Keeping Up with James

"You must slow down and take care!" "I am taking care! Taking care to finish first!"

- Edward and James

Keeping up with James is the twenty-fifth episode of the ninth season.

Plot
James is teamed with Edward to clear a path through the snow to Knapford. Edward can not go fast and James is afraid he will delay him, but cheers up when he finds he can slide at high speeds on the icy rails. James and Edward later collect coal from the coaling plant, and Edward warns James to take care on the icy rails, to no avail. James slides too fast down Gordon's Hill, loses control and derails into a snowdrift. The Fat Controller is cross and tells James he will not be able to pull the presents train, the reason why James wanted to go so fast, and gives the train to Edward. James offers to be Edward's back engine, and the Fat Controller agrees but tells him to be careful. The presents train arrives on time, and James feels proud.

Characters

 * Edward
 * Henry
 * James
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Gordon (does not speak)
 * Salty (does not speak)
 * Thomas (cameo)
 * Percy (cameo)
 * Toby (cameo)
 * Emily (cameo)
 * Cranky (cameo)

Locations

 * The Coaling Plant
 * Brendam Docks
 * Maithwaite
 * Knapford
 * Gordon's Hill
 * The Works

Trivia

 * A deleted scene shows Thomas passing James and Edward. An alternate angle of the same scene is edited to show Thomas wearing a Day Out with Thomas face.
 * In Japan, this episode is called "I Keep Up with James". The Gaelic title is "Hasty James". It is called "James and the Christmas Present Train" in Denmark.
 * Percy's snowplow is Duck's from the sixth season story, Toby Had a Little Lamb.

Goofs

 * The narrator says all the engines wanted to pull the presents train, but Gordon didn't seem too concerned about it.
 * Edward and James' snowploughs become blue and red respectively in the first scene of them in the snow.
 * When Edward and James pull the presents train down Gordon's Hill, James applies his brakes, but his wheels still move.
 * How are six trucks of presents heavy?
 * Brakevans should have been added to James and Edward's train.
 * In the first scene of James and Edward clearing snow, James' front bogie is derailed.
 * As the scene fades to James and Edward going up Gordon's Hill with the empty trucks, James stops.
 * when the engines are and the yard. Thomas has his snowplow and he's smiling when in any other episode with them he hates the snowplow

Magazine stories

 * Keeping up with James