A Friend in Ferdinand

A Friend in Ferdinand
Season 1, Episode 13
Air date	July 26, 2017
Written by	Semaj5nodrog4
Episode guide
Previous Toby Gets Tough	Next Terence, Trucks and Trouble

A Friend in Ferdinand is the thirteenth episode of the Many Adventures on the Island of Sodor.

Plot

Many engines on the Island of Sodor like to be hardworking and really useful engines. Some also like to have fun and play around as well, and no engines like playing around more than Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand, the Logging Locos from Misty Island. They love making jokes and playing around with each other and the other engines. Whether it's on Misty Island or the Island of Sodor, the three engines find a way to have fun and try to get the other engines involved as well. Some engines think that they are rather annoying for doing this since they don't seem to work very hard or even help anyone, but other engines know that Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand can prove themselves to be really useful engines when they need to and that's enough to make everyone happy.

One day, Thomas and Toby were in the shunting yards at Knapford Station. They were just shunting when they heard a couple of whistles. They looked forward and saw it was Bash and Dash coming with Ferdinand following behind with a train of logs.

"Hello you three," puffed Thomas.

"Hello Thomas," replied the locos.

"I see you all are in a good mood today," added Thomas.

"Oh we are, Thomas," replied Bash.

"Ferdinand has just brought this train of Jobi wood from Misty Island for Toby's shed," said Dash. "Sir Topham Hatt requested that it be made from Jobi wood this time because it's stronger than most wood and doesn't rot so quickly."

"Oh, that's sounds like a good idea," puffed Thomas.

"Exactly," said Toby, "and it's thanks to Ferdinand for bringing them for me."

Ferdinand smiled. "Awww, shucks. It was nothing really. I just like helping others out."

"Well that's a good thing," smiled Thomas. "It's always nice to get an important job and help others out, you know."

Ferdinand chuckled. "That's right!" he puffed, and he and the other engines laughed.

"Oh by the way, did all of you come here just for this?" asked Thomas.

"Actually Thomas," replied Ferdinand, "we also came here to collect some workmen for Misty Island."

"Oh?" said Thomas. "What for?"

"Because Sir Topham Hatt told us he was planning on turning the island into a tourist attraction," explained Bash.

Thomas and Toby were amazed. "Ooh, that sounds interesting," remarked Toby.

"Yes indeed," said Thomas. "That sounds like a great idea. What sort of attractions was he thinking about?"

"Oh, let's see," puffed Bash. "Hmmmm well, I know he was thinking about having several hiking trails placed throughout the island."

"And he was making some parts of the logging station into an amusement park," added Dash. "We don't know what else he was thinking about, but that's all we know for now."

Everyone was very interested. "That definitely sounds like a great idea now," puffed Thomas. "We do need more tourist attractions for visitors and Misty Island would be the perfect place."

"Right again, Thomas," chuffed Ferdinand. Just then they all heard a whistle and saw Gordon was backing down into one of the sidings, laughing.

"Ha! Turning Misty Island into a tourist attraction? Oh, what an idea," Gordon chuckled. "The whole island itself is already an amusement park and there's really no need to make any changes, unless the workmen are going to make it look like an even bigger mess."

The Logging Locos were offended, but Thomas and Toby glared. "You've been to Misty Island before Gordon and from what I remember, you enjoyed it," puffed Thomas.

"Well…that was years ago," protested Gordon. "Now I just think it's silly and pointless."

"Well we don't think so," protested Dash. "We like the island and think it's fun."

"Huh," snorted Gordon. "You three only think it's fun because you fool around like school children instead of working hard and being really useful engines."

Toby stepped in. "They can prove themselves to be useful if they want to, Gordon. In fact, Ferdinand here proved it by bringing this train of Jobi wood for me."

"Well, all right, I'll admit that was useful," admitted Gordon, "but it's not enough. You three could do more to prove yourselves to be really useful, you know," he added. "Like do some harder work or even help other engines more often and now that I think about it, stop playing around with your 'tweeting' whistles."

Bash and Dash scoffed. "Pah! You're just grumpy today Gordon," huffed Bash. "Besides, we've proved to be useful on many occasions."

"Yeah. You're probably just jealous that you don't work as hard as we do," teased Dash.

Gordon grunted loudly. "Huh!! You three? Work harder than me?? Oh what a load of rubbish. You three don't even know the meaning of hard work."

