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- “Stop the runaway!”
- ― The signalman
The Runaway is the tenth episode of the second series. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, More About Thomas the Tank Engine.
Plot
One day, Thomas wakes up feeling ill; the workmen are unable to make him feel better, so the Fat Controller has Edward bring Thomas to the works for a while and asks Duck to take over Thomas' duties on the branch line. Duck is delighted to be given such a responsibility.
Duck is already friends with Percy, and quickly befriends Toby, Bertie and Terence. The friendly tractor tells Duck to take extra special care with Annie and Clarabel. Duck is very gentle with them, and both coaches are left very impressed with the Great Western engine and remark on what a pleasure it is to go out with him. When Thomas returns from the works, the two coaches tell him how well Duck had managed on the line. Thomas does not feel jealous as he is just happy to be back home.
"Take care of Thomas' coaches. He's sure to miss them while he's away." - Terence
Although he does feel better, Thomas is not in complete working order. The repairs have left his handbrake very stiff, meaning it can feel like his brakes are hard-on when they are not. It is because of this that Thomas begins to overrun the station platform, which causes him a great deal of embarrassment. Eventually, Thomas' crew learn to compensate for the handbrake and they stop in just the right place.
Thomas' fireman falls ill one day, so a relief man takes his place. After Thomas arrives at the junction, the new fireman couples him to Annie and Clarabel, then joins the driver and stationmaster on the platform while they wait for Henry to deliver his passengers. However, the relief fireman has forgotten about the stiff handbrake. When Henry starts to approach with the passengers, Thomas' wheels start to move as brakes are not completely on and he cannot stop or whistle a warning without his crew. Before anyone realises what has happened, Thomas has left everyone stranded on the platform and runs off without anyone in his cab.
Annie and Clarabel scream for Thomas to stop, but he has plenty of steam and keeps going. Soon, an alarm goes out about the runaway train. An engine inspector makes a plan, boards Harold the helicopter and flies to a station where Thomas is due to pass by.
When Thomas reaches the station, he is very tired and is moving far slower than normal. The inspector then makes it to the platform and when Thomas passes, the inspector scrambles aboard the cab and puts Thomas' brakes on. Having finally brought the tank engine to a stop, both Thomas and the inspector are very relieved and thank Harold who tells them that it was no problem.
The inspector tells Thomas that they must make sure this never happens again; feeling exhausted, Thomas cannot agree more.
Characters
- Thomas
- Annie and Clarabel
- Terence
- Harold
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Engine Inspector
- Edward (does not speak)
- Henry (does not speak)
- Percy (does not speak)
- Toby (does not speak)
- Duck (does not speak)
- Farmer Finney (cameo)
- One Little Boy (cameo)
- The Naughty Boys (cameo)
- Harold's Pilots (cameo)
- James (stock footage cameo, cab only)
- Bertie (mentioned)
Locations
- Tidmouth
- The Watermill
- Elsbridge
- The Branch Line Bridge
- Upper Brendam
- Rail Under Road Bridge and Signalbox (stock footage)
- Knapford Yards (stock footage)
- Sodor Shipping Company (stock footage)
- The Branch Line Cutting (stock footage)
- The Works (mentioned)
Trivia
- Stock footage from Thomas and Bertie, Old Iron and Percy and Harold are used, as is an alternate shot from Old Iron and a deleted scene from Thomas, Percy and the Coal.
- George Carlin's narration of this episode was never featured on an episode of Shining Time Station. It first appeared on the VHS Thomas and His Friends Get Along on 10 February 1998.
- In Ringo Starr's narrations and the Welsh and Japanese versions, as well as the original Norwegian television broadcast:
- When Thomas pulls into the shed, passes duck and enters Elsbridge, twice, his whistle is absent as is a music cue as he enters Elsbridgie.
- When Henry approaches Elsbridge, his whistle sound is absent as well.
- When the narrator says, "and suddenly he felt his wheels begin to move," the sound of Thomas' brake was its Series 1 pitch, as opposed to its usual pitch this series.
- In the restored version, the fade effect after Harold flies over the bridge is missing.
- Despite being the main character, Thomas only has two lines in the entire episode, with the first one being a thought and the second being out loud.
- This is the last production to feature Thomas' shocked face without a bucktooth until Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
- A scene from this episode is shown in the 2006 British Drama film; 'After Thomas.'
- This episode was never seen in the 1991 airings on Children’s ITV due to the Ladybird Books using their roots of the Thomas stories.
Goofs
- When the Fat Controller speaks to Duck, the right buffer of the Breakdown Train is broken.
- The brake van behind Duck appears to have derailed when Thomas passes.
- Duck's face is crooked when he stops next to Terence.
- When Duck leaves Terence, his eyes jitter for a few seconds.
- Annie is facing the wrong way when Duck passes Tidmouth Sheds and during the stock footage from Thomas and Bertie.
- When Thomas returns to the sheds, Percy's eyes are wonky.
- In a close-up of Thomas when he returns home from the works, his face is crooked.
- The ill fireman's arm starts very low down on his body.
- Because stock footage is used:
- Thomas' ill fireman is in James' cab.
- The station master answering the phone is the same in Old Iron.
- Percy can briefly be seen going around the curve as Harold flies through the valley.
- Annie and Clarabel are smiling as the runaway begins.
- Many of the small scale railway staff figures have paint chips.
- The narrator says that Thomas saw Henry approaching, but Henry is behind him.
- Henry's eyes are wonky when he approaches the station.
- Henry is smiling when Thomas begins to run away.
- When Harold lands at the station, studio equipment is reflected on his blades.
- In a close-up of Thomas' wheels, a red wire can be seen near his middle wheel.
- Thomas' eyes are wonky for most of the episode.
- When the narrator says "The inspector had made a plan," the letters RIP can be seen written on the inside of Harold's door in the top left hand corner.
- When Thomas' wheels begin to move, some of the wheels' paintwork is chipped at the edges.
- When Thomas is at Elsbridge waiting for Henry, his number is chipped on his left side. It then changes back to normal when Thomas starts moving and the top left of his number is peeled off.
- When Thomas enters the station, one of Clarabel's doors is open.
- When Terence is talking to Duck, a red wire is sticking out of his side.
Merchandise
- Magazine stories - The Runaway
- My Thomas Story Library - Annie and Clarabel (discontinued)
In Other Languages
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Home Media Releases
| #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 | ||