P.T. Boomer

Passing Through Boomer, commonly referred to as P.T. Boomer or just Boomer, was a character who was originally going to be the main antagonist in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, but was cut to the film due to the test audiences complaining that he would be too scary for the film's target audience. His role was replaced by Diesel 10 (who was originally the secondary antagonist) and Boomer himself was demoted into making a cameo appearance in the film instead. He was portrayed by the late Canadian actor, Doug Lennox.

Biography
P.T. Boomer was jealous of the relationship that Burnett Stone had with Tasha and bullied Burnett into allowing him to take Lady for a run. After he crashed her, he left Shining Time while Burnett spent years trying to restore her, to no avail. Boomer is described in the script as being "A drifter through choice, not circumstance". He returns forty years later now a bitter and dark character bent on getting rid of Lady.

Boomer is the reason behind Mutt's unease and the reason for bringing Lily to Shining Time rather than letting her go on to Muffle Mountain. Boomer spends much of his time throughout the film arguing with Burnett Stone and Billy Twofeathers and digging into the mountain looking for Lady.

He has no (said) ownership or connections with Diesel 10, not even meeting him until the film's climactic chase scene, other than their shared desire to destroy Lady and Sodor. He does not believe in magic and when he finds Thomas on Muffle Mountain, he believes that he is just a huge toy. Thomas is the reason why Boomer ends up on Sodor: he discovers the entrance to the Magic Railroad after Thomas rolls down the mountain (due to Boomer using explosives to destroy the ledge where Thomas is stuck on) and falls through it. When Thomas and Lady arrive back on Sodor, Diesel 10 arrives, just as Boomer flies through the magic buffers. Landing on Diesel 10's roof, he declares that he is after Lady as well, to which the former declares "that makes two of us!" Boomer spends the chase throwing taunts at Burnett, to which Burnett declares that "the magic [he] refuse[s] to believe in will get the better of [him]".

He and Diesel 10 meet their fates during the chase scene when they plunge off the viaduct into a barge filled with sludge. Boomer spits water out of his mouth and angrily glares into the camera. It is unknown what happened to him after the chase, but it could be assumed that he may have been rescued and arrested by police. Much like in the final film, they are towed away on the barge, but in the original script, they are transformed into sludge by way of Junior's magic bandana.

Personality
Boomer is an opportunist, who has drifted from situation to situation, making money wherever he can - usually out of others' misfortunes. He is an emotionally muddy man who is obsessed with cleanliness and order, and does not believe in magic to any extent. Now he is out of opportunities, except one - to return to Shining Time with only himself, his motorcycle, a lifelong grudge and a thirst for revenge.

Behind the Scenes
P.T. Boomer was created by Britt Allcroft to be the main antagonist of the film Thomas and the Magic Railroad, with Diesel 10 as the secondary antagonist. However, during a screening of one of the film's drafts, a test audience complained about the character being too frightening for a younger audience, so he was demoted into making a cameo appearance at the last minute, leaving Diesel 10 re-written as the primary antagonist of the film. As a result, many elements in the film's plot that were driven by him were left unexplained, thus leaving a plot that was viewed by audiences as contrived, leading to poor critical and financial reception.

Despite being cut from the final release of the film, P.T. Boomer managed to appear in some ways, such as the chase scene, in which he can be seen on Diesel 10's cab as they enter a tunnel, as a black box was used for his place during filming of the scene. He was also seen in trailers for the film where he falls down the Big Dipper with Diesel 10. In the scene where Stacy Jones drops Lily off to her grandpa Stone, Boomer is seen confronting Stone. However, as Boomer was already cut from the film, the audience is left to assume that it is just a hitch hiker asking for directions.

Many scenes pointing towards his role are seen as well, such as Billy Twofeathers holding flowers while speaking with Stacy. In said scene, Billy and Mutt encounter P.T. Boomer waiting for them on the Shining Time Station platform. After a confrontational exchange about Burnett Stone's whereabouts and being stonewalled by Billy, an enraged Boomer leaves, but not before taking a swing at the hanging flower basket that Mr. Conductor had watered earlier. The script describes Billy picking up the flowers that have dropped onto the ground.

Also, while driving Lily to see Burnett, Stacy is seen holding a photograph. Even though in the film it is not clear as to what it is, according to the original script, it was a picture of a younger Burnett and Tasha during a school dance with P.T. Boomer angrily eyeing the couple.

Also, after Billy Twofeathers waves to the children, in the original cut, from Billy's point of view, he would see a motorcyclist (Boomer) racing across the hillside. He purposely cuts in front of the train at the crossing, startling Billy to apply the brakes and blow the locomotive's whistle. The tense atmosphere of this shot was enhanced by Britt Allcroft including a flock of panicked birds suddenly taking flight upon hearing the whistle's shriek.

He also appeared in the books; Diesels and Engines, the Thomas and the Magic Railroad activity book and the Thomas and the Magic Railroad book, all of which were published before he was officially cut. He was originally planned to have an ERTL model released, but was shelved after he was cut from the film.

Appearances
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Specials

 * 2000 - Thomas and the Magic Railroad

Music Videos
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 * 2000 - Some Things Never Leave You

Books

 * 2000 - Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Diesels and Engines and Thomas and the Magic Railroad (activity book)}}

Trivia

 * Revealed by Britt Allcroft's Facebook page, the "P.T." in P.T. Boomer's name stands for "Passing Through".
 * In the original script, he is around 55-60 years of age.
 * Until the 2020 Shout! Factory Blu-ray release of the film, P.T. Boomer's scenes were never officially available, although leaked clips had surfaced online over the years.
 * His name is a play on the showman "P.T. Barnum".
 * Even though he does not appear in the final film of the movie, there are some visuals from his scenes that are in the movie, proving that he was originally supposed to be in the film.
 * Burnett's line for Diesel 10 "No you won't because the magic you refused to believe in, will get the better of you" was originally directed at Boomer, but when he was cut from the final film, the line was edited to ommit any mention of him, despite the fact that Diesel 10 did believe in the magic as that was the whole reason why he wanted to destroy Lady.

Merchandise

 * Ertl Company