Bash and Dash were cross. "That's not true," protested Dash.

"We've work hard many times," added Bash. "At least we have a better sense of humor and know how to be nice."

Thomas and Toby looked at each other and smiled a little bit, trying not to show that Bash was right.

Gordon scoffed. "If you three know how to be nice to others, then how come I've rarely seen you do so? All you three have done is tell jokes and play around with others, but I have never seen you show respect for others or even help someone out when they are in trouble."

Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand paused and looked at each other for a moment. They knew that Gordon was wrong about them never showing respect, but they didn’t want to admit that Gordon was somewhat right about the latter.

"Hmmm," murmured Gordon, "and seeing how you three aren't answering, looks like I'm right."

"Gordon, leave them alone," hissed Thomas. "It's really none of your business who they are. You just worry about yourself and mind your attitude." Gordon just rolled his eyes and smiled smugly.

Just then, Henry puffed into the yard, delivering a goods train. "Hello everyone," he said. "I've just came from the docks and…" Then he noticed Ferdinand's train of logs. "Oh, is that Jobi wood you have, Ferdinand?" he asked.

"Yes," said Ferdinand. "I've brought them from Misty Island for Toby and…"

"So that means they were chopped down?" interrupted Henry.

"Well, yes Henry," replied Ferdinand, feeling puzzled. "They had to be chopped down so I could bring them here."

Henry's face fell a little bit. "Oh, I see," he said rather sadly.

The Logging Locos were very puzzled. "What's the matter with you, Henry?" puffed Dash.

"Do you like trees or something?" added Bash.

"Well…" said Henry slowly. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do, but…I really don't like hearing trees being cut down because it's just mean and…"

Then the Logging Locos burst out laughing. "Seems mean?" exclaimed Bash. "Henry, trees are cut down all the time!"

"Yeah," added Dash. "Didn't you know that? Trees are made for buildings and making fires. They're the perfect things for many stuff." Henry squirmed at all of this, while Thomas and Toby looked at each other with concernment.

"And they're the perfect things for Ol' Wheezy and Hee Haw to throw around on Misty Island!" added Ferdinand. "Trees are the most fun things…"

"Excuse me, I need to go," said Henry hastily, and he hurried away out of the yard. The Logging Locos were very surprised. They didn't know what they had done.

Gordon just smirked. "Looks like my point has been made," he said slyly, and he puffed away.

"What just happened?" Bash asked Thomas and Toby.

"Yeah," added Dash. "Why did Henry leave like that?"

"Was it something we said?" asked Ferdinand.

Thomas and Toby looked at each other and then sighed. "Well, I can't tell you much because I need to collect Annie and Clarabel for my next train," said Thomas, "but I think Toby can tell you everything. Right Toby?"

"Yes I can do that," replied Toby. "You go ahead and take care of your train now, Thomas." And with that, Thomas whistled good-bye and the Logging Locos turned their attention to Toby.

"So why did Henry run away like that, Toby?" asked Bash.

"Well, you see," said Toby, "the reason why Henry ran away is because he hates hearing about trees getting cut down and he's a bit of a nature-lover."

The Logging Locos were surprised. "Gee, we didn't know that about Henry," puffed Bash.

"But why does he like nature so much?" added Dash.

"Well, some of us engines are not quite sure why ourselves," admitted Toby, "but we think it's because he feels calm and peaceful when he's around it. There's even a forest on the Mainline named after him because he visits it so much for that reason. It's a special place to him as well and he loves it very much."

Then Toby noticed Bash and Dash were trying not to laugh. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Oh i-it's nothing," squirmed Dash.

"Yeah, nothing at all," added Bash. "It's just…well, the idea of a forest being a special place for Henry sounds rather silly. I mean, what does he do there? Sit around and watch the trees and animals? Sounds rather boring to me."

"Yeah," continued Dash. "What's so special about that? Throwing trees around is much more fun because you get to see them fly around and hit stuff. It's really entertaining." And he and Bash giggled.

Toby on the other hand was cross. "That's not funny you two. Henry loves the forest more than anything and I can tell you right now he would be most offended if he heard you say that, and you know what else? I might have been trying to defend you engines earlier, but now I'm beginning to think Gordon may be right. You engines need to show more respect for others because the less you do that, the less respect you'll earn in return."

