1. THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE
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2. LOVES HIS BRANCHLINE.
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3. ONE DAY, WHEN HE STOPPED
AT A SMALL STATION,
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4. SOME CHILDREN LOOKED SAD.
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5. "THEY'VE CLOSED OUR PLAYGROUND
AND OUR FAVORITE SANDPIT!"
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6. "TEACHER SAYS THE SAND IS SOILED
AND TOO DIRTY TO PLAY IN!"
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7. "PLEASE HELP US, THOMAS!"
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8. "I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO,"
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9. REPLIED THOMAS KINDLY.
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10. THOMAS HOPED THINGS
WEREN'T QUITE AS BAD
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11. AS THE CHILDREN HAD
MADE THEM OUT TO BE,
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12. BUT AS HE PASSED THEIR
PLAYGROUND, A LARGE SIGN READ,
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13. "PLAYGROUND CLOSED
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE."
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14. "THE CHILDREN WERE RIGHT,"
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15. THOUGHT THOMAS SADLY.
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16. HE PUFFED INTO THE YARDS
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17. AND WAS JUST ABOUT
TO TELL THE OTHER ENGINES
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18. ABOUT THE PLAYGROUND
WHEN PERCY RUSHED IN.
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19. "YOU LOOK GLUM,
LITTLE PERCY,"
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20. SAID GORDON.
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21. "SIR TOPHAM HATT TOLD DRIVER
THAT HE'S USING HAROLD
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22. "TO SHOW A VISITOR THE ISLAND,
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23. INSTEAD OF USING
ANY OF US ENGINES!"
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24. "DESPICABLE!"
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25. SAID GORDON.
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26. "DISGUSTING!"
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27. SNORTED HENRY.
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28. "ENGINES ARE MEANT
TO TAKE VISITORS
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29. AROUND OUR ISLAND,
NOT THAT WHIRLYBIRD THING!"
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30. JAMES EXCLAIMED.
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31. GORDON WAS THE FIRST
TO SEE HAROLD.
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32. "HAROLD THINKS
HE CAN GO FASTER THAN ME.
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33. I'LL SHOW HIM!"
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34. NEXT, IT WAS HENRY'S TURN.
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35. "SIR TOPHAM HATT
HAS CHOSEN HAROLD
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36. "BECAUSE HE THINKS
HE'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME.
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37. "WELL, HE'S NOT!
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38. HAROLD CAN'T
FLY THROUGH TUNNELS!"
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39. PERCY STOPPED BY A SIGNAL
ON HIS BRANCHLINE
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40. NEAR A FIELD
WHERE SHEEP WERE GRAZING.
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41. HAROLD HOVERED FOR A WHILE,
THEN BUZZED AWAY.
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42. "I KNOW WHAT HE'S DOING,
HE'S COUNTING SHEEP!"
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43. AND PERCY
PUFFED ALONG HIS LINE
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44. FEELING MUCH BETTER
ABOUT THINGS.
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45. THAT EVENING, THE ENGINES
TALKED ABOUT THE SITUATION.
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46. "HAROLD WANTS
TO GET RID OF US!"
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47. SAID GORDON.
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48. "HE DOESN'T
NEED TUNNELS!"
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49. ADDED HENRY.
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50. "DON'T WORRY,
HE'S JUST COUNTING SHEEP,"
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51. SAID PERCY.
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52. "COUNTING SHEEP... PAH!"
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53. SNORTED GORDON,
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54. "HE'S COUNTING HOW MANY ENGINES
HE CAN GET RID OF.
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55. "HE'LL SEE HOW USEFUL I AM
TOMORROW."
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56. THOMAS WANTED TO MENTION
THE CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND,
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57. BUT SOLVING THE MYSTERY
OF HAROLD AND THE VISITOR
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58. CAME FIRST.
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59. THE NEXT DAY,
GORDON WAS TRAVELING
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60. TO COLLECT HIS TRAIN.
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61. "WE'LL SHOW THAT WHIRLYBIRD JUST
HOW FAST YOU CAN GO, GORDON,"
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62. SAID HIS DRIVER.
