Last Train for Christmas

"Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

- Santa Claus/Father Christmas

Last Train for Christmas is the eighteenth (thirteenth in Australia) episode of the eighteenth season.

Plot
It is Christmas Eve on the Island of Sodor and people are hurrying home to be with their families. It is snowing and Oliver, Duck and Thomas are out ploughing the lines. Thomas is looking forward to Christmas because no trains run and they all get to stay in their warm sheds without their snowploughs.

Connor is on the Mainland collecting passengers who are returning home for the holidays. Unfortunately, Connor's train is soon full and some passengers are left at the station, including a little boy on crutches who is worried about making it home for Christmas. Connor promises that he will come back for them as there is still one more train before Christmas.

By the time Connor reaches Knapford, it is getting very late. Connor tells the Fat Controller that if he has more coaches, he will still be able to get everyone home for Christmas. The Fat Controller is concerned; more heavy snow is on the way. Connor assures the Fat Controller that he is a very fast engine and will not get caught in the snowfall.

Connor heads into the sidings, looking for more coaches. Suddenly, he hears a chorus of voices calling out to him. Connor does not know where the voices are coming from, but Thomas does. Thomas reverses into the siding and nudges a snowdrift. Snow falls the ground revealing Duck's slip coaches. Thomas explains that the slip coaches will be ideal because Connor can uncouple them without even having to stop.

Connor steams back across the island with the slip coaches. Heavy snow starts to fall over Sodor which causes trouble for the engines. Paxton even manages to get stuck. This is enough for the Fat Controller to take action. He goes out onto the platform at Knapford to make an announcement to his engines. He tells them all that there can be no more trains and that the last train for Christmas will have to be cancelled. Percy is upset that so many people will not be able to get home to spend Christmas with their families. The Fat Controller spots a family standing lovingly together on the platform and has a sudden change of heart. He tells the engines that if they work together as a team, they have a good chance of clearing the line for the last train.

All of the engines get to work. Thomas and Percy clear the line to Wellsworth. As they stop outside the station, Percy spots some lights in the sky. Percy believes it to be Santa Claus, but it turns out to be Harold who is on duty looking for anyone stranded in the heavy snow.

Edward and Henry busily clear the tracks beyond Maron, but it is Emily who has the hardest job of all; clearing the tracks from Vicarstown to the Mainland where the snow is deepest of all. She is quickly running out of steam and reverses into a siding, preparing to give up when she hears a loud whistle. It is Hiro coming from the opposite direction. He has no trouble charging his way through the snowdrifts. He pulls off to join Emily in the siding so Connor can pass, shouting his thanks for Hiro's help. Hiro then spots something in the sky and thinks it might be Santa, but it is only Harold once again.

Connor drops the first slip coach off at Kellsthorpe Road Station, the second at Maron and the third and final one at Wellsworth. Unfortunately, Connor uncouples the last coach too close to the station and it does not stop at the platform, it overshoots. If it is not pushed back to the platform, the passengers will be left stranded in the snow. Luckily, Thomas is there and is able to shunt the coach back to the platform.

When Connor finally arrives at Knapford, the little boy he had met earlier that evening thanks him for getting them all home for Christmas. Then, the Fat Controller arrives and thanks Connor for all his hard work and determination. Connor says that his efforts would have been in vain if it had not been for his friends helping out. The Fat Controller thanks all the engines for their help and leaves. The engines leave, too, except for Thomas who spots Harold again. Thomas calls up to wish Harold a "Merry Christmas" and reverses away. However, this time it is not Harold, it is the real Santa Claus with the light Thomas saw being Rudolph's red nose.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * James
 * Percy
 * Duck
 * Oliver
 * Emily
 * Hiro
 * Connor
 * Diesel
 * Slip Coaches
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Blond-haired Boy
 * Father Christmas (not named)
 * Paxton (does not speak)
 * Harold (does not speak)
 * The Teacher (cameo)
 * The Bird Watcher (cameo)
 * The Welsh Bird Watcher (cameo)
 * The Female Puppet Show Entertainer (cameo)

Some passengers also cheer. Some of them are voiced by Keith Wickham in the UK and Kerry Shale in the US.

Locations

 * Town Square
 * Duck's Branch Line
 * Crovan's Gate
 * Knapford
 * M.C. BUNN
 * Wellsworth
 * Maron
 * Kellsthorpe Road
 * Vicarstown Bridge
 * The Mainland (mentioned)
 * Vicarstown (mentioned)

Trivia

 * This is the last episode produced solely by Robert Anderson.
 * The scene with Connor at the mainland station is actually a modified Crovan's Gate.
 * This episode marks the first appearance of Father Christmas since the second season episode, Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree.
 * Going by production order, this is the thirteenth episode of the eighteenth season.
 * In Australia, this episode was first available to view on the ABC iView online service on December 21st before its television broadcast.
 * The blond-haired boy with his crutches may be a reference to Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens' novel "A Christmas Carol."
 * In the US, this episode aired before Duck and the Slip Coaches, meaning that the audience may not know who the Slip Coaches are.
 * Near Sir Topham Hatt's telephone there is a poster from the Hero of the Rails intro.
 * This episode marks the Slip Coaches' last speaking roles to date.

Goofs

 * In two shots during the meeting at Knapford, Henry is not rendered properly, as his body has raised from his chassis.
 * The slip coaches' lights are on even when they are not being used.
 * The number of Connor's own coaches changes at Wellsworth from three to four.
 * In the shot of the last slip coach uncoupling from Connor, the slip coach's coupling is one that can unhook from other couplings. In the next shot, it is a standard coupling.
 * When the engines leave Knapford, Henry's siderods are not moving.

Merchandise

 * Books - The Last Train for Christmas

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * The Christmas Engines
 * The Complete Series 18

DVD Boxsets

 * Festive Favourites

US

 * The Christmas Engines (Direct-to-Home Video)
 * Season 18 (Digital Download)

DVD Boxsets

 * The Christmas Engines and Hero of the Rails Double Pack

AUS

 * The Christmas Engines

FRA

 * Series 18 (digital download)

Thailand

 * Last Train for Christmas (DVD)

China
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 * Marion and the Pipe (Chinese DVD)