Henry and the Wishing Tree

"Wishing trees don't run railways. That's my job."

- The Fat Controller

Henry and the Wishing Tree is the fourth (twenty-first in Australia) episode of the eighth season.

Plot
Henry enjoys working in the forest, but sometimes it can be lonely, hence the like of seeing passengers boarding Gordon's express at Knapford. Unimpressed, Gordon snootily orders Henry to keep his train away from the passengers. Saddened, Henry wishes that he could pull passengers, just for a change.

Later, Henry stops at the water tower on the outskirts of the forest. Strangely, the children were standing near one of the trees. Henry asks Thomas what they are doing. Thomas tells Henry that they are probably making a wish on the old Sodor wishing tree. Henry decides to wish that he could pull the express, instead of Gordon. That evening, the Fat Controller visits Henry at the sheds and tells him that he is to pull the express the following. Henry is happy, believing that his wish had come true.

The following morning, Henry chuffs into Knapford with his express carriages. After the passengers board the train, Henry puffs too carelessly and bumps the coaches. His driver reminds him that he cannot biff coaches like trucks. Worse still, little does Henry know is that Gordon is in the repair yard being fitted with a new boiler. He is lonely and missing his passengers, who also miss Gordon too. They were being bumped and bounced around inside the coaches. When Henry returns to the sheds, the Fat Controller is waiting for him. The Fat Controller tells Henry that there have been complaints from the passengers and reminds him to be more careful. Then Henry spots Gordon at the works. He is horrified, claiming that his wish made Gordon go to the repair yard.

The next day, Henry collects the buffet car. He tries hard to be gentle, but shunts the buffet car/dining car too hard and everything inside goes flying. This sparks more complaints and Henry no longer wants to pull passengers, wishing that everything would be back to normal. When Henry arrives at the forest, he forgets which tree is the wishing tree. So he wishes on every tree in the forest that he could pull goods trains again. Soon The Fat Controller arrives aboard Thomas and tells Henry that running a railway is his job, not the wishing tree's, and that he sent Gordon to the works for repair, not because Henry wished it to happen.

The next day, Gordon returns to work looking as good as new. The passengers are so pleased that they gave him three cheers. Meanwhile, Henry is pleased to be back working in the forest. At the end of the day, Henry stops near the wishing tree and makes a wish and wishes that he would never want to pull passengers again.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Percy (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * Stephen Hatt (cameo)
 * Bridget Hatt (cameo)
 * Refreshment Lady (cameo)
 * Cyril the Fogman (cameo)
 * The Storyteller (cameo)
 * Trevor (deleted scene cameo)
 * George (deleted scene cameo)

Locations

 * Henry's Forest
 * Sodor Wishing Tree
 * Knapford
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * The Works
 * Wellsworth (deleted scene)

Trivia

 * Pre-filmed footage from You Can Do it, Toby! is used.
 * The music at the near end is omitted in The Complete Series 8 DVD.
 * An Alicia Botti poster can be seen at the end of this episode.
 * Neptune Refreshments, the refreshment lady's shop, can be seen outside Knapford station.
 * In the All Aboard with the Steam Team DVD narration and the Nick Jr. broadcasts, the timing of when the narrator says, "The Fat Controller arrived on board Thomas" is a few seconds later than in The Complete Series 8 DVD and other television broadcasts.
 * Going by production order, this is the twenty-first episode of the eighth season.
 * Some deleted scenes from this episode appeared in the song "Sounds."

Goofs

 * A promotional image for this episode shows one of Henry's driving wheels bent out of shape.
 * The Romanian title has Thomas' name in it, despite the fact that Henry is the main character in this episode.

Merchandise

 * Books - Henry and the Wishing Tree

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * All Aboard with the Steam Team (Direct-to-Home Video)
 * The Complete Series 8
 * Amazing Children's Favourites

DVD Boxsets

 * 5 Adventurous DVDs
 * Classic Collection
 * The Ultimate Collection
 * Triple Pack

US

 * Steamies vs. Diesels and Other Thomas Adventures (Direct-to-Home Video)

VHS/DVD Boxsets

 * Adventure On the Tracks
 * Steamies vs. Diesels and Other Thomas Adventures/Thomas' Sodor Celebration! Double Feature
 * Steamies vs. Diesels/Bob the Builder: Bob Saves the Day! VHS 2-Pack
 * Action Pack

AUS

 * All Aboard with the Steam Team
 * The Complete Series 8
 * The Best of Thomas and Friends - Volume 2

DVD Boxsets

 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * Complete Series 1-10
 * The Essential Collection (5 DVD Boxset)
 * The Great Adventures of Thomas and Friends
 * 3 DVDs (Boxset)
 * Series Seven and Series Eight Double Pack

FRA

 * Thomas and Friends (French DVD)

GER

 * So Many Surprises

DK/NOR/SWE

 * Ready to Go!

FIN

 * All Aboard!

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 38 (Thai DVD)

NL

 * A New Look for James

MYS

 * Don't Tell Thomas and Other Adventures
 * Emily's New Route and Other Adventures
 * Season To Cherish Collection

POL

 * Thomas Comes to the Rescue

CZ

 * New Stories
 * Thomas the Rescuer (Bonus Episode)

HUN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 5 - Thomas, a Savior

DVD Boxsets

 * Thomas the Tank Engine & Gift Keys extension box

ROM

 * Steam Locomotives
 * Thomas and Friends - Vol. 5 (Romanian DVD)

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 2
 * Six DVD Set

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Series 8 Vol.3

SPN

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 1 (Spanish DVD)

DVD Boxsets

 * First Season (Spanish DVD)

TWN
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 23 (Taiwanese DVD)