Thomas and the Magic Railroad

""Little engines can do big things!""

- Thomas

Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a theatrical film based on the well-known television series and its American spinoff. The film was produced by Gullane Entertainment, The Britt Allcroft Company, Isle of Man Film Commission and Destination Films and distributed by Destination Films in the US, Icon Productions in the UK and ABC Films in Australia. It was released to theatres in July 2000. It is narrated by Alec Baldwin, who also played the part of Mr. Conductor. It is the only known theatrical film to date that has been released, although several specials have been released in the UK, Australia and New Zealand since, but are not literally theatrical.

Plot
The film begins with Mr. Conductor introducing Thomas and Sodor.

Gordon complains to Thomas as he is eight seconds late. Thomas retorts that Gordon is being bossy and says that he has to find Mr. Conductor, who is looking after the North Western Railway while Sir Topham Hatt is taking a holiday. Gordon claims Mr. Conductor is not needed, but changes his mind after an evil diesel named Diesel 10 speeds by, kicking up dust and dirt and leaving Gordon physically rattling in fear.

Mr. Conductor then introduces Shining Time, where we see happy residents, full of life.

Thomas is later talking to James at Tidmouth Sheds when Diesel 10 shows up and voices his plan to destroy a lost engine named Lady and thus establish Diesels as the dominant engines on Sodor. James is confused, but Thomas is worried and goes to find Mr. Conductor.

After seeing Billy Twofeathers' map and noticing some strange lines on it, Patch heads off to Muffle Mountain to see Burnett Stone.

There is something on Muffle Mountain, a secret that Burnett only shared with his childhood friend and future wife Tasha: he promised he would drive an engine and take her with him. When Patch sees the engine, Burnett reveals the engine's past - her name is Lady and she has been sealed inside Muffle Mountain since Diesel 10 nearly destroyed her long ago. Burnett has fixed her up, but she still needs coal to fully run again. Unfortunately, Lady requires special coal to build up steam, which he has not found yet.

At the Quarry, Diesel 10 tells his cronies Splatter and Dodge of his plan. The two bumbling diesels report that Mr. Conductor is coming to Sodor, so Diesel 10 decides to destroy him too, only to humiliate himself in front of Splatter and Dodge when his claw whacks him on the nose.

Mr. Conductor prepares to leave Shining Time. Despite difficulty with his gold dust, he soon meets Thomas on Sodor. Thomas reports on Diesel 10; Mr. Conductor decides to use his gold dust to keep Diesel 10 in order.

Burnett looks at a painting of Lady and starts to have doubts in his belief of magic due to his failure to guard her. Meanwhile, far away, Burnett's granddaughter, Lily, prepares to visit him.

Thomas, James and Gordon begin arguing about who should have taken Mr. Conductor, unaware that Splatter and Dodge are spying on them. Over in the yard, Splatter and Dodge are laughing at the steam engines. Henry tells the other engines about why Diesel 10 wants to find the lost engine. Splatter and Dodge continue to laugh at Thomas until Harold flies by, spreading sneezing powder, set up by Diesel 10, over all three.

At Knapford, Mr. Conductor reads the note Sir Topham Hatt left him. After trying on his top hat (and returning it after he notices the portrait of the Controller appears angry) he receives a phone call from Sir Topham Hatt and receives his instructions.

That night, Diesel 10 creeps up and demolishes the side of the Tidmouth Sheds with his powerful claw. Mr. Conductor reprimands Diesel 10, but then he discovers that he has run out of gold dust. Diesel 10, delighted, tries to get Mr. Conductor to confess to the lost engine's whereabouts, but Mr. Conductor frightens Diesel 10 away with a bag of sugar and threatening to dump the sugar in his tanks to seize him up permanently. Mr. Conductor voices his concern about his gold dust, but tells the engines to go back to sleep.

Later that night, Mr. Conductor has a nightmare of Shining Time in ruins and realises that his universe is in danger and that he needs more gold dust.

The next morning, Mutt goes to Lily's hometown with Billy, as he knows that Lily can help Mr. Conductor, but only if she meets someone special at Shining Time first. To reach that end, he directs her onto the wrong train, placing her on the train bound for Shining Time instead of Muffle Mountain. Meanwhile, Burnett Stone hears the sound of Lady's magic echoing through the mountain.

Back on Sodor, Mr. Conductor is helping make James' itch go away. James notices that Mr. Conductor looks so tired and asks if it is because he is red, but Mr. Conductor happily says that red is bright and cheerful just like his gold dust. He then sends James off to work while he departs to deal with his own problems.

Mr. Conductor goes to the windmill in search of more gold dust, but gets lost. Meanwhile, the engines gather for a meeting. Bertie passes by and tells them to smile, but all have their individual concerns. Thomas heads off to look for Mr. Conductor, apologising to Bertie when he is unable to accept Bertie's offer for a race.

