The Great Race

"Oh, Thomas! Why would Sir Topham Hatt want to take a little tank engine like you to the Great Railway Show?"

- Gordon

The Great Race is a 2016 feature-length Thomas & Friends special. It is the twelfth Thomas & Friends film overall.

Plot
While pulling the local (a slow passenger train that stops at all stations from Knapford to Vicarstown), Thomas hears Gordon's whistle and attempts to race him, despite Annie and Clarabel's attempts to warn him against doing so. After 'beating' him, Thomas soon arrives at Vicarstown. There, he sees a large green engine with two tenders. Gordon annoyingly introduces the engine as his brother, The Flying Scotsman who mentions that he will be racing in The Great Railway Show, a competition taking place on the mainland to see which engine is the best in events such as in racing or strength. Gordon states a dislike in entering in a competition alongside engines like his brother, though Thomas states that he himself would love to.

With The Great Railway Show coming up, all of the engines attempt to get the Fat Controller to take them to it. Unfortunately, Thomas gets teased for wanting to compete in it due to his size. While upset about possibly not going to it, Thomas is told by Philip that he could go if he were to put his mind to it. This gets Thomas thinking that he could be chosen if he could prove that he is as fast as The Flying Scotsman. Caitlin soon passes Thomas, which gets him thinking about what if he were to be streamlined just like she is which may make him faster. Thomas suggests this to The Fat Controller, but he phrases his request vaguely; he is excited when he accepts, only to be dismayed when he decides to do this to Gordon.

Soon, a ship arrives at the docks and several engines come out of it. One of the engines reveals that they have come for the Great Railway Show, though a dock worker tells them that it is taking place on the mainland. As the engines head back to the boat, Thomas is bumped by one of them and attempts to join them after finding an empty space. However, the spot is actually for one of the engines who ends up getting left behind and accidentally bumps into Thomas and he nearly falls overboard. The engine however quickly rescues Thomas, who soon complains about how the mainland engines apparently think they are better than everyone else. After the engine apologises for accidentally bumping him, Salty says thank you to her on Thomas' behalf, to Thomas' embarrassment, and asks her name, to which she introduces herself as Ashima. Thomas, however, angrily leaves.

Thomas later tells Percy and Philip about Ashima, to which Philip tells Thomas that engines like her are nothing but trouble. Unfortunately, he later encounters Ashima while he is pulling Annie and Clarabel; having missed the boat, she also does not know how to get to the mainland by herself. After Thomas gets embarrassed by Annie and Clarabel after they tell her he wants to go to the Great Railway Show, he wonders why she is competing. After the two coaches state about how beautifully painted she was, this gives Thomas another idea and he leaves them in a siding. Ashima tries to ask some of the other engines about how to get to the mainland, to no avail, and takes Annie and Clarabel instead.

Meanwhile, Gordon is at the Steamworks being streamlined when Thomas comes in, asking Victor to have him brightly painted for the Great Railway show. At the same time, Diesel reveals his plan at the Dieselworks; after getting some large crates from Cranky at the docks, he attempts to have Paxton, Den and Dart covered in the crates and pretend to be trucks so as to make it look like Diesel is pulling them and get himself a spot in the Great Railway Show. The Fat Controller sees Thomas, who reveals his other plan to be brightly painted. Unfortunately, Thomas is annoyed when this idea is instead given to James and Emily and then when he sees Ashima pulling Annie and Clarabel. After Thomas tells Ashima about the idea he had and wishes that he was different, she tells him that he does not need to change anything about himself. She then asks him if he is any good at shunting and tells him to take part in the Shunting Challenge.

While practicing his shunting, Thomas encounters Diesel, who is also shunting. Thomas attempts to move Diesel's trucks, unaware that Paxton, Den and Dart are posing as some of them. While deciding on who to take to the Great Railway Show, The Fat Controller sees Thomas with the trucks and is quite impressed with him, thinking he is pulling the trucks on his own. Unfortunately, Thomas is unable to control the trucks and accidentally crashes into Norman, leading to Thomas being sent to the Steamworks, Diesel confronting Paxton, Den and Dart about the accident and the Fat Controller revealing to Thomas he was going to enter him in the Shunting Challenge the entire time, but because of his repairs, Percy has to compete in Thomas' place. The Fat Controller soon leaves with Gordon, who has now renamed himself as the Shooting Star, James, Emily, Henry, Percy, Philip and Ashima to the Great Railway Show, leaving Thomas very upset. However, Kevin reveals that Gordon's safety valve was not reassembled back into him when he was streamlined. Being the only one available, Thomas is then ordered by Victor to give Gordon his safety valve.

