Percy Takes the Plunge

Percy Takes the Plunge, retitled Percy Takes a Plunge in one North American release, is the eleventh episode of the second series. It is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book The Eight Famous Engines.

Plot
At Brendam, a tired Henry is looking to rest. However, he is annoyed to find Percy telling Bill and Ben about the time he braved bad weather to help Thomas' passengers return home. Percy claims that "Water's nothing to an engine with determination," while the twins shower him with praise. Henry arrives and angrily sends them away, claiming that the shed is only for engines belonging to the Fat Controller and calls them silly. Percy is furious at him because he was enjoying telling Bill and Ben his story. Henry also thinks Percy is also silly for his remark about water. Percy runs off, singing about the time that Henry refused to leave a tunnel in case the rain spoilt his paint, to Henry's annoyance as he huffs to himself that no one will ever let him forget that incident.

Percy finds Thomas looking at a "Danger" board on the quayside. Thomas tells Percy that they must not go past it, recalling the time when he fell down a mine. What Percy does not realise is that the foundations of the quay have sunk, causing the tracks to slope downward into the sea. As a result, Percy, who is now feeling very cheeky, remarks that the board is stupid and makes a plan to pass it.

One day, Percy is taking a line of trucks to the harbour. He secretly asks them to give him a bump once they get to the quay. The trucks happily agree, having never been asked to bump an engine before. Percy thinks that he can stop the trucks whenever he likes, forgetting that trucks are never to be trusted.

When Percy stops at the board, the trucks seize the opportunity and bump him hard enough to knock his crew off the footplate. Percy frantically urges the trucks to stop, but they ignore him and cause him to slide downward into the sea. The Fat Controller arrives on a boat and castigates Percy for his disobedience. Percy begs to be rescued, but this cannot be done until high tide; the Fat Controller hopes that the wait will teach Percy a lesson. When night falls, floating cranes are brought in to hoist Percy from the sea and onto a flatbed, as he has become too cold, filthy, and stiff to move.

The next morning, Percy is arranged to be taken to the Works for cleaning and mending on Henry's goods train. Henry finds the incident very amusing, telling Percy he needs more determination and suggesting that he will like it better next time. Percy, however, is determined that there will not be a "next time".

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Percy
 * Troublesome Trucks
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Bill and Ben
 * Diesel
 * Donald and Douglas

Locations

 * Brendam Docks
 * New Harbour Bridges
 * The Branch Line Cutting
 * The Dual Bends
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Henry's Tunnel
 * The Lead Mines
 * The Works

Trivia

 * This is the first episode with a few things:
 * The first time a diesel engine is seen in the show.
 * The first time that an engine falls into the sea and has to wait until the tide is high enough to be rescued; the second is the fifth series episode, Something in the Air.
 * The first time that an engine slides downward to water, the second is the twelfth series episode, Push Me, Pull You.
 * In the original Railway Series story, Percy tells his story to his group of unnamed friends from the Other Railway. In the episode, Bill and Ben take their place due to the impracticality and high cost of constructing several single-use engines.
 * In production notes for the episode, Donald and Douglas are noted for possible use as Percy's friends, along with Bill and Ben. Bill and Ben were likely chosen because they, like Percy's friends in the original story, are not owned by the Fat Controller.
 * The story Percy tells at the beginning is a reference to the then-unadapted third series episode Percy's Promise. References are also made to the first series episodes, The Sad Story of Henry and Down the Mine. However, the events of this episode are mentioned by the narrator in the special, Tale of the Brave, by Percy in Big World! Big Adventures! during the song Where in the World is Thomas? and by James in the twenty-third series episode, Chucklesome Trucks. Two different CGI recreations of the scene where Percy plunges into the water were featured in the latter; the first one would be in a fantasy, and the other really happened.
 * In the restored version:
 * Bill and Ben leave the shed a few seconds earlier.
 * Percy looks at Henry throughout saying, "I'm not afraid of water. I like it".
 * His speed as he leaves the shed and puffs through the valley is a little slower.
 * Henry looks up as Percy talks to him instead of at Percy and then to his right side instead of his left before the scene transitions to Thomas.
 * The "DANGER" sign is re-used from Down the Mine or the unaired pliot of said episode.
 * Two promotional pictures show Percy looking sad and covered in mud and his left (viewers' right) cylinder is loose while he is at the harbour with Thomas. The first one is from this episode's Buzz Book adaptation, and it shows both at the quay in the same spot when they talked about the board. Another one from the viewmaster version shows them at a warehouse. These may have been deleted scenes towards the end of the episode.
 * In the scene with Thomas and Percy at the harbour, a truck with the letters "LMS" on it can be seen. There is also a first series style truck right next to it.
 * A barge has Terrey written on it; this is possibly a reference to crew member Terence Permane.
 * This is the only second series episode with Henry's happy face.
 * Ringo Starr's US dub was not released on home media until 2001, when it was included on Best of Percy. This recording was also used on a DVD that came with the Take Along playset based on this episode. It was also first heard on an audiobook of A Cow on the Line and Other Thomas the Tank Engine Stories.
 * A rare picture, as seen on the viewmaster box, shows Percy in the sea with his train missing the last two trucks and the brake van.
 * When Percy is pulled out of the sea, Diesel makes a cameo prior to his debut in in the next episode.
 * When George Carlin's dub aired on the Shining Time Station episode, Schemer Goes Camping, the last few seconds of the episode were cut.
 * The scene of Percy plunging intro the sea and the Fat Controller scolding Percy was featured in an episode of the fourth series of the ITV drama series Soldier Soldier.
 * When a majority of second series episodes were repeated on Mondays in 1989 beginning with Bertie's Chase and Saved from Scrap on 6th March, this episode along with Pop Goes the Diesel somehow followed on 13th March, before reverting back to the normal order with Old Iron and Thomas and Trevor on 20th March. This led to a noticeable continuity gap on Easter Monday an May Day Bank Holiday when Thomas' sister show TUGS started on Tuesdays from 4th April-27th June 1989.
 * When this episode was repeated on 2nd July 1991, an image of Percy stranded in the harbour water was used for the sneak peak in Radio Times.
 * The JEI TV version of the Korean dub added subtitles to inform viewers what a breakdown train is.
 * This episode was never released on VHS and DVD in South Korea.