Mr. Conductor finds a note left by Rabbit and tries a carrot and a stick of celery to make him think properly and has the idea of his beach-loving cousin Junior, who has used up most of his gold dust too. He tells Junior to go to Shining Time Station first and get his emergency whistle, then go to Sodor and warns him not to talk to anyone about the buffers. Before he can say anything else, the phone line goes dead.

Lily arrives at Shining Time and Mutt barks at her to get off the train. Lily finds the station empty and meets Junior. After a talk, Lily picks up the gold dust Junior leaves behind. At Sodor, Mr. Conductor is sleeping by a bush when he has another nightmare and wakes up hearing Thomas calling his name. Mr. Conductor tries to reply, but Thomas cannot hear him as he chuffs away.

Lily meets Stacy, who takes her to Burnett. That night, Burnett and Lily hear Lady's whistle coming from the mountains. Patch, who is outside with his horse, hears it too.

As Percy arrives at Knapford with the Mail Train, he and Thomas talk about Mr. Conductor and conclude that he travels to Sodor on a magic railroad. Diesel 10 overhears them and goes to the scrapyards to tell Splatter and Dodge his plan. Toby - who has secretly followed them there - interrupts them by ringing his bell; Diesel 10, trying to catch him, causes the shed to crash down on him, Splatter and Dodge, thus blocking their path.

Thomas finds Henry with a bad cold and offers to get some special Island of Sodor coal to make him better, but while collecting them, fails to notice the sixth truck rolling away into some magic buffers. Bertie passes and greets Thomas and his five trucks; Thomas is confused.

Thomas tells Percy about the missing truck and they realise that the buffers where the truck disappeared are the buffers leading to the Magic Railroad. Thomas tells Percy to guard the buffers while he goes to find Mr. Conductor, citing that Percy is a brave engine.

Meanwhile, Mr. Conductor is wandering aimlessly when Diesel 10 appears. Mr. Conductor is captured by Diesel 10's claw and is dangled over the viaduct. Diesel 10 reveals that he knows about the buffers and threatens to drop Mr. Conductor if he does not reveal its whereabouts. Mr. Conductor notices the viaduct has begun to collapse, just like in his dream and realizes the world is beginning to fall apart without the gold dust. Mr. Conductor escapes by cutting a hydraulic tube to Diesel 10's claw, thus catapulting him to the windmill. There, he sees the words: "Stoke up the magic in the mountain and the Lady will smile, then watch the swirls that spin so well." Splatter and Dodge ask Diesel 10 how come he let Mr. Conductor escape, he replies that he just did it on purpose and was testing to see if he could escape. Splatter and Dodge do not believe him and Diesel 10 decides to attempt to teach them "how to stop being stupid," but knocks coal all over himself. James, Gordon and Henry laugh at Diesel 10.

Lily is introduced to Patch, who offers her a horse ride to Shining Time. There she meets Junior again, who takes her to Sodor via the magic buffers. They meet Thomas, who agrees to help and together they find Mr. Conductor at the windmill. Mr. Conductor tells Junior about his clue to the gold dust and Lily is introduced to Mr. Conductor. Junior then climbs onto the sail and is flung onto Diesel 10. Meanwhile Patch tells Burnett that he has no idea where Lily is and that she was not at the station when he went back for her. Despite Lily having apparently vanished, Burnett is confident she will turn up again.

That night, Percy finds Splatter and Dodge at the magic buffers and races to warn Thomas.

Mr. Conductor and Lily camp out with Thomas. After a conversation, they realise that Burnett may hold the key to the clue of the gold dust.

Burnett reveals to Patch that Lady is magic and they realise that the railroad is vanishing.

Thomas and Percy decide they must get Lily back to Muffle Mountain before Diesel 10 destroys the magic railroad. Thomas wonders how Lily can get home without gold dust, Mr. Conductor reveals that only the lost engine could do so now. Then he has the idea and asks Thomas if he will take Lily to Muffle Mountain. Thomas is not sure but decides that he will try and he and Lily set off. While journeying through the magic railroad, they discover the missing truck. Lily realises the connection between the truck and the clue so Thomas decides to go back for it before setting off again. They soon arrive on Muffle Mountain. Lily leaves to find Burnett, but a gust of wind blows Thomas down the hill and back into the magic railroad through another portal at the bottom.

Lily finds Patch, who takes her to Burnett's workshop. Lily figures out only special Island of Sodor coal can make Lady steam, so she sends Patch to collect the coal from the truck.

Diesel 10, with Junior still on his back, races into the Smelters where he encounters James. Junior tries to whistle both of them out, only to discover that he too, is out of gold dust. Diesel 10 tries to force the two into a melting pit, but Junior uses the last of his extra gold dust to teleport himself and James away to safety. The two arrive near the buffers, where Mr. Conductor is there waiting. James departs, while Mr. Conductor and Junior, both out of gold dust, refuse to give up hope. Lily asks Burnett Stone if Tasha took a ride on Lady and if she loved her as much as Burnett did. Burnett says that she loved it because he loved it, but could not fix her in time for Tasha to take a ride on her before she passed away.

