Welcome Stafford!

"Hello Rescue Team! I have the special special of bringing you Stafford, the electric shunting engine. Say 'hello', Stafford." "We may be missing something here, Spencer. But there's no one with you."

- Spencer and Flynn

Welcome Stafford is the seventeenth episode of the sixteenth season.

Plot
There's a buzz of excitement on Sodor as Stafford, the new shunting engine, is in the Steamworks. He is electric and runs on batteries, so everyone wants to meet him. Spencer sets off to show him round the Island, smugly ignoring Victor's warning that Stafford's batteries could run out. It serves him right when he proudly announces their arrival at various locations and Stafford is not with him. But Stafford's batteries are fully charged when he helps Spencer out of a pickle.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Spencer
 * Bash and Dash
 * Ferdinand
 * Stafford
 * Flynn
 * Victor
 * Ol' Wheezy
 * Hee-Haw
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford
 * Percy (cameo)
 * Toby (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * Henrietta (cameo)
 * Rocky (cameo)
 * Harold (cameo)
 * Butch (cameo)
 * Kevin (cameo)
 * Captain (cameo)
 * The Mayor of Sodor (cameo)
 * The Tree Specialists (cameo)
 * The Teacher (cameo)
 * One of Dowager Hatt's Friends (cameo)

Locations

 * Knapford
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Sodor Search and Rescue Centre
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford's Summer House
 * Shunting Yards
 * Misty Island
 * The Logging Station
 * Shake Shake Bridge

Goofs

 * How did Stafford move to have his batteries recharged?
 * The Duke opened the coach door onto the open track.
 * If Stafford's batteries kept running out, how did he manage to push Spencer to Knapford?
 * It is unlikely that Stafford's batteries ran out that quickly.