Thomas and Charlie!

Thomas and Charlie! is a magazine story.

Plot
One morning, Thomas is up bright and early with the post train. A cockerel named Charlie sits atop a nearby barn and caws loudly. Thomas happily whistles back. Charlie's barn is used as an animal rescue centre and many children like to visit and help the warden out.

When Thomas stops by the centre, the warden sadly states that there is not enough money to keep the centre open and it faces closure. Thomas wishes he knew how to get the word out. Suddenly, the wind knocks off Charlie's balance and he ends up fluttering down onto Thomas' cab roof. The warden grabs a ladder and tries to bring Charlie down but the cheeky cockerel wanders out of reach, much to enjoyment of Thomas and the children. One child even takes a photo of the event.

When Thomas returns to the main station, he tells The Fat Controller about what happened and The Fat Controller gets an idea. The next day, Thomas' driver excitedly shows him a newspaper where the picture on the front is of Thomas and Charlie with a story about the animal rescue centre. When Thomas next sees the centre, the warden and the child with the camera state that the article has lead to many people contacting the centre with offers to help. Thomas is very happy that the centre will stay open after all.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Sir Topham Hatt