Special Funnel

"Peter Sam's said again and again, his new funnel will put ours to shame. He went into the tunnel: lost his old funnel. Now his famous new funnel's a drain!"

- Sir Handel

Special Funnel is the eleventh episode of the fourth season. It first aired on Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales in 1996 in the US.

Plot
It is wintertime and Peter Sam is still awaiting his new funnel, which, in his words, will be "something special". The other engines make fun of his talk about the new funnel. The weather soon becomes bad and there is a washout near the tunnel, so Rusty brings workmen to fix the bridge. As days go by, the weather changes and becomes frosty and cold. A few days later, the bridge is mended and Peter Sam is chuffing down the line with a passenger train. As he puffs through a tunnel, his cracked funnel is knocked off by an icicle in the tunnel and he has to use a discarded drainpipe for a funnel. Peter Sam's funnel eventually arrives and he discovers it makes his work easier. The engines do not make fun of Peter Sam's funnel anymore, because they wish they had one like it.

Characters

 * Sir Handel
 * Peter Sam
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Rusty (does not speak)
 * Skarloey (cameo)
 * Rheneas (cameo)
 * Duncan (cameo)
 * Duke (cameo)

Locations

 * Skarloey Railway Engine Sheds
 * Rheneas Tunnel
 * Sodor Castle
 * Glennock
 * Rheneas
 * Hawin Doorey

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Gallant Old Engine.
 * In a rare still, Peter Sam still has his funnel on after leaving the tunnel. In the same picture, there is not any snow and he is pulling three coaches instead of two.
 * In the original version made in 1994, the music at the start is missing.
 * Stock footage from Granpuff is used.
 * This was the first episode that did not feature any standard gauge engines in any way.

Goofs

 * In the close-up of Peter Sam's funnels, his face is a different size. This is because a larger model is used.
 * During the top shot of Peter Sam entering the tunnel, the steam goes off too late.
 * When Peter Sam pulls into the sheds, the "wheeshing" sound is heard just before the steam.
 * Peter Sam's funnel is completely knocked off, yet when he receives his new one, the base is still remaining.
 * Rheneas appears, but he's supposed to be at the works.
 * As Peter Sam passes Skarloey and Rheneas, a camera shadow is seen.
 * The narrator said that the drain pipe was wired to Peter Sam's boiler, but it was actually attached to his front by rope.
 * In the close up of Sir Handel, his eyes are wonky.
 * In a rare picture, Peter Sam is wearing Sir Handel's sad face. Also in that same picture, Skarloey's tank is slightly bent.
 * Rusty's driver was smiling when he brought the bad news.
 * In the last shot, either Skarloey or Rheneas has Duke's whistle sound.