Thomas the Really Useful Engine

This article is about the Random House book. You may be looking for the LeapPad book, the song, the Story Library spin-off book or the Sodor Island Publishing book.

Thomas the Really Useful Engine is a book.

Plot

When a storm hits Sodor, James, Percy and Henry are sent to pick up supplies to fix the station house. But when they do not return, it is up to Thomas to find them and clean up the mess.

Characters

Thomas
Henry
Gordon
James
Percy
Annie and Clarabel
Harold
Sir Topham Hatt
Edward (does not speak)
Douglas (cameo)
Bulstrode (cameo)

Locations

Dryaw
Tidmouth Sheds
Henry's Forest
Sodor China Clay Company
Ffarquhar Quarry
Arlesburgh (map only)
Ballaswein (map only)
Chibbyr Ulf (map only)
Corloey (map only)
Cronk (map only)
Crosby (map only)
Culdee Fell (map only)
Killdane (map only)
Loey Machan (map only)
Peel Godred (map only)
Suddery (map only)
Ulfstead (map only)
Wellsworth (map only)

Trivia

This is the first book illustrated by Tommy Stubbs.
Part of the plot is similar to that of Thomas and the Breakdown Train.

Goofs

Tidmouth Sheds is illustrated as being next to Dryaw station.
In one illustration, Henry is depicted as a 2-6-0.
In the illustration where Thomas finds Percy, Percy is missing one of his lamp irons.
In the illustration where Thomas finds Henry, Henry is missing the red lining below his cab windows.
The top of Percy's coal bunker is painted green.
Douglas' nameplate is white with red outlining and black lettering, and his boiler stripes and running board are red.
In the illustration where Sir Topham Hatt puts Gordon in charge, Gordon is missing the red lining below his cab windows.
In the illustration where Gordon tells Percy and Henry to go find James, one of Henry's wheel arches is rectangular shaped.
In the illustration with all of the engines, the set of points from the main line to the Douglas’ track at the sheds is not illustrated properly, as both rails are shown to end at the same rail on one of the main line tracks.
On the map of Sodor in the eleventh illustration, Corloey is misspelled as "Corley".