Heroes

"Oh thank you sir! Being called heroes! Well it's - it's -" "It's a really nice surprise!"

- Bill and Ben

Heroes is the twenty-fourth episode of the third season. In the US, it first aired on the Shining Time Station episode Mr. Conductor's Evil Twin in 1993.

Plot
Bill and Ben are working at the quarry and are bored of doing the same thing. Ben asks Bill if he can hear something different, to which Bill replies that he cannot hear anything different. Ben then states that everything sounds and looks the same and that they need a surprise. Before Bill could answer Ben, the Quarry-master comes with a message from Sir Topham Hatt that they have to go to the harbour.

Bill and Ben head to the harbour worried that they did something wrong and blame each other on the way. Sir Topham Hatt asks Bill and Ben to shunt trucks while Edward is taking the children on a trip. Bill and Ben meet with Gordon and he asks them to behave here since they are on the Mainline. Bill started to tease Gordon about the time they saw him and thought that the harbour was the scrapyard. This made Gordon furious and orders the twins to get his coaches ready for his evening train and fumes away.

The twins started working to organise the trucks, stating that they know all about trucks, but they did not. The trucks wanted to help Bill and Ben to organise the harbour and the twins thanked them unknowing that the trucks were playing tricks on them. Evening came and everyone was complaining of how messed up the harbour was. As a result, the yard gets in a mess, causing Gordon to be late with the Express.

The next day at the quarry, a rock slide was about to occur. The alarm started and the Quarry-master alerted everyone of the rock slide. Bill and Ben waited for them to get in the trucks. Bill leaves with the Quarry-master being left behind, but Ben waited as he climbed aboard and everyone got out just in time as the landslide devastated the quarry. Bill and Ben hoped that Sir Topham Hatt would understand that it was not their fault. The next day, Sir Topham Hatt arrives on board Edward and praises the twins as heroes and for saving the day. Bill and Ben think that being called "heroes" is quite a nice surprise.

Characters

 * Gordon
 * Bill and Ben
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Quarry-master
 * Edward (does not speak)
 * Jem Cole (cameo)
 * Farmer Trotter (cameo)

Locations

 * Sodor China Clay Company
 * Arlesburgh Harbour
 * Sodor Trading Co.
 * The Waterfall (deleted scene)
 * The Scrapyard (mentioned)

Trivia

 * This episode is adapted from the magazine stories, In a Muddle and Heroes by Andrew Brenner.
 * A reference to the second season episode, Wrong Road is made.
 * The fanfare heard in the climax of the episode is almost identical to one heard in TUGS.
 * The roof of the building is made of cardboard, as seen when it absorbs the water from the water tower.
 * This marks the first time that Gordon pulls red express coaches.

Goofs

 * In the second shot of Bill and Ben shunting trucks at the harbour, a truck with half a load of coal is visible. When the twins shunt this truck the load shifts, revealing it to be a solid prop made to look like coal.
 * When the Quarry-master comes to tell the twins to go and work at the harbour, the coat on his small scale model is a different colour than the one on his large scale model.
 * When the narrator says "The twins had let the trucks tell them where to put things," the camera shakes.
 * The restored version in Japanese reveals Thomas in the English end credits before cutting to the character gallery.
 * One of the trucks has it's face is on its back end and in addition, its eyes are scratched.

Merchandise

 * My Thomas Story Library - Bill and Ben (discontinued)

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Escape and other stories
 * Thomas' Train and 17 other stories
 * Truck Loads of Fun
 * The Complete Third Series

DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection
 * Bumper Party Collection! and Truck Loads of Fun Double Pack

US

 * Mr. Conductor's Evil Twin
 * James Goes Buzz Buzz and Other Thomas Stories
 * Season 3 (Digital Download)

DVD Packs

 * Totally Thomas Volume 7
 * James Goes Buzz Buzz/Thomas and the Special Letter Double Feature
 * Ultimate Thomas Collection

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.17
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.5
 * The Engine Twins
 * The Complete DVD Box 1

AUS

 * Escape and other stories
 * Truck Loads of Fun
 * The Complete Third Series
 * My First Thomas with The Twin Engines

DVD Boxsets

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * Classic Collection
 * Series Three and Series Four Double Pack

NZ

 * Escape and other stories

GR

 * The Twin Engines Were Confused!

DVD Boxsets

 * 3 DVD Boxset 2

KOR

 * For the Story of Determination

NOR

 * Edward, Trevor and the Useful Party (Norwegian VHS)
 * Favourites From Thomas and Friends (Norwegian VHS/DVD)

FIN

 * Edward, Trevor and the Useful Party

GER

 * Heroes (German VHS)
 * Show What You Can!

DVD Boxsets

 * Thomas and His Friends Box Set 2

DK

 * The Great Escape and Other Stories

MYS

 * One Good Turn and Other Adventures
 * Percy, James and the Fruitful Day and Other Thomas Adventures

IN

 * Oliver Owns Up and Other Stories

NL

 * Merry Christmas!
 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Edward, Toby and the Diesels

SVN

 * Percy, James and the Successful Day (Slovenian DVD)

ITA

 * Locomotive in Trouble

UKR

 * A Train Thomas and Friends

SER

 * Synchronized

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4 (DVD)

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 11 (Thai DVD)

TWN

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 8 (Taiwanese DVD)|}}