Bertie's Chase

"Oh dear, what can the matter be? Johnny's so long at..." "Never you mind about Johnny!"

- Edward's fireman and driver

Bertie's Chase is the third episode of the second season. It first aired on Shining Time Station in the episode Washout in 1991 and the Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales episode Splish Splash Splosh in 1996.

Plot
One morning, Edward is waiting at Wellsworth to pick up passengers from Thomas’ train, and is growing impatient. His fireman gets up on the cab roof, but says he can only see Bertie. They decide to leave, not knowing that Bertie has Thomas’ passengers on board since Thomas is ill. He tries to stop them as they leave the station, but it's too late. Bertie's driver tells him that they must keep their promise to Thomas and they start to chase Edward.

Bertie tries to catch up with Edward, but to no avail. At last, he reaches the top of a hill and sees Edward at Suddery, stopped at the level crossing. Bertie tears down the hill at top speed, but the crossing gates open and Edward puffs away, just as Bertie comes into the yard.

Bertie is now very upset and very tired. He apologies to the passengers, who tell him not to worry. They encourage him to start after Edward again. Bertie isn’t so sure, but his driver says that there's a good chance of catching Edward, as Bertie can climb hills better than him. After checking with the stationmaster, Bertie sets off again.

As they carry on, Edward comes to a hill. The coaches start grumbling, but soon they reach the top. Still having no idea about Bertie, they run smoothly into the next station. The guard blows his whistle, but as the driver looks back, he can’t see a green flag. Suddenly, Bertie comes into the station yard and the stationmaster tells the driver and guard what happened. Edward apologies to Bertie, who claims everything was his fault. Edward says goodbye, and continues with his journey while Bertie goes to find Thomas at Tidmouth. Thomas thanks him for being such a good friend.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Bertie
 * Jeremiah Jobling (speaks only in Japanese dub)
 * Mrs. Kyndley (speaks only in Japanese dub)
 * Jem Cole (cameo)
 * The Barber (cameo)

Locations

 * Wellsworth
 * Lower Suddery
 * Tidmouth
 * Suddery
 * Suddery Junction
 * Hackenbeck Tunnel (stock footage)

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Edward the Blue Engine.
 * Stock footage from Thomas and Bertie is used.
 * In the original Shining Time Station airing of this episode, the episode opened with Bertie arriving at the crossing. In Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales, the original beginning of the episode first aired.
 * In a deleted scene photo of Bertie at the level crossing, he has eyebrows.
 * Edward's fireman utters a part from the famous nursery rhyme "Oh Dear! What Can the Matter Be?" originally from 1780, which was composed in England. In the Latin American version, he utters part from the famous song "El Día que me quieras" composed by Carlos Gardel in 1934.

Goofs

 * Whilst the fireman is climbing out of the window, a gap can be seen where the cab roof has come loose.
 * When the fireman is on Edward's roof, paint chips on the cab are visible and Edward's whistle has a different shape.
 * When the episode is watched in widescreen, as Edward crosses the bridge, the train stops just when Bertie comes. But in the restored version, the brake coach passes the camera completely after Edward crosses the bridge while Bertie comes, but the train does noticeably slow down.
 * Blu-tak can be seen under one of the passengers when Bertie's driver speaks to the stationmaster.
 * In the close-up of Edward after Bertie brings him the passengers, a speck of dirt is on his face.
 * When Edward reaches the last station, his whistle is tilted.
 * When Bertie is going downhill, he passes Edward twice by the side. This due to the fact that the producers did not want to make Bertie catch up with Edward at the Lower Suddery crossing in time.