Henry in the Dark

"Henry? Why are you glowing?" "Arrgh! All lit up like a lighthouse!"

- Porter and Salty

Henry in the Dark is the sixteenth episode of the twentieth season.

Plot
Some signs on the Island of Sodor are painted in a special green paint that glows in the dark. This helps the engines see the signs during the night. One day, Henry goes to the Steamworks to be repainted. Kevin, however, accidentally grabs some of the special glow-in-the-dark green paint and gives it to him. Henry is completely oblivious to the mix-up. When it gets dark, the paint activates. Thomas sees Henry's glowing paint and thinks it is a ghost train. He puffs into a siding, horrified and tries to warn Gordon. Gordon does not believe in ghost trains. James is the next to see Henry and also warns Gordon. Gordon thinks he knows how to deal with ghost trains, until he pulls up right next to Henry. He also believes it is a ghost train. At Tidmouth Sheds, James describes the ghost train to the other engines. A few minutes later, Gordon arrives and explains to Percy that he was not actually scared when he saw a ghost train. But it was not only the Steam Team who were frightened.

At Brendam Docks, Cranky, Porter and Salty also think Henry is a ghost, until Henry asks Cranky what is wrong. Upon seeing it is Henry, Cranky tells Porter and Salty who ask Henry why he was glowing and Cranky brings down a mirror to show him. Henry is surprised and realises he was given the wrong paint by mistake and he then realises that everyone thought he was a ghost train and laughs it off. When he comes back to the sheds from pulling the Flying Kipper, it is daytime and he was not glowing anymore. No one could sleep because they were too busy thinking about the ghost train that they saw. Henry tries to explain, but Gordon and James tease him, with Gordon reminding him about the time he was scared of the rain. This angers Henry, and he silences the other engines and tells them that he saw the ghost train and was not frightened at all. He then crossly backs into his berth and decides against explaining things, even when Emily kindly asks if he could.

That night, the engines are too scared to do their night trains. While Henry is away, the engines refuse to take the mail train. The Fat Controller is very cross. He tells the engines that there are no ghost trains. When Henry comes back, he gives everyone including the Fat Controller a fright. He tells the engines at last that it is just him, leaving Gordon and James annoyed. Thomas notices that the Fat Controller has disappeared. Suddenly, a figure with a bucket on its head emerges from the coal hopper. Everyone is horrified, even Henry himself. However, it was just the Fat Controller. He realises that Henry was given the wrong paint and tells him to get the right one first thing in the morning. As a bonus, the Fat Controller gives Henry a "glowing" report for being the only engine working during the night.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Emily
 * Porter
 * Salty
 * Victor
 * Cranky
 * Kevin
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Whiff (cameo)
 * Stanley (cameo)
 * Big Mickey (cameo)

Locations

 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company

UK

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Salty and Sir Topham Hatt
 * Nigel Pilkington as Percy
 * Teresa Gallagher as Emily
 * Steven Kynman as Porter
 * David Bedella as Victor
 * Matt Wilkinson as Cranky and Kevin

US

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * William Hope as Edward
 * Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon and Kevin
 * Rob Rackstraw as James
 * Christopher Ragland as Percy
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily
 * David Menkin as Porter
 * Keith Wickham as Salty and Sir Topham Hatt
 * David Bedella as Victor
 * Glenn Wrage as Cranky

Trivia

 * The working title of this episode was "Henry Shines."
 * A reference to the first season episode, The Sad Story of Henry and the special, The Adventure Begins is made.
 * This episode is similar to the second season episodes, Ghost Train and Woolly Bear: The former a green engine inadvertently becomes a "ghost" and scares Thomas (in the former's case Percy deliberately scared Thomas, while this one was unintentional for Henry and involved the other engines as well), the latter that same engine is puzzled by everyone's reaction to them and is oblivious to their own appearance until they see themselves in a mirror.
 * In the Nick Jr. USA broadcast of the episode, it is paired with Three Steam Engines Gruff.

Goofs

 * Rob Rackstraw is credited in the UK version's credits despite none of his characters speaking in that dub.
 * The boiler tubes that Kevin drops at the start of the episode appear far too big in diameter.
 * When travelling at night, Gordon's express coaches do not have any lights on inside them.
 * Emily's front wheel is sticking out from the chocolate coloured piece below her cylinder.
 * Henry's glow in the dark model is not properly rendered for the whole episode.

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway - On-The-Glow Cargo two-pack
 * Books - Henry in the Dark

UK/US/AUS

 * Extraordinary Engines

US DVD Boxsets

 * Extraordinary Engines and Railway Friends Double Pack

Henry en la Oscuridad Henio w Ciemności