The Lion of Sodor

"This is the finest statue I've ever seen!" "And the cleanest!"

- The Mayor and the Fat Controller

The Lion of Sodor is the second episode of the thirteenth season.

Plot
Thomas is given the job of transporting a crate containing a very special statue called The Lion of Sodor. However, he thinks his cargo is a real lion, so he decides to take extra care of it. Throughout his journey to Knapford, Thomas decides to make sure that the lion is well fed and comfortable, so he collects syrup from Henry, fish from Edward, and straw from Toby, which are all placed inside the crate. When Thomas arrives at Knapford station, the crate is opened up and everyone is shocked to see the Lion of Sodor in a terrible mess. Thomas feels very silly and owns up to what he thought of his cargo. The Fat Controller and Henry explain that the Lion of Sodor was a special statue which got broken. Thomas' cargo was the new statue of the Lion. Feeling silly, Thomas agrees to get the statue clean. Taking advice from Henry and Edward, Thomas gets it cleaned at the wash-down and then polished at the Sodor Steamworks. Once the Lion of Sodor looks very clean, Thomas takes Toby's advice to a short-cut via the windmill to get back to Knapford station, where the Mayor of Sodor is very pleased to see the new statue.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Cranky
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Mayor of Sodor
 * Emily (cameo)
 * The Ginger-haired Boy (cameo)
 * Victor (mentioned)

Locations

 * The Viaduct
 * Brendam Docks
 * Knapford
 * Maron
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * The Windmill
 * Maithwaite
 * The Washdown
 * Kirk Ronan Junction

Trivia

 * This episode marked the first of a few things:
 * The Mayor of Sodor's first speaking role.
 * The first appearance of the Viaduct since the seventh season and its first appearance in CGI.
 * This episode was shown in select US theaters in October 2010.

Goofs

 * When Thomas arrives at the docks, the flatbed is missing its axles. Also, when he first arrives, it is lighter in colour.
 * Toby said he only has straw in his trucks, but as he had flatbeds, he should have said on his trucks.

UK/US/AUS/Arabia/Rest of Europe

 * The Lion of Sodor

UK

 * The Complete Thirteenth Series

Japan

 * Sodor Maintenance Shop is Busy

German

 * The Lion of Sodor

Merchandise

 * Take-n-Play