Helping Hiro

"Aren't you a little Master of the Railway too, huh?" "I guess maybe I am!"

- Hiro and Thomas

Helping Hiro is the twelfth episode of the nineteenth series.

Plot
One day, Thomas and Hiro are puffing happily to Knapford. Hiro sees a bend up ahead and slows down, but Thomas, delighted to show-off, speeds up with his heavy train of pipes which have not been properly secured. As Thomas races around the bend, the pipes tumble off of his flatbed and onto Hiro's line. Hiro cannot stop in time, collides with the pipes and falls onto his side.

It is not long before Edward arrives with Rocky, and Hiro is put back on the rails. The Fat Controller agrees that accidents do sometimes happen and tells Thomas and Hiro to get back to work. When Hiro tries to move, his wheels will not turn properly and the Fat Controller realises the damage is worse than they had thought. He sends Hiro to the Steamworks and Thomas puffs sadly away, feeling guilty.

That night, Thomas still feels bad about causing the accident. He explains to Percy that spare parts to fix Hiro are not easy to obtain because he comes from so far away. Then, Thomas remembers when he first found Hiro in the woods. Hiro had been stranded there for so long, that he had almost fallen to bits. This gives Thomas an idea.

Early next morning, Thomas sets off to Hiro's old forest hideout to look for some of Hiro's old spare parts. The forest where Hiro had been rediscovered is very old and overgrown and Thomas has to push his way through branches and brambles, but no matter how hard Thomas looks, he cannot find any spare parts. Thomas decides it is time to give up and head back, but before he manages it, the old rails give way beneath him and Thomas derails into the mud.

Meanwhile, outside the forest, Percy is pulling the mail. Thomas yells for help as loudly as he can, but Percy is unable to hear him. A bit later, Thomas hears Harold flying over the forest. He calls for help, but Harold cannot hear him either. Then, Thomas has an idea and blows steam out of his funnel high into the air. Harold is surprised to see steam from an engine rising from the treetops and flies away to get help unbeknownst to Thomas who is starting to give up hope.

The light in the forest starts to fade and Thomas hears all kinds of spooky noises. Then, there is a scary rumbling noise. Thomas wonders what it can be as it gets nearer and nearer. Thomas is thankfully relieved as it is only Percy with Rocky and the Fat Controller. Thomas realises he has been saved and is sent to the Steamworks.

At the Steamworks, Thomas tells Hiro all about his exciting adventure and apologises for not being able to find any spare parts. He wishes Hiro can be fixed like him, but Thomas is surprised when he discovered that Hiro is fixed. Hiro explains that after last time, the Fat Controller ordered a lot of spare parts in case he ever broke down again.

Thomas and Hiro roll happily down the line side-by-side, being extra careful on the sharp bend. Thomas is delighted to be puffing with his friend again and they are both truly 'Masters of the Railway.'

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Hiro
 * Rocky
 * Harold
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Emily
 * Stanley
 * Stafford
 * The Blond-haired Boy
 * Two Schoolchildren

Locations

 * Island of Sodor
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Whistling Woods
 * Hiro's Hideout
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Victor's Shed
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Yards
 * Knapford Hill
 * Japan

UK

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Nigel Pilkington as Percy
 * Togo Igawa as Hiro
 * Matt Wilkinson as Rocky
 * Keith Wickham as Harold, the Fat Controller and a Knapford Yard Workman
 * Teresa Gallagher as the Children

US

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * Christopher Ragland as Percy
 * Togo Igawa as Hiro
 * William Hope as Rocky
 * Kerry Shale as Harold
 * Keith Wickham as Sir Topham Hatt and a Knapford Yard Workman
 * Teresa Gallagher as the Children

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the fourteenth episode of the nineteenth series.
 * Edited stock footage from Hero of the Rails is used and a reference to said special is made.
 * This is the first and only Arc-animated episode to feature footage produced by Nitrogen Studios, this is also the first and only episode to feature footage from both the Arc and Nitrogen eras.
 * This is the only episode of the nineteenth series yet to be released on DVD in the US. However, almost the whole episode of the US dub was released on the official YouTube channel as clips on 25th April, 20th June and 15th August 2016 were shown before the episode was aired on television or any home media.
 * This episode marks Hiro's only speaking role in the nineteenth series.
 * This episode marks the last of three things:
 * The last episode written by Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler.
 * The last appearance of Hiro's Hideout, until the twenty-fourth series episode, Kenji on the Rails Again.
 * This episode marks the second time Thomas made smoke signals. The first time he did this was in Misty Island Rescue.
 * When Harold see Thomas' smoke signals, music from Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure is heard.
 * In the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Baltic Russian and Vietnamese dubs, UK dub can be heard in the background as a dubbing track was not used.

Goofs

 * Nigel Pilkington's name is misspelled as "Nigel Pilkinton" in the UK credits. The same error also occurs in the UK credits for Very Important Sheep.
 * Teresa Gallagher is not credited in both dubs despite voicing the children.
 * Right after Thomas and Hiro pass under the bridge, Hiro's face has shifted to his right (viewer's left) a bit.
 * Despite Hiro falling off the rails, no coal spilled out of his tender.
 * As Hiro struggles to move under his power after his accident, his pony truck wheels moved along with his driving wheels but the former wheels can move freely in real life.
 * When Harold notices Thomas' signal in the woods, he exclaims, "That's not smoke, that's steam!" But because this was coming from Thomas' funnel, it was actually smoke.

Merchandise

 * Engine Adventures - Thomas Helps Hiro

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Tales from the Rails
 * The Complete Series 19

US

 * Season 19

FRA

 * Series 19

CHN
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 * Helping Hiro

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