By now Burnett Stone has finally got Lady to steam using special Island of Sodor coal, from the truck Thomas and Lily picked up from The Magic Railroad and along with Lily, Patch and Mutt, they set off into the magic railroad. The magic railroad, receiving energy from Lady, comes back to life, while Lady's face appears. The team encounter Thomas before appearing on Sodor, where they reunite with the two conductors.

Diesel 10 starts to give chase, but Splatter and Dodge, fed up with Diesel 10's ways, abandon him. Thomas offers to help Lady, with Burnett driving Lady. Mr. Conductor warns them about the collapsing viaduct. Just as the engines run away, the conductors realise that Lady is part of the clue to the gold dust.

The chase finally approaches The Viaduct. As Lady and Burnett pass, a gap appears on the viaduct. Thomas manages to make it across the gap before it worsens, but Diesel 10 cannot stop in time and falls off into a sludge barge, and is towed away, not to be seen for a long, long time.

Thomas, Lady and Burnett return, where they and the rest of the team work out the answer to the riddle. Lily mixes water from the well with golden shavings from the magic railroad and with a little encouragement, tosses them into the air, where they form into gold dust. The conductors, delighted, re-supply their whistles, while Thomas thanks Lady.

Patch and Mutt go to look around, while Junior gives Lily some gold dust. Junior tells Mr. Conductor that he wants to work now, so Mr. Conductor gives him his hat and sends him to a railroad with "palm trees and sunny spells." After Junior leaves, Sir Topham Hatt calls and says that he is on his way back, so Mr. Conductor sets off to welcome him, letting Sir Topham Hatt know that everything is under control before he hangs up. Lily offers her gold dust to Burnett, who sprinkles it on her bluebird toy and whispers that they will "always remember their Shining Time together."

With Lady and the Magic Railroad back to life, Shining Time is restored to its former glory. Thomas happily puffs into the sunset and the end credits roll.

Filming
The film was filmed at the Strasburg Rail Road in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, United States, as well as in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and on the Isle of Man. The Castletown railway station on the Isle of Man Railway formed part of Shining Time Station and the goods shed at Port St. Mary railway station became Burnett Stone's workshop. Running shots of the Rainbow Sun were filmed at the Strasburg Rail Road. The large passenger station where Lily boards the train is the Harrisburg Transportation Center. Strasburg Rail Road's (Ex. Norfolk & Western) 4-8-0 475 was repainted as the Rainbow Sun.

Sodor was realised using models and chroma key. The models were animated using live action remote control, as on the television series. The model sequences were filmed in Toronto, Canada instead of Shepperton Studios, the home of the original TV show; however, several of the shows' key staff were flown over to participate.

The Magic Railroad was created using models, CGI and water colour painting.

Problems and Changes
The perceived "laziness" in the plot was due to a major villain in the film named Pete Theodore Boomer being cut from the film. His cut was due to test audiences complaining that he was too scary. Thus any traces left by Boomer in the film were left unexplained. In some scenes Boomer can even be spotted. Despite being cut, Boomer strangely was left unedited out of one of the trailers, showing him fall off of Diesel 10 on the collapsing viaduct (which, in the original script was nicknamed "The Big Dipper"). The official Thomas and the Magic Railroad website also had images and information regarding the character before being cut.

Many news articles before the films release announced that an Isle of Man Cab Driver/Fireman named John Bellis was selected to be the voice of Thomas. He was cut from the cast after test audiences complained of his Liverpudlian tone making Thomas sound too old. He was replaced by Edward Glen afterwards.

One theatrical trailer depicted Diesel 10 with a thick gravelly upper class British accent. This was revealed to be provided by Australian voice actor, Keith Scott. He was replaced after test audiences feared his voice would be too scary. He was replaced by Neil Crone, who gave Diesel 10 a Russian accent, though this too was forced to be replaced after the audiences found it "offensive." So Crone recorded them in a somewhat New Jersey accent.

James and Percy were originally intended to be voiced by the British narrator, Michael Angelis. The test audiences as well found his voice unsuitable for them. Susan Roman and Linda Ballantyne replaced Angelis for James and Percy respectively.

Original scripts indicate that George and Cranky were intended to be in the film. George had a major role in the film, doing most of Diesel 10's bidding. His model was never taken across for filming. Cranky had a small non-speaking role. He dropped his load of fruit over Dodge, Splatter and Percy and dropped his load of oil all over Diesel 10. His model was indeed brought over, indicated as his crane leg can be seen in Knapford yards as Diesel 10 leaves, but the role was cut in later script drafts of the film so the model was used for set dressing.

Edward was also planned to appear in the film, but was later cut out of the final film due to his model not being finished in time and not enough screen time for him to be of any importance to the movie.

Reception
The film premiered at Odeon Leicester Square. For the purpose, a steam locomotive, painted to resemble Thomas, was brought to the cinema on July 9th, 2000. National press coverage was low, because many journalists were concentrating on the launch of the "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" book, for which a special train named "Hogwarts Express" was run on July 8th - 11th.

