The Man in the Hills

The Man in the Hills is the sixteenth episode of the twelfth season.

Plot
Thomas arrives at the Wharf with a birthday tent for Mr. Percival's birthday party. Sir Handel tells Thomas about the "Man in the Hills", a tall white man who has never been seen before. Thomas decides to find the "Man in the Hills", but ignores Freddie and Rheneas' advice to help. Thomas takes the dairy manager and the miller to the wharf, but discovers that neither are the "Man in the Hills". Worse still, the dairy manager and the miller still have to make the food for the party. Quickly, Thomas tells Skarloey and Rheneas to take the birthday tent whilst he takes the miller and the dairy manager back to their workplaces. On his way back with the food, Thomas takes a short-cut and, at Green Valley Junction, discovers a chalk figure in the hillside - the Man in the Hills. Thomas tells Freddie to gather Mr. Percival and the engines together and bring them to see the "Man in the Hills".

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Skarloey
 * Rheneas
 * Sir Handel
 * Duncan
 * Freddie
 * Rusty
 * Dusty Dave
 * Mr. Percival (does not speak)
 * Peter Sam (cameo)
 * Mrs. Percival (cameo)
 * The Percival Children (cameo)
 * Sir Topham Hatt (mentioned)

Locations

 * The Wharf
 * Sodor Flour Mill
 * Sodor Dairy
 * Green Hills Junction

Trivia

 * The "Man in the Hills" is based upon the Long Man of Wilmington, which is on a steep hillside north west of Eastbourne, East Sussex in Southern England.
 * Going by production order, this is the eleventh episode of the twelfth season.
 * In Germany, this episode is named "The Man in the Mountains". In Japanese, this episode is called "Thomas and the Legendary Man".

Goofs

 * If the dairy and flour men were truly the "Man in the Hills", they probably would not know who Thomas was.
 * Mighty Mac is not with the other engines.
 * The cake is put in Thomas' cab when it should have been in a truck.
 * Thomas has been to flour mills and dairies before. How could he not recognize the people that worked there?
 * A brakevan should have been added to Skarloey's train.
 * Thomas should have been working instead of looking for the Man in the Hills.
 * Thomas lacks a crew when the dairy man and the miller climb into his cab and in the shot of the cake inside his cab.

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway (discontinued)