Toad's Adventure

"You are a really useful and very brave brake van!"

- Dowager Hatt praising Toad

Toad's Adventure is the sixth episode of the eighteenth series.

Plot
Oliver is always telling his brake van Toad about the time he escaped from the scrapyard to come to Sodor. Toad was there at the time, but he has still heard the story a hundred times as they puff up and down the Little Western line. Toad wishes that he could have an adventure of his own to talk about.

Later, Oliver leaves Toad in the shunting yard while he takes a passenger train. Toad is happy not to have to listen to Oliver's tale again, but he does not like the prospect of sitting around for ages doing nothing. Just then, James arrives looking for a brake van for his goods train. Toad pleads with James to take him with him. James agrees and soon they head off to Vicarstown.

On the way, Toad has to listen to James' boasting, which is still a refreshing change from Oliver's endless stories. Soon, Toad is concerned that they are going too fast, but James insists that there is nothing wrong with their speed. As they puff up Gordon's Hill, James strikes a branch on the line. The branch goes under the train and uncouples James from his train. Suddenly, Toad is rolling back down the hill with the trucks. Toad tries his best to stop the runaway train.

Meanwhile, Thomas is puffing along the line with the Fat Controller and Dowager Hatt. He is taking them both to the opera on the mainland. As Thomas rounds the bend by Gordon's Hill, he stops suddenly. The Fat Controller leans out of the carriage window to enquire about the situation, but is soon alerted to Toad and the runaway trucks speeding straight towards them. Thomas tries to reverse out of the way, but Percy pulls up behind Thomas on the same line. There is no time for both engines to reverse and Toad knows it is up to him to save them all now. With sparks flying from his wheels, Toad manages to stop the trucks just in time. James pulls up, just as the Fat Controller demands to know what has happened. James is about to confess to going too fast, but Toad covers for him by saying that they just hit a branch and it was all an accident. The Fat Controller is satisfied and Dowager Hatt calls Toad a really useful brake van. The Fat Controller agrees with his mother and Toad feels very proud.

It is not long before James and Toad are heading to Vicarstown once again. Toad tells James that he can go a little faster if he wants, but this time James does not want to speed up.

When they return to the shunting yard, James thanks Toad for all his help. Then, Oliver puffs in and starts to tell Toad all about his day. James interrupts, however, and tells Oliver that he ought to ask Toad about his adventure. Oliver finds it hard to believe that Toad has had an adventure, but Toad tells him all about his day. Soon, all the engines in the yard are gathered round listening to Toad's thrilling adventure. Oliver says he cannot believe it, but Toad says he will tell him the whole story again the next day.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * James
 * Percy
 * Oliver
 * Toad
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Dowager Hatt
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Harvey
 * Rosie
 * Stanley
 * Charlie
 * Paxton
 * Gordon
 * The Goods Depot Foreman

Locations

 * The Cow Field
 * Knapford Yards
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Vicarstown
 * The Scrapyards
 * The Little Western

UK

 * Ben Small as Thomas
 * Keith Wickham as James, Percy, the Fat Controller and Dowager Hatt
 * Joe Mills as Oliver and Toad

US

 * Martin Sherman as Thomas and Percy
 * Kerry Shale as James and Sir Topham Hatt
 * Joe Mills as Oliver and Toad
 * Keith Wickham as Dowager Hatt

Trivia

 * A reference to the third series episode, Escape, is made in this episode.
 * The episodes marks the first of a few things:
 * Since this episode was released on DVD before the special, Tale of the Brave was released and the eighteenth series episode, Signals Crossed aired, this is the first time that viewers would see Oliver and Toad in CGI.
 * The first time since the fifth series episode, Busy Going Backwards that Toad has had a leading role in an episode.
 * Oliver and Toad's first speaking roles since the twelfth series episode, Gordon Takes a Shortcut.
 * The first time since the sixth series episode, Edward the Very Useful Engine in which a guard has a speaking role.
 * The first time that James' bad habit of speeding is shown.
 * Joe Mills joins the voice cast.
 * In the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Baltic Russian and Vietnamese dubs, the UK dub can be heard in the background as a dubbing track was not used.

Goofs

 * At one point during his journey with James, Toad is facing the wrong way.
 * The black buffer casing on Oliver's rear buffers appear to be missing when Oliver is coupled up to the coaches.
 * In the scene where the Fat Controller warns Dowager Hatt that Toad might be going to crash, Toad is not moving.
 * During the ending, Stanley is seen pushing trucks past James and Toad, then a few seconds later, Charlie shunts flatbeds on the same line as him and pushes them over some points and he goes over to Toad, but then in the final shot, Stanley somehow got from one side of the flatbeds to the other.
 * In the Dutch dub, incorrectly states that the episode was written by Andrew Brenner.
 * In the overhead shot of the yard, James is missing his trucks.

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Trouble on the Tracks
 * 1st Class Stories
 * The Complete Series 18

DVD Packs

 * 10 DVD Boxset

US

 * Trouble on the Tracks
 * Season 18

AUS

 * Trouble on the Tracks

FRA

 * Series 18

THA

 * Duck in the Water

CHN
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 * Duck and the Slip Coaches

Toad's Adventure La Aventura de Toad ההרפתקה של טואוד Toad kalandja Przygoda Anatola Приключения Тода