Philip to the Rescue

"I'll go get help! Oh wait. I can't!"

- Philip

Philip to the Rescue is a nineteenth season episode.

Plot
Philip, the new diesel boxcab on the Fat Controller's railway, continues to boast about how he won a race against Gordon. Little did Phillip know, however, that Gordon did not actually participate in the race. Gordon simply sent him racing off just so he could be left alone to rest.

One day, as he is showing Thomas how fast he can shunt in the yard, James arrives to collect a goods train, which are not the type of trains he favors pulling. Phillip asks James if he saw how fast he shunted, which James was not watching. Thomas likes little Philip, but James just thinks he's just a "show off," which Thomas finds it funny that James should say such a thing.

James, determined to show Phillip how strong he is, assembles a long train of trucks, flatbeds carrying steel girders, and oil wagons. At Knapford Station, Thomas sees Phillip pulling a longer train than James', though he is only pulling empty trucks. Thomas tells Edward that Phillip is really cheeky, to which Edward says that reminds him of a little tank engine who wanted to see the world.

James now feels sorry for taking so many trucks, as they are hard to pull, especially up Gordon's hill. At last, he reaches the top, but as it turns out, it's harder to control them downhill. The trucks push James down the hill, and around a bend. James, now balancing on the single sleepers, is in a state of panic, and soon his balancing act ends, hurdling him into a bridge. He finds himself wedged against the unhurt rocks rocking back and forth over the bottom rails.

Philip is on the way back from the quarry when he sees James. James begins losing his balance, and tells Phillip to go get help. Philip tries to, but it's too late, and James lands on top of Philip's cab. James' guard telephones the Fat Controller, who sends help right away. Soon, Percy and Rocky arrive to lift James onto Rocky's flatbed. James is upset about his paint being all scratched. The Fat Controller scolds James for being hypocritical and for taking too many trucks, and soon James and Percy head for the steamworks.

At the sheds, Philip tells the other engines about what happened. He tells them that The Fat Controller said James was being a show off, to which Edward tells him that right now, he's being a show off. Philip agrees, but can't help adding "yeah, but not as much as James, though." This makes all the engines laugh, except Gordon, who thinks Philip needs to get his own shed.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Emily
 * Philip
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Rocky
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Some Workmen
 * James' Guard (does not speak)
 * Duck (​cameo)
 * Rosie (cameo)
 * Stanley (cameo)
 * Charlie (cameo)
 * Diesel (cameo)
 * Paxton (cameo)
 * Stafford (cameo)
 * One of Dowager Hatt's Friends (cameo)

Locations

 * Knapford
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford Station Yard
 * Shunting Yards
 * Sir Topham Hatt's Office
 * Sodor Steamworks (mentioned)
 * Anopha Quarry (mentioned)

Trivia

 * A flashback to The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead is used, and a reference to the said episode is made in this episode.
 * A reference to The Adventure Begins is made and a brief instrumental of Really Useful Engine is heard.

Goofs

 * In the flashback, it takes a while for Gordon to act surprised after Philip interrupts his nap.
 * When James puffs up the hill, James' leading wheels are moving slower than the speed James is actually moving.
 * James' buffer beam is more scratched when Rocky lifts him off of Philip compared to when James first crashed.
 * The position of James' trucks changes between the first and second shots of his accident.
 * In one shot of James going down the hill, his tender is merged with the truck behind him.

UK/US/AUS

 * Start Your Engines!

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway - Speedy Surprise Drop