This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the magazine story or the DVD. |
- "It's the Ghost Engine, sir! And it's come to get me!"
- ― Diesel
Flour Power is the twenty-sixth and final episode of the ninth series.
Plot
On Halloween night, Thomas is alone at the sheds when the Fat Controller assigns him to collect the flour from the mill and take it to the bakery because Sodor needs its morning toast, and he and Lady Hatt need their crumpets. He also tells Thomas that he must work with Diesel, which makes Thomas upset.

"BOO!"
Thomas arrives at Brendam Docks where he is supposed to meet Diesel, but he is not there. He does not know that Diesel is sneaking behind him and gives Thomas a fright by biffing some oil tankers out of the way. Diesel teases Thomas for being a scaredy engine and they set off for the flour mill. When they pass the woods, Diesel says it is the haunted forest and calls out to Thomas in a spooky voice, to which Thomas angrily tells Diesel to stop it. When they arrive at the abandoned mines, they hear a banging noise and Diesel teases Thomas that it is a ghost engine looking for a steam engine to scare. Thomas says he is not scared, but secretly he is. When Thomas and Diesel stop at a signal, Thomas hears a strange cry and feels something touch his coal bunker which is a tree, but he does not know. Diesel cries out to Thomas that it is the ghost engine after his funnel. Thomas is so scared he peeps frightfully and Diesel calls Thomas a scaredy engine twice. Thomas is very angry and decides to seek a way to pay Diesel back for teasing him.

Thomas disguised as a ghost to scare Diesel as payback
When they arrive at the flour mill and Diesel goes ahead of Thomas, Thomas devises an idea to show Diesel who is the scaredy engine by biffing the trucks out of the way, thereby covering himself in white flour looking like a Ghost Engine. Diesel is so frightened he runs out of the flour mill, before he can hear that it is only Thomas. Thomas buffers up to the flour trucks and sets off for the bakery. While heading for the bakery, Thomas realises the thing Diesel said that was used to scare him is just a tree that touched him, the strange cry was an owl, the banging at the abandoned mine was just a door and that the forest he passed earlier was Henry's Forest.
When Thomas arrives at the bakery, Diesel is with the Fat Controller. Diesel gets scared again and tells the Fat Controller that the Ghost Engine has come to get him, but the Fat Controller says it is only Thomas. The Fat Controller praises Thomas for his hard work and rewards him a special washdown. Thomas is looking forward to telling his friends everything that has happened.
Characters
- Thomas
- Diesel
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Henry (does not speak)
- James (cameo)
- Emily (cameo)
- Cranky (cameo)
- The Sodor Dairy Manager (cameo)
- The Dairy Employees (cameos)
- The Blue-suited Baker (cameo)
- Percy (toy cameo)
- Lady Hatt (mentioned)
Locations
- Knapford Yards
- Sodor Flour Mill
- Callan Castle
- Brendam Docks
- Tidmouth Sheds
- Sodor Bakery
- Henry's Forest
- The Abandoned Mines
- The Twisty Tree
- The Washdown (mentioned)
Trivia
- Going by production order, this is the eleventh episode of the ninth series.
- This episode is similar to Bold and Brave from the same series, which is just two episodes prior production-wise, as both feature Diesel attempting to spook Thomas with falsehoods that the latter has to brave.
- It is also similar and seems to call back to the eighth series finale (production-wise), Halloween, as both take place on Halloween Night and feature Thomas having to work with diesels who attempt to frighten him, only for said diesels to eventually become frightened themselves as a comeuppance and Thomas to learn the true identity of what he was afraid of. Diesel even indirectly references the episode when he says, "Trust a silly old steamy to be scared on Halloween!".
- This episode is also somewhat similar to the second series episode, Ghost Train. Thomas being covered in flour is also similar to Percy being covered in lime and spooking to pay out the other engine. This episode is also likely a callback to that episode despite the events not being mentioned directly.
- The name of this episode is a play on the 1960s saying, "Flower Power".
- When the camera looks beside the boy's bed, an Ertl Percy, a Thomas and the Magic Railroad poster and the medal from the seventh series episode, Three Cheers for Thomas are visible.
- A deleted shot of James passing Castle Loch without Henry passing by is used in the music video, Day and Night.
- A deleted scene indicated that the Fat Controller was originally going to dress up as a devil. While the costume was fine for British children's television at the time, it was changed to a magician costume in the final version of the episode due to it not being allowed on American children's television,[1] possibly to avoid any religious controversies targeted on the show or HiT Entertainment, especially in the United States. Ironically, there is a child seen wearing a devil costume in the sixth series episode, Scaredy Engines and the eighth series episode, Halloween.
- The original small-scale version of this figure is now owned by ThomasTankMerch and the large-scale version is owned by model maker Sean Hedges-Quinn.
- The abandoned mines where Thomas approached are very similar to Maithwaite Quarry Mine from the sixth series episode, Percy and the Haunted Mine and the seventh series episode, Fergus Breaks the Rules.
- This episode marks the first appearance of Diesel's spooked/surprised face which would later appear in the tenth series episode, Emily and the Special Coaches.
- This episode marks the last of two things:
- The final episode dubbed by Daniel Vulcu in Romania and Ian MacAmhlaigh in Scotland.
- The last appearance of Diesel's snarling and shocked face.
- The Korean title of this episode is shared with the eighth series episode, Halloween.
- The alternate Korean title card of this episode still has the English title card behind it.
Goofs
- The narrator says, "Suddenly, Thomas felt something touch his tender," but Thomas is a tank engine. "Bunker" is the correct term.
- When Thomas rolls under the chute, he biffs some trucks out of the way. Then, when Thomas comes out covered in flour, Diesel is in front of Thomas instead of the trucks.
In Other Languages
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Merchandise
Quotes
- Diesel: Ooh! Thomas!
- Diesel: Look out! The Ghost Engine is after your funnel!
- Thomas: Cinders and ashes!
Home Media Releases
UK/IRLDVD Packs
AUS
DVD Boxsets
US/CANDVD Packs
DKNOR/SWEFINCZMYS
NLJPNGERSPNDVD BoxsetsTHAKORHKTWN |
References
#01 Percy and the Oil Painting | #10 Rheneas and the Dinosaur | #19 Thomas' New Trucks |
#02 Thomas and the Rainbow | #11 Thomas and the New Engine | #20 Duncan and the Old Mine |
#03 Thomas' Milkshake Muddle | #12 Toby Feels Left Out | #21 Bold and Brave |
#04 Mighty Mac | #13 Thomas Tries His Best | #22 Skarloey the Brave |
#05 Molly's Special Special | #14 The Magic Lamp | #23 Saving Edward |
#06 Respect for Gordon | #15 Thomas and the Statue | #24 Thomas and the Golden Eagle |
#07 Thomas and the Birthday Picnic | #16 Henry and the Flagpole | #25 Keeping Up with James |
#08 Tuneful Toots | #17 Emily Knows Best | #26 Flour Power |
#09 Thomas and the Toy Shop | #18 Thomas' Day Off | |