighth season theme is used.
 * The whistling pipes make a different sound in the US narration.
 * Stanley is the old engine pulling the flatbeds of pipes.

Goofs

 * In the US narration, the term "guard" is used at one point.
 * The narrator says, "But it was just the stationmaster blowing his whistle," but it is the guard who is supposed to blow the whistle.
 * The Wellsworth stationmaster drastically changes appearance from Old Reliable Edward.
 * Henry's driver could have reassured him that the sound was not the pipes.
 * Henry's driver can not choose to take him onto a siding.
 * When Emily tries to stop, her leading and trailing wheels spark, but they are not fitted with brakes.
 * The brake van on Stanley's train is an up-scaled narrow gauge design; it has retained its "chopper" coupling.
 * Considering his previous experiences, Henry should have recognized the cow mooing.
 * Stanley is used as and is called the old engine, but he isn't that old compared to Sodor's other engines.