Hero of the Rails

"Well done, Hiro!" "Thank you, Thomas!"

- Thomas and Hiro

Hero of the Rails is a 2009 feature-length Thomas & Friends special. It is the fourth Thomas and Friends film overall and the first production in the franchise to be animated in full CGI.

Plot
Thomas is taking on water when an engine rushes past. The rest of the Steam Team soon have similar experiences and gather at Knapford to figure out what is going on. Halfway through their conversation, Spencer arrives. It turns out that he is staying for the summer to help the Duke and Duchess build their summer house. Needless to say, nobody is pleased with the news, especially when Spencer rushes around with his work, teasing the other engines. That night, all of the engines are tired and cross because they have all been teased by Spencer.

The next morning, at Brendam Docks, Spencer teases Thomas about his size and strength. Thomas is fed up and the other engines agree with him. Spencer then challenges Thomas to a race to take place at dawn the next day. All of the engines gather in the yard to wish Thomas good luck. Thomas and Spencer are coupled to their heavy loads and Edward whistles to announce the start of the race.

Spencer and Thomas race across the Island with the former draws ahead and the latter struggles up a hill with his load. Then the inevitable happens - Thomas' brakes fail and he thunders down the hill and along the main line until he races onto a rickety, old track. After stopping, Thomas finds an old, abandoned engine named Hiro. Thomas is amazed and asks Hiro what he is doing there. Hiro tells how he once worked on another island far away and how he was known as the "Master of the Railway." He sailed to Sodor on a big ship. Sodor was nothing like his old home, but he was quite content. However, as the years went on, he began to show his age and Sodor did not have the necessary parts to repair him. He was hidden to avoid scrap, but the parts never came from his island and he was quietly forgotten. Thomas' immediate reaction is to tell the Fat Controller, but Hiro believes that the Fat Controller will scrap him if he finds out about Hiro. So instead, Thomas promises to not tell the Fat Controller until Hiro can be a Really Useful Engine once again.

Thomas later goes to the Sodor Steamworks to have his brakes mended. The Steamworks is a busy, bustling place, with all sorts of work being done. One particular engine lives there is Victor, a kind and enthusiastic engine. Thomas is soon repaired and then Spencer puffs into the Steamworks. Spencer starts to boast, but Thomas simply congratulates him on his win. Gobsmacked, Spencer is then scolded by Victor for taking up space and sitting around chattering and leaves, while very cross about having been spoken to in such a manner.

Victor's assistant Kevin then drives clumsily over to Thomas and Victor. Victor scolds him for rushing around, while Thomas notices some engine parts on a flatbed. Thomas finishes his day's work and then comes by later to see if the parts are still there. Victor says it is only taking up space anyway, so Thomas rushes off with it.

As he leaves, he hears Spencer behind him and quickly hides in a siding covered with trees. Spencer rumbles past and does not see Thomas. Thomas drops off the part at Hiro's hideout and sets for home when he notices that the new summer house is dangerously close to where Hiro is hidden. Thomas knows he promised Hiro that he would look after him, but now he is worried.

That night, all of the engines are at the Shed. Thomas tells them all about his race and is about to mention Hiro when the Fat Controller arrives. The Fat Controller tells them that there is a lot of hard work in the morning, so they need to be up early and he tells Thomas not to rush around with heavy trucks for no reason; he wants Really Useful Engines - not Really Broken Engines, which makes Thomas worry more about Hiro.

The next morning, Thomas is taking machines to Farmer McColl, but he wants to help Hiro. Percy shows up and Thomas tells him everything. He asks Percy to deliver the machines for him while he goes to help Hiro. Percy does so, shunting his mail coaches into a siding in the meantime.

As Thomas heads to Hiro's Hideout, Spencer appears, wondering why Thomas is not working on his Branch Line. Thomas makes up a quick lie about going to the Docks and rushes off making Spencer even more suspicious. Thomas waits a while before seeing Hiro again. Once there, his driver and fireman put the new parts on Hiro and Thomas heads off, only to run into Spencer who chases him. Thomas soon finds Percy down the line, having broken down while delivering the goods to Farmer McColl. Spencer teases them, but Thomas takes no notice and brings Percy to the steamworks.