Goofs

 * Ben's nameplate is peeling off when Henry puffs in.
 * When Henry enters the shed, his tender bounces.
 * In the restored version, Bill and Ben's whistles and chuffing sounds are still heard after they leave.
 * The narrator says that Percy ran off to the harbour singing, but he is already at the harbour.
 * When the camera pans down on Thomas, several trucks in the background are derailed.
 * In all three English dubs, when the narrator says "One day, he whispered to the trucks," both Ringo Starr and George Carlin misread "one day" like it was dialogue spoken by Percy, as if he was asking the trucks to bump him when they get to the quay "one day", when it is clear that Percy was asking them to bump him on that very day rather than whenever the "one day" would be.
 * Percy looks cross when he chuckles about his driver not knowing his plan.
 * During Percy's trip to the harbour, his brake van changes. Additionally, his left cylinder is hanging off.
 * Before Percy plunges into the sea, the shot of him sliding down the quayside is placed before the shot of him sliding past the sign. Because of this, his facial expression also changes from shocked to smiling.
 * In the close-up of Percy being pushed, a reflection of a hand can be seen in the water pushing the train. Additionally, Percy's eyes are wonky.
 * Before Percy goes straight into the water, his brakes are applied despite his driver and fireman having jumped out. Then, right about when he falls into the water, his wheels are moving again.
 * Just as Percy plunges into the sea, two of his trucks become derailed, and one of them bounces.
 * When Percy is lifted out of the water, a workman appears to have blu-tack on his neck.
 * When Percy is hanging from the cranes, he is not dirty, but when he is placed on the flatbed, he is. Also, his face is dirty when he is sitting on Thomas' flatbed, but when he is sitting on Henry's flatbed, his face is not dirty.
 * When Henry asks Percy "Did you like the water?", his eyes jitter.
 * A piece of Blu-tack can be seen on below Percy's bunker.
 * When Thomas explains to Percy about the sign, a studio light can be seen reflected off his smokebox.
 * When Percy is loaded onto the flatbed, the second sound effect comes in late, and in the close up shot his face moves foward a bit.

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway
 * Take Along
 * Motorized
 * Buzz Books - Percy Takes the Plunge
 * Ladybird Books - Percy and Harold/Percy Takes the Plunge

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Percy and Harold and Other Stories
 * The Best of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
 * Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Other Stories
 * Thomas Gets Bumped and 17 Other Stories
 * Playtime
 * The Complete Series 2
 * My Little Thomas and Percy Adventures
 * Percy Takes the Plunge

DVD Packs

 * Classic Collection

US

 * Daisy and Other Thomas Stories/Percy Takes the Plunge
 * Best of Percy
 * Thomas' Fan Favorite Adventures
 * Percy Takes the Plunge
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 2

CAN

 * Daisy and Other Thomas Stories/Percy Takes the Plunge
 * Best of Percy

DVD Boxsets

 * Best Tales on the Tracks
 * Best of Collection
 * Best of Thomas, Percy and James Platinum Edition
 * 3 DVD Lunchbox Set

AUS

 * Percy and Harold and Other Stories
 * Playtime
 * The Complete Series 2

DVD Boxsets

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * Classic Collection
 * Series One and Series Two Double Pack

NZ

 * Percy and Harold and Other Stories
 * Playtime
 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 3
 * Thomas Train Set Compilation Video

FRE

 * The Talkative Trains

HRV

 * Duck Takes Over

NL

 * Percy and Harold
 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas, Percy and Gordon

GER

 * Thomas and His Friends Vol. 4
 * The Runaway and 4 Other Adventures
 * It's Great to be a Locomotive!

DVD Boxsets

 * Thomas and His Friends Box Set 1

PHL

 * Percy Takes the Plunge

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.8
 * Best of Percy
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.2
 * Thomas the Tank Engine in Two Languages Vol.8
 * Keep It Up Thomas!
 * The Complete DVD Box 1

DK

 * The Runaway Train and Other Stories

IND

 * Down the Mine and Other Stories

NOR

 * Anniversary
 * Thomas the Tank Engine 4

FIN/ISL

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 4

MYS

 * Percy Takes the Plunge and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Bertie's Chase and Other Adventures

ITA

 * The Locomotive and the Helicopter

ROM

 * Thomas and the Great Runaway

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 1

SER

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 3

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4

HK

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 4
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 6

THA
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 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 6

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