Thomas' Milkshake Muddle

"If you shake milk for long enough, it turns to butter!"

- The ice cream factory manager

Thomas' Milkshake Muddle is the third episode of the ninth series.

Plot
It is the day of the children's summer party, and all the engines want the job to take the children. However, to Thomas' disappointment, Emily is taking them. Thomas' jobs are to collect milk from the dairy and take it to the ice cream factory and then to collect butter from the other side of Sodor and take it to the bakery. Thomas collects the milk churns and goes slowly and carefully until he reaches a junction where Emily approaches and calls him a "slowcoach." Thomas explains that it is important for him to go slowly, but Emily does not care and teases him as he could be taking the children if he was not so slow. Angry, Thomas decides to prove Emily wrong and she challenges him to a race to the next signal, forgetting about the safety of taking his churns properly.

During the race, Thomas speeds up with the churns in his trucks rattling about. His next signal is green, so he passes Emily and carries on to the ice cream factory, neglecting to slow down. At the ice cream factory, the manager is shocked to see the milk is almost butter due to Thomas' careless speeding and he orders Thomas to collect more milk and go slowly this time. Thomas hurries back to the dairy, only to find the Fat Controller waiting for him. Time is running out, and unless the bakery has butter, there will be no cakes for the party.

Thomas feels very guilty about the trouble he caused. Once at the ice cream factory, though ordered to take the buttered milk back to the dairy, Thomas has a much better idea. He goes even faster with the churns of buttered milk all the way to the bakery. When Thomas arrives, the baker is confused to see milk churns until Thomas tells him to look inside and to the baker's surprise, the buttered milk is now entirely butter - more than enough to make the cakes for the party.

Thomas returns to Tidmouth Sheds where the Fat Controller sees him. Thomas is worried about getting into trouble again, but the Fat Controller is pleased that, thanks to Thomas' idea, he made amends and is sent to the children's summer party as the guest of honour.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Emily
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Ice-Cream Factory Manager
 * The Dairy Manager
 * The Dairy Employees
 * The Baker
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Molly
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Bridget Hatt

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Sodor Dairy
 * Sodor Ice Cream Factory
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Maithwaite
 * Bluff's Cove
 * Kirk Ronan Junction
 * Kellsthorpe Road
 * Peel Godred

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the fifth episode of the ninth series.
 * Molly appears in the episode, but she is not acknowledged or introduced until Molly's Special Special.
 * In the PBS Kids airing of the episode, the baker saying, "I need butter, not milk!" is heard earlier than on DVD.
 * A London, Midland, and Scottish Railway poster is seen at Maithwaite.
 * This is Bluff's Cove's first appearance in the television series.

Goofs

 * When Thomas first arrives at the ice cream factory, his last truck is missing.
 * When Thomas left the ice cream factory, his trucks were on the far left track; but when he came back, his trucks were on the middle track.
 * In some close up shots of at ice cream factory his lamp is slightly tilted downward.
 * The narrator states that the cows and sheep looked up to see what the noise was, but the cows are the only ones shown and not the sheep.
 * One of the pipes on the chimney at Maithwaite is crooked.

Merchandise

 * Capsule Plarail
 * Plarail - Thomas at the Suspension Bridge
 * Books - Thomas' Milkshake Muddle
 * Magazine Stories - Milkshake Muddle

Home Media Releases
{{Scroll box|

UK

 * On Track for Adventure
 * The Complete Series 9

DVD Packs

 * Classic Collection
 * The Ultimate Collection
 * Action Pack

US/CAN/SA

 * Milkshake Muddle

US DVD Boxsets

 * 4-Disc DVD Box Set

AUS

 * The Complete Series 9

DVD Packs

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * The Essential Collection
 * Series Nine and Series Ten Double Pack
 * Series Nine and The Great Discovery Double Pack

MYS

 * Thomas' Milkshake Muddle and Other Adventures
 * Mighty Mac and Other Adventures
 * Best Friends and Other Adventures
 * Season To Cherish Collection

NOR/SWE/DK/FIN

 * Proud and Brave

CZ

 * Thomas and the New Contraption

GER

 * Thomas and the New Locomotive

HUN

 * Thomas and the Rainbow

NL

 * Thomas and the Birthday Picnic

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Series 9 Vol.5
 * Thomas' Surprise!

SPN

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 6

DVD Boxsets

 * First Season

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 28

KOR

 * Thomas the Little Engine and Friends Season 4 Vol. 1

HK

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 25

TWN
}}
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 12

Thomas y la Leche Batida תסבוכת החלב של תומס Mleczna Droga Tomka Молочный коктейль Томаса