Thomas Toots the Crows

"Ha, ha, ha! Chasing crows! Ha, ha, ha!"

- Den laughing at Thomas

Thomas Toots the Crows is the eighth episode of the sixteenth season.

Plot
It is time for farmers to sow their seeds on Sodor. Thomas is on his way to Farmer McColl's Farm with flatbeds of straw. As he approaches the farm, he spots a large flock of noisy crows filling the sky. As Thomas pulls in at the farm, he sees Farmer McColl run into his crop field trying to shoo the crows who are eating his seeds. The troubled farmer explains that his scarecrow is in a terrible state and he cannot fix it before the next morning. Thomas toots his whistle and the crows disperse into the sky. Farmer McColl is very pleased and asks Thomas if he can stay and help him keep the crows off his field. Thomas agrees to help.

Thomas is watching the field as two crows land in it, ready to peck at the seeds. Thomas whistles, but the crows do not take any notice. Thomas rolls forwards and toots again, but the crows still ignore him. Then the crows fly down the track and Thomas chases after them, determined to keep them away from the field. The crows fly towards the Dieselworks with Thomas in close pursuit.

At the Dieselworks, Den is dozing as the two crows land on his cab. Thomas rolls in and blows his whistle to scare the crows but accidentally wakes Den who is not happy. Thomas explains that he is chasing crows, much to Den's merriment, and races away after the crows. The crows head towards the Steamworks. Gordon is there having a repaint when the crows land on his boiler. Thomas whistles at them, but startles a workmen who paints a black moustache above Gordon's mouth. Gordon is not happy and Thomas sets off after the crows again. This time, the crows fly towards the quarry where they land on Mavis' slate truck. Thomas pulls into the quarry whistling. This surprises Mavis who charges forward, bashing into her trucks. Thomas explains that he is chasing crows for Farmer McColl and sets off.

Thomas now cannot see the crows and decides he must have scared them away for good and heads back to tell Farmer McColl the good news. However, when he arrives at McColl Farm, Farmer McColl is anything but happy. Whilst Thomas has spent the best part of a day chasing two crows, loads more have returned to the farmer's field. Thomas feels foolish and Farmer McColl is very upset; he will not have the scarecrow mended until the morning. By way of apology, Thomas offers to stay at the farm overnight to keep an eye on the crop field. He goes on to promise that, this time, he will not move a piston. Farmer McColl gratefully excepts Thomas' kind offer.

So that night, Thomas keeps watch over Farmer McColl's Field. Everytime a crow lands in the field, he blows his whistle loudly. The next morning, not a single seed had been eaten. Farmer McColl now has a new scarecrow and is very grateful to Thomas who is so tired, he can hardly keep his eyes open. Farmer McColl insists that Thomas go and rest as his scarecrow can take over now.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * Mavis
 * Den
 * Farmer McColl
 * Henry (cameo)
 * James (cameo)
 * Toby (cameo)
 * Rosie (cameo)
 * Hiro (cameo)

Locations

 * McColl Farm
 * Farmer McColl's Field
 * Sodor Dieselworks
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Sodor Slate Quarry

Goofs

 * It is unlikely that the crows would only fly over the railway lines so that Thomas could follow them.
 * Thomas guards the field all night, but his crew would have wanted to go home and Thomas cannot blow his whistle on his own. Moreover, Thomas would need to be resupplied with water to remain under steam to use his whistle.