Thomas soon races to the Great Railway Show on the mainland and is even forced to jump over the Vicarstown Bridge while in a hurry, but immediately after, he notices Samson on his left side and realises he will crash into three engines coming on the opposite direction, but a frantic signalman saves everyone and then faints in relief. Meanwhile, Henry is entered in the Test of Strength, only to come in last place. James and Emily compete in the best decorated engine, though once again, they do not win. Gordon then enters in The Great Race alongside Flying Scotsman. Thomas soon arrives at the Great Railway Show and attempts to find Gordon, and even mistakes another blue tender engine named Frieda to be Gordon. After Thomas is seen by the others, he sees Gordon at the start of the race and attempts to go after him to give Gordon his safety valve. Unfortunately, Gordon, still annoyed on trying to insist on everyone calling him the Shooting Star, refuses to listen to Thomas, as well as to Flying Scotsman trying to warn him that Gordon is overheating. This ends up with Gordon's boiler bursting and forcing him out of the race, the winner being the French Electric Diesel Etienne overtaking Spencer.

After Percy drops out of the Shunting Challenge, which Ashima is also competing in, Thomas is told by Emily to enter in his place. Meanwhile, Philip ends up running into Vinnie, the big blue engine that bumped Thomas on Sodor, who chases after him. Thomas, meanwhile, is slow going in the Shunting Challenge, but is soon back in the competition when Philip and Vinnie come racing through the shunting yard, temporally stopping the event. Vinnie ends up cornering Philip, though Vinnie is soon held back by Thomas and Ashima, leading to Philip escaping and Vinnie crashing into some pylons.

Thomas is about to win the Shunting Challenge when Ashima is about to come across a flatbed Vinnie had earlier knocked over and sacrifices his chance of winning for Ashima. This gets Thomas noticed by the Fat Controller and Ashima winning the Shunting Challenge. However, the judges offer trophies to both Ashima and Thomas; for winning the challenge and good sportsmanship, respectively. While Thomas and Ashima are celebrating their wins, The Fat Controller comes up to Thomas. Thomas then explains about his attempt to deliver Gordon's safety valve and replacing Percy in the Shunting Challenge, which gets him praised by the Fat Controller.

After Thomas notices Ashima's absence, Gordon decides he has had enough of being streamlined. Flying Scotsman, however, states about how it was a shame that Gordon lost, but also surprised at how strong Sodor engines like Gordon are. As the others are leaving, Thomas reunites with Ashima and takes her back with him to Sodor to catch her boat. The engines soon arrive back at Vicarstown, where they are congratulated on Sodor's win at the Great Railway Show.

Meanwhile, Cranky, Paxton, Den and Dart attempt to look for Diesel at the docks in the credits, only to find that he has been accidentally loaded onto a ship heading away from Sodor to Diesel's dismay, as seen in the mid-credits.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Duck
 * Donald and Douglas
 * Oliver
 * Emily
 * Bill and Ben
 * Spencer
 * Stanley
 * Charlie
 * Scruff
 * Belle
 * Stephen
 * Connor
 * Caitlin
 * Porter
 * Timothy
 * Marion
 * Samson
 * Diesel
 * Daisy
 * Salty
 * Den
 * Dart
 * Sidney
 * Paxton
 * Norman
 * Philip
 * Flynn
 * Stafford
 * Skarloey
 * Rheneas
 * Sir Handel
 * Peter Sam
 * Victor
 * Mike
 * Rex
 * Bert
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Kevin
 * Cranky
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Dock Manager
 * The Great Railway Show Judge
 * Hiro
 * The Teacher
 * One of Dowager Hatt's Friends
 * Toby
 * Rosie
 * Mavis
 * 'Arry and Bert
 * Winston
 * Henrietta
 * Toad
 * Bertie
 * Owen
 * Lady Hatt
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Mr. Percival
 * Sir Robert Norramby
 * The Thin Clergyman
 * The Large Chinned Policeman
 * The Bird Watcher
 * The Ginger-haired Boy
 * The Blond-haired Boy
 * The Tall Baker
 * One of Dowager Hatt's Friends
 * The Great Composer
 * The Welsh Bird Watcher
 * The Lady with the Big Hat
 * The Grumpy Passenger
 * The Deputy Minister
 * Barrow Football Fan
 * Albert
 * Albert's Wife
 * The Female Puppet Show Entertainer
 * The Man with the Green Waistcoat and Grey Hair
 * Big Mickey
 * Harvey
 * Alfie
 * Oliver the Excavator
 * Harold
 * Captain
 * Mrs. Kyndley
 * Splatter and Dodge

