Thomas Saves the Day

"Slow down! Slow down! And puff with care!"

- Annie and Clarabel advising Thomas

Thomas Saves the Day is the sixth episode of the eighth season.

Plot
Thomas is helping with the construction of a new station on the Main Line by taking the workmen to the site and back home again. However, there is a difficult bend before the final approach to the station, which makes Thomas nervous. But Annie and Clarabel always advise Thomas to slow down and puff with care. Upon arrival at the new station, Thomas is informed by the Fat Controller that Annie and Clarabel are due for an overhaul at the repair yard, so he must take them there and use other coaches to take the workmen.

However, Thomas is very worried that, without Annie and Clarabel, he will not be able to tackle the difficult bend. The next morning, Thomas' nerves get the better of him as he accidentally bumps into his substitute coaches which roll back into James, making him cross. Also, whilst negotiating the difficult bend, Thomas goes too fast and ends up derailed with the coaches in the bushes. Harvey comes to Thomas' rescue, but Thomas feels that he is not really useful without his coaches. Harvey believes otherwise and takes the workmen and the coaches to the new station.

Thomas heads off for Tidmouth Sheds, longing to be back with Annie and Clarabel. However, Thomas spots some trucks, which have broken away from Edward, heading towards the new station. Thomas gives chase and catches up to the runaway trucks, but he is getting closer and closer to the difficult bend. This time, Thomas remembers Annie and Clarabel's advice to slow down and puff with care. He gets around the bend on his own, but the runaway trucks go around the twisty tracks with as well.

Thomas keeps ahead of the trucks and whistles to attract the signalman's attention. Once informed, the signalman changes the points and the runaway trucks crash through the buffers just outside of the new station.

The next day, Thomas is taking Annie and Clarabel to the new station for the grand opening, but this time Thomas finds the difficult bend no longer difficult.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * James
 * Harvey
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Edward (does not speak)
 * Toby (does not speak)
 * Gordon (cameo)
 * Percy (cameo)
 * Stephen Hatt (cameo)
 * Henry (deleted scene)

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Kellsthorpe
 * The Difficult Bend
 * Misty Valley
 * The Works

Trivia

 * Stock footage from Bye George! is used.
 * In the Netherlands, this episode is named "Thomas, the Hero of the Day". In Germany, the episode is titled "At the Last Second". In Japan, this episode is called "Too Thick To Thomas". The Gaelic and Swedish title is "Thomas the Hero".
 * Going by production order, this is the fifth episode of the eighth season.
 * A deleted scene implies Gordon was to have a much bigger role in this episode.

Goofs

 * When the trucks smash into the buffers, there is one more truck than before.
 * The fact that the signalman needed to change the points is illogical since the trucks would have most likely rolled right through the station without damaging anything.
 * The trucks should have come off the rails at the difficult bend.
 * Thomas has taken other coaches before, so he should not have been worried about missing Annie and Clarabel.
 * The term "troublesome trucks" is used in the US version.
 * Thomas says he will tell the stationmaster, but he tells the signalman.
 * The trucks would have caught up with Thomas when he slowed for the difficult bend.
 * A brakevan should have been added to Edward's train.
 * In a deleted scene, Thomas' face is crooked.