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- “Wishing trees don't run railways. That's my job.”
- ― Sir Topham Hatt
Henry and the Wishing Tree is the fourth episode of the eighth series.
Plot
Henry enjoys working in the forest, but sometimes it can be lonely, hence the like of seeing passengers boarding Gordon's express at Knapford. Unimpressed, Gordon snootily orders Henry to keep his train away from the passengers. Saddened, Henry wishes that he could pull passengers, just for a change.
Later, Henry stops at the water tower on the outskirts of the forest. Strangely, the children are standing near one of the trees. Henry asks Thomas what they are doing, to which he tells Henry that they are probably making a wish on the old Sodor wishing tree. Henry decides to wish that he could pull the express, instead of Gordon. That evening, the Fat Controller visits Henry at the sheds and tells him that tomorrow, he is to pull the express. Henry is happy, believing that his wish has come true.
The following morning, Henry chuffs into Knapford to collect passengers with his express coaches. When Henry puffs out of the station, the coaches are getting bumped. His driver reminds him that he cannot biff coaches like trucks. Little does Henry know is that Gordon is in the repair yard being fitted with a new boiler. He is lonely and missing his passengers, who also miss Gordon too. They are being bumped and bounced around inside the coaches. That evening, when Henry returns to the sheds, the Fat Controller is waiting for him. He tells Henry that there have been complaints from the passengers and reminds him to be more careful. Then Henry spots Gordon at the works. He is horrified, believing that his wish has made Gordon go to the repair yard. This makes him feel very bad.
The next day, Henry collects the buffet car. He tries hard to be gentle, but shunts the buffet/dining car hard enough to cause all the contents inside go flying. This sparks more complaints and Henry no longer wants to pull passengers, wishing that everything would be back to normal. When Henry arrives at the forest, he forgets which tree is the wishing tree. So he wishes on every tree in the forest that he can pull goods trains again. Soon the Fat Controller arrives aboard Thomas and when Henry explains all about the wishing tree, the Fat Controller tells Henry that running a railway is his job, not the wishing tree's, and says that Gordon is at the works because he needs repairs, not because Henry wished it would happen. He tells Henry that Gordon will be back to work tomorrow, making Henry delighted.
The next day, Gordon returns to work looking as good as new. The passengers are so pleased that they give him three cheers. Meanwhile, Henry is pleased to be back working in the forest. At the end of the day, Henry stops near the wishing tree and makes a wish that he would never have to pull passengers again.
Characters
- Thomas
- Henry
- Gordon
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Percy (cameo)
- Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
- Stephen Hatt (cameo)
- Bridget Hatt (cameo)
- Refreshment Lady (cameo)
- Cyril the Fogman (cameo)
- The Storyteller (cameo)
- Trevor (deleted scene cameo)
- George (deleted scene cameo)
Locations
- Henry's Forest
- Sodor Wishing Tree
- Knapford
- Tidmouth Sheds
- The Works
- Knapford Yards (deleted scene)
- Crosby (deleted scene)
Trivia
- Going by production order, this is the twenty-first episode of the eighth series.
- Pre-filmed footage from You Can Do it, Toby! is used.
- The music at the near end is omitted in The Complete Series 8 DVD.
- An Allicia Botti poster can be seen at the end of this episode.
- Neptune Refreshments, the refreshment lady's shop, can be seen outside Knapford station.
- Henry's sneezing face mask, which was last used in Whistles and Sneezes, appears in this episode.
- In the All Aboard with the Steam Team DVD narration and the Nick Jr. broadcasts, the timing of when the narrator says, "The Fat Controller arrived on board Thomas" is a few seconds later than in The Complete Series 8 DVD and other television broadcasts.
- Some deleted scenes from this episode appeared in the song Sounds.
Goofs
- A promotional image for this episode shows one of Henry's driving wheels bent out of shape.
- The Romanian title has Thomas' name in it, despite the fact that Henry is the main character in this episode.
Merchandise
In Other Languages
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Home Media Releases
| #01 Thomas and the Tuba | #10 Emily's New Route | #19 Fish |
| #02 Percy's New Whistle | #11 Thomas and the Firework Display | #20 Emily's Adventure |
| #03 Thomas to the Rescue | #12 Gordon Takes Charge | #21 Halloween |
| #04 Henry and the Wishing Tree | #13 Spic and Span | #22 You Can Do It, Toby! |
| #05 James Gets a New Coat | #14 Edward the Great | #23 James Goes Too Far |
| #06 Thomas Saves the Day | #15 Squeak, Rattle and Roll | #24 Chickens to School |
| #07 Percy's Big Mistake | #16 Thomas and the Circus | #25 Too Hot for Thomas |
| #08 Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough | #17 Thomas Gets It Right | #26 Percy and the Magic Carpet |
| #09 Don't Tell Thomas | #18 As Good as Gordon | |