At the Steamworks, Thomas and Percy tell Victor all about Hiro. Victor wonders why Thomas does not tell the Fat Controller, but promises to help. He tells them that every day, he will leave some trucks in a siding with parts for Hiro. But that night, the Fat Controller is very cross. Percy's mail coaches have mysteriously vanished and nobody can find them. Thomas promises that he will find them, but he knows this means he will not be able to help Hiro. So as soon as the Fat Controller leaves, Thomas tells the rest of the engines about Hiro.

The next day, Thomas is hard at work but Spencer is not; he is spying on Thomas to see what he is up to. At the same time, Gordon sneaks along and delivers more parts for Hiro. Thomas is beyond grateful and rushes to the steamworks. There, Percy has been fixed, but the Fat Controller is still cross about the missing mail coaches. Victor tells Thomas he will have something for him later and the two engines rush off.

Thomas takes Percy to see Hiro. Percy is nervous about Hiro at first, but when Hiro complements him, the two become fast friends. Hiro tells them how he misses his friends from home and also jokingly talks about how he finds Gordon's face to be very unusual when he smiles. The two later head back home. As they do so, Spencer watches from the siding, determined to find out what they are up to.

The next day, Thomas and Percy go out to search for the missing mail coaches, under the Fat Controller's orders. Meanwhile, Spencer tries to harass Emily for information, but she tells him to go find out for himself. Spencer is so cross that he does not notice Percy and Thomas passing on the bridge behind him, with Edward coming down the other way.

Hiro, now in a very "patchwork" design, is feeling much better. Hiro mentions that James will be coming tomorrow, Percy comments on how he feels about James, sending Hiro laughing for the first time in years.

The next day, Thomas and Percy head to the quarry to search for the mail coaches. Spencer has secretly followed them there. But before he can do anything, Mavis appears and offers to show him around, but she is really shooing him away from Thomas and Percy while James sneaks away with more parts for Hiro. Spencer ends up under a chute and his funnel gets filled with slate.

Thomas and Percy are later getting coal and Emily is puffing off to give Hiro more parts. Edward and Henry pass with Spencer in tow, bringing him to the Steamworks. While Spencer is being taken care of, Thomas arrives. Kevin starts dropping things, which causes Spencer to wince and shut his eyes. As he does so, Thomas sneaks away with more parts.

But that night, the Fat Controller is furious. The summer house is nowhere near done, Spencer has been wandering around the island, the mail coaches still have not been found and Thomas is not working on his branch line. All Hiro needs is one more part before he is completed, so the other engines promise to guard Hiro until Percy delivers the last part.

The next morning, Spencer is repaired and up early, searching around to find out what Thomas is up to. Just then, he finds Percy's mail coaches in a siding and whistles loudly believing that Thomas had been hiding them. James and Toby, meanwhile, are guarding Hiro and puff off to protect him by leading Spencer away from his hideout. Spencer races along with James and Toby whistling behind him, just as Thomas arrives in front of Spencer, blocking his way. The Fat Controller scolds Spencer for playing around with Percy's mail coaches and orders him to give them back at once. Spencer is infuriated and vows to make sure Thomas does not get away with it.

Thomas finds Hiro and tells him that Percy is on his way with the final part. The two are excited, until they suddenly hear Spencer's whistle. Thomas encourages Hiro to puff away from Spencer on his own. As the two make their escape, Spencer appears. Hiro speeds past him and Spencer is very surprised, having seen Hiro for the first time. As Hiro struggles on, parts such as the lamp, feedwater heater, smoke deflectors, dome cover and cylinder plates begin to fall off on him. He cries out for Thomas to help, who can only beg him to keep going. Eventually, Hiro knows he cannot go on and comes to a stop. Spencer can hardly contain himself that he thought Thomas is taking Hiro to the smelter's yard. Suddenly, Gordon rushes by with the Express, challenging Spencer to race him. As Spencer speeds away, Thomas notices a siding where he can hide Hiro. Thomas tells him that everything will be alright, but Hiro feels worse than ever.

Gordon and Spencer race to the station. Spencer is exhausted, having been running around all day. Gordon wins the race and who should step out of the coaches is the Fat Controller and the Duke and Duchess. While they scold Spencer, Thomas arrives, saying he will help Spencer finish the summer house. The Duke and Duchess are pleased, but Spencer's pride is shattered.

