Percy Runs Away

"I've got to stop, I've got to stop... I have stopped!"

- Percy

Percy Runs Away is the seventeenth episode of the first season. In the US, this episode aired on the Shining Time Station episodes "Two Old Hands" and "Dance Crazy".

Plot
After several days of being shut up in the shed, the Fat Controller visits Gordon, James, and Henry. He tells the three that he hopes they have learned they are not as important as they thought. He informs them that there is a new tank engine named Percy and that Edward and Thomas ran the main line well by themselves. However, he is willing to let them out on the condition that they work hard and do not complain about shunting any more. All three agree and they quickly resume their duties.

The Fat Controller then speak to Thomas, Edward, and Percy and, as a reward for their hard work, allows them to play on the branch line for a few days. Thomas happily collects Annie and Clarabel while Edward and Percy go and play with trucks in the yard. Edward and Thomas leave and Percy is left alone where he enjoys watching the larger engines go by. He also enjoys being cheeky to them.

Later, after doing some more shunting, Percy heads back to the yard, but the points are against him. Percy was so eager to work, he had become careless and forgot that Edward had told him to whistle when he got to the signalbox so that the signalman would know he was there. Suddenly he sees something that does make him whistle in panic; Gordon, on the same line, heading towards him full speed with the express! Percy is horrified, but cannot do anything and closes his eyes as Gordon gets closer. Luckily Gordon applies his brakes and stops just in time. However, by now a frightened Percy has begun to move and, intending to run away, begins running backwards.

Percy runs straight through Edward's station and is so frightened he runs straight up Gordon's Hill without stopping. After he descends the hill, Percy quickly becomes tired, but, as his crew had jumped out when they saw Gordon, could not stop. Finally a signalman sees that Percy is in trouble and sets the points into a siding, where Percy lands in a big bank of earth. By now, Percy is so tired he does not care where he stopped.

Gordon arrives and congratulates Percy on starting quickly and stopping a potential accident. Percy apologises for his previous cheekiness and Gordon pulls Percy out from the bank.

Percy quickly settles into his new role as station pilot. Although he never loses his penchant for cheekiness, he now knows to always be careful when he goes on the main line.

Characters

 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Thomas (does not speak)
 * Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)

Locations

 * Knapford
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Lower Suddery
 * Wellsworth
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Shunting Yards

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Troublesome Engines.
 * Stock footage from Trouble in the Shed is used.
 * In the UK narration, the Fat Controller says, "I hope you are sorry, and understand that you are not so important after all." In the US narration, he says, "I hope you are sorry, and understand that every job on the island is important."
 * After Gordon rescues Percy, in the UK narration, Ringo Starr says, "Percy is still cheeky because he is that sort of engine," but in the US narration he says, "The two engines (Gordon and Percy) are now good friends".
 * In both Ringo Starr versions, Percy says "You were clever to stop". But, in the George Carlin version, Gordon is the one who says it.
 * Ringo Starr says, "He was eager to work, but was being rather careless and not paying attention", whereas George Carlin says, "Percy was being rather careless and not paying attention".
 * George Carlin says "Get out of my way!" much earlier than Ringo Starr.

Goofs

 * Henry has the external steampipes of his new shape in the Tidmouth Sheds scenes.
 * Annie and Clarabel's names are missing when Thomas takes them away.
 * In the close-ups of Wellsworth, greenery appears behind Percy.
 * The narrator says that Edward took some empty trucks to the quarry, but the last three are full.
 * In one close-up of Percy at the points, the camera jumps a bit.
 * In some shots while Percy runs away, his crew is in his cab.
 * Percy goes further back from the signalbox without moving.
 * Gordon said to Percy that he started so quickly that he stopped an accident, but Percy started long after Gordon stopped.
 * If you look on a map of Sodor, the branchline to Suddery is between Wellsworth and Gordon's Hill. Percy should have passed the line before he went up Gordon's Hill, but he still ends up in Suddery. He should have ended up in Maron.
 * The signalman should not have set the signals for the express without first making sure the line was clear.
 * In the last shot, a track in front of the camera dead ends.
 * A brakevan should have been added to Edward's train.