Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia
Register
Advertisement
Main Page

“It's a snowball!"
"It's a snow house!"
"It's an engine!”
Workmen speculating over Skarloey's "igloo"

Snow is the twenty-sixth and final episode of the fifth series. In the US, it aired with A Surprise for Percy in Storytime with Thomas.

Plot

One winter day on the Island of Sodor, a thick layer of snow has fallen, and all engines have gone to work except Percy, who is stuck in a snowdrift. Thomas finds Percy and tells him that there is no time for resting, but is told that Percy's crew have just gone for help. Thomas scoffs at this but continues his journey to clear the rest of the snowed in railway lines. Later, he has to clear snow from a tunnel, but the snow is deep enough for him to get stuck, much to Thomas' annoyance. Rusty is working close by and tells Thomas a story to pass time.

Skarloey was traveling up to the slate mine when he passed through a ravine. Whenever snow came, work was hard in the slate mines and the snow was used as a "double buffer zone" to prevent trucks from falling into the ravine below. One day, Skarloey was taking empty trucks to the mines, where the winch that hauls the trucks up and down the incline was barely working properly. When Skarloey reached the ravine, his driver was concerned that any noise could cause an avalanche, so he set an emergency cap. When Skarloey ran over it, the bang echoed around the gorge but nothing happened, so his crew decided to make a cup of cocoa before going on their way.

However, a long line of full trucks was to be winched down the slope up at the mines, but the winch became jammed when some empty ones derailed. A coupling on the full trucks broke causing them to plummet down the incline. A workman thought the snowbank and the buffers would stop the runaway, but he was unfortunately wrong. Instead, the trucks ploughed through the buffers and snowbank, and plunged into the ravine. All the noise from the trucks caused an avalanche which buried Skarloey deep inside. When Rusty came to the rescue after the avalanche, they discovered that Skarloey's heat had created an igloo, and inside they found Skarloey's crew nonchalantly sipping cocoa like something hardly even happened.

Thomas uses this as an example about how trucks can be so troublesome and not be trusted while Rusty states the same for the snow. The workmen finally clear the snow from behind Thomas, but then Gordon arrives with a snow machine to clear away drifts. Gordon loudly blows steam by the tunnel and causes an avalanche, burying himself in snow. Gordon cries for help, and Thomas jokes that Gordon could emerge from an avalanche laughing, just as Skarloey did. Gordon does not find this useful nor amusing and just scoffs in reply before falling silent as the snow.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • According to the film state, the Runby Tunnel Scene was filmed on 25th February 1998.
  • Going by production order, this is the twenty-fifth episode of the fifth series.
  • This is Skarloey's last episode with a leading role until the seventh series episode, The Old Bridge.
  • Stock footage from the Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure is used.
  • This is the first series finale episode without James, Annie and Clarabel.
  • This is the first time in the UK narration where a character says “uh-oh”.
  • During most of the flashback, Skarloey's large scale model was used; but during the scene where the narrator says "When the snow came..." his small scale model is used. The same goes for Rusty: When interacting with Thomas, Rusty's small scale model is used; but when he appears during the flashback, his large scale model was used.
  • When the trucks plunge into the ravine, the runaway theme is heard in the US and international dubs, but not in the UK dub. And this is the second time that the trucks break away from the incline, the first being the fourth series episode, Trucks.
  • This episode was also paired with the first series episode, Thomas' Christmas Party on another airing of Storytime with Thomas.
  • This is the only fifth series episode where snow appears.
  • This episode marks the last of many things:
  • When the trucks charge towards the buffers, both of the Skarloey Engine Sheds from the fourth series can be seen, albeit repainted grey.
  • This episode is titled Skarloey Snowed Under on The Roku Channel and the Philippine DVD, Happy Ever After.
  • This is one of the three fifth series episodes to feature Thomas' unused third series excited face, the others being Something in the Air and Rusty and the Boulder.
  • There were some scenes that were left unused in the final cut of the episode:
    • A deleted alternate version of Percy smiling and Thomas looking confused instead of cross, hinting that Percy thought Thomas had come to rescue him, when he is actually not.
    • An alternate shot of Thomas puffing away when Percy got stuck in the snow.
    • A deleted scene of Skarloey pulling slate trucks in the opposite direction.
    • A deleted scene of Gordon clearing away the snow with his snow machine.
    • Alternate shots of snow getting on Thomas when Gordon puffs in with his snow machine.
    • A deleted close-up of Gordon.
    • A deleted and alternate scene of the slate trucks crashing through the snow before they fall into the ravine.
    • An alternate shot of the slate trucks falling into the ravine.
    • An alternate scene of the snow and the slate trucks falling on Skarloey when he looked up.
    • A deleted shot of Gordon letting off steam.
    • A deleted scene of Gordon happy before he looks up.
    • An alternate shot of Skarloey puffing through the snow.