Returning Characters

 * Flying Scotsman

Characters Introduced

 * Ashima
 * Axel
 * Vinnie
 * Raul
 * Carlos
 * Frieda
 * Gina
 * Ivan
 * Etienne
 * The Great Railway Show Announcer
 * Rajiv
 * Shane
 * The Great Railway Show Flagman
 * Yong Bao
 * The Mainland Diesels
 * The Fat Clergyman
 * The Mainland Brass Band

Locations

 * Island of Sodor
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Brendam Warehouse
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Station Yard
 * Annie and Clarabel's Shed
 * M.C. Bunn
 * Knapford Yards
 * Maron
 * Vicarstown Dieselworks
 * Vicarstown Diesel Sheds
 * Diesel 10's Shed
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Victor's Shed
 * Sodor Suspension Bridge
 * Blue Mountain Quarry
 * Arlesburgh West
 * Arlesburgh Works
 * Road and Rail Runby and Road Bridge
 * Bridge Over Tunnel Runby
 * Maithwaite
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * The Watermill
 * Tower Windmill
 * Henry's Tunnel
 * The Fenland Track
 * Kellsthorpe Road
 * Ballahoo Junction
 * Sodor China Clay Company
 * Vicarstown
 * Vicarstown Bridge
 * Great Waterton
 * The Mainland
 * The Great Railway Show
 * The Great Railway Show Yard
 * India
 * France
 * Belgium

UK

 * John Hasler as Thomas and Rheneas
 * Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Salty, Den, Norman, Stafford, Skarloey, Sir Handel, Bert, the Fat Controller and Some Workmen
 * Nigel Pilkington as Percy
 * Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Belle, Frieda, Gina, Daisy, Marion, Annie and Clarabel
 * Steven Kynman as Duck, Charlie, Porter, Dart, Paxton and Peter Sam
 * Joe Mills as Douglas and Oliver
 * Matt Wilkinson as Spencer, Stanley, Cranky, Kevin and the Dock Manager
 * Rasmus Hardiker as Philip
 * Kerry Shale as Scruff and Diesel
 * David Bedella as Victor and Carlos
 * Bob Golding as Stephen, Sidney and Ivan
 * Tim Whitnall as Timothy and Mike
 * Tom Stourton as Rex
 * Jonathan Broadbent as Bill and Ben
 * Jonathan Forbes as Connor
 * Rebecca O'Mara as Caitlin
 * Robert Wilfort as Samson and the Great Railway Show judge
 * Rufus Jones as the Flying Scotsman
 * Rob Rackstraw as Axel, Raul, Etienne, Flynn, Donald and the Great Railway Show Announcer
 * Tina Desai as Ashima
 * John Schwab as Vinnie
 * Christopher Ragland as Percy
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily

US

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * William Hope as Edward and the Dock Manager
 * Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, Scruff, Diesel and Kevin
 * Rob Rackstraw as James, Axel, Raul, Norman, Etienne, Flynn, Donald and the Great Railway Show Announcer
 * Christopher Ragland as Percy
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily
 * Steven Kynman as Duck, Charlie, Dart, Paxton and Peter Sam
 * Joe Mills as Douglas and Oliver
 * Teresa Gallagher as Belle, Frieda, Gina, Daisy, Marion and Annie and Clarabel
 * Keith Wickham as Stanley, Salty, Den, Norman, Stafford, Skarloey, Sir Handel, Bert, Sir Topham Hatt and Some Workmen
 * Glenn Wrage as Spencer and Cranky
 * Rasmus Hardiker as Philip
 * David Menkin as Porter
 * David Bedella as Victor and Carlos
 * Bob Golding as Stephen, Sidney and Ivan
 * Tim Whitnall as Timothy and Mike
 * Tom Stourton as Rex
 * Jonathan Broadbent as Bill and Ben
 * Jonathan Forbes as Connor
 * Rebecca O'Mara as Caitlin
 * Robert Wilfort as Samson and the Great Railway Show judge
 * Rufus Jones as the Flying Scotsman
 * Tina Desai as Ashima
 * John Schwab as Vinnie
 * John Hasler as Rheneas