The Logging Locos paused and thought for a moment. They were about to say something, but just then Sir Topham Hatt arrived.

"Ah hello everyone," he said. "Glad to see you all here. Now Bash and Dash, your workmen are here and ready to go to Misty Island. Ferdinand, your workmen are over at Henry's Forest. Henry himself will be bringing them down shortly, so when he does, be ready to head to Misty Island immediately. Everyone knows their jobs?"

"Yes sir," replied the Logging Locos.

"Excellent," said Sir Topham Hatt, "and Toby, since your load of Jobi wood is here, go ahead and take it up to Arlesdale End. The sooner you get it there, the sooner you'll have a place to sleep again."

"Yes sir, right away sir," replied Toby.

"Good," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Now I must be off. Good luck to all of you and do your best."

"We will sir," said the engines, and Sir Topham Hatt left.

The workmen were soon aboard Bash and Dash's coaches, and with a whistle good-bye to Toby and Ferdinand, they puffed away.

"See you later, Toby and Ferdinand," called Bash.

"We'll see you on Misty Island, Ferdy!" called Dash, and they were soon out of the yard.

After they left, Ferdinand spoke to Toby. "Um Toby," he asked. "You don't really think we don't show respect, do you?"

Toby sighed. "No I don't," he admitted. "I was just cross with the way Bash and Dash were behaving, that's all. I just wish they would have taken the whole Henry situation more seriously because it really is true, Ferdinand: the forest is a special place to him. If anything happens to it, he would be devastated."

Ferdinand paused for a moment. "Wow, it really is that special to him, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," said Toby. "I take it that means you understand, Ferdinand?"

"I'm starting to," puffed Ferdinand. "I never thought of it before, but now I'm beginning to see why it's so important to him. When I see Henry again, I'll apologize for what I said earlier."

Toby smiled. "I think Henry would appreciate that very much, Ferdinand, and good for you. I must go now, so take care of yourself and have a good day."

"Thanks Toby," said Ferdinand, "and good-bye!" And with that, Toby set off with the wood. At that moment, Henry arrived with Ferdinand's workmen.

"Hello Henry," puffed Ferdinand, but Henry squirmed and looked away.

Ferdinand could tell he was still upset. "Um, Henry. I want to apologize for teasing you earlier. Bash, Dash, and I didn't realize that nature was something special to you. Toby told us everything and now I see why the forest is a special place to you and…I'm sorry."

Henry looked back at Ferdinand and smiled. "Thank you for saying that, Ferdinand," he puffed, "and I forgive you. It's just I really don't like hearing about things like that. Nature is what helps me feel calm and happy if I'm ever upset and I don't know what I would do without it."

Ferdinand was surprised. "Oh! That's why you like the forest?" he asked.

"Yes," said Henry. "I don't tell too many engines because it sounds a little silly, but it's true. After spending some time in the forest and having a little rest there, I feel as good as new again. It's the perfect place to make an engine feel happy."

Ferdinand was filled with admiration. "Wow. I never thought of that before!" he puffed. "I might have to try that some time."

Henry chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that, Ferdinand," he puffed, "but right now, I think you have some workmen to take."

Ferdinand gasped. "Oh right. He, he, I forgot," he muttered, and he headed off. "Good-bye Henry! See you later!"

"Good-bye Ferdinand," replied Henry, and with that, Ferdinand was off and Henry headed back to work.

On his way back to Misty Island, Ferdinand was thinking about what Henry said about the forest.

"That really does sound like a good idea," he thought. "I'll have to tell Bash and Dash when I get back."

Soon he was approaching the Sodor Search and Rescue Center and the tunnel to Misty Island. As he was, he looked out to sea and noticed some dark clouds approaching.

"Hmmm, there must be a storm coming up," he thought.

When Ferdinand reached the rescue center, he saw Harold preparing to take off.

"Hello Ferdinand," called Harold. "Heading back to Misty Island, are you?"

"Yes I am, Harold," replied Ferdinand.

"Good idea," said Harold. "A major storm is coming and it's a big one. I'm about to do one more final patrol of the island before it hits. There's no word about it hitting Misty Island though, so I suggest the sooner you get there, the better."

Ferdinand was surprised. "Oh okay. Thank you for letting me know, Harold. You take care of yourself."

