Percy and the Monster of Brendam

"Who's calling me a monster?"

- Diesel

Percy and the Monster of Brendam is the fourth episode of the sixteenth season.

Plot
One morning, Percy is at Brendam Docks waiting for a boat to arrive with some furniture which he has to deliver to Dowager Hatt. Percy has to wait and is soon growing impatient. Salty pulls up and tells Percy a story about the Monster of Brendam and how it only appears when there is fog. After describing the monster, Salty heads off to the Dieselworks, leaving Percy excited at the prospect of seeing a real monster. Cranky is adamant that there is no monster and Salty is just being silly. Percy does not approve of Salty being called silly and is sure that there is a monster. A fog rolls in from the sea and Percy sets off to find the Monster of Brendam to prove Cranky wrong.

Along the line, Percy meets Edward who has coal to deliver. Percy asks him to find the Monster of Brendam with him and describes what it looks like. Suddenly they spy a shape which fits the monster's description. Edward, frightened, charges forward and collides with Rocky. It becomes apparent that the mysterious shape was just Rocky's crane arm. Rocky was surprised and drops an oil drum onto the sacks of coal on Edward's flatbed, sending coal dust everywhere. Edward apologises and Percy races away to get help.

At the level crossing, Percy meets Toby who is not a fan of the fog. Percy explains that he is looking for the tall, turning, twisting, croaking, and creaking Monster of Brendam. Toby thinks the Monster of Brendam is very scary. Suddenly Percy spies a turning and twisting object through the fog. Toby is so scared, he races away jingling his bell loudly. A magnet then lands on the pipes on Toby's flatbed and they spill over the track. The mysterious twisting object turns out to be Butch operating his magnet. Toby apologizes to Butch and Percy sets off to get help.

Next, Percy meets Henry at the water tower. Percy tells Henry all about the Monster of Brendam and describes what it looks like. Henry is surprised and a little nervous. Then they hear a clanking traveling up the line. Henry believes it is the Monster of Brendam and reverses quickly. Percy calls out and a voice replies. With a creak, Diesel emerges from the fog. Percy explains that he had mistaken Diesel's creaking axles for the sound of the Monster of Brendam. Diesel is insulted and cross.

Percy soon arrives back at Brendam Docks. Cranky teases Percy for not being able to find the monster. Percy admits that Cranky must be right and there is no such thing as the Monster of Brendam. Then Percy remembers that he did not help his friends and sets off to help them. First, Percy pulls up to Edward and Rocky. Edward explains that he needs to deliver his coal to Brendam, but is worried about encountering the monster. Percy assures his friend that there is no monster and they puff on together. Next, Percy finds Toby who has a similar problem. Percy assures him that the monster does not exist and they chuff away together.

Percy, Edward, and Toby arrive at the docks where they meet Henry who was very worried. He believes that he has found the monster. The engines stare at the mysterious, tall, twisting, and creaking shape. They are convinced that this shape is the Monster of Brendam as it fits the entire description. Then the shape speaks and it turns out to be Cranky. Salty trundles into the docks. He tells the engines that Cranky is their very own Monster of Brendam. They all laugh, except Cranky, who just cranks.

Characters

 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Diesel
 * Salty
 * Rocky
 * Butch
 * Cranky
 * Thomas (cameo)
 * Gordon (cameo)
 * James (cameo)
 * Emily (cameo)
 * Stanley (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * Sir Topham Hatt (cameo)
 * Farmer McColl (cameo)
 * The Engineer (cameo)
 * The Bird Watcher (cameo)
 * Dowager Hatt (mentioned)

Locations

 * Brendam Docks
 * Knapford
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * The Windmill
 * The Fishing Village
 * Sodor Dieselworks (mentioned)

Trivia

 * The PBS Kids version gives the episode the title of "The Monster of Brendam Docks".
 * This was the final episode to have Butch voiced by Glenn Wrage in the US.
 * In Norway, this episode is called "Percy and the Brendham-Monster", misspelling Brendam.
 * In the Norwegian version of this episode, Percy is said to deliver tables and chairs to Sir Topham Hatt's house, instead of Dowager Hatt's.

Goofs

 * A brakevan should have been added to Toby's train.
 * Edward, Henry, Diesel, and Salty should have had their lamps on. Likewise, Butch's headlights should have been on. When Percy first meets Toby and the level crossing, a taxi also crosses the tracks without its headlights turned on.
 * The engines should not have had to stop at the crossing gates.
 * The engines should know that monsters do not exist.
 * The engines should have known that the last "monster" was Cranky.