Goofs

  • In various scenes, part of Skarloey's cab roof is snapped.
  • When the trucks race down the incline, the middle truck derails.
  • When the trucks crash through the snow bank and buffers, they are coupled, but they fall off separately, one by one. Additionally, a truck is also missing when they fall into the ravine.
  • When the trucks are on the incline, the front truck has a narrow-gauge truck face, but when it races down the incline, it has a standard-gauge truck face. Both are due to the fact that different scale models were used.
  • When Thomas talks to Percy, his eyes are misaligned.
  • Rusty's face changes size during the scene of Skarloey being rescued due to his large scale model being used.
  • A wire can be seen between Rusty and his coach after the workmen have removed the ice from Skarloey.
  • In the first shot of Skarloey going through the ravine, he jerks a little.
  • In the scene where the empty trucks derail, a string can be seen pulling those trucks.
  • When Rusty says "Or snow," he is covered in snow before Gordon comes by.

Quotes

Thomas: Come on, Percy, this is no time to have a rest.
Percy: I'm stuck, and my funnel's freezing up. Driver's gone for help.
Thomas: [scoffs] Hah!

Thomas: Snow is nothing but trouble.

Rusty: Driver says this winter is as bad as the worse winter of all.
Thomas: How worse?
Rusty: I'll tell you. "Skarloey was working the line to the slate mine in the mountains. When the snow came, it was difficult to work. They used the snow as a double buffer zone to help stop trucks skidding through the ravine. One day, Skarloey set off to the mine with some empty trucks. Meanwhile, there was trouble at the mine. The winch that hauls the trucks up and down wasn't working properly. Skarloey had reached the ravine. High above him were the mine yards."

Skarloey's Driver: [about the ravine] That snow looks dangerous. The sound of your engine and the trucks could cause an avalanche. I'll set off an emergency cap and see what happens.
Narrator: Skarloey watched as the driver prepared it. Then they ran over the cap. The bang echoed around the gorge. Nothing happened.
Skarloey's Driver: Good. All's well. We'll have a cup of cocoa and then make our way.

Trucks: Break it, snap it! (a coupling snaps) On, on, on! Faster, faster!
Workman: The snowbank and buffers will stop them.
Narrator: But he was wrong.
[the trucks plunge into the ravine]

Skarloey and his crew: AVALANCHE!!!

Rusty: And then came the funny part.
Thomas: What's the funny part about an avalanche?
Rusty: Well... [cut back to the ravine] No one knew that the heat from Skarloey's engine had helped to make an igloo.
Workmen: It's a snowball. It's a snow house. It's an engine!
Rusty: They cleared away the ice, only to find Skarloey's driver and fireman drinking cocoa, as if nothing had happened!
[cut back to the present]
Thomas: Luckily for them, but it just goes to show you can't trust trucks.
Rusty: Or snow.

Gordon: (puffs by with his snow machine) Hey, look out! There's snow about! (nears the tunnel and loudly wheeshes steam) Uh, oh!
(a big pile of snow buries Gordon completely)

Gordon[covered in snow] Help!
Thomas: If Skarloey survived a snowfall, surely, a big proud engine like you could do the same.
Gordon[furiously] Pah!

Merchandise

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Albanian Borë
Brazilian Portuguese Neve
Chinese Mandarin
Czech Sněží
Danish Sne
Dutch Sneeuw
Finnish Lumi
German Die Lawine
Hungarian A Lavina
Italian La Valanga
Japanese ゆき
Korean 눈사태
Latin American Spanish Cuidado con la Nieve
Norwegian Snø
Polish Śnieg
Romanian Omăt
Russian Снег
Serbian Sneg
Slovenian Sneg
Swedish Snö
Welsh Eira

Home Media Releases

UK

DVD Boxsets

US

CAN

  • Thomas' Christmas Wonderland and Other Thomas Adventures
  • Thomas' Snowy Surprise and Other Adventures
  • Ultimate Christmas

DVD Boxsets

AUS

  • Spooks and Surprises
  • The Complete Series 5

DVD Packs

NZ

  • Spooks and Surprises

ZA

ITA

JPN

KOR

BRA

DK

MYS

GER

DVD Boxsets

GRC

PHL

SWE

WAL

THA

HK

TWN


Advertisement