Hiro is miserable, knowing that he will soon be sent for scrap. Thomas begs him not to give up, as he knows how to make everything better. That night, Percy apologises to Thomas for hiding his mail coaches so close to Hiro since he was unaware of how far he was. However, Thomas tells the other engines that he will work so hard on the summer house that the Fat Controller will be pleased and hopefully understand Hiro's case and have him restored. Meanwhile, he encourages the other engines to visit him and keep him company. Thomas works very hard and the summer house is almost finished. While Spencer is talking to the Duke and Duchess, Thomas sneaks off to tell Hiro that everything will be alright. He returns just in time to say goodbye. But as Thomas leaves, Spencer knows what Thomas is doing and decides to chase him down. The two engines race to the station, but they cross a bridge that goes over marshland that is partially broken and cannot hold Spencer's weight. As he crosses, it snaps beneath him and he slithers into the mud. Seeing this, Thomas promises to return with help.

Thomas makes it to Knapford Station and the stationmaster calls the Fat Controller, asking for him to come right away. When he arrives with the Duke and Duchess, Thomas tells him all about Hiro. The Fat Controller is not cross, nor does he want Hiro scrapped; in fact, Hiro is a very famous engine, the "Master of the Railway." He tells Thomas to bring Hiro to the Steamworks at once. Spencer, meanwhile, has to stay where he is, as punishment for disobeying the Duke and Duchess of Boxford's orders not to leave the summer house.

Thomas heads over to Hiro to tell him the wonderful news and the two engines are overjoyed. Thomas and Percy bring him to the Sodor Steamworks the next day. The Fat Controller and Victor promise to have him running like new again.

When Hiro is completed, all of the engines are there and they are amazed at how wonderful he looks. Thomas and Hiro quickly leave to find and help Spencer, who had been stranded where he is for some time. Spencer does not even recognise Hiro when he sees him. He is more than shocked when he finds out that the engine rescuing him is the one he tried to have scrapped.

Rocky gets hooked up to Spencer and as he pulls, Hiro pulls Rocky and Spencer is soon free of the marsh. They then bring him to the Steamworks. After Spencer is repaired, he works with Thomas and Hiro on the summer house. He also apologises for his behaviour. The Duke and Duchess absolutely love their nice new summer house.

That night, Hiro confesses to Thomas that despite everything, he has become very homesick. Understanding, Thomas tells the Fat Controller, who promises to take care of everything. Some time later, a big farewell party is held at the docks in Hiro's honour; the Fat Controller had arranged for him to return to his homeland. The engines whistle at him and he whistles back. Before he leaves, he talks to Thomas and Percy one more time. Thomas hopes to visit Hiro's railway someday and Percy wonders if Hiro will ever return. Thomas promises that Hiro will always have a home on the Island of Sodor and with that, Hiro puffs away to his ship.

Returning Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Emily
 * Spencer
 * Mavis
 * Rocky
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford
 * Rosie
 * Diesel
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Henrietta
 * Cranky
 * Lady Hatt
 * Sodor Brass Band
 * Sir Topham Hatt's Assistants
 * The Teacher
 * The Ginger-haired Boy
 * The Blond-haired Boy
 * Two Schoolchildren
 * The Welsh Bird Watcher
 * The Female Puppet Show Entertainer
 * Big Mickey
 * The Little Engines in the Hills
 * Farmer McColl
 * Stanley

Characters Introduced

 * Hiro
 * Victor
 * Kevin
 * The Bird Watcher
 * The Lady with the Big Hat
 * Hiro's Friends

Locations

 * Island of Sodor
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * The Works
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Victor's Shed
 * Whistling Woods
 * Hiro's Hideout
 * Maura
 * Maithwaite
 * Gordon's Hill
 * The Double Hills
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Brendam Warehouse
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Yards
 * Knapford Iron Bridge
 * The Poppy Field
 * Topham Hall
 * Sodor Slate Quarry
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford's Summer House
 * The Double Junction
 * The Fenland Track
 * The Fenland Junction
 * The Coal Hopper
 * Three Tier Bridge
 * Sodor Suspension Bridge
 * Great Waterton
 * The Water Works
 * Sodor Ironworks
 * Ffarquhar Branch Line
 * Kirk Ronan Junction
 * Japan
 * Hiro's Old Railway


