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- “Stop the runaway!”
- ― The signalman
The Runaway is the tenth episode of the second season. It first aired on Shining Time Station in the episode Mapping it Out in 1989.
Plot
One day, Thomas wakes up feeling ill; workmen are unable to make him feel better, so the Fat Controller has Edward bring Thomas to the works for a while. He then 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, who 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.
Although he does feel better, Thomas is not in complete working order. His handbrake has been left very stiff, meaning it can feel like his brakes are hard-on when they are not. Because of this, Thomas begins to overrun the station platform, which embarrasses him. Eventually, Thomas' crew learns to compensate for the handbrake, and they stop in just the right place.
Thomas' fireman falls ill one day, and a relief man takes his place. Thomas arrives at the junction, and 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. Soon, Henry starts to approach with the passengers but as Thomas' brakes are not completely on, his wheels start to move, and Thomas 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 boards Harold the helicopter, and flies to a station where Thomas is due to pass by and makes a plan.
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, finally bringing 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; Thomas exhausted, could not 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)
- James (cameo)
- Farmer Finney (cameo)
- Bertie (mentioned)
Locations
- Elsbridge
- Tidmouth
- Suddery
- Tidmouth Sheds
- Ffarquhar Sheds
- The Watermill
- The Branch Line Bridge
- Sodor Shipping Company
- The Works (mentioned)
Trivia
- This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, More About Thomas the Tank Engine.
- Stock footage from Thomas and Bertie, Old Iron and Percy and Harold is used, as is a deleted scene from Thomas, Percy and the Coal and a mirrored stock footage from the said episode.
- 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.
- In the restored version, the fade effect after Harold flies over the bridge is missing.
- When the narrator says, "And suddenly he felt his wheels begin to move," the sound of Thomas' brake was in Season 1 pitch, as opposed to its usual pitch this season.
- Despite being the main character, Thomas only has two lines in the entire episode.
Goofs
- When the Fat Controller speaks to Duck, the right buffer of the Breakdown Train is broken.
- The brake van behind Duck appears to be 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 on in "Old Iron", Percy can briefly be seen going around the curve as Harold flies through the valley and Annie and Clarabel are smiling as the runaway begins.
- Many of the small scale railway staff figures have paint chips.
- Henry's eyes are wonky.
- 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 the 1 is peeled off.
- When Thomas enters the station, one of Clarabel's doors is open.
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 | ||