The Railcar and the Coaches

The Railcar and the Coaches is the thirteenth episode of the twentieth season.

Plot
One winter day, the Fat Controller puts Thomas on Quarry duty and asks Daisy to run his branch line in his absence. As few passengers are now travelling to Harwick, Daisy is delighted and sets off the following morning. Upon meeting Annie and Clarabel at the carriage shed, she tells them that they will not be needed, as the passengers will be traveling in her today. Thomas overhears Daisy making unkind comments to the coaches and warns her that she might need them. Daisy dismisses his claims, stating that she never needs to pull coaches and sets off to work, leaving Annie and Clarabel alone. The two attempt to pass the time by playing "I Spy," with little success.

Daisy goes about her work without fuss and her passengers are most impressed. That evening, she continues to be rude to Annie and Clarabel, calling them old-fashioned and out-of-date, since they cannot move on their own. The coaches are most offended by her rudeness as Daisy once again states that she'll never pull coaches before leaving. However, Daisy had spoken too soon, as the Fat Controller asks her to take Annie and Clarabel the next day so that she can take more passengers.

Daisy reluctantly collects the coaches the next morning, although she refuses to apologise. Unbeknownst to her, however, Annie and Clarabel have made a plan to pay Daisy back for her rude comments. As they travel along the branch line, they pretend that they can hear something wrong with Daisy, including rattling and creaking noises. They remark on how terrible the "noise" is, state their surprise that the passengers haven't complained and add that this noisy something is good for nothing but scrap. Unfortunately, their plan backfires: Daisy is so mortified that, at Maithwaite Station, she orders all of her passengers off and rushes away in panic to find out what the problem is, leaving Annie, Clarabel and the furious passengers stranded. Thomas passes by with his Quarry trucks and decides to tell the Fat Controller that Daisy left her passengers behind. Annie and Clarabel cringe; they know what would happen if the Fat Controller finds out what they've been up to.

At Knapford Station, the Fat Controller and an engineer look over Daisy but are unable to find anything wrong with her. Daisy, still in a state, insists that Annie and Clarabel told her there was definitely something wrong, even if she can't hear anything. This leads her to think that she's going deaf and rushes off to the Dieselworks to see her fitter. Thomas arrives soon afterwards and the Fat Controller asks what his coaches said to Daisy. Although unsure, Thomas explains that she has been rude to them since arriving and has abandoned them at Maithwaite.

It is late at night when Thomas finally arrives to collect Annie and Clarabel. The Fat Controller is with the coaches, just as they predicted, and immediately scolds them for their actions. He explains that Daisy's fitter has found nothing wrong with her at all and warns them that just because she was rude to them does not give them an excuse to be rude to her back. The coaches, sadly remarking that two wrongs don't make a right, apologise as Thomas takes them back to the carriage shed.

Annie and Clarabel decide to apologise to Daisy the next morning, but are surprised when Thomas arrives. He explains that Daisy has returned to the Harwick Branch Line and won't be taking them today. Annie and Clarabel are delighted to have Thomas back...until Thomas points out that he's still on Quarry duty and that another engine will be pulling them in the meantime. Annie and Clarabel are horrified when they discover the "other engine" is Diesel.

Characters
Two passengers speak at Harwick. They are voiced by Teresa Gallagher and Rob Rackstraw in both dubs.
 * Thomas
 * Diesel
 * Daisy
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Bird Watcher
 * Henry (cameo)
 * Emily (cameo)
 * The Teacher (cameo)
 * The Blond-haired Boy (cameo)

Locations

 * Arlesburgh
 * Arlesburgh Harbour
 * Harwick
 * Knapford
 * Dryaw
 * Dryaw FC
 * Maithwaite
 * The Windmill
 * Vicarstown Dieselworks (mentioned)
 * Anopha Quarry (mentioned)

Trivia

 * This episode marks the first time in the television series that Daisy is seen actually pulling rolling stock.
 * Going by the Channel 5 guide listing, this is the eighteenth episode of Season 20.

Goofs

 * At the beginning, in a close-up of Daisy, just as the narrator says "railcar", a puffing noise can be heard, but there is no steam engine anywhere.
 * When Thomas is telling the good news to Annie and Clarabel, the buffers in the shed are visible through the coaches when they should be blocked out.
 * Rob Rackstraw is not credited despite voicing the Bird Watcher.

UK

 * Thomas' Christmas Carol

US

 * Tinsel on the Tracks