Songs

 * Will You Won't You
 * Streamlining
 * Full of Surprises
 * You Can Only Be You
 * The Shooting Star is Coming Through
 * Be Who You Are, and Go Far
 * He's Full of Surprises

UK/AUS

 * Music Videos - Will You Won't You, Streamlining, I'm Full of Surprises and You Can Only Be You
 * Guess Who? Puzzles - Ashima, Etienne, Flying Scotsman, Philip, Rajiv, Shane, Vinnie and Yong Bao
 * 20 Meet the Contenders Shorts

US and CAN

 * Music Videos - Will You Won't You, Streamlining, I'm Full of Surprises and You Can Only Be You
 * Guess Who? Puzzles - Etienne, Flying Scotsman, Philip, Rajiv, Shane and Vinnie
 * 20 Meet the Contenders Shorts

Trivia

 * This special takes place between the twentieth and twenty-first series, despite the movie having aired before the twentieth series. However, as confirmed via Craig Barnikis's LinkedIn profile, there are several hints with production crew, voice actors and changes that this was produced before the twentieth series in 2016:
 * Tracy Blagdon being a production manager. She became a producer in March 2016.
 * Keith Wickham voicing James in the UK dub and Stanley in the US dub.
 * Rebecca O'Mara voicing Caitlin.
 * Steven Kynman voicing Porter in the UK dub.
 * Teresa Gallagher voicing Marion and Daisy.
 * Rob Rackstraw voicing Norman in the US dub.
 * Robert Wilfort voicing the Great Railway Show judge.
 * Arlesburgh Junction lacking the footbridge seen on the junction in the twentieth series and the sheds still appearing as a one-berth shed.
 * Arc Productions still doing the work, whilst the last part of the twentieth series, the next special and the twenty-first series were completed by Jam Filled Toronto after Arc had shut down due to bankruptcy.
 * Production for this special began in May 2015 and ended in February 2016.
 * This special was shown in select UK cinemas from 21st May 2016 and in Australia and New Zealand from 20th August 2016.
 * This special was shown at the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during a private screening held by Autism Ontario on 9th July 2016.
 * This special was shown in selected Italian cinemas on the 7th, 8th, 15th and 16th of October 2016.
 * This special ties in with both the 2016 Summer Olympics and Flying Scotsman's return to service in real-life.
 * This special was shown in the US at Thomas Land on 3rd September 2016 before being released on DVD and aired on PBS on 17th October.
 * References to the fourth series episode, Thomas and the Special Letter and the nineteenth series episode, The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead are made in this special, including how Diesel aspired to be stronger than Henry in the sixth series episode, The World's Strongest Engine.
 * A reworked arrangement of the original Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends theme tune is played as fanfare while Ashima and the Sodor engines parade through Vicarstown en-route to the Mainland for the Great Railway Show.
 * A reworked arrangement of The Watermill theme from the second series composed by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell can be heard when Thomas goes back to pick up Annie and Clarabel, after coming back from the Steamworks from his "repaint".
 * Rufus Jones, Tina Desai and John Schwab join the voice cast. However, while Schwab still continued into the following year, Jones would not return until Big World! Big Adventures! and Desai until the twenty-second series.
 * The station announcement used in Tale of the Brave is heard when Thomas first arrives at Vicarstown.
 * When Thomas asks Victor to repaint him, one of the liveries seen in the fantasy sequence features a red and blue lightning bolt over his right eye, resembling the late singer David Bowie, who sported a similar lightning bolt on his face for the cover of his album Aladdin Sane.
 * From 13th April until 7th September 2016, the official YouTube channel uploaded promotional videos of each of the Great Railway Show's contestants (excluding James and Hiro), each video being uploaded once a week on every Wednesday.
 * This special marks the first of multiple things:
 * The first full appearance of Flying Scotsman in the television series and his first appearance since the third series (not counting his appearance of his tenders as a scrapped model in Thomas and the Magic Railroad).
 * The first time that Mrs. Kyndley has been referred to by name since the fifth series.
 * The first special to have Robert Wilfort, Nigel Pilkington and Rasmus Hardiker as part of the voice cast since joining the voice cast in the eighteenth and nineteenth series.
 * The first special where the title "With the voices of" is shown above the voice actor names during the end credits.
 * The first special where Nigel Pilkington voices Percy in the UK and Kerry Shale voices Diesel in the US.
 * The very first speaking role of the Great Railway Show Judge, who had only cameoed since the sixteenth series.
