Gabriel and the Railway Races

The sixth book in the 10th Grade (2011-2012) and the nineteenth in the series, this adventure introduces Pedro (Dakota's exchange) and is mainly set in the world of Starlight Express. The story takes place in February, 2012.

Summery
One day the Green Meadow Kids arrive on Sodor only to learn from Percy the Small Engine that Thomas the Tank Engine has gone on exchange to an American railway. Deciding to make the most of the trip, the kids get train costumes for Hannah, Julian, and Dakota's exchange, Pedro.

Afterwards the kids travel to the Piney Vale Valley to see if Thomas had been tranfered there. Little Engine (aka the Little Engine that Could) tells them she hasn't seen Thomas, but accompanies them on their search, taking along with her a reluctant Caboose. They eventually find Thomas, en route to his exchange railway. Joining him, everyone discovers that the railway that Thomas is transfered to is the one that is featured in the musical, Starlight Express.

Upon their arrival, they are greeted by Greaseball, the American represensative of the National Railway Racing Champions, and his gang in their rocking number Rolling Stock. When the gang leave, Thomas's exchange partner, Rusty, appears pulling the passenger train to the tune of Engine of Love. The passenger train consists of Pearl (the 1st class observation car and Rusty's girlfriend), Dinah (the dining car and Greaseball's girlfriend), Buffy (a flirtatious buffet car who wouldn't leave Thomas alone), Ashley (a smoking car who can't kick the habit), Duvay (a 1st class sleeping car who fights with Buffy over Thomas), and the 2nd and 3rd Class Sleepers (whom Duvay looks down at as 'lower class beach-huts'). The coaches introduce themselves to everyone in the bouncy number A Lotta Locomotion.

Rusty then returns with the freight train who sing to their own tune in Freight. The freight train consists of the four Rockies (the boxing box cars from Rock Isle Lines), the three Hip Hoppers (who constantly have quarrels with the Rockies over which teams the better), Flat-Top (a crusty brick truck who tries to show he's tough but has a soft heart), Dustin (the shy, big hopper who is Rusty's best friend and occasional racing partner), and C.B. (the Red Caboose who is under supervisation for attempts to sabotage the races). Thomas learns of the annual races the railway hosts and is exicted that he is in time for the current year's race. Little Engine and the Green Meadow kids decide to participate as well and they immediately sort out partners, as an engine must race with a partner. Despite some confusion and chaos (as some engine students pick out other engine students only to find that each engine has to race with a coach or a truck) everyone manages to get a partner.

Everyone is preparing to race when suddenly the power goes out and a sinister electric engine called Electra makes his appearance in the yard with his number, AC/DC. Rusty and Armand, having the highest distrust of Electra, questions his return to the railway as some years ago he had left the railway after losing claiming to never return. Electra answers that he is not one to pass off avenging himself and challenges the steam engines on a bet to duel him in the races. If the steamers win, then Electra would go away again, but if Electra wins then the steamers would have to admit defeat and either convert to electricity, or be scrapped (which Electra prefers). Greaseball accepts the challenge after Pumping Iron, much to the dismay of the other steam engines.

The rest of the National Engines: Bobo (the french TGV), Espresso (the Italian ETR), Weltschaft (the German ICE), Turnov (the Russian Rossija) and Hashimoto Nintendo (the Japanese Bullet Train), arrive and chose their partners from the coach, freight, and component stock (belonging to Electra and consisting of Krupp the Armaments Truck, Wrench the Repair Truck, Joule the Dynamite Truck, Volta the Freezer Truck and Purse the Money Truck).

When everyone is ready they organise themselves to participate in five eliminator heats. Each of the five heats has a number of four teams, the first two qualifying for the final race. The first heat consists as such: During the first heat, Armand takes Rusty's advice and bides his time while Taylor and Danielle fight along the race track. Bobo is eventually tripped up by Taylor and crashes. At the end Taylor goes too fast to stop and flies off the track allowing Armand and Maud to win with Danielle and Pedro following up behind them, qualifying for the final.
 * Track 1: Armand the Steamer and Maud the Dining Car
 * Track 2: Danielle the Diesel and Pedro the Diner
 * Track 3: Taylor the Electric and Alisa the Cafe Car
 * Track 4: Bobo the TGV and Ashley the Smoking Car

The second heat has the following engines: The second heat is more violent as Turnov constantly bashes into his opponents. Willa wins the second heat with Turnov as the runner-up.
 * Track 1: Willa the Steamer and  Katherine the Caboose
 * Track 2: Leah the Steamer and Rose Tui the Hopper
 * Track 3: Thea the Electric and Alana the Animal Truck
 * Track 4: Turnov the Rossija and C.B. the Red Caboose

The third heat consisted of the following participants: Julian, intent on winning, shoves into the other engines in hopes of crossing first but finishes in a tie with Sabine.
 * Track 1: Sabine the Solar Engine and Gabriel the Diner
 * Track 2: Julian the Electric and Olenka the Smoking Car
 * Track 3: Yaniv the Electric and the 2nd Class Sleeper
 * Track 4: Weltschaft the ICE and Volta the Freezer Truck

Heat 4 had these teams: Most of the violence was caused by the two component trucks, but despite this Thomas and Little Engine win in a tie, without fighting each other.
 * Track 1: Thomas the Tank Engine and Buffy the Buffet Car
 * Track 2: Little Engine and Caboose
 * Track 3: Sophia the Electric and Wrench the Repair Truck
 * Track 4: Hashimoto the Bullet Train and Krupp the Armaments Truck.

