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Bertie's Chase is the third episode of the second series. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book Edward the Blue Engine.
Plot
One morning, Edward is impatiently waiting at Wellsworth to pick up passengers from Thomas' train. His fireman climbs up to the cab roof to look for Thomas but only sees Bertie, who he assumes is on a coach tour. With no sign of Thomas, they leave the station. As they pass a level crossing, Bertie pulls up, shouting that he has Thomas' passengers on board since Thomas' fireman was absent but neither Edward nor his crew hear him. Bertie's driver tells him that they must keep their promise, so they continue to chase Edward.
"I'll catch Edward or bust!"
Bertie tries to catch up with Edward to no avail. He soon finally reaches the top of a hill and sees Edward stopped at the level crossing at Lower Suddery. Bertie tears down the hill at top speed but the crossing gates open for Edward, who puffs away just as Bertie comes into the yard.
Bertie is now both very upset and tired. He apologises to the passengers, who tell him not to worry and encourage him to start after Edward again. The passengers ask Bertie's driver if they will be able to make it to Edward at the next station and the driver says that there is a good chance of catching Edward since Bertie can climb hills better than him. After checking with the stationmaster, the driver confirms that they will make it and Bertie sets off again.
As they carry on, Edward comes to a hill. The coaches grumble but they soon reach the top. Still oblivious about Bertie, they run smoothly into Upper Brendam. The guard blows his whistle but, as the driver looks back, he does not see a green flag. Suddenly, Bertie rushes into the station and the stationmaster, having been told about the change, tells Edward's driver and guard what happened. As the passengers disembark and make their way into the coaches, Edward apologises to Bertie, who understands that he did not know about the situation. Once all the passengers are on board, Edward says goodbye and continues with his journey, while the passengers cheer for Bertie. Bertie goes to Tidmouth and finds Thomas, who thanks him for being a very good friend.
Characters
- Thomas
- Edward
- Green Express Coaches
- Bertie
- Mrs. Kyndley (not named)
- Charlie Sand (not named)
- Sidney Hever (not named)
- Jeremiah Jobling (not named)
- The Barber (cameo)
Locations
- Wellsworth
- Suddery Junction
- Lower Suddery
- The Branch Line Bridge
- Upper Brendam
- Tidmouth
- Hackenbeck Tunnel (stock footage)
- Elsbridge Crossing (deleted scene)
Trivia
- Stock footage from Thomas and Bertie is used.
- This episode marks the first appearances of Edward's tired face and Bertie's sad face and the only appearance of Bertie's laughing face.
- This is the last episode of two things:
- The last episode with Bertie's name in the title.
- The last episode in which Bertie's driver has a speaking role until the twenty-first series episode Unscheduled Stops.
- In the original Shining Time Station airing of this episode, the episode opened with Bertie arriving at the crossing, possibly due to time constraints. This same thing occurs in the James in a Mess book released in 1993. The full episode was first released in the US and Canada on the James Goes Buzz Buzz VHS on 23 February 1994 and first aired on TV as part of Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales in 1996.
- When this episode aired on Cartoon Network, the music and sound effects overlapped the original audio.
- Edward's fireman sings a part of the famous nursery rhyme "Oh Dear! What Can the Matter Be?" originally from the 1770s, which was composed in England, United Kingdom.
- In the Finnish dub, Edward's fireman instead sings a part of the Finnish song called "Emma" by Tapio Rautavaara.
- In the restored version:
- An alternate take of Bertie passing under the bridge is used, as he is moving at a much slower pace and enters the shot earlier than in the original.
- The footage of Edward going down the hill is played slightly some frames ahead of the original version.
- Mrs. Kyndley's Cottage appears on the road between Wellsworth and Suddery.
- At the end of the episode, Thomas and Bertie are in very similar positions to their places at the end of Better Late than Never.
- In a deleted scene of Bertie at the level crossing, he has his tired face with eyebrows.
- In another deleted scene of Bertie, he is at Elsbridge Crossing instead of Suddery Junction.
- In the UK, this episode and the following one were the first two episodes to air as double bill repeats starting on 6 March 1989, ending with The Diseasel and Wrong Road on 22 May 1989.
- In the UK, this episode aired on 28 May 1991 as the second episode of the second series; the second season premiere was the first episode that aired on 21 May. Saved from Scrap aired after this episode. For unknown reasons, the previous episode never aired during 1991.
Goofs
- In the beginning, when Edward's crew are talking, there is a gash on one of their foreheads.
- Whilst the fireman is climbing out of the window, a gap can be seen where the cab roof has come loose.
- When the fireman is on Edward's roof, paint chips on the cab are visible and Edward's whistle is out of scale. Also, the windows are dirty, while in the previous scene, they were clean.
- When Edward leaves the station, smoke rises between the coaches.
- In some scenes, Bertie drives in the middle of the road.
- In the restored version, studio equipment can be seen at the top of the screen when Bertie passes the village and at the top left corner of the screen in the stock footage of Thomas and Bertie.
- Stock footage from Thomas and Bertie is used showing Bertie passing Hackenbeck Tunnel on Thomas' Branch Line when he is supposed to be on Edward's.
- When Bertie reaches the top of the hill, his wheel is crooked.
- When Bertie is going downhill, he passes Edward twice by the side.
- A woman's hat changes from green to brown.
- Blu tack can be seen under one of the passengers when Bertie's driver speaks to the stationmaster.
- In the original version, when Bertie passes Edward under the bridge, Edward's coaches comes to a stop at the end of the screen.
- When Edward reaches the last station, his whistle is tilted. Also, the coaches stop before he does.
- In the close-up of Edward after Bertie brings him the passengers, a speck of dirt is on his face.
- Thomas' eyes are misaligned when Bertie meets him at Tidmouth.
In Other Languages
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Merchandise
Magazine Story
Bertie's Chase (1988 magazine story)
- Bertie's Chase (C9056) (1986 postcard)
Home Video Releases
Episode
UK narration
US narrationReferences
| #01 Thomas, Percy and the Coal | #10 The Runaway | #19 Daisy |
| #02 Cows | #11 Percy Takes the Plunge | #20 Percy's Predicament |
| #03 Bertie's Chase | #12 Pop Goes the Diesel | #21 The Diseasel |
| #04 Saved from Scrap | #13 Dirty Work | #22 Wrong Road |
| #05 Old Iron | #14 A Close Shave | #23 Edward's Exploit |
| #06 Thomas and Trevor | #15 Better Late than Never | #24 Ghost Train |
| #07 Percy and the Signal | #16 Break Van | #25 Woolly Bear |
| #08 Duck Takes Charge | #17 The Deputation | #26 Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree |
| #09 Percy and Harold | #18 Thomas Comes to Breakfast | Cancelled: The Missing Coach |
| Cancelled: Gordon Goes Foreign | ||