Thomas and the Pigeon

Thomas and the Pigeon is a magazine story.

Plot
It is a fine morning and Thomas is taking the post train along his branch line. He passes Terence working at a hill farm and whistles cheerfully to him. Thomas then notices some seagulls are following Terence as he works. Thomas is confused but his driver explains that the birds are eating the worms that get dug up due to Terence's tilling. Thomas thinks that they are very clever.

Later, Thomas sees a flock of pigeons following him in the sky. Thomas wonders what they want as he is unable to feed them the way Terence does. One pigeon then lands on Thomas' cab roof. Thomas' driver notices the bird is tired so he guides it into the cab and allows it to nest in his cap. The driver also notices a small ring on the pigeon's foot and informs Thomas it is a racing pigeon.

At the main station, The Fat Controller tells Thomas about racing pigeons and notices a phone number on the pigeon's ring and goes to call it while Thomas' driver buys corn from the pet shop. The pigeon's owner is revealed to live on the mainland and is glad his prize brid is safe. The next morning, with the pigeon fed and rested, Thomas takes it to the harbour where it flies happily over the ocean to return home.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Terence