"Will do, old chap," called Harold. "Good-bye now!" And with that, Ferdinand headed off into the Misty Island Tunnel and Harold took off to patrol the island.

Soon Ferdinand was back on Misty Island and heading for the Logging Station. He looked over towards Sodor and saw the clouds were getting very close. He was feeling rather relieved that he wasn't there now.

Eventually he arrived at the Logging Station, where Bash and Dash were helping to clean the area up of debris and other rubbish. The two engines were complaining about what Toby said to them.

"Toby's wrong," puffed Bash. "We do show respect."

"Right," agreed Dash. "We do it almost all the time. Besides, what is the big deal about that forest? It's just a forest after all and it really does not do much."

Ferdinand frowned at them. "Well to Henry, it does," he huffed. Bash and Dash looked at him.

"Oh no," groaned Dash. "You too, Ferdy?"

"Yes me too," retorted Ferdinand. "Henry told me why the forest is special to him and I think you should listen to what he had to say." Then Ferdinand told the two engines what Henry had said.

After he did, Bash and Dash felt ashamed. "Wow, I never thought of it like that," puffed Dash.

"Yeah neither did I," added Bash. "I feel bad about what we said now."

"Me too," agreed Dash. "Think we should apologize to him?"

"Yes indeed," said Bash. "The next time we see him, we'll do it."

Ferdinand was pleased. "I'm sure Henry would like that, you guys," he puffed, and Bash and Dash smiled.

Just then one of the workmen came up. "Well, we are just about done with the work today," he said, "but we'll be spending the night here. We received word from Sir Topham Hatt that the storm has arrived and it's too dangerous to go back to Sodor today."

The Logging Locos were surprised. "Oh dear," puffed Bash. "That doesn't sound good."

"Yeah, I hope everyone is alright," added Dash.

"Oh I'm sure they will be," said the workmen. "Right now, we need to finish up for the day." And so, everyone worked hard to complete their work.

Soon, by the time it was dark, everything was done for the day and everyone was getting ready for bed. The Logging Locos were tucked away in their sheds and the workmen were asleep in their huts.

As they were trying to sleep, the locos felt the wind whipping across their boilers and through the shed.

"This must be from the storm back on Sodor," chuffed Bash.

"Seems like it's definitely a big one if the wind can reach here," added Dash. "I hope everyone over there is safe."

"That's right," puffed Ferdinand, then he thought of something else. "And everything as well." Bash and Dash knew what he meant and silently agreed, then went to sleep.

The next morning, the Logging Locos woke up bright and early ready for the day. The wind had died down and everything was back to normal.

"Seems like that storm on Sodor has finally stopped," puffed Bash.

"Yep, I hope everyone is alright over there," added Dash.

"Me too," agreed Ferdinand.

Just then the foreman came up. "Ferdinand, I received word from Sir Topham Hatt that you're needed at the search and rescue center. He says he has a job for you."

"Yes sir," said Ferdinand. "I'm on my way." Then once he was ready, Ferdinand headed off to the rescue center.

On his way, Ferdinand looked across the sea at Sodor trying to see if he could see anything, but the island was too far away for him.

"I hope everything is alright over there," he thought to himself.

Soon he arrived at the center. Sir Topham Hatt waiting on the platform.

"Ah there you are, Ferdinand," he said. "I need you to go to the forest between Crovan's Gate and Vicarstown. Last night's storm has knocked down trees all over the place and they're blocking the lines. Harvey, Terence, and Trevor are clearing them now, so I need you to collect the flatbeds of trees and take them to the lumber yard. Then I need you to take the lumber back to Misty Island this afternoon for the restoration."

"Yes sir," replied Ferdinand. "You can count on me."

"Excellent," said Sir Topham Hatt. "You better be on your way now. There's a lot to do today and I need to make sure everything is alright."

"That's right, sir," said Ferdinand, then he set off for the forest.

On his way there, Ferdinand was thinking about the forest Sir Topham Hatt was mentioned.

"The forest between Crovan's Gate and Vicarstown?" he wondered. "I don't think I've heard of that…" Then he paused and thought about it. "Oh dear! I hope that's not Henry's Forest!" But as he was puffing along, he was beginning to have a bad feeling in his boiler.

When Ferdinand arrived at the forest, he was shocked. Everywhere he looked, there were trees blown over, broking in two, and laying all over the tracks. Harvey, Terence, and Trevor were busily clearing tracks.