 * The Mainland

UK

 * Ben Small as Thomas and Toby
 * Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy and the Fat Controller
 * Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Mavis and the Duchess of Boxford
 * Matt Wilkinson as Spencer, Victor, Rocky, Kevin and the Duke of Boxford
 * Togo Igawa as Hiro
 * Kerry Shale as Thomas and Spencer

US

 * Martin T. Sherman as Thomas and Percy
 * William Hope as Edward, Toby, Rocky and the Duke of Boxford
 * Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, James, Kevin and Sir Topham Hatt
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily, Mavis and the Duchess of Boxford
 * Glenn Wrage as Spencer
 * Togo Igawa as Hiro
 * David Bedella as Victor

US

 * "Thomas and Spencer" Racing Game
 * "Who's Pulling into the Station" Game
 * "Thomas and Friends Bedroom Makeover"
 * Go, Go Thomas Karaoke Music Video

UK/IRL

 * Down at the Station - Passengers
 * Engines Quiz
 * Go, Go Thomas Karaoke Music Video

Japan

 * Go, Go Thomas Karaoke Music Video
 * Hero of the Rails Theatrical Trailer
 * Birth of The Railway Series

South Korea

 * Trailer

Production
This special entered pre-production in September 2008, was produced alongside the thirteenth series starting with January 2009 and was delivered in May 2009.

Development
To cut costs and maximise profits (because of government tax breaks for UK animation in 2007), HiT Entertainment decided to retire the models and have the show be turned into a CGI product. They enlisted Nitrogen Studios to provide the visuals. Nitrogen had already created CGI elements for the twelfth series. Christopher Skala added that it was to also include more emotion and flexibility through the stories. Previously Skala claimed that, of his focus group, even those who felt that Thomas, as an institution, should not be changed in this way but ultimately responded positively to the demonstration of the new animation techniques. Hero of the Rails also sees the installation of a permanent voice cast, which would continue throughout the franchise.

Releases
The DVD sales of Hero of the Rails outstripped The Great Discovery which was the highest selling DVD produced by HiT Entertainment at the time.