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63. BUT BECAUSE
THEY WERE WATCHING HAROLD,
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64. THEY MISSED A SIGNAL
AND WENT ONTO THE WRONG LINE.
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65. GORDON WAS TRAVELING
TO TROUBLE...
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66. AHEAD WAS A TUNNEL
UNDER REPAIR.
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67. HIS DRIVER REDUCED STEAM
AND BRAKED HARD,
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68. BUT IT WAS TOO LATE.
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69. LATER,
THOMAS PULLED GORDON CLEAR
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70. WITH THE BREAKDOWN TRAIN.
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71. SIR TOPHAM HATT SPOKE
SEVERELY TO GORDON'S DRIVER.
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72. "WILL GORDON
BE SCRAPPED, SIR?"
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73. ASKED THOMAS SADLY.
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74. "WHAT MAKES YOU
THINK THAT?"
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75. SAID SIR TOPHAM HATT.
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76. THOMAS DECIDED
TO PLUCK UP COURAGE.
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77. "BECAUSE THE ENGINES THINK
THE VISITOR IS HERE
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78. TO SEE IF WE CAN BE
REPLACED BY HAROLD."
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79. SIR TOPHAM HATT LAUGHED.
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80. "WELL, THE ENGINES ARE WRONG,
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81. "AND YOU SHOULDN'T LISTEN
TO RUMORS, THOMAS."
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82. "THIS GENTLEMAN IS MAKING A NEW
PLAYGROUND FOR THE CHILDREN.
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83. "IT WAS EASIER
TO FIND A SUITABLE SITE
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84. FROM UP IN THE AIR!"
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85. "AND WHAT'S MORE"
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86. SAID THE VISITOR,
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87. "THAT TUNNEL SAND WILL BE
PERFECT FOR THE PLAYGROUND.
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88. "SAND WE FOUND BY ACCIDENT,
YOU MIGHT SAY!"
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89. SIR TOPHAM HATT STILL USES
HAROLD TO FLY ABOVE THE ISLAND,
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90. BUT ALL THE ENGINES KNOW THAT
HAROLD ISN'T SPYING ON THEM,
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91. HE IS JUST BEING VERY USEFUL.
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92. OLIVER AND HIS BRAKE VAN TOAD
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93. LIKE WORKING
IN THE BIG YARDS,
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94. BUT ONE MORNING TOAD NOTICED
THAT OLIVER WAS UNHAPPY.
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95. HE DECIDED
TO FIND OUT WHY.
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96. "UH... EXCUSE ME,
MISTER OLIVER,
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97. "IT SEEMS TO ME,
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98. "THAT THINGS
ARE NOT WELL WITH YOU,
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99. IF YOU FORGIVE ME
FOR MENTIONING IT."
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100. "YOU'RE QUITE RIGHT, TOAD.
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101. "ALL I DO IS SHUNT
THESE FREIGHT CARS
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102. "ONTO THE TURNTABLE.
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103. "I LONG FOR A NICE RUN.
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104. IT'S WHAT AN ENGINE
REALLY NEEDS."
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105. "QUITE SO,
MISTER OLIVER.
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106. "MAY I SUGGEST THAT
YOU SPEAK TO SIR TOPHAM HATT
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107. ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS."
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108. BUT OLIVER SAID NOTHING.
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109. HE JUST GREW UNHAPPIER
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110. AND HE WAS ROUGH
WITH THE FREIGHT CARS.
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111. "YOU'RE NO GOOD, OLIVER.
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112. "YOU'RE DANGEROUS.
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113. WE WANT PERCY."
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114. "PERCY'S FAR TOO BUSY
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115. TO BE BOTHERED
WITH THE LIKES OF YOU,"
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116. REPLIED OLIVER BUMPED
THE FREIGHT CARS HARD.
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117. "YOU SILLY ENGINE!"
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118. SHOUTED A WORKMAN,
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119. "IT'LL TAKE A LONG TIME
TO REPAIR THIS TURNTABLE
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120. WHICH'LL CAUSE
CONFUSION AND DELAY!"
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121. THAT NIGHT
SIR TOPHAM HATT ARRIVED.
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122. "OLIVER,
YOU HAVE CAUSED CONFUSION.
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123. "I THOUGHT YOU COULD CONTROL
FREIGHT CARS.