The film currently has a score of 19% on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus: "Kids these days demand cutting edge special effects or at least a clever plot with cute characters [sic]. This film has neither, having lost in its Americanisation what the British original did so right." However, it did receive positive reviews from Associated Press and Gannett newspapers. Common Sense Media gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 with the consensus: "Will please it's many fans, but plot might confuse kids." Roger Ebert gave the film one star out of four, with the consensus, "(the fact) That Thomas and the Magic Railroad made it into theatres at all is something of a mystery. This is a production with 'straight to video' written all over it. Kids who like the Thomas books might kinda like it. Especially younger kids. Real younger kids. Otherwise, no." While he admired the models and art direction, he criticised how the engines' mouths did not move when they spoke, the overly depressed performance of Peter Fonda, as well as the overall lack of consistency in the plot. It was also accused in the UK for "Americanising" Thomas for the fact that British critics were unfamiliar with the characters from Shining Time Station.

It was also a box office flop grossing $19.7 million worldwide compared to its $19 million budget. During its second weekend of screening in Britain it only took in £170,000.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Bertie
 * Harold
 * Henrietta (cameo)
 * Cranky (cameo)
 * Butch (cameo)
 * Bus Driver (cameo)
 * Sir Topham Hatt (voice only; portrait cameo)
 * Lady Hatt (mentioned; portrait cameo)
 * George (cut from film)

Characters Introduced

 * Lady
 * Diesel 10
 * Splatter and Dodge
 * Mr. Conductor
 * Junior
 * Lily
 * Lily's Mother
 * Stacy Jones
 * Burnett Stone
 * Billy Twofeathers
 * Patch
 * Tasha  ( voiceover as a child; photo cameo)
 * P.T. Boomer  ( cameo; full role cut from film)

Voice Cast

 * Edward Glen as Thomas
 * Neil Crone as Gordon, Diesel 10, Splatter and The Tumbleweed
 * Colm Feore as Toby
 * Linda Ballantyne as Percy
 * Kevin Frank as Henry, Dodge, Bertie and Harold
 * Susan Roman as James
 * Shelley-Elizabeth Skinner as Annie and Clarabel
 * Britt Allcroft as Lady
 * Laura Bower as young Tasha
 * Jared Wall as young Burnett

Live-action Cast

 * Alec Baldwin as Mr. Conductor/Narrator
 * Cody McMains as Patch
 * Russell Means as Billy Twofeathers
 * Peter Fonda as Burnett Stone
 * Didi Conn as Stacy Jones
 * Mara Wilson as Lily Stone
 * Michael E. Rodgers as Junior
 * Lori Hallier as Lily's Mother
 * Shelley-Elizabeth Skinner as a station customer
 * Hugo Murray as goldfish boy
 * Keith W. Strandberg as a passenger

Original Voice Cast

 * John Bellis as Thomas
 * Keith Scott as Diesel 10
 * Michael Angelis as James and Percy
 * Patrick Breen as Splatter and Dodge

Locations

 * Island of Sodor
 * Shining Time
 * Muffle Mountain
 * Burnett Stone's Workshop
 * The Magic Railroad
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Sodor Ironworks
 * Knapford
 * The Coaling Plant
 * Sir Topham Hatt's Office
 * Killaban
 * The Watermill
 * The Big Dipper
 * The Windmill
 * Hawin Croka
 * Diesel 10's Mountain
 * The Magic Buffers
 * Sodor Wishing Well
 * Rainbow Ridge

Songs

 * Really Useful Engine
 * Shining Time
 * Some Things Never Leave You
 * I Know How the Moon Must Feel
 * Summer Sunday
 * The Locomotion
 * Old MacDiesel
 * Working on the Railway
 * The Whistling Song (early draft: not in final cut)
 * Night Train (not in final cut)
 * Girl in Green (not in final cut)
 * The Island Song (original script)
 * Thomas' Anthem (original script)