Trivia

 * According to an interview with Sam Barlow, Hero of the Rails was initially being developed as a model/CGI production for the last time, just like the twelfth series, even written before the CGI transition. However, this was changed into a full CGI production after the script was underway, due to budget cuts making it not possible to build models anymore. In spite of this, early promotional art on packaging shows the twelfth series model-CGI hybrid Thomas. Though no models were ever fully created, casts of faces for Hiro, Victor and Kevin were created for merchandising reference.
 * Nitrogen Studios released the "Patchwork Hiro" chase sequence to the public in their Studio Animation Pipeline collection illustrating the three various stages of animation the film went through before the final cut.
 * This film features a drastically reduced cast of characters due to the crew not having enough time to create models for every character from scratch.
 * There was a small chance of getting tickets to the special's premiere in the UK by buying a copy of the Heave Ho! DVD.
 * This special marked the first of many things:
 * The first Thomas & Friends production to be fully animated in CGI.
 * The first special to have its own stylised opening sequence instead of using the Thomas & Friends opening.
 * The first to have a full voice cast in the UK and US versions, while being the first production with a voice cast since Thomas and the Magic Railroad in 2000, nine years before the CGI usage.
 * The first time since the ninth series that Thomas' Branch Line is mentioned.
 * The Duchess of Boxford's first speaking role.
 * Sharon Miller's first special as creative producer.
 * The first special narrated by Óscar Gómez in Latin America. It is also the second film dubbed in Mexico with a full voice cast, with the first being Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
 * The first time that a location outside of the United Kingdom is shown in the television series, in this case, the location shown is Hiro's homeland, Japan.
 * Spencer and the Duke and Duchess of Boxford's first appearances in a special as well as their first appearances since the eleventh series episode, Dream On.
 * Rocky's first speaking role in a special and his first speaking role since the eleventh series episode, Thomas and the Runaway Car.
 * The first and only time a 5.1 surround mix has been present on a UK and Irish DVD release.
 * The first DVD released in widescreen in the US.
 * The first special in which Harvey, Molly, Whiff, Stanley, Diesel 10, Salty, Dennis, Freddie, Mighty Mac, Harold, The Pack, Jeremy and Madge do not appear since their introductions, although Stanley was originally gonna appear in this movie, but he got dropped.
 * The first special imported by K.NET for the Korean re-dub.
 * The first special translated by Gussen Media for K.NET in South Korea.
 * The first special recorded and mixed by Dear Culture for K.NET in South Korea.
 * The first special directed by Cocomics for K.NET in South Korea.
 * The first special not dubbed in Italian since Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
 * The first special to have Shin Yong-u, Um Sang-hyun, Jeon Tae-yeol and Kim Eun-a as part of the voice cast for K.NET in South Korea.
 * The first special to have two dubs in South Korea.
 * The first special not dubbed in Greek and Hebrew.
 * The first appearance of Knapford in a direct-to-DVD special as it did not appear in the previous two specials, excluding a stock footage appearance in Calling All Engines! and a music video in The Great Discovery.
 * The first special to feature a steam engine (Spencer) as the main antagonist.
 * This special marked the last of a few things:
 * The last special to have David Eves involved in production.
 * The last special to have only Kim Seung-jun in the voice cast for the original Korean dub.
 * The last special directed by Choi Ji-hye for the original Korean dub.
 * This special marked the only time of a few things:
 * The only special to have Keith Wickham exclusive to the UK.
 * The only Thomas & Friends special dubbed in Welsh.
 * The only special recorded and mixed by Park Ji-hye (CIC Media) for the original Korean dub.
 * The only special until The Adventure Begins to not get a theatrical release in Germany.
 * The only production to feature Dave Peacock as voice director.
 * The only special narrated by Jeong Hye-ok for the trailer in South Korea.
 * The only CGI special that does not mention the name of the writer in the opening credits (Sharon Miller is credited in the end).
 * Spencer's accident on the Fenland Track is similar to the Norwood Junction rail accident, when a bridge collapsed under an engine. Unlike Spencer's accident, the bridge was made of iron and the engine was pulling a passenger train.
 * In the Japanese dub of the special, the Gojūnotō image from Hiro's flashback of his home is replaced with footage of Hiro talking.
 * The Norwegian DVD cover states that the special is named Dagens Helt, which means "Hero of the Day." However, the narrator and the end credits state that the special is named Skinnenes Helt, which means Hero of the Rails.
 * The Sodor Oil Tankers' logo of the word OIL was replaced with a picture of an oil rig with oil coming out of it starting from this special onwards.
 * Spencer has his first two accidents (first getting covered in slate at the quarry, then landing cab first in a marsh).
 * In the scene where Spencer is staring at Emily, Thomas and Percy pass on the bridge with nothing behind them. In the trailers, however, the same scene is shown, but Thomas and Percy are pulling flatbeds full of engine parts. It can be assumed that the trailer showed an altered version of the scene.
 * In the first trailer, there is a scene where Victor says, "You've come to the right place, my friend." This was not present in the special; it is from the thirteenth series episode, Creaky Cranky.
 * In the first UK trailer, Thomas and Spencer have different UK voices than their current ones. This is because both characters were meant to be voiced by Kerry Shale during the original cut. Also, Toby has his US voice.
 * Only the Japanese trailer mentions that Hiro is from Japan. The UK trailer merely mentioned he is "from a far-off place." Hiro would confirm he is from Japan in the twenty-fourth series episode Kenji on the Rails Again, over ten years later.
 * Go, Go Thomas was played during the end credits in the US, but not in the UK version.
 * This special takes place between the twelfth series and the thirteenth series.
 * This special was shown in select UK theatres. It aired on PBS Kids on 13th September 2009, Christmas in 2009 for a few PBS stations and again on 15th May 2011 for "Thomas' Birthday Bash". It also aired on Nick Jr. on 27th October 2012 in the UK and on TV 2 on 28th December 2013 and 2nd January 2014. It aired for Easter 2014 in Norway and 16th August 2014 and 19th August 2015 in Australia.
 * The opening sequence is rendered in an art style strikingly similar to that of LNER posters.
 * In the US trailer, the Fat Controller says "We must help Hiro at once" while standing on the gantry of a signalbox, a scene that was never present in the special.
 * Tim Whitnall narrated the first UK trailer; he would later join the voice cast in 2014, five years later.
 * The special aired on Cartoonito UK and Ireland on Saturday 15th September 2018.
 * The opening theme is played by the Sodor Brass Band in the special, King of the Railway.
 * HiT Entertainment originally planned to release the special on Blu-ray in the US, but the release was cancelled for unknown reasons. The only piece of media from this cancelled Blu-ray is the menu.
 * The Japanese dub of this special is preceded by a four-minute prologue explaining the origins of the Railway Series and the television series.
 * An early prototype cover for the DVD included Percy and James on the top layer, taking Spencer's place (who was moved behind Victor).
 * This special states that Hiro was the first engine on the Island of Sodor, despite The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways stating that other engines were there long before.
 * HiT Entertainment advertised that this was the first time the engines had their own voices, but this is not so, as they were individually voiced in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. However, this is the first time Edward, Emily, Spencer, Mavis, Rocky, the Fat Controller and the Duke and Duchess have been individually voiced.
 * The events of the special are mentioned by Toby in the special, Big World! Big Adventures! during the song, Where in the World is Thomas? as well as a flashback of this special in the nineteenth series episode, Helping Hiro.
 * This is one of the two US releases to be captioned by CaptionMax until The Thomas Way; the other being Best of James.
 * Stanley was going to be appear in this special but that idea was scrapped for unknown reasons.
 * In Poland, this special premiered after the thirteenth series, so the audience would not know about Hiro, Victor and Kevin.
 * This is the second special where a lost engine is coming back to action, the first one being Thomas and the Magic Railroad where in that film Lady was being restored.

