Thomas in Trouble (Series 11)

"Something's wrong! Clangety clong! Clangety Clong! Something's wrong!"

- Annie and Clarabel

Thomas in Trouble is the eighteenth episode of the eleventh season.

Plot
After being sent for repairs, Thomas is waiting for his final inspection. James laughs at him saying he's broken down which makes Thomas cross. Then the Fat Controller comes to see if he is ready to collect the school choir for a concert. Thomas knows that if he says he was not ready, the choir would get taken by somebody else, so he pretends to be ready and heads off to collect the choir without his final inspection. He soon begins to make very unusual noises, which makes Annie and Clarabel wonder if something's wrong. But Thomas is too excited to listen to them.

At Knapford, Thomas arrives to collect the school choir. Emily notices the noise, and asks whose making it. Realising it was Thomas, she asks if he had his final inspection. Thomas just says he's fine, and he sets off to deliver the children. But when he stops at a signal, he feels really tired. Toby asks is Thomas took on enough water at the fitters yard, but Thomas still says he's fine.

At a level crossing, Thomas sees Percy. Percy also asks if everything is alright, but Thomas still refuses to agree that there's something wrong with him. But as he leaves, he begins to blow black smoke. He slows down rapidly, before coming to a stop in a siding. He'd broken down, and feels awful at letting everybody down. He sees Gordon, but he's too busy pulling the express to help poor Thomas. Then Thomas hears James. James finds it very funny that he's broken down, but he promises to get the choir to the concert on time. Later, Henry comes and takes Thomas back to the repair yard to be mended properly. At the repair yard, he gets repaired and has his final inspection, before going back to collect the choir.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Emily
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The School Choir (vocalises)
 * Henry (does not speak)
 * Salty (does not speak)
 * Henrietta (cameo)
 * Rocky (cameo)
 * Bertie (cameo)
 * Cranky (cameo)

Locations

 * The Works
 * Bluff's Cove Junction
 * Knapford

Trivia

 * This marks Annie and Clarabel's last speaking roles until Blue Mountain Mystery.
 * A photograph from this episode was released as a Royal Mail stamp in 2011 to mark the Reverend Awdry Centenary.
 * Going by production order, this is the twenty-first episode of the eleventh season.

Goofs

 * The scene of Salty taking the trucks at the beginning was clearly mirrored as Cranky has changed positions with the other dockside crane.
 * The fish in Salty's trucks should have been in vans.
 * Thomas started blowing black smoke long before the narrator said he was.
 * Thomas should not have been able to blow his whistle after breaking down.
 * Brakevans should have been added to James and Percy's trains.
 * Why would Bertie have the right-of-way at the level crossing?
 * The fitters and Thomas' crew should not have let him leave without him being properly fixed.
 * When Annie and Clarabel sing, Clarabel's roof is slightly wonky at one corner.
 * When James buffers up to Annie and Clarabel, he does not have a crew.
 * Thomas is repaired far too quickly the second time, as he is able to collect the children after the concert.
 * Why had Thomas' crew not stopped him sooner when they first heard him clanking? And if they thought it was nothing too serious that could be fixed at the destination, then why did they not stop Thomas when he started spewing black smoke?
 * The narrator said that James was pulling flatbeds of paint, but in the scene James was pulling only one.
 * Bertie has Caroline's horn sound.

Merchandise

 * Books - Thomas in Trouble