Thomas and the Play!

"I'm pleased that the play was so popular." "And you played your part brilliantly!"

- Thomas and his driver

Thomas and the Play! is a magazine story.

Plot
Thomas is working in the main station yard when the vicar arrives. He unravels a poster which he proudly shows to the Fat Controller. The poster states that there is to be a children's play at the church hall on Saturday. The Fat Controller tells the vicar to stick the poster on the station noticeboard. The vicar hopes lots of people will attend the production as the children have worked very hard on it. Just then, a plane zooms overhead. Behind it is a long banner which informs people of the farmer's market taking place that day, which Thomas thinks it is a very clever way of getting the word out. He then has an idea and shares with the Fat Controller and the vicar, which the vicar thinks it is a marvellous idea and he hurries away on his bicycle.

Later, the vicar invites lots of children to the church hall and he asks them to paint colourful pictures onto large pieces of board. Afterwards, the vicar takes their boards to the station. The Fat Controller arranges for the pictures to be stuck together and fixed to a wooden frame on a flatbed. Now the boards make a giant notice about the play and Thomas then pulls the flatbed around the island so that everyone can see the advertisement, which makes the vicar delighted.

The play is a massive success and every single ticket is sold. The church hall is filled with visitors from all over Sodor. When the play has finished, the Fat Controller runs a special train, pulled by Thomas, to take everyone home. Thomas' driver thinks the tank engine played his part in the play's success brilliantly.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Vicar of Wellsworth