Goofs

 * The front cover of the DVD shows Victor on standard gauge track at Brendam Docks with Hiro and Spencer, but as far as we know dual gauge track was not used on Sodor at the time.
 * In the UK minisite for the special, the Day Out with Thomas picture used was from the US version of the event, and not the UK version.
 * On some copies of the US DVD releases, they state that the special is in fullscreen, but it is really in widescreen.
 * After the narrator says, "And Spencer thundered away," James' tender body is missing.
 * In the scene where Thomas crashes into the potato trucks, a signal is placed in the middle of the track next to Thomas.
 * When the rear potato truck slides off the front one, its buffers clip through the front truck's buffers.
 * Thomas and Percy are missing their teeth while they were talking at the shunting yards. Also in the same scene, Thomas is missing his number and red lining.
 * In the special, Big Mickey appears in his usual spot at Brendam Docks, but for some unknown reason when Spencer teases Thomas about his size and strength at the docks, Big Mickey is shown in the middle of the main dock rather than near the edge and Cranky is also missing from his usual spot.
 * When Thomas is going down the old track towards Hiro, he has a different whistle. This is the same whistle effect as the one from the song It's Great to be an Engine.
 * Hiro states that he was the first engine on Sodor, but this is untrue, as Hiro's basis was not built until 1935, in which several engines had already arrived on Sodor.
 * When the Sodor Steamworks is first introduced, Mavis is seen outside, but seconds later, she is inside the Steamworks facing the opposite direction.
 * When Mavis is exiting the Sodor Steamworks, steam comes out of her instead of smoke.
 * Near the end of the special during Thomas and Spencer's final race, the points were not switched, but Spencer was still able to change lines.
 * When Edward speaks to Hiro in his second hiding spot, Hiro's green smoke deflector is on and the green lid for his piston cylinder is also back, but Hiro lost them in the chase with Spencer.
 * When Thomas visits Hiro after he leaves the summerhouse, Hiro has his dome, but it fell off during the chase he had with Spencer.
 * Gordon's brake coach is in front of his composite coach throughout the special.
 * Maithwaite is painted in dark brown instead of beige.
 * From the chase with Spencer until Hiro's overhaul at the Steamworks, the golden stripes on Hiro's boiler disappear.
 * When Hiro pulls Spencer to the Steamworks, Hiro's number stops moving whilst Hiro keeps moving, so it appears to be sliding off.
 * In several scenes, some of the characters are not rendered properly and overlap the trucks. This occurs with:
 * Diesel and two trucks, when he oils over the bridge as the narrator says, "Spencer watched Thomas' every wheel turn and piston pump."
 * Spencer's tender and the mail trucks, during the chase when the narrator says, "Spencer had never seen an engine as strange as Hiro before."
 * In several scenes, the engines' side rods do not move as they do. This occurs with:
 * Thomas, after Spencer teases him and Percy on the hill.
 * Spencer, as he goes up the hill during his and Thomas' race.
 * Hiro, during his black-and-white flashback.
 * Victor, when he is first introduced.
 * Rosie, as she enters the Steamworks.
 * When Mavis shows up on-screen for the first time, her front wheels are missing.
 * When Mavis rolls towards Spencer, she is puffing steam, but she is a diesel. She also makes steam in the Steamworks.
 * The quarry walls at the slate quarry have tints of pink.
 * In the shot of the Steam Team greeting Hiro at Brendam Docks, a gasometer is clipping through the Brendam Warehouse.
 * In South Korea, this special is stated to be the second Thomas movie on the trailer and DVD.
 * In the Korean trailer, the video subtitles says that this special will be released on theatrical 17th June first and the subtitles was changed as 10th June lately but this special was released on 10th June on theatrical.

