Mighty Mac (episode)

"I'm Mighty!" "And I'm Mac!" "And together we're Mighty Mac!"

- Mighty Mac

Mighty Mac is the fifth episode of the ninth season.

Plot
During the height of the busy Summer season, the Thin Controller purchases a new engine for his railway. Thomas meets the new engine at the Transfer Yards and the new engine reveals himself as Mighty at one end and Mac at the other. Thomas is surprised as he has never seen such an unusual engine before. Then the Thin Controller tells Mighty Mac to take holidaymakers to the campsite in the mountains. However, there are many tracks between the passengers and Mighty Mac, who are nervous as they have only worked in the shunting yards. Thomas advises them to look where they want to go and follow the track that will take them there. Mighty sets off, but then Mac takes the lead, thinking his way is quicker. As Mighty and Mac fight over who should take the lead, they end up going in all sorts of directions, even going on the turntable. As a result of their leadership battle, they end up back where they started and nowhere near the holidaymakers at all, making Mr. Percival very cross.

Eventually, Mighty Mac sets off with the holidaymakers. However, their feud is far from over, as they argue at junctions on which way to go. Mighty pulls one way and then Mac pulls the other. All of this is making an uncomfortable ride for the holidaymakers and they end up in a siding. The holidaymakers are cross and Mighty and Mac blame each other. This results in an accident, as they push the coach off the rails and into the mountain. This causes rocks to tumble down and block their path. Mighty and Mac now realise how silly they have been.

The holidaymakers set to work to getting their coach back on the rails and soon it is back on track. Impressed by this, Mighty Mac work together to shift the rocks out of the way and then collect their coach. They see the flag of the campsite high above them. Remembering Thomas' advice, they set off for the campsite. After they bring the holidaymakers to the campsite, Mighty and Mac set off for home. Mighty and Mac both agree that working together makes them a Really Useful Engine.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Mighty Mac
 * Mr. Percival
 * Skarloey (cameo)
 * Peter Sam (cameo)
 * Duncan (cameo)
 * Bridget Hatt (cameo)
 * The Tailor (deleted scene cameo)

Locations

 * Transfer Yards

Trivia

 * This episode marks the first appearance of the Skarloey Railway engines since the seventh season episode Trusty Rusty. In this episode, Mr. Percival replaces Sir Topham Hatt as controller of the Skarloey Railway.
 * Two British Railways posters are seen in the coach. One for "Coronation Scot" and one for "Battle of Britain".
 * In Sweden, this episode is called "Strong Adolf". The German title is "What to Do?". In Gaelic, it is called "Exceptional Engine".
 * Thomas' large scale model is used.
 * Going by production order, this is the fourth episode of the ninth season.

Goofs

 * How could Mighty Mac have only ever been in the Transfer Yards?
 * Right before the coach derails and smashes into the rock, the track Mighty Mac is on has been moved so it can lead straight into the cliffside.
 * Locomotives cannot just push rocks off track without some kind of plough. No matter how powerful they are, they will just derail every time.
 * The signalman is responsible for changing the points, so how can Mac pull Mighty back to the points and push him up the other track?
 * When the coach derails, it is attached to Mac's end. When it is put back on the track, it is on Mighty's end.
 * Mighty Mac clearly have no driver.