 * The first appearance of Vicarstown station in the CGI series.
 * The first special to have music composed by Chris Renshaw and Oliver Davis after Robert Hartshorne and Peter Hartshorne's contracts ended after the nineteenth series.
 * The first special to be a musical, though not the first to have characters sing original songs (Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure).
 * The first special since Calling All Engines! in which the narrator does not read out the title and Toby appears but does not speak.
 * Norman's first speaking role since the seventeenth series episode, The Frozen Turntable.
 * Sir Handel's first speaking role since the seventeenth series episode, Luke's New Friend.
 * The first appearance of the red express coaches since the twelfth series episode, Toby's Special Surprise, not counting a stock footage appearance in the episode, Percy and the Bandstand.
 * The first time the term "locomotive" has been said in the series.
 * Charlie's first speaking role since the eighteenth series episode, Not So Slow Coaches, as well as the first time Steven Kynman took the mantle of his US voice, following the departure of Ben Small.
 * The first special in which Teresa Gallagher voices Marion.
 * Porter's first speaking role and Timothy and Stafford's first appearances in a special since Tale of the Brave.
 * Hiro, Belle, Stephen, Connor, Caitlin, Paxton, Skarloey, Rheneas, Peter Sam and Owen's first appearances in a special since King of the Railway.
 * Scruff and Sir Handel's first appearances in a special since Blue Mountain Mystery.
 * Sidney's first appearance since the eighteenth series episode, Disappearing Diesels.
 * Stanley's first speaking role and Charlie, 'Arry, Bert and Norman's first appearances in a special since Day of the Diesels.
 * The first time since the sixteenth series episode, Don't Bother Victor!, that a character not already in the CGI series is mentioned by name (that being Mrs. Kyndley).
 * The first film to be widely advertised in Japan. Sony Creative Products Inc. has published an independent official website, started Twitter for movies and posted promotional videos and song on YouTube.
 * The first special where Wilbert Awdry's name was correctly spelt in the Korean subtitles again after King of the Railway.
 * This special also marks the only occurrence of a few of things:
 * Marianne Culbert's only special as executive producer.
 * Jane Sobol and Lynda Craigmyle's only special as supervising producers.
 * Charlie, Scruff, Samson, Vinnie and Stafford's only speaking roles in a special.
 * Ashima, Axel, Raul, Gina, Frieda, Shane and Ivan's only appearances in the special.
 * This was the only special where Keith Wickham and Rob Rackstraw voiced Stanley and Norman in the US dub, respectively. They swapped roles in the twentieth series.
 * Ballahoo Junction's only appearance.
 * The first and only appearance of Etienne.
 * The only appearances of Axel, Raul, Gina, Frieda and Ivan until the twenty-third series and before the Big World! Big Adventures! rebrand, as well as Axel, Frieda and Ivan's only appearance outside of stock footage.
 * The only appearances of Ashima, Shane, Yong Bao, Vinnie, Carlos and Rajiv before the Big World! Big Adventures! rebrand and until the movie and the twenty-second series.
 * The only time where David Bedella, Teresa Gallagher and Rob Rackstraw voices Carlos, Gina and Raul, as Big World! Big Adventures! and the twenty-third series replace them with Gabriel Porras, Anna Francolini and Federico Trujillo, respectively.
 * The only special to have Seo Mun-seok as part of the voice cast in South Korea.
 * The only special to does not include English subtitles in the Korean DVD.
 * This special marks the last of several things:
 * The last special animated by Arc Productions under their original name. They were later re-branded as Jam Filled in Toronto in August 2016 after Arc Productions filed up for bankruptcy.
 * The last special to be produced by HiT Entertainment, which would be consolidated into Mattel Creations, who would produce the specials from Journey Beyond Sodor onwards.
 * The last special until Steam Team to the Rescue where Rosie does not speak.
 * The final time Teresa Gallagher and Joe Mills voiced Daisy and Donald. Tracy-Ann Oberman and Rob Rackstraw later took over the roles in the twentieth series onwards.
 * The last special in which Jonathan Broadbent voices Bill and Ben. Rasmus Hardiker would take over the role of Bill and Matt Wilkinson would for Ben in Big World! Big Adventures!
 * The last production to have Jonathan Forbes and Rebecca O'Mara as the voice of Connor and Caitlin and as part of the voice cast before O'Mara left the series. Jules de Jongh later took over the role and she already voiced Caitlin in the twentieth series episode, Engine of the Future.
 * The last time Keith Wickham voices James in the UK dub. Rob Rackstraw later took over the role and he already voiced James in the twentieth series episode, Tit for Tat.
