Rubber Rings

"Oliver was saved from scrap, now he's lost and needs a map!"

- the troublesome trucks

Rubber Rings is a magazine story.

Plot
It is a bright morning and Oliver is looking forward to a trip to the coast. He has to fetch fish from the Sodor fishing fleet and deliver them all around the island. However, Oliver's mood soon declines when he discovers that S.C. Ruffey is going with him.

A little later, Oliver arrives at the harbour. S.C. Ruffey decides to bump and roll about. Oliver is concerned the troublesome wagon will come uncoupled, but S.C. Ruffey does not care. Then, Oliver spots some fishing boats at the quayside with rubber tyres hanging from their sides. His driver explains that the tyres stop the boats being damaged if they bump against the harbour.

When Oliver sets off with his load of fish, S.C. Ruffey starts bumping behind him. It makes for a very uncomfortable journey. To make matters worse, the other trucks become troublesome too and start singing rudely at Oliver. The Great Western engine can hardly wait to finish the job; he has another important job to do afterwards.

Oliver goes and collects some old motor parts which are to be taken to the scrapyard. At the garage, S.C. Ruffey starts his tricks again and upsets Oliver who spots some piles of tyres.

A signal failure makes Oliver late so the scrapyard is shut. Now, he will have to go again tomorrow. Oliver is not looking forward to yet another ride with S.C.Ruffey. The other engines think S.C. Ruffey needs to be taught a lesson and Oliver's crew agrees.

When S.C. Ruffey is asleep, they unload the tyres and tie them on him. When he wakes up, S.C. Ruffey complains that he looks like a boat. Oliver tells him that he will bounce around if he bumps him now. The other trucks decide to call the funny-looking truck 'Rubber Rings'.

Characters

 * Oliver
 * S.C. Ruffey
 * Thomas

Trivia

 * A reference is made to the third series episode, Escape.

Goofs

 * S.C. Ruffey's face changes size throughout the story.