Henry and the Elephant

"First the rain, then an elephant. Whatever will you be afraid of next?"

- Gordon on Henry's plight

Henry and the Elephant is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season. It first aired on Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales in 1996 in the US.

Plot
The big engines are happy to help when a circus comes to Sodor, but after the circus leaves Henry is asked to investigate a blockage in a tunnel. The "blockage" is revealed to be an elephant that escaped from the circus. The workmen give him cake and water and, when Henry unluckily lets off steam, the frightened elephant sprays water onto Henry. Gordon and James feel sorry for Henry, but still tease him, and Thomas tells Henry that he handled the situation rather well.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Duck (cameo)
 * Stephen Hatt (cameo)

Locations

 * Elsbridge
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford Harbour
 * Henry's Tunnel
 * Shunting Yards

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Troublesome Engines.
 * On the airings of PBS Sprout and The Greatest Stories DVD, it uses the unrestored opening and end credits.
 * The models of Big Mickey, Izzy Gomez, and S.S Vienna from TUGS appear.
 * The first season episode, The Sad Story of Henry is referenced.

Goofs

 * At the beginning of the story, Thomas has Edward's whistle sound.
 * When Thomas arrives at Elsbridge at the beginning, the camera moves slightly to the left.
 * When the workmen look at the elephant in the tunnel, one of them is missing his right eyebrow.
 * James has Duck's whistle sound when he is helping out at the docks and when he takes the circus away.
 * Brakevans should have been added to Thomas and Percy's trains.
 * Gordon's buffers are crooked in the scene at Tidmouth Sheds.
 * This episode should have come before Tenders and Turntables, as Henry getting sprayed by the elephant had been a contributing factor to the big engines going on strike in the Railway Series. Furthermore, Percy and Duck make appearances in this episode, who weren't introduced until after the events of Tenders and Turntables.

Merchandise

 * Take-Along (discontinued)
 * Wooden Railway (discontinued)