 * The final special in which the non-human characters' bodies are stationary.
 * The final special with a runtime of exactly one hour until the Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go special, Race for the Sodor Cup and Hiro's last speaking role in Latin American in the special until the said special.
 * The final time Javier Olguín voices Thomas and Percy in the Latin American Spanish dub. Héctor Ireta de Alba would take over the roles starting with the twentieth series to Ace's Brave Jump.
 * The final time Rosie is seen in her original lavender livery. From Journey Beyond Sodor onwards, she is painted in a new cherry red livery.
 * The last production to have Tracy Blagdon as production manager. She was promoted to producer in the twentieth series.
 * Kallan Kagan's last special as executive producer.
 * Robert Anderson's last special as producer.
 * Marianne Culbert's last production as executive producer.
 * Stephanie Gauthier Watson's last special as assistant production manager.
 * The last special to be released on Blu-ray in the US until the 20th Anniversary Edition of Thomas and the Magic Railroad in 2020.
 * Hiro's last speaking role in Latin American in the original series.
 * Charlie and Scruff's last speaking roles.
 * Spencer, Belle, Stanley, Stephen, Connor, Caitlin, Porter, Salty, Den, Dart, Norman, Flynn, Skarloey, Rheneas, Peter Sam, Sir Handel, Rex, Mike, Bert and Toad's last speaking roles in the special.
 * Owen and Sir Handel's last appearances in a special.
 * The last appearance of Sodor China Clay Company, Bertie's last appearance in a special, and Duck, Donald, Douglas, Oliver, Bill, Ben, Timothy, Marion, Diesel, Daisy, Sidney, Paxton and Cranky's last speaking roles in the special until Big World! Big Adventures!.
 * The last appearance of the Knapford Iron Bridge.
 * This special aired in Mexico on Discovery Kids on 10th December 2016 and 2nd January 2017. It also aired on Canal 5 on 5th January 2017.
 * The special aired on Nick Jr. in the US split into three half hour blocks on 13th - 15th August 2018. Also, the scene when Vinnie runs into the coal hopper was removed and the music from the removed scene was used for when Philip encounters Vinnie the second time. The three-part version of the film also aired on Treehouse TV on the 28th - 30th November 2018.
 * In the Indonesian and Indonesian dubs, Flying Scotsman is set as Gordon's older brother.
 * In the Latin American Spanish dub, this special is called La Gran Carrera, the same title as the fourth series episode, Steam Roller in said language.
 * The Character Encyclopedia reveals that Flying Scotsman went back to help Gordon finish the race after the blue engine's boiler exploded. This might have been in the script during production.
 * The Chinese poster for the special features Yong Bao in place of Ashima, who in turn is in place of Flying Scotsman.
 * On 15th June 2018, the songs from the special were released on digital music services. The background noises remained intact, however.
 * Originally this special was going to be released in 2015, but production was pushed back in favour of The Adventure Begins and Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the franchise. Three Vicarstown Tramway Engines were going to be introduced in the special, however this plotline was dropped, and the tramway engines were rewritten and replaced by Rex, Bert and Mike in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure. In addition, the film date was pushed to the following year to coincide with the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
 * As seen in the television concept art, several different designs were tested for Vicarstown Station before the final design was decided upon:
 * In one concept, the station was on ground level, with access to streets without walking down.
 * In another concept, the station's train shed was more level, with a gentle curve, unlike the final version.
 * According to Railway Consultant Sam Wilkinson, Splatter and Dodge were originally considered for the role of the shunters at the Great Railway Show, however they were ultimately dropped. Also this is the second special where they have been dropped, first being, Day of the Diesels where they were replaced by Paxton and Sidney.
 * When the international engines arrive at Brendam Docks, Etienne is seen travelling under his own power without the assistance of an overhead catenary.
 * This special has the greatest number of engines introduced in a single piece of media.
 * This special could have been inspired by the Railway Series book, Thomas and the Great Railway Show.
 * This special's Korean title was just a transcription to Hangul of the original one.
 * This is the sixth special not dubbed in Hebrew since The Adventure Begins.
 * Numerous elements of this special were also used for the All Engines Go special, Race for the Sodor Cup.