Trivia

 * The film was broadcast on BBC1 on 1st January 2004 and again on 29th December 2008.
 * This is the very first Thomas media released on DVD and only released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in the US and Icon Home Entertainment in the UK.
 * This film marks the first time in the television series that character dialogue overrides narrator storytelling as the primary manner of telling the story.
 * In the original script:
 * Thomas' Anthem and The Island Song were going to be used in the film as the opening musical sequence. In addition, Night Train was originally to feature in the film when Thomas and Percy pull their mail trains.
 * Cranky and the Troublesome Trucks were to have much larger roles and George was to appear as one of Diesel 10's henchmen.
 * Lily, twenty years later, was the narrator.
 * The windmill was not the location of the clue to make gold dust. Rather, it was a sheet of paper hidden at the top of a large waterfall Mr. Conductor had to climb to retrieve it.
 * Diesel 10 was a new engine sent to help while Sir Topham Hatt was away.
 * Burnett Stone denies the fact that he likes trains and does not believe in magic when he and Lily eat at the dinner table.
 * Burnett Stone was given the task of being Lady's caretaker by the Conductor family.
 * Diesel 10 drops ash down Thomas' funnel instead of spreading sneezing dust.
 * The railway was under major repairs throughout the script, explaining why Tidmouth Sheds was under repairs in the final cut.
 * Edward was never in any script for the film. According to Phil Fehrle, there was not enough screen time and opportunity to utilise him in a way that added any real value to the film.
 * This was the first time the engines have separate voice actors.
 * According to independent.co.uk, actors Bob Hoskins and Ewan McGregor had auditioned for the role of Thomas, but both were dropped in favour of John Bellis.
 * People that worked on the original series also worked on this film. Namely, David Mitton (as model unit creative consultant), David Eves (as model SFX supervisor), Steve Asquith (as model supervisor) and Terence Permane (as director of photography for the models section).
 * Despite Sir Topham Hatt being unintelligible on the phone, it is done differently in other languages.
 * John Bellis, the original voice of Thomas, is credited as "transportation co-ordinator".
 * The 1999 US teaser poster had John Barry credited as composer, as he was originally signed on for. However, he ended up leaving the project due to scheduling conflicts.
 * In the Australian trailer, P.T. Boomer can be seen falling off of Diesel 10 at the viaduct, a rod can be seen connected to Thomas' coupler and Thomas and Diesel 10 have different voices.
 * The English theatrical trailers played "The World is New" by Save Ferris, with music done by Nick Phoenix. The same was done with the Japanese theatrical trailer, but it replaced some of the original music with bits of the original theme from the television series.
 * Phil Fehrle and Shelley-Elizabeth Skinner made cameos in the film.
 * Throughout the film, posters of Sir Topham Hatt saying "Sir Topham needs you" are seen (which are references to the Lord Kitchener and Uncle Sam recruiting posters used during World War One).
 * When Diesel 10 welcomed Splatter and Dodge to his party meeting, some scrap models of Thomas and Gordon are seen.
 * As Toby is eavesdropping on Diesel 10's plans, a scrap City of Truro model is seen.
 * This film marks the first and only appearance of Splatter and Dodge to date.
 * When Diesel 10 rushes into the smelters yard, a scrap model of Donald or Douglas is seen.
 * Currently, this is the only Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends film to feature live actors.
 * Didi Conn is the only actress to reprise her role from the Shining Time Station series.
 * This was Mara Wilson's last major film role before she retired from acting.
 * The film was shot in a 4:3 fullscreen frame and later matted into a 1.85:1 widescreen image for theatrical release; the UK DVD was incorrectly rendered in full frame as a cropped widescreen image, the same error also happened on the UK DVD of United Artists' "The Secret of NIMH".
 * Like with Universal's first "Back to the Future" film, the top and bottom sections are cropped in the widescreen version, though you can see more on the sides, contrast to the original home video release.
 * Only one scene from the original cut was commercially released; a deleted scene featuring Junior called "Sundae Surprise".
 * All of the engines and road vehicles have different whistle and horn sounds. Thomas still has his whistle sound, only modified.
 * According to a post on Britt Allcroft's Facebook page the film was partially inspired by the fourth season episode, Thomas and the Special Letter.
 * The back cover of the Japanese DVD shows a deleted scene of Thomas and Gordon at Knapford from the original cut where the introduction of Diesel 10 and Thomas' conversation with Gordon take place.
 * The German DVD includes "The Making of Thomas and the Magic Railroad".
 * According to multiple SiF interviews, many models were damaged or lost in transit after being shipped from Toronto back to Shepperton. This could explain why Splatter and Dodge never appeared again after this film.
 * In the trailers, Mr. Conductor is heard saying "I've run out of gold dust and because of that I'm losing my energy as well". This line is not heard in the film and is in fact a deleted scene.
 * This film was never shown in Norway or Poland.
 * In the scene where Mr. Conductor talks to Billy Twofeathers, he hums the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends theme.
 * In Sir Topham Hatt's office, a picture of Thomas from the fifth season episode, Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach, a picture of Henry from the third season episode, Tender Engines and a picture of James from the third season episode, Time for Trouble can be seen. The photo of Lady Hatt is also from the fifth season episode, Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday.
 * This, Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, Tale of the Brave and King of the Railway are the only known specials to have been dubbed into Hebrew.
 * The films teaser trailer was narrated by both Jim Cummings and Eric Idle depending on the tape. Tom Kane narrated the original teaser when P.T. Boomer was in the original cut.
 * The Russian version was a voice-over of the Hebrew dub.
 * On the iTunes download, the audio for the film is set at a lower pitch.
 * The film aired on the US channel PBS Kids Sprout on 3rd July and 11th July and was fitted as a cropped widescreen image.
 * For the majority of the film, Diesel 10 is just known as "Diesel".
 * "Bob the Builder" actor Neil Morrissey was the announcer in the UK trailer.
 * Human actors are used throughout the film. However, Lady Hatt and Bertie's driver appear as figures instead.
 * Aside from Bertie's driver, Sodor seems to be devoid of people.
 * This was the second time Mr. Conductor runs out of gold dust. The first time was in the Shining Time Station episode, Mr. Conductor's Fourth of July.
 * This film has released the most original songs compared to any other special to date.
 * When Burnett turns around to see who is entering his workshop, his mouth moves to the word "Boomer". This is because the original script had Burnett say the name when he turned around.
 * This film takes place in-between the fifth and sixth seasons.
 * One of Flying Scotsman's tenders, painted black, can be seen as Thomas backs into the siding near James.
 * Before the film was released, a sequel was already being developed by Destination. However, possibly due to the negative reception by critics and the box office performance, the sequel was cancelled. Destination Films would ultimately shut down in February 2001 after a string of box office failures.
 * The only traditional wooden figure human to physically appear is a Bus Driver in Bertie.
 * The fly that James was trying to shoo away was later present around Billy when he was talking to Patch.
 * The faceless talking tumbleweed rolling down the track could be a reference to the faceless singing plant from the 1986 live-action film starring Martin Short, Steve Martin and Chevy Chase in Three Amigos.