"Oh hello there, Ferdinand," called Harvey. "Have you come to take some of these trees away?"

"Ummm, yes I have Harvey," replied Ferdinand slowly.

"Oh good, we need someone to take all of this away," puffed Harvey. "The sooner the lines are clear, the sooner everything will be back on time again."

"That's right Harvey," agreed Ferdinand, then he paused. "Um say Harvey, uh, just wondering, which forest is this?"

"Ah this is Henry's Forest, Ferdinand," replied Harvey. "One of his many prides and joys. He visits this place very often, though he probably won't for a while now."

Ferdinand was upset. "That's what I was afraid," he puffed.

"Oh dear, I take it you're upset about the forest too, Ferdinand?" chuffed Terence as he rolled up.

"Yes I am," replied Ferdinand, "and for Henry as well. He told me how much the forest means to him yesterday and seeing all of this makes me feel bad for him."

"Ah yes, it is a shame, Ferdinand," said Terence, "but believe it or not, this is not the first time this has happened. There was one time years ago when a big storm came through and destroyed half the forest, but luckily, Sir Topham Hatt bought more trees and Trevor, Toby, and I helped to restore the forest."

Ferdinand's face perked up. "Really?" he puffed eagerly. "What happened next?"

Before Terence could reply, Harvey interrupted. "Um sorry to interrupt, you two," he chuffed, "but we still have a lot of work to do and you need to take that train of trees to the lumber mill, Ferdinand. We just don't want even more confusion and delay."

Terence and Ferdinand knew Harvey was right, so Ferdinand buffered up to his train and was ready to go.

"Good-bye everyone!" he called.

"Good-bye Ferdinand," called Terence and Harvey, "and take care!" And with that, Ferdinand set off for the lumber mill.

When he arrived, he saw Toby resting in one of the sidings, looking rather down.

"Hello Toby," whistled Ferdinand.

"Huh? Oh hello Ferdinand," puffed Toby. "I didn't hear you coming."

Ferdinand noticed Toby looking upset. "Is everything alright, Toby?" he asked.

"Oh yes, I'm fine," replied Toby. "It's just I saw Henry a little while ago and he looked so sad. He told me about what happened to his forest during that storm from last night. Did you hear about it?"

"Yeah, I did," puffed Ferdinand. "I just came from there and it looks terrible. I feel bad for Henry."

"Me too," agreed Toby. "I wish there was some way to fix it."

Then Ferdinand remembered Terence's story. "Um, Toby, when I was at the forest, Terence was there and he told me about the time the forest was destroyed before and you, he, Trevor, and Sir Topham Hatt brought in more trees to repair it. What happened next?"

"Oh we all helped to restore the forest back to it's natural beauty," explained Toby. "The forest looked better than ever and Henry was most delighted. He never looked so happy."

Ferdinand smiled. "That sounds great!" he puffed.

Just then, Henry puffed in to collect lumber, looking very upset.

"Hello Henry," said Ferdinand.

"Oh hello Ferdinand," sighed Henry sadly.

Ferdinand knew why he was upset. "I'm sorry to hear about your forest, Henry," he said.

Henry sighed. "Thank you, Ferdinand," he puffed. "I'm sorry too and unfortunately there's nothing we can do about it."

Ferdinand frowned. "Well, why don't we tell Sir Topham Hatt about it? Toby just told me that when the forest was destroyed before, he bought more trees and he, Terence, and Trevor helped to repair it. I'm sure if we tell him, he'll do the same thing."

Henry's face fell. "That's just the thing, Ferdinand. He does know about it, but he's too busy with patrolling the island with Harold. He sounded like he doesn't have much intention to repair the forest any time soon either because he's more concerned about other people and places."

Ferdinand was upset. "Oh," he puffed sadly. "Well, now I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure your forest would look so much better if it was fixed." Then he had an idea. "Maybe I can do something about this!"

Henry gave a slight smile. "That's kind of you, Ferdinand, but I don't think there's anything you can do."

"But I think I can," protested Ferdinand eagerly. "If there's nothing Sir Topham Hatt can do about this, then perhaps Bash, Dash, and I can come up with something."

