The Christmas Coffeepot

"Oh! You're the coffee pot engine I replaced all those years ago! But you were on a siding at Ffarquhar station last time I saw you."

- Thomas

The Christmas Coffeepot is the twenty-seventh episode of the twentieth series.

Plot
A few days before Christmas, Marion is working on Thomas' Branch Line to help make room for a new warehouse on a disused siding. When she starts singing Deck the Halls, she is interrupted by a strange voice coming from between the trees saying to Marion that she nearly hit him, causing Marion to race off in fright and nearly hit Toby and Henrietta as she backs onto the junction again. Then she goes back to the siding, thinking she was just imagining the voice. She says that there is no such thing as a talking tree, but the voice tries to tell her that he is not really a talking tree. However, Marion still thinks that the tree can talk and says to it that she will not bother him anymore and backs away, leaving the talking tree.

Later, Marion is working to clear more branches, but she decides to go back to the talking tree when she starts to not want to leave him alone. However, the talking tree is not as pleased to see Marion, so she tries to play "Guess What's in my Shovel" with him, but the answer is branches. Marion then decides to get back to work until she hears Thomas' whistle blowing as he puffs past her, in which the steam shovel shouts Thomas' name. However, Thomas has already gone by, so Marion decides to follow him all the way to Maithwaite.

Marion finds Thomas at Maithwaite and tries to tell him that she found a talking Christmas tree, but Annie and Clarabel laugh at this. Marion wants to show Thomas what she has found, but Thomas has no time to wait and puffs away. Then Toby puffs into the station, so Marion tells him that she saw a talking Christmas tree, but Henrietta already knows what Marion is talking about, then she and Toby start laughing. This upsets Marion, as nobody believes her.

At Knapford, Thomas, Percy, and Toby are talking about Marion. Percy asks Thomas if Marion really did see a talking tree, but Thomas does not know and states that she is funny. Marion then passes the station telling the three engines that she knows someone who will believe her; the Fat Controller. Thomas' train is not due for a while, so he decides to go to the siding where Marion was working earlier.

Thomas' driver and fireman clear away the branches and behind the trees, it is revealed to be the old "Coffeepot" engine which used to work on Thomas' Branch Line before Thomas did himself; he also says that he was on a siding near Ffarquhar last time he saw him, to which the Coffeepot engine tells Thomas that he was shunted to different sidings and was forgotten about, but Thomas himself has forgotten about him. The engine then tells Thomas that his name is Glynn, who guesses Thomas' name after that. He also asks Thomas how he is doing on his old branch line, which Thomas states that he is doing fine. Percy then arrives and Thomas introduces the saddle-tank to Glynn. Percy tells the two engines that Marion is heading towards them with the Fat Controller, which quickly worries Glynn, as to the fact that he would probably be sent to the Scrapyard, but Thomas and Percy say to Glynn that he cannot.

Meanwhile, Marion is racing along the line towards the siding she was on previously with the Fat Controller onboard, but when she arrives back at the siding, she notices that the talking tree has gone, which makes the Fat Controller suggest that the tree can walk, as well as talk, which excites Marion even more.

Thomas shunts Glynn into a shed at Knapford Yards, so he can be safe from the Fat Controller. Glynn thanks the two engines for their help, but also tells them that they do not have to do this for him, as the Fat Controller will find him eventually, but Glynn does not say anything after that as Thomas and Percy look at each other worriedly.

That night, at Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas and Percy are talking about Glynn hoping that he does not get scrapped. Thomas thinks of how an engine as old as Glynn can be useful, to which Percy suggests that Stephen is older than Glynn and he still works up at Ulfstead Castle, which gives Thomas an idea.

The next morning, Thomas brings the Earl to Glynn at Knapford Yards, and the Earl thinks that Glynn is a very special engine indeed. Later, Glynn is taken to the Sodor Steamworks to be restored, but as Thomas and Percy watch Glynn be repaired, they hear the Fat Controller walking into the Steamworks. Glynn quickly worries, as the Fat Controller stands in front of the three engines. Thomas asks how he knew they were there, and the Fat Controller explains that the Earl kindly asked him if Glynn could be restored and he says that he thought it was splendid idea and that he was only sorry he had not thought of it himself. Percy then asks him if Glynn will be scrapped, in which the Fat Controller tells him that he will not be scrapped. He then turns to Glynn saying that once he has been restored and is ready, he can take him to the Earl's Christmas party up at Ulfstead Castle. Glynn becomes excited and tells him that it is just like old times.