The fifth and final heat was participated by: Electra, intent on winning both the race and the will of every electrical engine and piece of rolling stock (especially Pearl), fights his way to the lead, going as far as to crash Greaseball and Espresso. Rusty however avoids him and crosses the finish line ahead of him.
 * Track 1: Greaseball the Genisis and Dinah the Dining Car
 * Track 2: Rusty the Steamer and Pearl the Observation Car
 * Track 3: Espresso the ETR and Duvay the Sleeper
 * Track 4: Electra the Electric and Joule the Dynamite Truck

While preparing for the finals, Electra and Julian meet together in private. Julian promises Electra that he'll help him win hiding the fact that he wants to win himself. Next C.B. approaches Electra and assures him that he'll put the steamers out of order. In spite of the difficulties Electra had with C.B. the last time, he reluctantly agrees.

Before the final C.B. hijacks Caboose and locks him away, partnering himself with Little Engine, posing as Caboose. Rusty and Armand recognise him however and just before the countdown begins, Armand and Maud abandon the starting line to find Caboose. They soon find him and they race back to the starting line just as the race commences. They fight C.B. off of Little Engine and return Caboose to her. Turnov, assuming the steam engines stole C.B. in order to sabotage him collects C.B. and bashes into the steamers. They recover and resume the race.

Meanwhile Julian tells Eli (via radio phone) to power up his secret weapon: a giant electro magnet. The intent was to halt the other engines enabling him to win. However Electra escapes by reversing the magnet's poles which nearly causes the other engines to fly off the track. Hannah (a maglev engine) jumps in and saves the others by forcing the giant magnet to topple over with the aid of her own magnets. Electra tunes into Julian's frequency and learns his true plans. He catchs up and starts fighting with him as they race along the track. During that time C.B. wrecks Turnov and attaches himself to Joule. The dueling teams stop inside the tunnel and focus more on beating each other up. C.B. sends Olenka back down the track as a runaway. Outside the tunnel Armand rescues her and she tells everyone else what is happening. Pedro urges Danielle to take him into the tunnel so that he can stop the fight. However he is pushed aside by C.B.

Everyone else is initally worried as the tunnel is weak and Julian and Electra's fighting is weakening it still. However they decide to carry on. Sabine and Gabriel race ahead to make sure the line is clear while everyone else ventures into the tunnel and collect Danielle and Pedro, leaving Julian and Electra to bring the tunnel down upon themselves and Joule who explodes upon impact. C.B. attempts to save himself by grabbing a hold of Danielle's couplers but she disconnects him, leaving him to get scorched by the explosion. Everyone manages to escape the tunnel before total destruction and despite losing the race to Sabine and Gabriel, they feel victorious.

The Traxes enter the tunnel and pull out the wreckages of Julian, Electra, C.B. and what's left of Joule. Discouraged at their loss, they sing their rendition of One Rock 'n' Roll Too Many. This time Electra joins them rather than rage about his loss and disappearing like the last time. The Traxes take C.B. away to the Roundhouse to lock him up and Electra is offered the chance to become a steam engine. Then Rusty leads everyone into singing a special tribute to steam in Light at the End of the Tunnel.

Kids

 * Willa
 * Danielle
 * Olenka
 * Alisa
 * Rose Tui
 * Katherine
 * Sophia
 * Thea
 * Sabine
 * Alana
 * Hannah
 * Maud
 * Leah
 * Gabriel
 * Armand
 * Taylor
 * Yaniv
 * Evan
 * Dakota
 * Eli
 * Julian
 * Pedro
 * Sophia Eve (Mentioned)

Trains

 * Thomas the Tank Engine
 * Percy the Small Engine
 * Little Engine (aka the Little Engine That Could)
 * Rusty the Steam Engine
 * Greaseball the American Engine
 * Electra the Future Electric Engine
 * Pearl the Observation Car
 * Dinah the Dining Car
 * Buffy the Buffet Car
 * Ashley the Smoking Car
 * Duvay the 1st Class Sleeper
 * The 2nd and 3rd Class Sleepers
 * Rockies 1, 2, 3, and 4
 * Hip Hoppers 1, 2, and 3
 * Flat-Top
 * Dustin
 * C.B.
 * Caboose
 * Krupp
 * Wrench
 * Joule
 * Volta
 * Purse
 * Bobo the French TGV
 * Espresso the Italian ETR
 * Weltschaft the German ICE
 * Turnov the Russian Rossija
 * Hashimoto Nintendo the Japanese Shinkansen
 * The Traxes

Songs

 * Rolling Stock
 * Engine of Love
 * A Lotta Locomotion
 * Freight
 * AC/DC
 * Starlight Express
 * C.B.
 * One Rock'n'Roll Too Many
 * Light at the End of the Tunnel