Double Trouble

"Oh, the indignity!"

- Gordon

Double Trouble is the fourth episode of the thirteenth season.

Plot
It's the Fat Controller's birthday, and Thomas is sent to Maithwaite early to collect the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt to take them to the party. However, when Thomas arrives, he is very surprised to see the Fat Controller already there - and that he has a moustache and calls Thomas his friend. The Fat Controller is very jolly too and tells Thomas to take him to Whispering Woods. Thomas finds the Fat Controller's behaviour very strange.

At Whispering Woods, the Fat Controller decides to play hide and seek with the children, much to the confusion of Thomas and Edward as they know the Fat Controller doesn't usually play with children. Once the Fat Controller is back on board Annie, he tells Edward to let the children have some more play time even though Edward is taking them to the party. Then, when Thomas stops at Bluff's Cove Junction, the Fat Controller jumps out and goes up to the signalbox and messes around with the levers, causing Gordon who is taking the important visitors to the party to go on an old line. Thomas finds this very strange indeed.

Thomas goes back to Maithwaite where the stationmaster scolds him for being late. The Fat Controller and Lady Hatt waited for Thomas, but as he didn't turn up, they had to take Bertie, who, unfortunately, had broken down. Thomas realises that his passenger can't be the Fat Controller, so he asks his passenger, who reveals himself to be Sir Loham Hatt, the Fat Controller's brother. Sir Loham Hatt wants to have some more fun, but Thomas knows that they are late.

When Thomas finds Bertie broken down, the Fat Controller is cross with him until he sees his brother and scolds him instead for causing so much confusion and delay. Once the Hatt family are at the party, Thomas finds Edward and Gordon and helps them get to the party just in time. At the party, the Hatt brothers have fun, which makes Thomas happy.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Gordon
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Sir Loham Hatt
 * Lady Hatt (does not speak)
 * Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
 * Bertie (does not speak)
 * Percy (cameo)
 * James (cameo)

Goofs

 * Lowham could have caused a serious accident switching the points.
 * The signalman should have known better than to let Lowham change the points, simply for entertainment purposes.
 * Bertie's radiator is missing.