Goofs

 * The town usually seen beside Knapford was replaced with trees in this film.
 * After Diesel 10 races past Gordon and Thomas, a black pencil can be seen in the bushes on the right of the screen. Also, Thomas' eyes are wonky.
 * Toby sounds and looks happy when he says "And I fear that it'll destroy us all."
 * After Lily calls Thomas a "really useful engine" the coal truck he was pulling disappears. It reappears in the next shot.
 * When Thomas and Diesel 10 leave Tidmouth Sheds, the end of the set can be seen.
 * When Thomas says "If Diesel has unfinished business..." his siderods stop moving.
 * For most of the film, Clarabel was facing the wrong way and in one shot during the "Really Useful Engine" song, she was in front of Annie.
 * At the end of the film, the credits show Bertie and Harold under the voice cast for the trains.
 * Henry and Percy have the same whistle sound.
 * Gordon and James also have the same whistle sound.
 * In the close-up of Gordon when he and Thomas are at Killaban station before Diesel 10 comes through, a chunk of Gordon's cylinder has broken off.
 * On the US VHS and DVD covers, Thomas' lamp and brake pipe are on the wrong side of his running board and Pinchy was oversized and mounted in the wrong spot on Diesel 10's roof.
 * When, Thomas, James and Diesel 10 are at Tidmouth Sheds, a truck in a shed continuously disappears and reappears.
 * When Diesel 10 gets covered in coal, Henry was seen puffing backwards next to Gordon, in the next shot, Henry is near Splatter and Dodge.
 * Although human actors are used throughout the film, Bertie was shown with a model driver in his cab.
 * In the original Shining Time Station series, the station was red. But in this film, the station was yellow.
 * Diesel 10 was smiling when he says "Teapot!" while hanging from the viaduct.
 * When Diesel 10 says "Coming, puffball!" Thomas and Lady are smiling.
 * When Bertie says "How about a race, Thomas?" his eyes are wonky.
 * When Thomas bumps the sixth truck into the magic buffers, the fifth one derails.
 * On the Canadian DVD, the footage featured on the main menu was mirrored.
 * When Diesel 10 destroys the shed, Gordon's face was loose.
 * On the UK and the US DVDs (and the US VHS), the subtitle lyrics for Really Useful Engine include the word "workshop" instead of "branch line." The US subtitles also say "Last Controller" instead of "Fat Controller" and "Hatt" was spelled with one "T."
 * After Pinchy hits Diesel 10, the support on top of the cab was missing.
 * When Diesel 10 chases Thomas and Lady, he was on a different track. When they come to the viaduct, they were all on the same track.
 * Sodor was misspelled as "Sodar" on the back cover.
 * During the engines' conversation about Lady at Tidmouth Sheds, the bottom of Percy's smokebox was white in one shot, then green for the rest of that scene. For the rest of the film, the bottom of his smokebox was black.
 * For the entire film (aside from cab shots), Thomas and Percy's cab doors are missing.
 * When Mr. Conductor says "You're gonna have to have a time out," the subtitles sometime say "You need a time out."
 * Bulgy's Bridge has a railway line running beside the bridge.
 * Diesel 10's brake pipe disappears after he falls off the viaduct.
 * When Diesel 10 leaves the shed while Thomas and Percy are at Knapford, a red wire can be seen through Diesel 10's cab window.
 * In one shot of Diesel 10 holding Mr. Conductor on the viaduct, the edge of the sky backdrop and a small part of the studio wall are visible.
 * During the scene where Lily meets Lady, Mr Conductor's hat randomly appears in Burnett's hands. This is because the original scene where Lily gives this to Burnett was cut.
 * In the chase scene, in a close-up of Lady just before she crosses the collapsing Viaduct, Burnett Stone isn't in her cab and Thomas isn't behind her.
 * Although boiler would be called "Kessel" in German, Henry says also boiler in German.
 * When Diesel 10 falls, he descends perpendicular to the barge, when he was on the barge, he was at the angle the barge was heading.
 * When Diesel 10 races into the smelter's yard, James' whistle was missing and when he and Junior arrive at the grotto, James' whistle was in place.
 * When Thomas reads the really useful board at Killaban, his eye movements show that he was reading it backwards.
 * When the Rainbow Sun departs the station, an Amtrak locomotive can be seen in one of the coach window's refection.
 * When Patch finds Burnett's workshop, it's night time.
 * When Shining Time is first seen, the railway line cannot be seen at all; showing that the location used to portray the town has no railway.
 * When Thomas crosses over the gap in the viaduct, a wire can be seen pulling him across.
 * In one scene of the engines looking horrified of Diesel 10 near Tidmouth Sheds, Gordon's face is loose.

