Henry in the Dark

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

- Porter and Salty

Henry in the Dark is an episode from 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, grabs some of the wrong green paint and accidentally gives him the glow-in-the-dark paint. Henry does not notice this. When it gets dark, the paint becomes active. Thomas sees Henry's glowing paint and thinks it's 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 warns Gordon too. Gordon thinks he knows how to deal with ghost trains, until he pulls up right next to Henry. He also believes it's 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 wasn't actually scared when he saw a ghost train. But it's not only the Steam Team who is frightened.

At Brendam Docks, Cranky, Porter and Salty also think Henry's a ghost, until Henry explains that it is him. Porter and Salty say that he's glowing, and Cranky brings down a mirror to show him. Henry is amazed and thinks it is a good joke. When he comes back to the sheds from pulling the Flying Kipper, it's daytime, and he is not glowing anymore. No one could sleep; they were too busy thinking about the ghost train that they saw. Henry tries to explain, but Gordon and James teases him because he was scared. Henry backs up and decides against explaining things.

That night, the engines are too scared to do their night trains. While Henry is away, the engines were refused 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, everyone and The Fat Controller give 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. However, it's just The Fat Controller. He says that Henry has the wrong paint and orders him to get the right paint first thing in the morning. As a bonus, The Fat Controller promises 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)

Locations

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

Trivia

 * The working title of this episode was called "Henry Shines".
 * Gordon says the line "Once an engine attached to a train was afraid of a few drops of rain." This is a reference to the first season episode, The Sad Story of Henry and the special, The Adventure Begins.
 * Gordon is seen pulling Red Express Coaches for the first time since the fifth season episode, A Better View for Gordon.

Goofs

 * The boiler tubes that Kevin drops at the start of the episode, appear far too big in diametre.
 * When Henry first sees that he is glowing, his reflection's eyes move slightly slower than his own for a moment.
 * Emily's front wheel is sticking out from the chocolate coloured piece below her cylinder.

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway - On-The-Glow Cargo two-pack (Coming soon)
 * Books - Henry in the Dark (coming soon)

UK/US/AUS

 * Extraordinary Engines