The Beast of Sodor

"Leave us alone, you Abominable... Sir? But you're not the Abominable Snowman!" "Of course I'm not!" "No, you're the Abominable Controller!"

- Henry, Sir Topham and Dowager Hatt

The Beast of Sodor is the eleventh (ninth in Australia) episode of the nineteenth season.

Plot
One snowy night, the engines are in their berths at Tidmouth Sheds. James has not returned for so Spencer is given his berth to stay in overnight. The other engines are surprised to see Spencer who explains that Vicarstown Bridge is blocked by snow. Gordon teases Spencer about being scared of the snow, but Spencer insists that he once saved the Duke of Boxford from the Abominable Snowman. The engines all laugh at Spencer's tall tale, but Henry is worried; he hopes he never meets an abominable snowman.

The next day, Henry and Spencer are sent to the shunting yard when the Fat Controller arrives. Spencer asks if he can go back to the Mainland yet and the Fat Controller tells him that the bridge is still blocked and that he must help Henry with his trucks. Spencer tries to protest, but the Fat Controller hurries away as he is meeting his mother for lunch. Spencer is not happy, but sees a perfect opportunity to tease easily-worried Henry about meeting up with the Abominable Snowman.

The snow is causing problems on the roads, too and the Fat Controller gets stuck in a traffic jam on his way to meet his mother. Worried he will be late, the Fat Controller decides to take a shortcut. All is going well until he loses control of his car and ends up in a snowdrift. The Fat Controller doesn't know what to do, but luckily, he hears Emily's whistle in the distance and runs to a snow-covered hill to attract her attention. Unfortunately, Emily doesn't hear the Fat Controller who then slips over and slides down the steep hill.

Nearby, Spencer and Henry are making their way to Vicarstown with their trucks. Spencer remarks that the last time he'd seen snow like this was the time when he rescued the Duke from the abominable snowman. This makes Henry worried and even more so when he sees something snowy coming towards him. Henry is sure it's the Abominable Snowman, but it turns out to be Emily who assures Henry that there are no Abominable Snowmen there. Henry is relieved until Spencer tells him that they never know what's waiting around the corner.

Meanwhile, the Fat Controller is not having much luck until he spots Henry and Spencer in the distance. He calls out to them and scrambles over a fence. By the time he falls over the fence, Henry and Spencer have gone. The Fat Controller sits down to have a rest. Then, the Fat Controller comes face-to-face with an angry bull that chases him across the field.

Back on the line, Henry spots another cloud of snow speeding towards him. Henry is once again convinced it's the abominable snowman, but as it draws closer, Henry sees that it is only Thomas who is out looking for the Fat Controller with Dowager Hatt. Thomas asks if Henry has seen the missing controller and Spencer suggests that the abominable snowman may have gotten him. Dowager Hatt doesn't believe a word of it and she sets off in Thomas to continue her search. By now, the Fat Controller has managed to escape from the bull's field, but not in time to attract Thomas' attention.

Henry and Spencer have almost reached Vicarstown when Henry suddenly hears a loud creaking noise. Henry is scared and races off, but Spencer can see it's only Rocky who has come to rescue James who had been stuck in the snow overnight.

As the sun sets, Henry and Spencer are returning from Vicarstown after delivering their trucks. Spencer decides he is going back to the engine sheds to warm up, but stops dead in his tracks when he sees a walking, groaning snowman stumbling towards him. Spencer is terrified and so is Henry. Spencer races backwards, but doesn't get very far before his valve bursts. Spencer can't move at all. Henry wants to run away from the Abominable Snowman, but he knows he can't leave Spencer. Henry finds the courage to shout and blow his whistle at the scary snowman who falls on the track. When he gets up, Henry sees it is just the Fat Controller who had been covered in snow during his escapade. Just then, Thomas arrives with Dowager Hatt who is not happy that her son missed their luncheon and she calls him "the Abominable Controller" replacing "Fat" with "Abominable". The Fat Controller boards Thomas and leaves with his mother. Spencer is still very scared.

That night, Spencer tells the other engines how fearless he was during his most recent encounter with the abominable snowman. The other engines know that Spencer had been terrified and that Henry had been the really brave engine and they just laugh at him.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Emily
 * Spencer
 * Rocky
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Dowager Hatt
 * Duck (cameo)
 * Oliver (cameo)
 * Rosie (cameo)
 * Stafford (cameo)
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford (mentioned)

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford Yards
 * The Main Line
 * Vicarstown (mentioned)
 * Vicarstown Bridge (mentioned)

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the ninth episode of the nineteenth season.
 * Whenever the word "Abominable Snowman" is said, Dramatic Impact #2 from the American Production Music (APM) library is heard throughout the episode. This popular cue has been used in multiple series', such as The Ren and Stimpy Show, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Simpsons (the 1989 Christmas special only), and multiple other shows and films.
 * This also marks the very first time library music has been used in the show.

Goofs

 * In the shunting yards, as Henry and Spencer are talking, Thomas passes them with a goods train. However, when Spencer and Henry start to leave, Thomas is missing and his train appears to be moving by itself.
 * Henry's whistle does not make a noise after Oliver whistles to him, but makes the whistle blowing effect.
 * When the Fat Controller falls into the bull's field, he makes the exact same groaning noise as when he fell down the hill earlier in the episode.
 * At the shunting yards, the vans in Spencer's train are at the back of the train, but after he and Henry leave the yards, they switch to the front of the train.

UK/US

 * Thomas' Christmas Carol