Toad and the Whale

"Oh, he does like to be back in the water! Oh, he does like to be back in the sea! Now he's back inside the sea, He's beside himself with glee! Beyond the seaside, Inside the sea!"

- Toad singing about the whale

Toad and the Whale is the eighth episode of the nineteenth season.

Plot
One summer's day, Toad is feeling particularly happy as Oliver pulls his train along the line, so he begins to sing merrily. Oliver thinks the sunshine has gone to Toad's head, but it isn't long before Oliver gets fed up. Duck passes by and remarks that such a noise would never be heard on the Great Western railway. This upsets Toad: he hadn't meant to offend Duck. As the engines pass by Bluff's Cove, Toad spots a whale stranded on the beach. He tries to tell Duck and Oliver, but they both think he is joking.

Later at Knapford, Oliver leaves Toad in a siding while he fetches another train. Thomas notices Toad looking sad and asks him what's wrong. Toad tells Thomas about the stranded whale, but Oliver returns and tells Thomas that Toad imagined it.

Toad doesn't say a word all day as Oliver pulls him along Bluff's Cove again. Oliver is just about to apologise for complaining about Toad's singing when he screeches to a stop. He has spotted the whale who, by now, has gathered a crowd of people. Oliver apologises for not believing Toad, and together they set off to alert the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre. The rescue vehicles soon hear the news and they set off to save the whale.

The initial plan is to use Butch to tow the whale back to the sea, but the workmen find it too risky: the tide is too far out for the whale to survive such a task. Oliver and Toad watch as the whale is covered by a sheet to protect it from the hot sun, and a trench is dug around it while Belle and Flynn use their water cannons to keep it wet. Toad thinks that the whale could be picked up and taken to Brendam Docks, where the water is deep, but Oliver decides to let the rescue team do their job.

Oliver brings the empty water tankers back to Knapford. By now, all of the engines are talking about the whale. Toad tells Thomas about his plan to move the whale to the docks, which Thomas thinks is a wonderful idea. Thomas calls the Fat Controller over, and Toad explains his plan. The Fat Controller telephones the Search and Rescue manager while Thomas fetches Rocky.

Rocky lifts the whale off the sand and lowers it carefully onto Oliver's flatbed. The whale is looking very tired and sad, so Toad gets worried and Belle gives him the idea to use his singing to soothe the whale while they travel to the docks.

Salty and Cranky can hardly believe their eyes when they see the whale on Oliver's flatbed as they arrive. Cranky lifts the whale carefully and lowers it into the water. Toad anxiously watches until finally they see the magnificent whale swim away.

From that day on, whenever Toad passes Bluff's Cove, he remembers his new friend by singing about him.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Duck
 * Oliver
 * Belle
 * Salty
 * Flynn
 * Toad
 * Rocky
 * Harold
 * Cranky
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * A Knapford Station Yard Workman
 * Some Sodor Search and Rescue Centre Workers (two speak)
 * Butch (does not speak)
 * Edward (cameo)
 * Henry (cameo)
 * Gordon (cameo)
 * James (cameo)
 * Percy (cameo)
 * Emily (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * The Teacher (cameo)
 * A Policeman (cameo)
 * The Grumpy Passenger (cameo)
 * The Search and Rescue Manager (mentioned)

Locations

 * The Fishing Village
 * Bluff's Cove
 * The Little Western
 * Sodor Search and Rescue Centre
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Station Yard
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the seventh episode of the nineteenth season.
 * The plot is similar to the magazine story The Beached Whale!.
 * Rob Rackstraw takes over the role of Flynn in both the UK and the US.
 * This episode marks Duck's only speaking appearance in the nineteenth season.
 * At Bluff's Cove, there is a poster from the Hero of the Rails intro.

Goofs

 * When Oliver brings the water tankers to Bluff's Cove, he is pulling three. But later at Knapford he is pulling four.
 * When Oliver screeches to a stop, his bogie wheels spark, but those are not fitted with brakes.

UK/US

 * Whale of a Tale and Other Sodor Adventures