Just then, they heard a whistle and laugh nearby, and saw it was Gordon puffing by with the express, who heard what Ferdinand said. "Ha, ha, ha! Oh that's a good joke! Fancy you Logging Locos trying to fix a forest. Pah! It's nice that you're trying to prove yourself to be nice, Ferdinand, but making jokes is not the best idea right now."

"But I'm not making a joke!" called Ferdinand. "I really want to help Henry!" But Gordon just laughed and was gone.

Henry turned back to Ferdinand. "Ferdinand, I think it's nice that you want to help me, but I'm afraid this is one of those times where there's nothing you can do about it. So thank you, but I think it's best if we leave this alone. Besides, we still have work to do and I need to deliver this lumber now. So good-bye for now." And Henry puffed slowly away, feeling very down. Ferdinand was disappointed.

Toby could tell. "I'm sorry Ferdinand," he puffed. "I know you want to help Henry and repair the forest, but I'm afraid he's right. If Sir Topham Hatt's not going to do anything about this, then there's nothing we can do either. Besides, what were you thinking about?"

Ferdinand paused and thought for a moment. "Hmmmmm, well…..I'm not sure, but maybe an idea will come up when I'm on Misty Island. I need to bring this lumber there anyway, so I'll see you later, Toby."

"Well alright then, Ferdinand," conceded Toby. "Good-bye now, and good luck." And with that, Ferdinand puffed away and headed back to Misty Island.

On his way, Ferdinand thought and thought about how he and the other Logging Locos could fix Henry's Forest, but he couldn't think of anything.

Eventually, he was back on Misty Island and he arrived at the Logging Station, where Bash and Dash were helping the workmen with repairing some of the buildings.

"Hello Ferdinand," chuffed Bash. "You were gone for a while."

"Where have you been?" added Dash.

"Well it's a long story," began Ferdinand, "but here's what happened." And he told Bash and Dash about Henry's Forest and what he was planning to do.

After he was finished, Bash and Dash were very thoughtful.

"You know, Ferdy," puffed Bash. "I like your idea."

"Me too," agreed Dash. "Helping repairing Henry's Forest sounds like a great idea."

"And," added Bash, "we could prove that we are really useful and nice engines as well."

"That's right!" Ferdinand puffed excitedly.

"Oh, but Ferdinand," puffed Dash. "How are we going to do that?"

"That I'm still sure not about," admitted Ferdinand, "but let's keep thinking about it and if one of us has an idea, let's tell each other and Sir Topham Hatt when we have a chance."

Bash and Dash liked this idea. "Sounds like a plan to me," puffed Bash.

"Yes indeed," agreed Dash. "When we come up with something, we'll let you know, Ferdinand."

Just then, the foreman came up. "Ferdinand, now that you're back, I need you to do a job for me."

"Yes sir. What is it?" asked Ferdinand.

"I need you to take this group of workmen over to the other side of the island," said the foreman. "They need to do some measurements and see what they have to do for tomorrow when we add in more hiking trails."

"Yes sir," puffed Ferdinand. "I'm on it right now." And so Ferdinand coupled up to some brake vans and brought the workmen over to the other side of the island.

"Remember what I said," he whispered to Bash and Dash.

"We will," they replied, and Ferdinand puffed away.

On his way, Ferdinand continued to think about how they were going to help Henry, but still nothing was coming to mind.

Soon he arrived on the other side and the workmen got out of the brake vans and started looking around.

"Wow," said one workman. "There are quite a few trees here."

"Yes indeed," added another. "Jobi trees, conifers, pines, there's an abundance."

"And they're all young too," noticed another workmen. "It would be nice if we didn't have to cut them down for those hiking trials. I'm sure they would've grown up to be big strong trees so that everyone could enjoy them."

Then suddenly, Ferdinand's boiler nearly burst with excitement. "I got it!" he blurted out.

All the workmen jumped. "You got what, Ferdinand?" asked one of the workmen.

"I got an idea to save Henry's Forest!" exclaimed Ferdinand.

The workmen were puzzled. "What are you talking about, Ferdinand?"

"Oh right, let me explain," said Ferdinand, and he told the workmen about Henry's Forest and his idea to save it.

"So you see," he finished, "if we can convince Sir Topham Hatt to let us bring these young trees over to Sodor, then the forest will be saved and everyone will be happy again!"

The workmen all thought this was a splendid idea.

"Sounds like an excellent plan, Ferdinand," said a workman.

