| This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the US VHS/DVD release, the Romanian DVD, the UK VHS, the Railway Series spin-off book, the Buzz Book, the Step into Reading book, or the magazine story. |
- “You miserable engine! Just look what you've done to our breakfast! Now I shall have to cook some more.”
- ― The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's Wife scolding Thomas
Thomas Comes to Breakfast is the eighteenth episode of the second series. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Branch Line Engines.
Plot
Having run his branch line for many years now, Thomas knows it very well. Thomas' driver jokes that Thomas could almost manage without him. Thomas does not realize that this is a joke and brags brags to Percy and Toby that he does not need a driver. They both disagree with this and firmly state they would never even consider running without one, but Thomas ignores their concerns.
The next morning, a firelighter comes and starts up the engines' fires. Thomas wakes up as the warmth spreads through his boiler. When he sees Percy and Toby asleep, he decides to take the opportunity to run by himself and prove them wrong. Thomas slowly starts moving along the track, but then realizes that he is only moving due to a careless cleaner fiddling with his controls and tries in vain to stop. Sitting at the end of the tracks is the stationmaster's house, where he and his family are just sitting down to breakfast. Unable to stop, Thomas runs right through the fence and crashes into the house, destroying the wall. Plaster and broken glass is everywhere, and the stationmaster's wife is angry at Thomas for ruining their breakfast. She decides to cook some more and storms out of the dining room and slams the door, causing more plaster to fall on Thomas, making him feel depressed.
After workmen lay rails through the garden and prop up the house with strong poles, Donald and Douglas arrive and pull Thomas clear of the house. There are pieces of fencing, a bush and a broken window frame hanging from his front, which has been badly twisted by the impact. The twins leave while Thomas is left behind in disgrace.
Thomas is in disgrace
Back at the sheds, the Fat Controller scolds Thomas for his recklessness and tells him he will have to go to the Works to for a long time to have his front repaired. In his absence, a diesel railcar is going to be brought in to run his branch line. Thomas is shocked that a diesel will be replacing him, but the Fat Controller informs him that "diesels always stay in their sheds until they are wanted, and never gallivant off to breakfast in stationmasters' houses."
Characters
- Thomas
- Percy
- Toby
- Donald and Douglas
- Sir Topham Hatt
- The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's Wife
- The Ffarquhar Stationmaster (does not speak)
- The Firelighter (does not speak)
- Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
- Bridget Hatt (cameo)
- Mrs. Kyndley (cameo)
- One Little Boy (cameo)
- The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's Children (cameo)
- Earnest (portrait cameo)
- The Careless Cleaner (mentioned)
- Daisy (indirectly mentioned)
Locations
- Tidmouth
- The Windmill
- The Watermill
- The Works (mentioned)
Trivia
- This is the first episode of the second series to air in the US. It infamously made a few continuity errors for American audiences, such as Toby, Donald and Douglas being introduced before their respective introductory episodes.
- Stock footage from the first series episode Thomas and the Guard is used, as well as a deleted scene from the second series episode Thomas, Percy and the Coal.
- A portrait of Earnest, a Victorian-style steam engine depicted with a moustache, can be seen in the Ffarquhar Stationmaster's house.
- This episode was filmed at the same time as Break Van. Donald's tender is seen merged into the signal box when Thomas pulls into Tidmouth and in the first close-up of Percy at Ffarquhar Sheds.
- Footage of the episode was used as a reference to the original story read aloud by Christopher Awdry in the exclusive YouTube documentary 70 Years of Friendship. Christopher also stated that this was one of his favourite stories.
- This is writer Michael White's favourite episode.
- A large scale model of Thomas was used for the scenes inside of the house.
- When the narrator says "The stationmaster was furious!" the wall set-up behind the stationmaster is different in the restored version.
- In George Carlin's US narration, when the stationmaster's wife shouts "Now I shall have to cook some more!" the sound of the door being banged sounds quieter than in all the other dubs for this episode.
- The cereal box that the stationmaster's son is holding is a recreation of a Kellogg's Corn Flakes box.
- This is the only episode in the television series that shows Thomas without his head lamp due to damage from the crash. However, he is also seen without a headlamp in a rare photo in Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree.
- This episode was reran back to back with Bulldog on Storytime with Thomas.
- Bridget Hatt's likeness is the Ffarquhar stationmaster's daughter.
- The events of this episode are mentioned by James in Journey Beyond Sodor and Edward in Big World! Big Adventures! during the song, Where in the World is Thomas? The scene where Thomas is in the stationmaster's house was recreated in CGI during the song.
- When Ringo Starr's US narration aired on the Shining Time Station episode, Two Old Hands, a small portion of the opening was cut.
Goofs
- Clarabel is facing the wrong direction and her roof is lifted when Thomas comes into Tidmouth.
- Thomas is unwell when he is meant to be conceited.
- When Percy and Toby are asleep, Toby is tilted to the left.
- In the close-up of Toby sleeping, his windows are open slightly, but in the wider shot of the three engines in the shed, Toby's right window is completely open. It is then again slightly open when Thomas is rolling out of the shed.
- Just after Thomas finds that he cannot stop, he passes a station building on his left, but in the next shot, he has not passed it yet.
- In the shots from Thomas' perspective before he runs into the house, the tracks on the right all seem to end abruptly at a wall, the wall is presumably there to hide the edge of the set.
- Just before Thomas crashes into the house, there's glass missing from the window frame.
- As Thomas crashes into the house, his wheels do not move. They also don't move as he is being pulled away from the house.
- When Thomas is pulled free from the house, a bush is lying on his buffer beam, but when the Fat Controller is talking to him, the bush seems to have become larger.
- In a close-up of Thomas' driver, he is clean shaven, but in some non close-ups, he has a beard.
- After Thomas crashes into the house, his head lamp disappears, except for the shot of Donald and Douglas pulling him out.
- When Thomas is pulled away from the house, he looks unharmed. However, in the next shot, a bush suddenly appears on his suddenly damaged buffer beam, in addition to his head lamp vanishing.
- It is clear to see that a bent buffer beam has been placed on top of Thomas' own when it is damaged.
- When Thomas says "Silly stick-in-the-muds," the sheds and the engines are all arranged facing the wrong way.
- When Thomas enters Tidmouth and During the close-up of Percy looking cross, Donald's tender and a hole can be seen in the signal box in the background, indicating that this episode was filmed during the same time as Break Van.
- In the close-ups of the Fat Controller, the faded marks of where a smile had been are visible behind his frown.
- Thomas' eyes are off-centre from each other throughout the majority of the episode.
- The two bits of clay used to simulate Thomas' half-open eyelids are badly put on, so viewers can see some gaps in his eyelids.
- When Thomas finds that he cannot stop, his lamp is not placed on correctly.
- In the Japanese dub, Ringo Starr's narration can be faintly heard throughout the episode.
- Thomas' side rods change positions from when he crashes into the house to when he is rescued.
Merchandise
- Wooden Railway - Thomas Comes to Breakfast Accessory Pack and Thomas Comes to Breakfast version of Thomas (discontinued)
- Plarail - The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's House
- Minis - Breakfast Thomas
- Books - Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Breakfast-Time for Thomas
- Buzz Books - Thomas Comes to Breakfast
- Railway Series Books - Thomas Comes to Breakfast
- Ladybird Books - Thomas Comes to Breakfast and BoCo the Diseasel
- Pop-Up Books - Trouble on the Tracks
- Engine Adventures - Thomas Goes Crash!
- Magazines - Thomas Comes to Breakfast
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 | ||