Tram Trouble

"Now I have another best friend and she's a steam tram too!"

- Thomas

Tram Trouble is the thirteenth episode of the twelfth season.

Plot
One day, Thomas is delighted that Toby is to lead the first Great Waterton parade and Thomas has to go to Great Waterton where Sir Topham Hatt is waiting for him to give him three important jobs to do. But when Thomas arrives at Great Waterton, he is surprised to meet a new steam tram called Flora, who is to lead the parade with Toby. Thomas thinks that Toby would prefer to lead the parade alone and would be upset if he met another steam tram.

When they arrive at a junction, Thomas has an idea; if he takes Flora to do his jobs with him before going to meet Toby at Arlesdale End, that way Toby would leave to lead the parade while they're gone. Thomas suggests going to the Lumber Mill first and Flora says it sounds exciting. They arrive at the Lumber Mill for Thomas to collect a flatbed of logs and Thomas says they could meet Toby much to Flora's excitement, but really Thomas wants to go to Arlesdale End to see if Toby had gone.

When they arrive at Arlesdale End, the shed looks empty, until Thomas sees steam coming out of the shed knowing that Toby is still there, so Thomas leads Flora to the Shunting Yards to collect trucks of stone for Toby not to see her. After collecting the trucks, they go back to Arlesdale End. But when they get to Arlesdale End, Toby still hasn't left yet when Thomas hears Toby's bell, so he takes Flora to the docks to pick up a special load. Thomas delivers all his trucks to the docks and picks up the special load. Thomas is sure that Toby had left to lead the parade, while Flora axles ached after all that chuffing around.

When they stop near Arlesdale End, Flora eventually runs out of coal after the long journey. Suddenly, Toby comes out of his shed explaining to Thomas that he had been waiting for him and is surprised to see Flora. Thomas introduces the tram engines to each other, but is surprised to see that Toby is happy. Toby tells Thomas that he was too scared to lead the parade by himself, but now he and Flora can lead it together. Thomas tells Toby that he thought he wanted to lead the parade by himself, but knows that he was wrong. Thomas let's Flora borrow some of his coal for her and Toby to go to Great Waterton.

Thomas arrives at Great Waterton with his special cargo. After the workmen unwrap the cargo, Flora is amazed to see that the special cargo is a new tram car for her. Thomas watches the engines lead the parade and is happy to have Flora as his new friend.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Toby
 * Flora
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
 * Sodor Brass Band (does not speak)
 * Edward (cameo)
 * Henry (cameo)
 * Gordon (cameo)
 * James (cameo)
 * Percy (cameo)
 * Henrietta (cameo)
 * Cranky (cameo)

Locations

 * Great Waterton
 * Knapford
 * Arlesdale End
 * Brendam Docks
 * Shunting Yards
 * The Lumber Mill
 * Sodor Slate Quarry (mentioned)

Trivia

 * Stock footage from Thomas in Trouble is used, as is edited stock footage from Saved You!
 * This episode aired before The Great Discovery came out in the UK, so the audience may have not known what Great Waterton was.
 * This episode marks Flora's first and only appearance to date.

Goofs

 * The narrator says that Flora peeped prettily, but she rings her bell.
 * Thomas tells Flora that they have to go to the quarry, but in the next scene, Thomas is collecting trucks from Knapford.
 * Toby takes Henrietta to Great Waterton, but when they are there, she is nowhere to be seen.
 * When the narrator says, "It looked empty," part of Toby's body is visible.
 * At some points, Thomas' face is angled differently from his smokebox.
 * When Thomas and Flora arrived at a junction, Thomas' steam platform is visible in an aerial shot.
 * A crew is never seen on board Flora, even though she has an open cab.
 * Toby's CGI face is off-centre when the narrator says, "Toby was pleased."

Merchandise

 * My Thomas Story Library - Flora (discontinued)
 * Magazine Stories - Tram Trouble

Home Media Releases
{{Scroll box|

UK

 * The Complete Series 12

US/Latin America/SA

 * Team Up With Thomas

US DVD Boxsets

 * Adventure Pack
 * Full Steam Ahead

FRA

 * A New Arrival

AUS

 * The Party Surprise (DVD)
 * The Complete Series 12

DVD Boxsets

 * The Essential Collection (5 DVD Boxset)

MYS

 * Thomas Puts the Brakes On and Other Adventures
 * Tram Trouble and Other Adventures

KOR

 * The Emergence of the New Tram Flora

THA
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 44 (Thai DVD)
 * Tram Trouble (Thai DVD)