Toby and the Whistling Woods

"I'm not scared of the Whistling Woods I'll puff straight on like Thomas would!"

- Toby

Toby and the Whistling Woods is the fifth episode of the fourteenth season.

Plot
Toby must take some coal to the Duke and Duchess of Boxford's Summerhouse. Toby's usual route to the summerhouse is blocked by a tree that was blown down is a storm, so he is told to go through the Whistling Woods. Toby doesn't like the woods because he thinks it's scary.

At the junction, he meets James and Thomas shunting trucks. They ask Toby if he's okay because he ignores their cheery "hello". Toby doesn't think an old engine should ask a younger engine for help, so he turns down Thomas' offer of traveling through the woods with Toby, who steams boldly on.

Inside the woods Toby hears a scary noise. Toby is so scared he quickly reverses back to the junction and biffs into the line of trucks Thomas and James have shunted. This time it's James who offers to take Toby through the woods, but again, Toby refuses and heads back in. This time Toby gets further into the woods before he hears another scary sound. This makes Toby reverse back to the junction again and he biffs James and Thomas' trucks again!

This time, both James and Thomas offer to escort Toby through the woods and, although Toby really wants to accept their help, he doesn't and heads back in once more. This time he hears the scariest noise of all. He rushes back to the junction and this time he completely derails Thomas and James' trucks. Toby realizes the trouble he's caused and now he's late with his delivery, too. He finally finds the courage to ask the younger engines for help. To his surprise, they don't tease him and call him a "scaredy engine", they are more than happy to help their friend.

Thomas, James, and Toby puff through the woods together. Toby finds out that the first noise he heard was Thomas' friend - the snowy owl, the second was the woodland waterfall, and the third was just the wind whistling through the trees. With the help of his friends, Toby finally reaches the summerhouse and now he knows that he's never too old to ask for help.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * James
 * Toby
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Edward (cameo)
 * Percy (cameo)
 * Emily (cameo)
 * Diesel (cameo)
 * Hiro (cameo)
 * Henrietta (cameo)
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford (mentioned)

Locations

 * Whistling Woods
 * Whistling Woods Junction
 * Knapford
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford's Summer House
 * Sodor Dairy

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the sixth episode of the fourteenth season.
 * In Germany, the episode is titled "Toby and the Whispering". The Welsh title is "Toby and the Whispering Woods".

Goofs

 * If the coal was for domestic use, it should have been put into sacks.
 * When Toby meets up with Thomas and James they are facing one way, and when Toby reverses out of the woods, they are facing the other way.
 * The way Toby biffs and derails the trucks is unrealistic. In reality, the trucks would have just shot back.
 * James, Thomas, and Toby don't seem to care very much about the derailed trucks.
 * If Thomas and James offered to help Toby, why would he think they'd call him a "scaredy engine"?
 * Snowy owls live in more northern climates than the British Isles.
 * When Sir Topham Hatt is talking to Toby at Knapford, Toby's 7 is reflected in the window improperly; it should be mirrored.
 * The narrator said that Toby puffed into the woods all by himself, but he wasn't. His driver and fireman were with him.
 * Brakevans should have been added to Diesel, Emily, Hiro, Percy, and Toby's trains.
 * When Toby says "No thank you, James. I don't need your help" the bottom part of his headlamp is missing.
 * Toby calls Thomas and James young, but they were both built shortly before he was.

Quotes

 * Toby: Old engines can't be scaredy engines!

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway - Toby's Whistling Woods set
 * TrackMaster - Toby and the Whistling Woods set