Thomas and Friends Storytime.
Thomas and the Superloop, a podcast story for kids.
Based on the Railway series by the Reverend W. Audrey.
Created by Britt Allcroft and read by me, Rachel Louise Miller.
This episode is sponsored by Target.
Parents, the new launch and loop maintenance yard is now available at Target and Target.com.
Launch Thomas through the big loop and around the maintenance yard for endless amounts of fun.
And now it's story time.
Over the hill and round the bend you'll find a large roundhouse called Tidmouth Sheds, where five little engines sleep soundly at night.
They all have work to do and cargo to tow.
For this happy crew, it's all engines go.
Today's story is all about learning something new.
It's called Thomas and the Superloop.
One day in the maintenance yard, Thomas stood facing the loop-de-loop tall circle of track that goes up and around and down again.
He looked ahead, peeped his whistle, then launched himself forward, the mighty loop approaching fast.
Thomas hit the base at top speed before arcing upwards.
He turned upside down as he sped over the top of the loop.
Then, arcing down again, he leapt from the track, did a full backflip and landed safely back on the track again.
That was awesome! yelled Percy, having seen the whole thing.
Hey Purse, why don't you have a go?
He'll love it! said Thomas excitedly.
But Percy wasn't so sure.
He said he thought it was a bit too, well, loop-de-loop-y for him.
Carly was also watching.
She reminded Thomas he didn't find it so easy when he first tried it.
Thomas was surprised.
Surely not.
But then he remembered back to when the loop first arrived.
A long time ago...
All finished, said Carly.
Hey, what do you think, Thomas?
This is the new maintenance yard loop track.
Our very own super duper loop de loop, added Sandy proudly.
Wow, said Thomas.
It's train-tastic.
Carly explained how it had been designed to test the very bravest of engines.
It would require speed, agility and balance.
And a small dose of loopiness, joked Sandy, jumping in the air.
Sounds like me, said Thomas.
Loop-de-loop, here I come!
And before Carly could stop him, his wheel spun and he took off at full steam.
Chugga-chugga-woo-hoo! shouted Thomas as he sped towards the loop.
As he got closer, he looked up at the track stretching high into the air and bending back over him.
Uh-oh!
Big mistake!
Whoa!
Thomas said, as he lost his balance, wobbled from side to side and fell off the track, scratching his paintwork as he skidded to a halt.
Thomas lay on his side.
He was disappointed.
That loop looked great fun.
Carly and Sandy raced over.
Using her crane arm and hook, Carly lifted Thomas back onto his wheels.
Not so easy, huh?
She said.
Thomas felt defeated.
I thought I had it beat, he said.
But I guess it beat me.
Carly told him not to worry.
He'll be able to do it.
He just needed some proper training first.
And she and Sandy were just the ones to help with the Carly and Sandy super-duper loop-de-looper training program.
Lesson number one, acceleration.
Or as Sandy liked to call it, quickity-quick-quick.
And to test that Thomas was going quickly enough, he would need to launch himself over a ramp.
That's great!
I'm really quick and good at jumping.
Where's the ramp? said Thomas, wishing his steam and excitement.
Thomas fired up his engine, then raced away at top speed, hit the up ramp, flew through the air and landed safely on the down ramp before screeching to a stop.
Good job, said Carly.
Lesson one complete, said Sandy, ticking her clipboard.
Lesson number two, rotation, or as Sandy liked to call it, spinny spin spin.
Carly and Sandy led Thomas onto the turntable where they started it spinning slowly at first.
Then they speeded it up.
Whoa, said Thomas.
I'm getting dizzy.
That's okay, said Carly.
Now look at me and keep looking only at me.
Thomas did as Carly said, and then, as he spun faster still, he said, Whoa!
Now I'm not dizzy at all!
Wahey!
The turntable slowed down, much to Thomas' disappointment.
Good job, said Carly.
Lesson two complete, said Sandy, ticking her clipboard.
Thomas was ready to move on to the third and final lesson.
Elevation, or as Sandy liked to call it, uppity up up.
Using Cranky the dockside crane, Thomas was raised slowly up into the air.
He watched Carly and Sandy getting smaller and smaller below him.
Thomas gulped and clamped his eyes shut.
Soon, Thomas came to a stop.
Howdy, Thomas.
Fancy meeting you up here, said Cranky.
You can open your eyes now.
Thomas dared to open his eyes and found himself staring straight at Cranky.
Hi, Cranky, he said nervously.
It certainly is, joked Cranky.
Now, check out this view!
And Cranky slowly turned Thomas around.
Thomas could see the whole of Sodor laid out before him.
Wow, he said.
Being high up is really cool.
I think he's ready, said Carly down below.
Lesson three complete, said Sandy, ticking her clipboard.
Soon after, with Carly and Sandy standing by, Thomas once again faced the loop.
Remember your training, Thomas!
Acceleration, rotation and elevation, shouted Carly.
Thomas took a deep breath.
Oh!
You can do this, Thomas said to himself.
Ready, set, go!
Thomas remembered his three lessons as he sped towards the loop.
Quickity quick quick, check!
As Thomas started to go around the loop, he looked at a fixed object.
Then, spinny spin spin, check!
Thomas arced upwards, uppity-up-up, check, then over, around and down.
Thomas whizzed off the bottom of the loop before screeching to a stop.
Carly and Sandy cheered.
Well done, Thomas, shouted Carly.
Loop-de-loop complete, said Sandy, ticking her clipboard.
Thomas was buzzing.
Thomas enjoyed remembering back to when the loop first arrived, but Carly was right.
He hadn't found it so easy.
Thomas apologised to Percy and offered to teach him how to do it properly.
Percy thanked Thomas but said that just as the loop was Thomas' speciality, delivering the mail was Percy's and he would rather practice that instead, preferably without a backflip and twist or whatever.
As Percy chugged away, Thomas decided he was probably right.
Then he thought, backflip and twist?
How cool would that be?
And with that, he launched himself at the loop once more.
The End
