Topped Off Thomas

"I can go faster than you, Mr. Wind!"

- Thomas

Topped Off Thomas is the eighteenth episode of the tenth series.

Plot
Thomas' autumn hobby is to "race the wind". Thomas stops at a junction but is surprised to find Spencer who explains he has to pick up Sir Topham and Lady Hatt, and the Duke and Duchess of Boxford at Kellsthorpe and take them to Callan Castle for tea. Thomas is upset about this since he wants to take them in Annie and Clarabel, but Spencer retorts that small engines like Thomas get small jobs and big engines like him get big jobs. Thomas crossly says that he can go faster than the wind, which Spencer puts off as nonsense. This made Thomas even crosser and challenges Spencer to a race to Kellsthorpe. The signal drops and the engines race off.

At Kellsthorpe, Sir Topham and Lady Hatt are waiting on the platform with the Duke and Duchess of Boxford, when Spencer screeches to a halt while Thomas races through the station and ends up blowing Sir Topham's hat off. Thomas reverses back into the station, worried about what the Fat Controller would say. The Fat Controller asks Thomas why he was going so fast, as he should know that engines should go slowly through the stations. Thomas apologises, and the Fat Controller booms that he cannot go to tea without his hat. Thomas promises to find his hat in time, and he chuffs quickly away.

Thomas is sure he will find the hat easily. He looks at the Maithwaite level crossing, to find Sir Topham's hat on Bertie's roof. Thomas is proud to have found it, but then Gordon rushes past, blowing the top hat away. Thomas chases after the hat.

Thomas then sees the hat on top of Farmer McColl's scarecrow. Thomas is again proud to have found it, but then Harold hovers up from the other side of the hill. The wind from his blades blows the hat far away and Thomas again quickly sets off for the hat.

As Thomas steams along, he gets out of puff, and is out of places to look. Suddenly he sees the hat on a Windmill's sail. Thomas whistles happily, but then a great gust of wind blows the windmill sails around, and the hat flies off. Thomas groans and races after the top hat.

It is now getting late, and Thomas still has not found the hat. Thomas surrenders to the wind and lets out a sad wheesh of steam. Thomas starts back towards Kellsthorpe, and worries if he will ever be Really Useful again. He suddenly sees the hat in front of him, floating on the wind. Thomas says he was silly to think that he was as fast as the wind and hopes it can help him. The wind hears Thomas and the Fat Controller's hat falls gently onto Thomas' funnel. Thomas chuffs slowly towards Kellsthorpe to return the top hat.

When Thomas arrives, everyone is waiting for him. The Fat Controller gasps and sees that his hat is on Thomas' funnel. He calls Thomas a Really Useful engine for finding it. Thomas blows a happy wheesh of steam out of his funnel, and the hat falls gently onto the platform right in front of the Fat Controller. Thomas learns that going slowly is just as good as going fast, and maybe even better.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Spencer
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Bertie
 * Gordon
 * Harold
 * Lady Hatt
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford
 * Edward
 * James
 * Sir Topham Hatt's Assistants
 * Harold's Pilots
 * Bulgy
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Farmer McColl

Locations

 * Kellsthorpe Road
 * Kirk Ronan Junction
 * Maithwaite
 * Tower Windmill
 * Callan Castle

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the tenth episode of the tenth series.
 * This episode may have been inspired by the magazine story Thomas and the Windy Day.
 * From this episode onwards, Spencer has silver paintwork and his wheels remained blue-grey.
 * The music of the engines fighting in Calling All Engines! is reused when Thomas and Spencer race to Kellsthorpe station.
 * The posters of Bulgy and the "Circus" are seen at Kellsthorpe station.
 * The scarecrow is the same one seen in Gordon Takes a Tumble.
 * Thomas' large scale model from the fifth series is used for when the hat lands on his funnel.
 * Thomas and Spencer each gained a new face that only appeared in this episode. However, the face that Thomas had was his unused outraged expression that was originally made for the third series while Spencer's was his unused clenched and surprised expressions that were made for the seventh series.
 * Harold gains moving eyes from this episode onwards.
 * In a Chinese book and a behind the scene preview, a deleted scene of Thomas and Bertie at a different level crossing shows that Bertie was intended to have a larger role before Thomas' race with Spencer.
 * This episode marks the last of two things:
 * Kellsthorpe Road final appearance until the seventeenth series episode, Wayward Winston,
 * The last appearance of Thomas' original tired face.
 * The US dub of this episode was never released on home media.

Goofs

 * During close-ups of Thomas' funnel, its brim is not as wide as it normally is.
 * In the close-up of the signals downing their arms, the leaves go through the poles.
 * Thomas' face mask is loose when he says to the Fat Controller that he will find the top hat.
 * In the Thomas' view scene at Maithwaite, a steam platform is visible on his line.
 * When the narrator says "but just then a great gust of wind", the leaves were going to the left indicating the wind was blowing to the West, but the windmill blades were going to the right in the next scene as well as the leaves.
 * In the Thomas' view scene at the countryside, the tracks in front of him lead to the bushes.
 * Between the scene of Thomas watching the hat floating above him and the one where the hat lands on his funnel, his siderods change position. This is because his large scale model was used.
 * The narrator says that Thomas lets out a small sad wheesh of steam. But no small steam was coming out of Thomas despite the wheeshing sound being heard.

Merchandise

 * Books - Bad! Hat Flies Away
 * TrackMaster
 * Motor Road and Rail - Thomas and Spencer Racing Set

Home Media Releases
{{Scroll box|

UK/AUS

 * The Complete Series 10

UK DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection

AUS DVD Boxsets

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * The Essential Collection
 * Series Nine and Series Ten Double Pack
 * The Complete Series Ten and Hero of the Rails Double Pack

NL

 * The Great Race on Sodor

NOR/SWE/DK/FIN

 * Toby Gets a New Roof

DVD Boxsets

 * Danish DVD Boxset

JPN

 * I Dreamed Thomas Goodnight Bedtime Stories!
 * Thomas the Tank Engine Series 10 Vol.3
 * Thomas' Surprise!

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 42

MYS

 * Emily and the Special Coaches and Other Adventures
 * Toby's Afternoon Off and Other Adventures
 * Tooty Holiday Compilation

POL

 * Thomas and Wind

SPN

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 10

DVD Boxsets

 * Second Season

HUN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 12 - The Most Important Task

ARA

 * Fearless Freddie

DVD Boxsets

 * Hero of the Rails

KOR

 * Thomas the Little Engine and Friends Season 5 Vol. 1

HK

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 22

TWN
}}
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 18