Toby's Special Surprise

"'Ello, Toby! Why you looking at old tin cans?"

- Whiff

Toby's Special Surprise is the seventh episode of the twelfth season.

Plot
One morning, Toby greets his friends at Tidmouth Sheds. The Fat Controller is giving the engines their orders for today, but, while all the others get important jobs, Toby must go back to Arlesdale End to wait; his only job is to collect workmen and deliver them to Great Waterton in the afternoon. Toby is very disappointed.

Once back at Arlesdale End, Toby thinks that his friends have been given specials because they have found something very special, like the time Emily found the family of seals, the time Henry found a flag of Sodor, and the time Thomas found Great Waterton. So Toby decides to find something special so he can be given a special too. Taking Henrietta with him, Toby goes up into the hills. First he sees something red in the trees and thinks it is a big red bird. But on closer inspection, it is only an old Wellington boot. Toby then spies something glittering. Thinking it is a treasure chest, Toby puffs closer, but it turns out to be a rusty truck full of tin cans for Whiff to collect. Whiff is surprised that Toby is looking at old tin cans, which makes Toby feel silly.

Toby continues his journey, only to learn from Thomas that the Fat Controller is at Great Waterton waiting for him. Toby had completely forgotten about his job, so he quickly sets off to collect the workmen. With the workmen aboard Henrietta, Toby tries his best to get to Great Waterton, but he gets distracted again. This time by a shiny piece of metal, which is stuck in the undergrowth. Suddenly, Toby hears a hissing noise; he used up all of his coal.

Quickly, Toby tells the workmen to use their hammers to hit the metal as hard as they can while he rings his bell, to inform someone at Great Waterton that they are in trouble. Fortunately, Whiff and the Fat Controller are at Great Waterton and hear the noise. The Fat Controller climbs onto Whiff's footplate and they set off to find Toby. Once they arrives, Toby tells the Fat Controller that he does not feel special, but the Fat Controller reminds Toby that, as the only steam tram on Sodor, he is special.

Later, Edward arrives with Rocky to take the old metal from the undergrowth to the Smelters. However, the Fat Controller realises that the old metal is very special indeed; Toby has found the old sign of the Sodor Tramways. This makes Toby very happy and very proud.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * Toby
 * Emily
 * Whiff
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Henrietta (does not speak)
 * Rocky (does not speak)
 * Edward (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * The Mayor of Sodor (mentioned)

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Great Waterton
 * Black Loch
 * Cabalnoo

Trivia

 * Stock footage from Thomas and the Storyteller and Thomas and the Lighthouse are used as a flashback of The Great Discovery.
 * References to the eighth season episode, Emily's New Route, the ninth season episode, Henry and the Flagpole, and The Great Discovery are made in this episode. In addition, a recreated CGI flashback of Emily's New Route is used.
 * This episode aired before The Great Discovery came out in the UK, so the audience would not know what Great Waterton was.
 * This marks Whiff's last appearance until Misty Island Rescue, and the last appearance of the breakdown train until The Adventure Begins, aside from the Works Unit Coach.

Goofs

 * When Toby collects the workmen, there are three, but when he runs out of coal, there are only two.
 * When the engines say "Good morning!" to Toby, their faces are not positioned correctly.

Merchandise

 * Magazine stories - Toby's Discovery!/Toby's Special Surprise

UK

 * Heave Ho!
 * The Complete Twelfth Series

DVD Boxsets

 * 10 DVD Boxset (2015)

US

 * Percy and the Bandstand

DVD Boxsets

 * Adventure Pack

AUS

 * Heave Ho!
 * The Complete Twelfth Series

DVD Boxsets

 * The Essential Collection (5 DVD Boxset)

MYS

 * The Party Surprise and Other Adventures

THA

 * Henry Gets it Wrong (Thai DVD)

TWN

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 43 (Taiwanese DVD)

FRA

 * Thomas and Friends (French DVD)