"Yes indeed," added another. "I'm sure Sir Topham Hatt will agree."

Just then, they all heard a whirring sound from above. It was Harold the Helicopter. He landed close by.

"Hello everyone," he called. "Sir Topham Hatt and I were just checking the island in case there was any damage from the storm last night."

"And it looks like," said Sir Topham Hatt, as he walked out of Harold, "that everything is fine here and over at the Logging Station. Is that correct, Ferdinand?"

"That's right, sir," puffed Ferdinand.

"Excellent," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Glad to hear that some place is not damaged from that dreadful storm. Now we must get back to Sodor and…"

"Wait sir," said one of the workmen. "Ferdinand has something he wants to say to you."

Sir Topham Hatt paused and turned around towards them. "Oh? Alright Ferdinand, what is it?"

Ferdinand took a deep breath and explained. "Um sir, I heard about Henry's Forest back on Sodor and saw how bad it looked. I also know Henry is really upset about it too and you said you couldn't do anything about it."

Sir Topham Hatt listened. "Mmm-hmm, go on, Ferdinand," he encouraged.

"Well, I think I found a way to repair it," said Ferdinand. "You see, this whole hill side is where you wanted one of the hiking trails, but it's full of trees that are too young to be chopped down. So I was thinking, with your permission sir, maybe if we could transfer these young trees over to Sodor and plant them in the forest, then they'll have time to grow and Henry's Forest will be as good as new! What do you think of that, sir?"

Sir Topham Hatt had a very thoughtful look on his face. He paused for a moment then he looked at the hillside. Ferdinand and the workmen waited nervously.

"Hmmmmm, well you know, Ferdinand," said Sir Topham Hatt after a little while. "You are right I didn't have any immediate plans to repair the forest since I have other problems to take care of, but I see you have a plan………and I approve it."

Ferdinand nearly burst with delightment. "Y-y-you mean it, sir?" he asked.

"Yes, I most certainly do," smiled Sir Topham Hatt. "There are certainly plenty of trees here and enough to fill up the forest once again. I'll start making the arrangements right away. In the meantime, no one is to chop any trees down. Everyone understand?"

"Yes sir," replied the workmen.

"Good," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Now come along, Harold. We have business to take care of."

"Right away, sir," said Harold, "and Ferdinand, your plan sounds like an excellent idea. I'm sure Henry will be most pleased with this."

"Thank you, Harold!" called Ferdinand, and then Harold flew back to Sodor with Sir Topham Hatt.

Ferdinand felt proud of himself. After the workmen climbed back into their back vans, Ferdinand headed back to the Logging Station to tell Bash and Dash the good news.

Back at the station, Bash and Dash were working, when they heard Ferdinand rushing in.

"Guys! Guys!" Ferdinand puffed excitedly. "I have an idea!"

The two engines were surprised. "You do?" they asked.

"Yes!" said Ferdinand. "And Sir Topham Hatt likes it!"

Bash and Dash were pleased. "That's great, Ferdy!" said Bash.

"Yes," agreed Dash. "Henry will be pleased. Oh, but what was your idea?"

"I'll tell you," said Ferdinand proudly, and he told the two engines all about his plan.

After he was finished, Bash and Dash smiled.

"Great plan, Ferdinand!" puffed Bash. "This will definitely make him feel very happy."

"That's right!" chuckled Ferdinand, and he and the engines laughed.

A few days later, workmen were beginning to carefully take the young trees out of the ground and bring them down the hill to the trains. Then once the trees were placed carefully into some special plant wagons, Bash, Dash, and some of Sir Topham Hatt's engines brought them back to Sodor for planting at Henry's Forest. Toby even helped too.

"Once again, this is the best job I've ever had," he puffed happily. "Henry will be most delighted with this special treat."

Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand beamed. "Thank you, Toby," they smiled.

Meanwhile, Henry was puffing sadly back to his forest to collect another load of fallen trees, still thinking about the loss of his forest.

Then when he arrived, he saw Terence and Trevor cleaning up the rest of the mess, but he also saw the plant wagons full of young trees and Harvey was helping to take them out for the workmen to plant. Henry was very puzzled indeed.

"Oh hello Henry," called Harvey. "What do you think of this?"

Henry didn't know what to say. "I…I don't…I don't…I don't know what to think of this, Harvey," he stammered. "What's happening? Are those new trees?"

