Thomas and the Twins

"Oh dear, not another blue engine!"

- Bill

Thomas and the Twins is the thirty-third book of The Railway Series.

Foreword
Dear Friends, Bill and Ben keep asking if they can be in a book again. Well, in Cornwall during 1988, I met Bill and Ben's twins and talked to the driver of one of them at Par. He set me thinking, and this is the result: if our china clay twins enjoy being in a book again, they should thank him not me. I hope you will enjoy the stories too. The Author

Scrambled Eggs
The Fat Controller has to make a weight limit on one of the bridges on the Ffarquhar Branch Line while it's under repair. Thomas exceeds it, so he is sent to the Brendam Branch Line until the work is done. Edward decides to try to cheer him up by taking him to meet Bill and Ben, but they only make him cross. Meanwhile, a farmer is taking some dairy to market when his lorry breaks down. He is calling for help when Thomas crashes into the back of the lorry, getting covered in broken eggs. Even though his crew tries to clean them off, they are cooked by the heat from Thomas' boiler and stick fast. When Thomas finally arrives at Brendam, Bill and Ben tease him even more. The twins hear a grinding noise and believe their joints are stiff, but they are mistaken—-it is Thomas gnashing his teeth with rage.

What a Picture!
After Edward threatens to not bring some enthusiasts to see Bill and Ben if they continue teasing Thomas, they start behaving again. On the big day, a ship runs aground and Ben goes to try and pull it into deeper waters before the tide goes out. The enthusiasts go to watch, except for a man who continuously takes pictures of Bill. He sets up his camera for the best one yet when Ben's driver comes along asking for help and Bill's driver turns a tap, creating a huge cloud of steam. After helping Ben, Bill and his driver discover the photo lying discarded on the ground, for only Bill's funnel is showing.

Trevor Helps Out
Trevor is feeling unwell with some boiler trouble, but is able to see a fallen tree in a field. Meanwhile, Edward, who is passing by, finds the rails bumpy, and decides to tell the breakdown gang. He forgets, and is returning from Brendam when his last few trucks derail. Edward does not realise this, but Trevor hears the guard's whistle and cries out to Edward. As a reward for preventing a potential accident, the Fat Controller arranges for Trevor to be repaired.

Down the Drain
Near the China Clay Workings is a dip in the land which is often flooded with water from the nearby sea. One wet day, Ben is taking some trucks to Brendam when the strong wind blows a wave into the cab, dousing his fire. His fireman asks Thomas to help, and he pulls Ben away from the water. When Bill is able to return from the quarry a few days later, he and Ben decide never to tease Thomas again as it would show their ingratitude after he helped them.

Scrambled Eggs

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Bill and Ben
 * Sir Stephen Topham Hatt III
 * The Dairy Farmer
 * Percy
 * Daisy
 * Toby
 * Gordon
 * Donald and Douglas
 * Annie and Clarabel

What a Picture!

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Bill and Ben
 * The Enthusiasts

Trevor Helps Out

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Bill and Ben
 * Trevor
 * Sir Stephen Topham Hatt III
 * The Vicar of Wellsworth
 * James

Down the Drain

 * Thomas
 * Ben
 * Bill
 * Trevor

Locations

 * Ffarquhar Sheds
 * The Carriage Shed
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor China Clay Company
 * The Drain
 * Wellsworth Vicarage Orchard
 * Trevor's Shed
 * Suddery Junction
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Hackenbeck Bridge
 * Hackenbeck Stream

Trivia

 * This book marks the final appearances of Bill, Ben, Trevor, and the Vicar of Wellsworth in The Railway Series.
 * A reference to Wrong Road from Main Line Engines is made.
 * Tale of the Brave borrows some elements from this book, as the special also begins with Thomas working with the twins while his branch line is closed for bridgework.
 * Scrambled Eggs takes place in early 1988, What a Picture! and Trevor Helps Out take place in mid 1988, and Down the Drain takes place in late 1988 - early 1989.
 * What a Picture! and Down the Drain are based on real events from Bill Rogers, a retired driver of Alfred and Judy.
 * The Pop-up back version of Thomas the Tank Engine and the Scrambled Eggs has the same plot as the book's first story.
 * Ben getting stuck in the drain, could have been an inspiration for the eighteenth series episode, Duck in the Water.

Goofs

 * Bill and Ben are much bigger than they were in Main Line Engines and than their basis'.
 * In "Trevor Helps Out", Edward's last six trucks were said to have been derailed, but in the illustrations only three are. In fact, there were only six exact trucks in total.
 * The 2013 reprint does not have "C. Awdry" printed on the spine, unlike reprints of other books of The Railway Series from the same year.

In Other Languages
Thomas y los Gemelos תומס והתאומים Tomek i Bliźniaki