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124. "YOU SHALL WORK
THE MAIL TRAIN FOR A WHILE.
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125. MAYBE THE NIGHT AIR
WILL CLEAR YOUR SMOKE BOX."
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126. "YES, SIR;
SORRY, SIR,"
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127. SAID OLIVER SADLY.
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128. "CHEER UP, OLD CHAP,"
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129. SAID HIS DRIVER.
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130. "THE MAIL TRAIN RUN
IS A GRAND RUN
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131. FOR A FINE ENGINE
LIKE YOU!"
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132. OLIVER SMILED,
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133. BUT HE STILL FELT
HE HAD LET EVERYONE DOWN.
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134. HIS DRIVER TOOK THEM
ALONG THE COASTAL RUN
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135. WITH THE MAIL TRAIN.
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136. THE FRESH AIR COULDN'T HELP
BUT BRIGHTEN OLIVER'S SPIRITS.
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137. THEY MADE GOOD SPEED
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138. UNTIL IT WAS TIME TO COLLECT
SOME IMPORTANT MAIL
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139. FROM HAROLD THE HELICOPTER.
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140. "COME ON, HAROLD."
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141. AT LAST HAROLD LANDED.
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142. "SORRY I'M LATE,
GREAT WESTERN.
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143. "HAD A BIT OF A PROBLEM
WITH ONE OF MY ARMS.
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144. "KEPT LETTING ME DOWN
WHEN I WAS MEANT TO BE UP.
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145. YOU KNOW HOW IT IS!"
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146. SAID HAROLD.
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147. "WE KNOW THAT WE'LL BE LATE
FOR OUR FIRST RUN!"
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148. REPLIED OLIVER'S DRIVER.
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149. SOON THEY WERE
ON THEIR WAY AGAIN.
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150. AHEAD WAS
A RED SIGNAL LIGHT.
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151. OLIVER DIDN'T REALIZE THAT
THE SIGNALMAN HAD DOZED OFF.
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152. OLIVER WHISTLED SEVERAL TIMES
BUT THE SIGNAL STAYED RED.
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153. "THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG
WITH THAT SIGNAL.
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154. WE'LL GO SLOWLY
AND STOP BY THE SIGNALBOX,"
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155. SAID HIS DRIVER.
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156. BUT THEY NEVER REACHED IT.
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157. THE POINTS BEFORE THE SIGNALBOX
WERE SWITCHED TO AN OLD TRACK.
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158. THEY WERE GOING
THE WRONG WAY!
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159. OLIVER'S FIREMAN
WAS CONCERNED,
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160. "WE NEED TO FIND
A WATER TOWER SOON."
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161. INSTEAD, THEY SAW
AN OLD STATION.
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162. DISASTER LAY AHEAD.
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163. MEANWHILE SIR TOPHAM HATT
WAS WORRIED,
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164. "OLIVER HAS NOT RETURNED.
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165. WE'LL SEND OUT
A SEARCH PARTY."
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166. SOON HE WAS HIGH IN THE SKY
WITH HAROLD.
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167. "THERE THEY ARE!"
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168. "IT WASN'T
OLIVER'S FAULT,"
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169. SIGHED THE DRIVER.
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170. "I'M AWARE OF THAT.
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171. I'M JUST GLAD
YOU ARE ALL SAFE!"
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172. THEN HE SAW SOMETHING.
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173. IT WAS AN EMPTY OLD HOUSE
BESIDE THE STATION.
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174. HE WENT TO INSPECT IT.
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175. WHEN HE RETURNED,
HE SPOKE TO OLIVER.
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176. "YOU HAVE FOUND
ANOTHER ATTRACTION
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177. "FOR OUR ISLAND.
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178. "WE'LL MAKE THIS HOUSE
AS GOOD AS NEW
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179. AND VISITORS CAN HAVE
TEA AND CRUMPETS THERE!"
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180. "HMM..."
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181. SIGHED OLIVER,
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182. "GETTING LOST
CAN BE INTERESTING,
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183. "BUT BEING FOUND
IS MUCH NICER,
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184. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT MAKES
AN ENGINE FEEL REALLY USEFUL!"
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