Snow

"It's a snowball!" "It's a snow house!" "It's an engine!"

- Workmen speculating over Skarloey's "igloo"

Snow is the twenty-sixth and final episode of the fifth season. It aired during an airing of Storytime with Thomas in the US.

Plot
One winter day on the Island of Sodor, a thick layer of snow had fallen and all engines have gone to work except Percy, who is stuck in a snowdrift. Thomas finds Percy and tells him that there is no time for resting, but is told that Percy's crew had just left to seek help. Thomas scoffs at this but continues his journey to clear the rest of the snowed in railway lines. Later, Thomas had to clear snow from a tunnel but the snow is deep enough for him to get stuck, much to his annoyance. Rusty is working close by. So to pass the time, Rusty tells Thomas a story.

On a snowy day, Skarloey was travelling up to the slate mine when he passed through a ravine. Whenever snow came, work became difficult in the slate mines and snow was used as a "double buffer zone" to stop trucks from falling into the ravine below. One day, Skarloey was travelling to the mines with empty trucks, while at the mine, the winch that hauls the trucks up and down the incline wasn't working properly. When Skarloey reached the ravine, his driver was concerned that any noise could cause an avalanche, so he set an emergency cap. When Skarloey ran over it, the bang echoed around the gorge but nothing happened, so his crew decided to make a cup of cocoa and be on their way. However, up in the slate mines a long line of full trucks were to be winched down the slope, but the winch became jammed when some empty trucks derailed. A coupling on the full trucks snapped and they ran down the slope. A workman thought the snowbank and buffers would stop the runaway, but he was wrong. The trucks instead broke through the buffers and plunged into the ravine, and all the noise from the trucks caused an avalanche which buried Skarloey deep inside. When Rusty came to the rescue, they discovered that Skarloey's heat had created an igloo, and inside they found Skarloey's crew nonchalantly sipping cocoa.

Thomas uses this as an example about how trucks can be so troublesome while Rusty states the same for snow. The workmen finally clear the snow from behind Thomas, but Gordon then arrives with his snow machine to clear away drifts. Gordon loudly blows steam and causes an avalanche, covering both he and Thomas in snow. Gordon cries for help, and Thomas jokes that if Skarloey could emerge from an avalanche laughing, Gordon could at least do the same. Gordon just scoffs and falls silent as the snow.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * Percy
 * Skarloey
 * Rusty
 * Peter Sam
 * Duncan

Locations

 * The Windmill
 * Stepney's Branch Line
 * Standard and Narrow Gauge Tunnel Runby
 * Skarloey Railway Slate Quarry
 * Echo Pass Ravine

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the twenty-fifth episode of the fifth season.
 * Stock footage from Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure is used.
 * During most of the flashback, Skarloey's large scale model was used; but during the scene where the narrator says "When the snow came..." his small scale model is used. The same goes for Rusty: When interacting with Thomas, Rusty's small scale model is used; but when he appears during the flashback, his large scale model was used.
 * When the trucks plunge into the ravine, music is heard in the US version but not the UK version.
 * This was the last episode of a few things:
 * Britt Allcroft's last episode as producer and writer.
 * David Mitton's last episode as producer.
 * Angus Wright's last episode as executive producer.
 * David Maidment's last episode as railway consultant.
 * The last episode produced by The Britt Allcroft Company.
 * The last episode in the UK to use the original opening credits until the seventh season episode, Emily's New Coaches.
 * The last episode narrated by Manfred Steffen in Germany, Gro Solemdal in Norway, Gérard Boucaron in France and Angelo Maggi in Italy, and the last episode narrated by Tatá Guarnieri in Brazil until Hero of the Rails.
 * When the trucks charge towards the buffers, both of the Skarloey Railway Engine Sheds from the fourth season can be seen (though both repainted grey).

Goofs

 * In various scenes, part of Skarloey's cab roof is snapped.
 * When the trucks race down the incline, the middle truck derails.
 * When the trucks crash through the snow bank and buffers, they are coupled, but they fall off separately, one by one. Additionally, a truck is missing when they fall into the ravine.
 * When the trucks are on the incline, the front truck has a narrow-gauge truck face, but when it races down the incline, it has a standard-gauge truck face. Both are due to the fact different scale models were used.
 * When Thomas talks to Percy, his eyes are wonky.
 * Rusty's face changes size during the scene of Skarloey being rescued due to his large scale model being used.
 * A wire can be seen between Rusty and his coach after the workmen have removed the ice from Skarloey.

Quotes
______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________
 * Trucks: Break It! Snap It! (a coupling snaps) Faster! Faster!
 * Workman: The snowbank and buffers will stop them.
 * Skarloey and his crew: AVALANCHE!!!
 * Rusty: No one knew that the heat from Skarloey's engine had helped to make an igloo.
 * Workmen: It's a snowball. It's a snow house. It's an engine!
 * Rusty: They cleared away the ice, only to find Skarloey's driver and fireman drinking cocoa, as if nothing had happened!
 * Gordon: Hey, look out! There's snow about! (nears the tunnel and wheeses steam) Oh no!
 * (snow falls on top of him)
 * Gordon: [covered in snow] Help!
 * Thomas: If Skarloey survived a snowfall, surely, a big, proud engine like you could do the same.
 * Gordon: [furiously] Pah!

Home Media Releases
{{Scroll box|

UK

 * Spooks and Surprises (Direct-to-Home Video)
 * Seasonal Scrapes
 * Christmas Collection
 * My Little Thomas and the Royal Visitor
 * The Complete Series 5

DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection

US

 * Thomas' Christmas Wonderland and other Thomas Adventures
 * Thomas' Snowy Surprise and Other Adventures
 * Ultimate Christmas
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 5

DVD Boxsets

 * Celebrate with Thomas
 * Holiday Favorites
 * Sodor Friends Holiday Collection
 * Thomas' Holiday Collection

AUS

 * Spooks and Surprises
 * The Complete Series 5

DVD Packs

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * Classic Collection
 * Series Five and Series Six Double Pack

NZ

 * Spooks and Surprises

ITA

 * Back All!

JPN

 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 2 Vol.4
 * Sing-Along and Stories 3
 * Sodor Tour: Surprise Happening

BRA

 * Christmas in the Beautiful Land of Thomas

DK

 * Forward and Backward and Other Stories

MYS

 * Busy Going Backwards and Other Adventures
 * Salty's Secret and Other Thomas Adventures

GER

 * Lots of Little Helpers

DVD Boxsets

 * Thomas and His Friends Box Set 2

GRC

 * Time for Work

PHL

 * Happy Ever After (Philippine DVD)

SWE

 * Hidden in Snow

WAL

 * Fleas and 15 other Stories

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 19 (Thai DVD)
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 13 (Thai DVD)
 * }}

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