Thomas Puts the Brakes On

"Hello Thomas! Your brakes don't sound good."

- Stanley

"Oh no Thomas! You've lost them all. Now the bridge can't be finished."

- Bridge Worker after Thomas losing a pile of bricks

Thomas Puts the Brakes On is the seventeenth episode of the twelfth season.

Plot
The Sodor River Bridge is being repaired and Thomas has been helping with it. He now has one more delivery: four sets of special blocks made specifically for the bridge. Sir Topham Hatt warns Thomas that there are no more like it anywhere. Thomas sets off for the bridge. As he chuffs to the bridge, he applied his brakes at a red signal next to Stanley. His brakes were squeaking loudly and it took a while to brake. Stanley offers to take the blocks for him, but Thomas is determined.

Along the way, Emily warns Thomas to slow down because of a sharp bend. Thomas applies his brakes, but the squeak is much longer and his brakes do not work right. Hitting a bump, some sets of the special blocks bounced off of his flatbed. Thomas is too concerned about his brakes to notice. He keeps on puffing. He soon decides to go slowly, but as he goes down Gordon's Hill, he rushes down it thanks to the weight of his delivery. Gordon comes with the express and tells Thomas to slow down. Thomas puts the brakes on, but as before, there is a squeak and the brakes do not work. Worse still, the squeak is louder. Thomas veers into an emergency siding and bashes the buffers. More blocks fall off. Thomas is too concerned about his brakes to notice.

Thomas soon sees the bridge up ahead. Thomas is excited, but as he chuffs down, his brakes fail altogether. Thomas clatters off the track and onto the broken part of the bridge. The flatbed hit Thomas' rear buffers, knocking the rest of the blocks into the river. This is where Thomas discovers that he lost all of his blocks. Stanley helps Thomas back onto the track and they set off to recover the blocks. With Murdoch taking Rocky, the blocks are recovered and Thomas goes to the works. When Thomas returns to the bridge, his brakes do not squeak and he instantly stops. Thomas and Stanley are pleased and spend the day on the newly built bridge.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * Emily
 * Stanley
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Murdoch (does not speak)
 * Rocky (does not speak)

Locations

 * Sodor River Bridge
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Shunting Yards
 * The Lumber Mill (deleted scene)

Trivia

 * Behind the scenes footage for The Great Discovery included Pierce Brosnan narrating the episode.
 * Stock footage from Dream On, Don't be Silly, Billy and edited stock footage of Thomas and the Billboard are used.
 * When the bricks fall off the flatbed, they are being projected off.
 * This episode aired before Edward Strikes Out in Australia, meaning the audience wouldn't know who Rocky is.
 * This episode marks the last of several things:
 * Murdoch's last appearance to date.
 * Stanley's last appearance until Misty Island Rescue and his last speaking role until Day of the Diesels.
 * This episode aired before The Great Discovery premiered in the UK, meaning the audience would not have known about Stanley.

Goofs

 * For unknown reasons, the chain between Thomas and the flatbed gets longer when Thomas derails at the bridge.
 * When Stanley goes to collect the bricks on the hill, a track disappears.
 * The brake van at the end of Thomas' train disappears when Stanley shunts Thomas back to the yard.
 * In a picture of where they found the blocks from the hill, red and brown wires are visible.
 * For unknown reasons, a string can be seen pulling Gordon when he passes Thomas.
 * In the very last shot of this episode, Thomas and Stanley do not have faces.
 * In the scene where Stanley is pulling Thomas off the bridge, his piston rod is crooked.
 * Rocky's eyes are wonky when Thomas passed him.

Merchandise

 * Books - Thomas and the Bumpy Ride and Thomas' Mixed-Up Day/Thomas Puts the Brakes On

Home Media Releases
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UK/AUS

 * The Complete Twelfth Series

AUS DVD Boxsets

 * The Essential Collection (5 DVD Boxset)

US/Latin America

 * Railway Friends

US DVD Boxsets

 * Adventure Pack
 * Full Steam Ahead
 * Extraordinary Engines and Railway Friends Double Pack

FRA

 * Best Friends (French DVD)

THA

 * Thomas Puts the Brakes On (Thai DVD)
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 45 (Thai DVD)

KOR

 * A Man Lives in the Mountains

MYS

 * Thomas Puts the Brakes On and Other Adventures

SA

 * Percy and the Bandstand

GER
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 * Best Friends (German DVD)