"Yes indeed," replied Harvey. "Splendid young ones straight from Misty Island."

"Misty Island?!" exclaimed Henry.

"Yes," Terence cut in. "Sir Topham Hatt said that those Logging Locos got this idea to bring some of the young trees from the island here so that we could repair the forest. Now it will be as good as new again! What do you think of that?"

Henry didn't know what to think, but for the first time in a few days, he beamed proudly. "I think this is wonderful," he sighed happily.

"Ha, ha! We thought you might say that," smiled Harvey. "Don't you worry. In a few days, the forest will be just like it used to be. You'll see."

A few days later, the forest was as good as new again. All the young trees were planted and were already starting to grow strong and tall, making the forest look splendid.

Henry was very grateful to the Logging Locos. When they stopped by one day, Henry spoke to them.

"Thank you all very much," he said. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done. The forest looks so much better now thanks to you three."

"Thanks Henry," said Bash.

"But the one you should be thanking is Ferdinand," added Dash. "This was all his idea and we helped him with it." Ferdinand blushed.

Henry smiled. "Well in that case, thank you Ferdinand. Your idea saved my forest and I really appreciate you for this."

"Oh shucks, Henry," chuckled Ferdinand. "You're very welcome."

Then Bash and Dash remembered something. "Um, Henry," said Bash. "Dash and I have something to tell you."

"Yeah," said Dash. "We're sorry for making fun of you for your love of trees. We didn't know how important the forest is to you, but after Ferdinand told us everything, we now understand the forest is definitely a special place to you and we were happy to help with repairing it."

Henry smiled. "That's quite alright you two," he soothed, "and you know what? Some engines may say that you three play around a lot and don't get much work done, but to me, you three are all really useful engines."

This made Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand feel very happy.

"Thank you, Henry," said Ferdinand.

"Yes, thank you very much indeed," agreed Bash and Dash, and they whistled with excitement.

Just then, Thomas puffed up with Annie and Clarabel.

"Hello everyone," he puffed.

"Hello Thomas," puffed the other engines.

"Looks like the forest is as good as new again," admired Thomas. "Oh! That reminds me. I saw Gordon a little while ago and he had a message for you three," he said to the Logging Locos. "He told me to tell you that he heard all about you're idea to save Henry's Forest and he was most impressed. In fact, he even said that he's sorry for everything he said to you all as well and that he thinks you three are all very useful engines." The Logging Locos were pleased. "Oh, and lastly," finished Thomas, "Gordon said that he thinks Misty Island is a useful place after all and he wouldn't mind visiting it again."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh at this.

"Well, Ferdy," puffed Bash, "sounds like you're idea really helped us to prove we are really useful and nice engines."

"Yeah," agreed Dash. "We probably wouldn't have come up with any better idea and yours was definitely a great one."

"Yes indeed," agreed Henry. "I think we can all agree that the Logging Locos are very useful engines, and if we ever need help, we can count on them, especially Ferdinand, whom we all have a good friend in as well." Everyone agreed.

Ferdinand blushed brightly, then he finished with: "That's right!!!" And everyone couldn't help but laugh one more time at this, and they all had to agree that Ferdinand, Bash, and Dash, were definitely really useful engines after all.

Characters

• Thomas
• Henry
• Gordon
• Toby
• Harvey
• Bash and Dash
• Ferdinand
• Terence
• Harold
• Sir Topham Hatt
• Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
• Trevor (does not speak)
• Edward (cameo)
• James (cameo)
• Emily (cameo)
• Rosie (cameo)
• Hiro (cameo)
• Belle (cameo)
• Flynn (cameo)
• Stafford (cameo)
• Rocky (cameo)
• Butch (cameo)
• Captain (cameo)

Locations

• Knapford
• Henry's Forest
• Sodor Search and Rescue Center
• The Lumber Yard
• Misty Island
• Misty Island Tunnel
• The Logging Station
• Arlesdale End (mentioned)
• Brendam Docks (mentioned)
• Crovan's Gate (mentioned)
• Vicarstown (mentioned)

Trivia

• References to the third season television series episode, Henry's Forest, are made in this episode.
• This episode marks Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand's first appearance since the sixteenth season television series episode, The Christmas Tree Express.
  • This also marks their and Harold's only appearance in this season of The Many Adventures on the Island of Sodor.