Goofs

 * On the front cover, steam is clipping through Thomas' funnel.
 * Some actors and actresses are not given credit for voicing their characters:
 * Jules de Jongh and Christopher Ragland in the UK dub for voicing Emily and Percy as their singing voices, respectively.
 * John Hasler in the US dub for voicing Rheneas.
 * Tom Stourton and Jonathan Broadbent in both dubs for voicing Rex, Bill and Ben.
 * The digital release is slowed to 24 FPS, adding an extra two minutes to the special's length. As a result, the audio is mildly distorted.
 * Despite being credited Rob Rackstraw as Stanley and Keith Wickham as Norman, the actors are swapped during Will You, Won't You in the US dub.
 * There are some animation errors in Will You, Won't You:
 * When the song first begins, Thomas' driver's arm clips through his cab door.
 * As Emily is leaving Knapford station with her coaches, the second coach's body is missing.
 * Rex's tender clips through his cab with his driver's head is sticking out of his boiler.
 * Towards the end of the song, James' bufferbeam clips through Gordon's running board. In the same shot, they stop moving, but in the next shot, they stop moving again.
 * After Will You Won't You, Duck's driver's head clips through the top of his roof.
 * At the end of Will You Won't You in the US dub, Emily is heard singing and laughing at Thomas yet is nowhere to be seen.
 * The engines whistle when they leave after the Fat Controller tells them "We still have a railway to run", but no steam emits from any of their whistles. Also, Edward's whistle is heard, but he is nowhere to be seen.
 * During the scene at Knapford Yards, Philip backs up to plank trucks, but when he leaves the yard, he is pulling conflats.
 * In the US dub, shortly before Streamlining starts, when Thomas says "Sir Topham Hatt will definitely take me to the show", his lips move to say, "The Fat Controller".
 * Towards the end of Streamlining:
 * James appears to gain and lose more coaches between shots.
 * Thomas passes by Knaford Junction twice.
 * James instantly disappears when the song ends.
 * When the Fat Controller says, "That... is an excellent idea Thomas," his lips do not sync with his voice.
 * In the overhead shot of Brendam Docks, Duck is shown emitting steam from his whistle, but his whistle is not heard.
 * When the international steam engines whistled to reboard the ship, no steam emits from Gina, Raul and Shane's whistles.
 * In the US dub, Thomas's lips move to say, "Are you really all going to the great rail-?" but he is only heard saying, "Are you really all going to-?"
 * When Axel reboards the ship, his wheels and tender are missing.
 * When Thomas shunts trucks in the yard, a row of narrow gauge trucks can be seen on standard gauge rails.
 * Ashima is not coupled to Annie when she leaves Maithwaite.
 * During You Can Only Be You, Annie and Clarabel disappear when Ashima tells Thomas to calm down. But in the next shot, the two coaches reappeared.
 * When Diesel shunts the disguised diesels and the trucks into the yard, his coupling chains are sticking outward.
 * As Thomas pulls out of the Knapford station yard with the runaway trucks, Dart's crate is missing.
 * When Thomas crashes into Norman at the junction, in the US dub, Norman's voice is faintly heard even with Thomas' screams too.
 * In the second shot inside the Great Railway Show Yard, the coal hopper has no shadow.
 * Throughout the scene of the Sodor engines' arrival at the Great Railway Show, Axel's tender and trailing wheel are not on the rails and clip through his cab.
 * When Flying Scotsman sees Gordon in his streamlined form, his right eyebrow clips through his forehead.
 * Rajiv is not placed on the rails properly when he rolls forward to accept his award.
 * When Thomas is going to deliver Gordon's safety valve mechanism, he nearly crashes into Hiro who is heading towards the Island of Sodor. However, when Thomas arrives at the show, Hiro is competing in the Strength competition.
 * When Frieda whistles, no steam emits from her whistle.
 * At one point when Ashima tells James and Emily that she is going to compete in the shunting challenge, she is not positioned on the rails.
 * When The Shooting Star is Coming Through starts, Henry moves off the right side of the screen in the background.
 * When Gordon sings the words "racing blue" in the second verse of The Shooting Star is Coming Through, Spencer's wheels do not move. This error is repeated during two brief shots of Spencer and Etienne when Gordon sings both "whoosh!" lines in the final verse.
 * When Emily tells Thomas about the shunting challenge in the UK dub, she says the American term "boxcars".
 * When Vinnie leaves after he tells Philip to watch where he's going, his tender is missing and he has Rajiv's cab.
 * On the Nick Jr. video app of the shunting challenge scene, when Ashima tells Thomas, "It's a competition, silly", the captions incorrectly refer to the word "silly" as "sweetie".
 * There are a few errors during Be Who You Are, and Go Far:
 * At the start of the song in the UK dub, James has his US voice which can faintly be heard. Then it changes to his UK voice once the engines have left the Great Railway Show.
 * When the engines cross the Vicarstown Bridge, James and Emily switch back to their regular liveries for the rest of the film.
 * When the engines are approaching Vicarstown station, the outline of Henrietta's face can be seen, but no facial features are visible.
 * In the final shot of the engines entering Vicarstown, a telephone box is clipping through a station bench behind Toby.
 * In the Italian dub of Will You Won't You, Salty is the only one who sings "Anyone who's any engine's eager to go".
 * There are several mistakes in the German dub:
 * When Victor says, "It's a lot of hard work to streamline a steam engine, Gordon", he calls Gordon a diesel engine. And when Thomas crashes into the flatbed, the announcer calls him a diesel.
 * Before Streamlining starts, Annie starts screaming before Thomas goes faster.
 * After Will you Won't You, Gordon is the only one whose laughing is heard.
 * Andrew Brenner's credit is missing from the intro.
 * When Annie and Clarabel talk to Ashima at Maron, their voices are swapped over.