On Christmas Eve night, Glynn takes the Fat Controller to Ulfstead Castle. The Fat Controller says to Glynn that he looks as splendid as the day he built him, which Glynn feels happy to hear as he puffs into the estate. When he does, he sees Marion, the engine who found him and she tells him that she did not recognise him from under all of the decorations. Glynn then stops at the platform and the Earl welcomes him to Ulfstead Castle and thanks Thomas for saving his "Christmas Coffeepot." The Earl then announces that another engine working at the castle is the best present he has been waiting for, which concerns and depresses Stephen. The Earl then says "Merry Christmas!" to the engines and the engines call back as they blow their whistles happily.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Marion
 * Glynn
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Henriatta
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Sir Robert Norramby
 * Stephen
 * Millie
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Emily
 * The Blond-haired Boy
 * Albert's Wife

Locations

 * Maithwaite
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Station Yard
 * Knapford Yards
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Victor's Shed
 * Ulfstead Castle
 * Ffarquhar
 * Crocks Scrap Yard

UK

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Nigel Pilkington as Percy
 * Rob Rackstraw as Toby
 * Olivia Colman as Marion
 * Teresa Gallagher as Annie and Clarabel
 * Maggie Ollerenshaw as Henrietta
 * Keith Wickham as Glynn and the Fat Controller
 * Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby

US and CAN

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * Christopher Ragland as Percy
 * William Hope as Toby
 * Bob Golding as Stephen
 * Miranda Raison as Millie
 * Olivia Colman as Marion
 * Teresa Gallagher as Annie and Clarabel
 * Maggie Ollerenshaw as Henrietta
 * Keith Wickham as Glynn and Sir Topham Hatt
 * Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the fifth episode of the twentieth series.
 * According to Ian McCue, this episode and Over the Hill were created exclusively for a Christmas DVD, hence why they were not broadcast with the rest of the twentieth series and were instead broadcast with the twenty-first series. This is also why the two episodes are packaged with releases of the latter instead of the former, such as their exclusion from The Complete Series 20 and their inclusion on The Complete Series 21.
 * This episode is one of seven in the twentieth series produced by Robert Anderson, the rest being produced by Tracy Blagdon, along with Sidney Sings, Letters to Santa, Toby's New Friend, Henry Gets the Express, Henry in the Dark and Three Steam Engines Gruff. This episode is among the latter three that have a copyright date of 2016 like all the other episodes in this series, while the former four are dated 2015.
 * A reference to the special The Adventure Begins is made when Thomas recalls having previously met Glynn.
 * The plot with Glynn afraid that he would be scrapped is similar to Hero of the Rails.
 * Marion sings the song Deck the Halls at the beginning. This song is heard later when Thomas finds Glynn and when Glynn arrives at Ulfstead Castle towards the end of the episode.
 * When the Earl says "Another engine working here at the castle is the best present I could have wished for!" Stephen is seen frowning and looking concerned. This foreshadows his jealousy over Glynn in the following twentieth series episode, Over the Hill.
 * This episode marks the first of a few things:
 * Glynn's first appearance in an episode.
 * The first episode to air on Nickelodeon in the US since Summer 2000, when the second and third series of Shining Time Station aired to promote Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
 * The first episode not dubbed in Dutch since the seventeenth series.
 * When this episode first aired on Nickelodeon in the US on 15th December 2017, it was paired with Terence Breaks the Ice, before making its debut on the Nick Jr. Channel in the US later in the day.
 * A shortened version of the episode, narrated by Joseph May as Thomas, can be found on the official YouTube channel and formerly on the Nick Jr. US website.
 * This episode was never dubbed in European Spanish, Italian, French, Romanian, Dutch, German, Hungarian, Slovenian, Serbian, Czech, Ukrainian and Greek.
 * Thie episode was never aired on JimJam and Minimax.
 * This is the only episode of the twentieth series that got a Turkish title card.
 * This episode marks the only time Marion's crew are physically seen, although not up-close.

Goofs

 * In the UK dub, Stephen and Millie's voices are not heard when they say "Merry Christmas!", despite their mouth still moving.
 * When Glynn says "Oh dear!", his mouth does not move.

UK

 * Full Steam to the Rescue!
 * The Complete Series 21

US

 * Tinsel on the Tracks

La Cafetera Navideña Świąteczny Dzbanek do Kawy Рождественский паровоз