Books

 * Thomas and the Magic Railroad
 * Thomas and the Magic Railroad
 * Thomas and the Magic Railroad
 * Little Engines Can Do BIG Things
 * Diesel 10 Means Trouble
 * Diesels and Engines

Japanese Books

 * Manga
 * Novel 1
 * Novel 2
 * Encyclopedia
 * Popular Character Book
 * Seal Book
 * Film pamphlet

Wooden Railway

 * Lady
 * Diesel 10
 * Splatter and Dodge
 * Lily
 * Mutt
 * 100 piece Thomas and the Magic Railroad set
 * Muffle Mountain set
 * Thomas and the Magic Railroad Gold Dust car

Subway Toy Collectibles

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Lady
 * Diesel 10

ERTL

 * Lady
 * Diesel 10
 * Splatter and Dodge
 * Thomas and Mr. Conductor
 * P.T. Boomer (as Pete Boom; cancelled)

Brio

 * Lady
 * Diesel 10
 * Splatter and Dodge

Motor Road and Rail

 * Lady
 * Diesel 10
 * Splatter and Dodge
 * Diesel, Splatter and Dodge Talk 'n' Action
 * Lady and Diesel 10 Chasing Set

Capsule Plarail

 * Lily
 * Mr. Conductor
 * Lady
 * Diesel 10
 * Splatter and Dodge

Thomas Engine Collection Series

 * Lady
 * Diesel 10
 * Splatter and Dodge

Video Games

 * Thomas and the Magic Railroad Print Studio

Others

 * Soundtrack
 * Board Game
 * Advent Calendar
 * Badge
 * Medals

Quotes

 * Splatter: Uh, so boss...
 * Dodge: How come you let Twinkletoes escape?
 * Splatter: Yeah?
 * Diesel 10: Oh, that. Well, I did it on... purpose, y'know. I... was... testing him to see if he could escape.
 * Splatter: Liar, liar.
 * Dodge: Pants on fire.
 * Splatter: Does he wear pants?
 * Dodge: Well, training pants.
 * Splatter: Oh, yeah.
 * Diesel 10: All right! Playtime's over, Splodge!
 * Splodge: Uh-oh.
 * Diesel 10: Now it's time for the next lesson, huh?! I call it "How to Stop Being Stupid".
 * (Diesel 10 uses Pinchy to hit the coal chute, pouring coal all over him. James, Henry and Gordon laugh)


 * Diesel 10: Uh, now that's gonna ruin my facial.
 * (Splodge groans)


 * Splatter: Hey hey! Just watch what happens to that blue puffball...
 * Dodge: ...when Harold the "flopper-chopper" flies past here!
 * Splatter: Right!
 * Harold: Routine fly-by, chaps! Hello!
 * Splatter: The boss dumped sneezing powder everywhere.
 * Dodge: Let's start laughing now!
 * (Splodge laugh as Harold descends, causing Thomas, Splatter and Dodge to be covered in powder)


 * Harold: Sorry, fellas! Bit of a dust up! Love to stay and clean up. Got to go! Bye now!
 * Splatter: Uh, did you mean to look like that?
 * Dodge: Uh, no.
 * Splatter: Uh, neither did I.
 * Thomas: This must be Diesel's doing. Atchoo-choo!


 * Mr. Conductor: (reading a letter left by "Rabbit") I noticed you left your thinking cap behind, try these instead, they're good for the brain. Gone fishin', Rabbit.


 * Splatter: What are you gonna do?
 * Dodge: Oh yeah, yeah. That's a good question.
 * Diesel 10: It's time to finally put Twinkletoes' lights out.
 * Splodge: Oh, oh.
 * Diesel 10: This is a job for the boss!
 * (Pinchy opens and shuts)


 * Toby: I've got to delay him. I've got to distract him. Hmm, hmm.
 * (Toby rings his bell)


 * Diesel 10: It's the old teapot! Smash him!
 * (Pinchy knocks against the shed beams, knocking them down and trapping Diesel 10, Splatter and Dodge. Pinchy then breaks through the collapsed roof)


 * Diesel 10: Pinchy, get back here! Pinchy, don't make me come up there! I hate it when you do this, Pinchy!
 * Toby: Good show!
 * Splatter: Uh, boss...
 * Dodge: Did you mean to let the roof fall in?
 * Splatter: Yeah, all the way in?
 * Diesel 10: I always mean what I do, you rattle traps.
 * (Diesel 10 groans angrily)


 * Junior: Thomas! Now, don't look so surprised. I know you haven't seen me since...
 * Thomas: You stuffed party poppers down my funnel!
 * Junior: Hey, we had a laugh.
 * Thomas: You did.


