Thomas and the Hedgehog

Thomas and the Hedgehog is a magazine story.

Plot
One day, Thomas is taking some school children on a picnic. As he sets off, a family of swifts makes a great deal of noise which Thomas thinks is their way of trying to tell him something. Thomas is having such a fun time on his journey that the driver has to let off steam twice to keep him in check.

They soon reach the picnic field and Thomas' driver sits down in the cab to eat his lunch. Suddenly, he lets out a shout and from underneath a pile of old rags comes a frightened hedgehog. The driver carefully picks it up and walks onto the platform to show Thomas. Thomas is surprised and is sure this is what the swifts were trying to tell him about.

The guard and fireman join the driver and wonder how the hedgehog got there in the first place. The driver finds a cardboard box, takes off his jacket and makes a bed for the animal for the rest of the day. When they return from the picnic, they meet The Fat Controller who is quite surprised by the sight of the hedgehog but is very pleased it is being cared for. The driver takes a bottle of milk from his lunchbox, pours it into a saucer and the hedgehog happily laps away at it's drink.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Sir Topham Hatt