Henry and the Wishing Tree

"Wishing trees don't run railways! That's MY job!"

- The Fat Controller

Henry and the Wishing Tree is the fourth episode of the eighth season.

Plot
Henry enjoys working in the peaceful forest, but sometimes it can be lonely. That is why he likes to see the passengers boarding Gordon's express at Knapford. Gordon snootily orders Henry to keep his freight away from the passengers and with great sadness, Henry watches the express pull out of the station. Henry wishes that he could pull passengers - just for a change.

Later, Henry stopped at the water tower on the outskirts of the forest. Strangely, the children were standing near one of the trees. Henry asks Thomas what they are doing. Thomas tells Henry that they are probably making a wish on the old Sodor wishing tree. Henry decides to wish that he could pull the express, instead of Gordon.

That evening, the Fat Controller visits Henry at the sheds. He tells the green engine that, the following day, he is to pull the express. Henry was delighted; his wish had come true.

The following morning, Henry chuffs into Knapford with his express carriages. The passengers are soon on board and Henry blows his whistle and pulls out of the station. But, Henry puffs too carelessly and bumps the coaches. His driver reminds him that he cannot biff coaches like trucks.

What Henry did not know was that Gordon was in the repair yard being fitted with a new boiler. He was lonely and missing his passengers. The passengers were missing Gordon too. They were being bumped and bounced around inside the coaches.

When Henry returns to the sheds, the Fat Controller is waiting for him. The Fat Controller tells Henry that there have been complaints and reminds him to be more careful. Then Henry spots Gordon at the works. Henry is horrified, he thinks his wish made Gordon go to the repair yard.

The next day, Henry collects the buffet car. He is trying hard to be gentle, but he shunts the dining car too hard and everything inside goes flying. This sparks more complaints than ever and Henry no longer wants to pull passengers - he wants everything back to normal.

When Henry arrives at the forest, he cannot remember which tree is the wishing tree. So he wishes on every tree in the forest. Soon an angry Fat Controller arrives aboard Thomas and tells Henry that running a railway is his job, not the wishing tree's, and that he sent Gordon to the works for repair, not because Henry wished it to happen.

The next day, Gordon returns to work looking as good as new. The passengers are so pleased that they gave him three cheers. Meanwhile, Henry is pleased to be back working in the forest. At the end of the day, Henry stops near the wishing tree and makes a wish. He wishes to never have to pull passengers again - just in case.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Percy (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * Stephen Hatt (cameo)
 * Bridget Hatt (cameo)
 * Cyril the Fogman (cameo)
 * The Refreshment Lady (cameo)
 * The Storyteller (cameo)

Locations

 * Henry's Forest
 * Knapford
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * The Works

Trivia

 * An Alicia Botti poster can be seen at the end of this episode.
 * Neptune Refreshments, the refreshment lady's shop, can be seen outside Knapford station.
 * If you go by production order, this is fourth episode of the eighth season.
 * In Denmark, this episode is named "Henry and the Desire Tree".

Goofs

 * The forest is Henry's favourite place, so it is unlikely that he would not have known what the wishing tree was.
 * It would have taken more than a few days to replace Gordon's boiler.
 * Gordon wouldn't have any of his boiler cladding still on him; the boiler cladding would've been removed before taking the old boiler out and replacing it with the new one.
 * The repair yard is too small in height and capacity to remove Gordon's boiler. Gordon should have been placed outside so a crane could lift his boiler.
 * Henry has pulled coaches both before and after this episode without any trouble.
 * When Thomas leaves, a camera's shadow is seen as he passes.
 * Henry's driver should not have let Henry stop at the wishing tree while pulling the express.
 * A brakevan should have been added to Percy's train.