 * Diesel 10: Aha, there's the blue puffball! And look who he's with! Splodge, come and destroy!
 * Splatter: No, no, you do it yourself!
 * Dodge: We don't like you.
 * Splatter: Yeah we mean that.
 * Dodge: Emphatically.
 * Splatter: Yeah, what does that mean?
 * Dodge: I have no idea.
 * Splatter: It's a good word.


 * Diesel 10, upon landing in the sludge barge.


 * Diesel 10: Oh well, nice time of the year for a cruise.

(Mr. Conductor lurches back as Pinchy pulls down the scaffolding on the shed. Diesel 10 laughs evilly. All the engines wake up exclaiming) (Diesel 10 backs away as Mr. Conductor lowers the sugar. Pinchy makes a few grabbing sounds)
 * (Diesel 10 oils up beside the sheds laughing evilly)
 * Mr. Conductor: (drinking his hot chocolate) Just a little sweeter, I think.
 * Diesel 10: Alright, Pinchy, my little bucket of badness. Time to feast yourself.
 * Mr. Conductor: (drinking his hot chocolate again) Ah, now that's better.
 * Thomas: Cinders and ashes, it's Diesel!
 * Gordon: Diesel? Oh, no!
 * Diesel 10: (laughing evilly) Hello, Twinkletoes! I've got a plan and you're not in it!
 * Mr. Conductor: You can't catch me, Diesel! (Mr. Conductor blows on his whistle, but very little gold dust comes out of it)
 * Diesel 10: (laughing evilly) Loosing your sparkle, huh? What perfect timing! Now where is that lost engine?
 * Mr. Conductor: You won't find her here!
 * Diesel 10: You're not clever enough to stop me!
 * Mr. Conductor: Oh yes, I am!
 * Diesel 10: No, you're not! (Diesel 10 exclaims as he sees Mr. Conductor holding up the sugar) Is that?
 * Mr. Conductor: That's right it's sugar, Diesel! And if I throw this in your tank it'll seize you up for good!
 * Diesel 10: (exclaiming) Make the most of tonight Twinkletoes, because you won't like tomorrow! Neither will that line of tin kettles!
 * Diesel 10: Shut up, Pinchy.
 * Thomas: Mr. Conductor! But, what happened to your sparkle?
 * Mr. Conductor: I don't know, Thomas, I guess I'll just have to sleep on that.
 * Thomas: On your sparkle?
 * Mr. Conductor: No, Thomas. On the problem of what happened to it.
 * Percy: But, Mr. Conductor, without your sparkle or the lost engine, you can't travel here to help us anymore.
 * Mr. Conductor: I'll solve the problem. You just go to sleep now.
 * Percy: Easy for you to say.

(Percy puffs through Knapford Station as Mr. Conductor reads a letter by Sir Topham Hatt in the office) (he takes off his hat and puts on the top hat that Sir Topham Hatt had left behind and picks up a mirror. The camera shows the poster of Sir Topham Hatt smiling and then it returns to Mr. Conductor looking in the mirror) (the expression of Sir Topham Hatt on the poster changes to cross, Mr. Conductor takes off the top hat and puts his own hat back on suddenly as he sees this, the expression of Sir Topham Hatt on the poster changes again to look like he was telling him off, the telephone rings and the expression of Sir Topham Hatt on the poster changes once more to smiling, Mr. Conductor dives through the desk as he was suddenly startled by this, catching the telephone, but knocking the photo of Lady Hatt off the desk. He answers the telephone.) (Mr. Conductor puts down the phone and sighs)
 * ​Mr. Conductor: Dear, Mr. Conductor, where were you? My wife said she couldn't miss our little holiday. We'll telephone to make sure that you have arrived. Signed Sir Topham Hatt. (whispering) Sir Topham Hatt!
 * Mr. Conductor: Where were you? (chuckles)
 * Mr. Conductor: Oh, good afternoon sir! A real honour, sir. Like my family before me. (he puts the photo of Lady Hatt back on the desk) And how is Lady Hatt? Yes? Watch out for Diesel, definitely. Keep an eye on Henry's health, certainly. Yes, sir. The three R's; reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic...I mean, I will be responsible, reliable and really useful. We'll all get a good's night sleep, looking forward to a hard day tomorrow. Goodbye, sir.

Awards and nominations

 * Nomination  - YoungStar Awards - Best Young Actress/Performance in a Motion Picture Comedy, 2000, to Mara Wilson.
 * Nomination - Young Artists Awards - Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress, 2001, to Mara Wilson.

US

 * The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland and Thomas and the Magic Railroad Double Pack