Quotes

 * Thomas: "Fizzling fireboxes! What was that?!"
 * Henry; "Bubbling boilers!"
 * Percy: "Bust my buffers!"
 * James: "Watch my paintwork!"
 * Emily: "Trembling tracks! Who was that?!"
 * Toby: "Gosh!"
 * Edward: "Slow down, Speedy!"
 * Gordon: "Rail Raider!"

All the Steam Team shocked about Spencer travelling at high speed.


 * James: He was big!
 * Gordon: He was silver.
 * Henry: He was very, very fast!
 * Thomas: That must mean it's...
 * (Spencer arrives)
 * All: Spencer!

Songs

 * Go, Go Thomas

Wooden Railway

 * Hiro
 * Victor
 * Kevin
 * Repair and Go Station at the Sodor Steamworks
 * Talking Thomas
 * Talking Percy
 * Talking James
 * Racing Down the Rails Set
 * Farewell at the Docks

Take Along

 * Hiro
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Hiro's Farewell 4 Pack

Take-n-Play

 * Hiro
 * Victor
 * Kevin

Motor Road and Rail

 * Hiro
 * Victor
 * The Legendary Hiro pack
 * Thomas and Hiro Set

TrackMaster

 * Hiro Good as New
 * Victor at the Steamworks
 * Kevin's Helping Hook
 * Talking Thomas
 * Talking James
 * Talking Hiro
 * Percy's Mail Trucks
 * Spin and Fix Thomas
 * Thomas’ Wild Ride

Mega Bloks

 * Working Hard at the Sodor Steamworks

Collectible Railway

 * Hiro
 * Victor
 * Kevin

Capsule Plarail

 * Leaves Thomas
 * Hiro
 * Kevin
 * Victor
 * Steamworks
 * Japanese Bridge

Minis

 * Patchwork Hiro

Ofuro de MiniCar

 * Jam Thomas
 * Rusted Hiro

Books

 * Hero of the Rails
 * Thomas to the Rescue
 * Stuck in the Mud
 * Heroes of Sodor
 * My Thomas Story Library - Hiro
 * Engine Adventures - Hiro

Nintendo Wii/Nintendo DS

 * Hero of the Rails

iOS/Android/LeapReader

 * Hero of the Rails

UK/IRL

 * 65th Anniversary Gift Box
 * 10 DVD Boxset
 * Official DVD and Book
 * Ultimate Movie Box Set

US

 * The Movie Pack
 * The Christmas Engines and Hero of the Rails Double Pack
 * 10-Movie Birthday Collection

AUS

 * Hero of the Rails and Misty Island Rescue Double Pack
 * The Complete Series Ten and Hero of the Rails Double Pack

GER

 * Adventure on Rails!

Trailers and Featurettes
El Héroe de las Vías pt-br:Heroi dos Trilhos Der Held der Schienen Герой железной дороги Bohater Torów גיבור הפסים 伝説の英雄