The River Rescue! is a magazine story from 1993.
Plot
One day, Thomas is picking up a shipment of supplies for a big warehouse from the harbour. The supplies consist of things like rope and timber. As Thomas travels along the branch line, he sees a man and a woman in a boat on the river. The man has two wooden paddles on either side of him. Thomas' driver explains that they are called oars and are used for steering.
Thomas stops at a signal. While there, he sees a loose tree trunk floating towards the boat. The trunk does hit the boat with a loud thud and causes the man to drop his oars in the water. The boat is now out of control and heading for a weir, which Thomas' driver states will capsize if it hits there. A footbridge is above the river close to the weir and Thomas rushes towards it as soon as the signal changes.
The driver quickly grabs a rope from a truck and ties it to Thomas' buffer. He runs to the bridge with the open end and drops it down right as the couple's boat and they quickly tie it to the boat. Once everything is secure, Thomas puffs backwards and safely brings the boat to the riverbank. The couple thanks Thomas for being a Really Useful Rescue Engine.
Characters
Gallery
