| This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the US/Canadian VHS/DVD, the UK VHS, the Buzz Book or the magazine story. |
- “Thank you for looking after my passengers!"
"Oh, that's alright, Thomas. I like to make new friends but I'm glad to share them with you!"
"Bertie, you're a very good friend indeed!” - ― Thomas and Bertie
Thomas Gets Bumped is the sixth episode of the third series. It is based on the magazine stories Hello, Thomas! and A Bump on the Line written by Andrew Brenner.
Plot
Every afternoon, Thomas puffs along his branch line with Annie and Clarabel. First, they pass the watermill, then come to a big farm and see a village nestled on either side of it. Whenever children hear Thomas coming, they stand on the bridge to wave at him until he is out of sight.
One day, Thomas is waiting at a signal to talk to some children. Percy is waiting too and teases Thomas that if he is late, the Fat Controller will substitute him. Thomas scoffs at Percy but is secretly concerned.
The next day, Thomas sees an inspector waving a red flag as he approaches the station. He sees some children waving at him on the bridge too and becomes concerned as it is a goods station. The children ask Thomas to take them home and the stationmaster explains to the driver that the school bus broke down. The children climb on board Annie and Clarabel and Thomas takes them to the next station where Bertie is waiting to take them home. When Thomas finishes his job, he is very late and worries that the Fat Controller will be cross with him, which Percy knew would happen and tells James he warned Thomas.
The next morning, Thomas is relieved that the Fat Controller is nowhere to be seen at the station but his fears worsen when the rails on the branch line buckle from the hot temperature. He tries to stop in time but it's too late and he derails on the buckled tracks. Thomas is concerned for his passengers but his driver assures him that they will be looked after. Later, he is sent to shunt trucks in the yard while the workmen repair the line. Bertie takes Thomas' passengers for him but he makes more stops to let passengers off closer to their homes and Thomas worries that he’s lost his passengers and that Bertie will replace him.
However, after the line is repaired, the Fat Controller announces to Thomas that his timetable will be changed so he and Bertie can work together more often. To Thomas' relief, the passengers say that while Bertie is a nice bus, they missed Thomas and are glad to have him back and he thanks Bertie for taking care of them while the line was repaired. Bertie prefers that while he likes making new friends, he likes sharing them with him. Thomas then tells Bertie that he is a good friend.
Characters
- Thomas
- Percy
- Bertie
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Stephen Hatt
- The Little Boys
- The Daughter
- The Dark Uniformed Children
- James (does not speak)
- Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
- Troublesome Trucks (do not speak)
- Bridget Hatt (cameo)
- Mrs. Kyndley (cameo)
Locations
- The Valley Bridge
- Dryaw Goods Station
- Hackenbeck
- Knapford
- The Country Line
- The Buckled Tracks
- Tidmouth Sheds
- Ffarquhar
- The Watermill (stock footage)
- Lower Suddery (deleted scene)
Trivia
- This episode marks:
- The first time an episode is based on magazine stories written by Andrew Brenner, who would go on to serve as the head writer for the series beginning in 2013 with the special, King of the Railway, after working as a script editor for the 2012 special, Blue Mountain Mystery. Andrew Brenner later publicly expressed annoyance during an interview with SiF that his stories were used without his consent or credit.
- The first episode not based on any material from either Wilbert or Christopher Awdry.
- The first time that Thomas' shocked face gains a bucktooth.
- The first time that Thomas' current smiling face from the third to twelfth series appears although only in a promotional image.
- The first time to feature Thomas' nervous face since the first series episode Down the Mine (excluding a promotional image from the second series episode Ghost Train), now with modified eyebrows, showing a concerned look.
- The last time in which Glenn Kinsey introduced this episode on 12 February 1993 since Steve Ryde would provide voiceovers from Thomas, Percy and the Dragon onwards.
- The last appearance of the dark uniformed children until the twelfth series episode, Thomas and the Billboard, and their last speaking roles until the thirteenth series episode, Time for a Story.
- Stock footage from Percy's Promise is used.
- In the restored version:
- When Thomas hurries along the line, his speed is higher and he also has different eye movement compared to the original version.
- The closeup of Thomas' wheels after derailing is a different take.
- When Bertie rolls along the line after leaving Hackenbeck, he is wearing his sad face mask instead of his happy face mask and some of the shrubs and flowers have also been moved.
- The last scene of the episode freezes shortly before the credits.
- This episode was shown alongside the next episode in an airing of Storytime with Thomas.
- Both episodes, coincidentally, feature Thomas as a spotlight character in the same series.
- BBC News used footage from this episode when reporting the death of Michael Angelis in 2020.
Goofs
- In a side view of Thomas waiting at the signal with Percy, Thomas' left side connecting rod is hanging above the crank pin at the front due to a missing clip. This can be seen for much of the episode but it is not present in shots that were filmed at a different time.
- When Thomas' signal lowers, its support post leans slightly to the right.
- A wire can be seen under Annie and Clarabel when Thomas puffs along before reaching the broken track.
- The sign on Ffarquhar station is blank and the roof is damaged.
- When Thomas passes by the Goods Station at the beginning, Thomas' signal is up.
- In one shot at Knapford, James can be seen ahead of Percy but when Percy talks to him, James has moved further back.
- In the shot of Thomas shunting a truck, Bertie can be seen behind it standing still for a few seconds.
- In some shots of Knapford in the morning, the platform is not properly aligned with the main building.
- In the restored version of the episode, when Bertie is carrying Thomas' passengers, Bertie has his sad face on when he is supposed to be happy.
- In a close-up of Thomas' driver after they are flagged down, the fireman is not in Thomas' cab.
- In some close-ups of Thomas' driver after the crash, Annie is facing the wrong way.
- Percy's roof is lifted throughout the episode.
- When Thomas arrives at Knapford late, Annie's roof is lifted.
- When Bertie picks up the passengers at Hackenbeck, a bit of gravel rolls into the shot.
Quotes
- Percy: [after the signal drops] Hurry up, Thomas! If you're late, the Fat Controller may get a new engine to replace you.
- Thomas: He would never do that!
- Thomas: Thank you for looking after my passengers.
- Bertie: Oh, that's all right, Thomas. I like to make new friends but I'm glad to share them with you.
- Thomas: Bertie, you're a very good friend indeed!
In Other Languages
| View content | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Merchandise
Home Video Releases
Episode
References
| #01 A Scarf for Percy | #10 The Trouble with Mud | #19 One Good Turn |
| #02 Percy's Promise | #11 No Joke for James | #20 Tender Engines |
| #03 Time for Trouble | #12 Thomas, Percy and the Post Train | #21 Escape |
| #04 Gordon and the Famous Visitor | #13 Trust Thomas | #22 Oliver Owns Up |
| #05 Donald's Duck | #14 Mavis | #23 Bulgy |
| #06 Thomas Gets Bumped | #15 Toby's Tightrope | #24 Heroes |
| #07 Thomas, Percy and the Dragon | #16 Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party | #25 Percy, James and the Fruitful Day |
| #08 Diesel Does It Again | #17 Buzz, Buzz | #26 Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure |
| #09 Henry's Forest | #18 All at Sea | |