Books

 * The Great Race
 * The Great Railway Show/Off to the Races!
 * The Good Sport
 * The Great Race: The Movie Storybook
 * The Great Race: Sticker Activity Book

Wooden Railway

 * Ashima
 * Racing Vinnie
 * Frieda
 * Diesels in Disguise Pack
 * Vicarstown Station
 * Race Day Relay set with Gina

Wood

 * Flying Scotsman
 * Ashima
 * Rajiv
 * Yong Bao
 * Etienne

Motor Road and Rail

 * Streamlined Thomas
 * Ringing Streamlined Thomas in Tekoro
 * Shooting Star Gordon
 * Ashima
 * Ringing Ashima in Tekoro

Take-n-Play

 * Streamlined Thomas
 * Shooting Star Gordon
 * Ashima
 * Racing Vinnie
 * Raul
 * Yong Bao
 * Axel
 * Ivan

TrackMaster/Motorized

 * Trophy Thomas
 * Shooting Star Gordon
 * Flying Scotsman
 * Ashima
 * Gina
 * Raul
 * Yong Bao
 * Shane
 * Etienne
 * Thomas and Percy's Railway Race set
 * Thomas' Sky High Bridge Jump Playset
 * Streamlined Thomas

Tomica

 * Movie Version Thomas
 * Streamlined Thomas

Collectible Railway

 * Streamlined Thomas
 * Shooting Star Gordon
 * Ashima
 * Yong Bao
 * Axel

Motorized Railway

 * Yong Bao
 * Racing Thomas
 * Thomas' Racing Bridge Jump

Mega Bloks

 * Railway Race Day Set

Adventures

 * Ashima
 * Raul
 * Gina
 * Ivan
 * Shane
 * Yong Bao
 * Axel

Minis

 * Ashima
 * Shane
 * Yong Bao

Capsule Plarail

 * The Great Race Thomas
 * Streamlined Thomas
 * Thomas as Harvey Fantasy
 * Thomas as Stephen Fantasy
 * Thomas as Bertie Fantasy
 * Thomas as Alfie Fantasy
 * Thomas as Captain Fantasy
 * Shooting Star Gordon
 * Decorated James
 * Decorated Emily
 * Ashima
 * Vinnie
 * Flying Scotsman
 * Streamlined Annie
 * Streamlined Clarabel
 * Trophy Truck

Push Along

 * Ashima
 * Rajiv
 * Shane
 * Yong Bao
 * Paint Splat Thomas

US

 * 10-Movie Birthday Collection

Australia

 * 75th Anniversary Collection