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- "Free the roads!"
- ― Bulgy
Free the Roads! is a magazine story illustrated using images from the television series.
Plot[]
Bulgy doesn't like the railways and, one day, he is at the station trying to persuade the passengers to take him instead of their train. When the passengers board Percy's train, Bulgy gets annoyed and parks on the level crossing. Luckily, Bertie arrives and tells Bulgy to move.
Bulgy goes on his way, still annoyed by the engines. He isn't paying attention to where he is going and almost crashes into Max and Monty. Bulgy skids and collides with a stack of tyres, one of which rolls off and catapults a back of soil into the air. The sack lands in the water tower and makes the water inside very dirty. Bulgy is the only one to see the accident and says nothing. When Thomas fills up his tank with the contaminated water, he soon feels ill and has to stop. Gordon also breaks down due to the dirty water and Sir Topham Hatt has to ask Bulgy and Bertie to take their passengers.
Bulgy is delighted and things go smoothly for a while as the buses zoom back and forth, but it's not long before Bertie breaks down; all the extra passengers had been too much for his engine. Bulgy takes Bertie's passengers, but the extra weight causes his axle to snap.
Luckily, the engines have been fixed and Thomas can take Bulgy to the garage. Thomas tells Bulgy that at least the railways are good for some things.
Characters[]
- Thomas
- Bertie
- Bulgy
- Percy (speaks in speech bubble only)
- Gordon (mentioned)
- Max and Monty (mentioned)
- Sir Topham Hatt (mentioned)
Trivia[]
- This story is based on the twenty-third series episode of the same name.
- Unlike the episode:
- Gordon, Butch, Max, Monty and Sir Topham Hatt do not appear, but Gordon, Max, Monty and Sir Topham Hatt are mentioned.
- Rebecca is not mentioned.
Gallery[]
