Thomas and the Runaway Car

"Oh, no!"

- Thomas seeing the new car run away, Arthur's horror at upsetting the fish, Rosie getting splattered with mud, and Thomas again when the car crashed into a haystack

Thomas and the Runaway Car is the seventeenth episode of the eleventh series.

Plot
Thomas has been given the important job of taking the Fat Controller's new car to the Sodor Show. Gordon has been given the job of taking the bandstand to the show and challenges Thomas to a race. Gordon manages to get a head start and Thomas in a rush tells Rocky to hurry up with loading the car onto the flatbed, but Rocky tells Thomas to wait because he needs to be careful. The car is finally placed on the flatbed, but Thomas starts so quickly he does not wait for the Dock manager to couple him up to the flatbed. Rocky and the workmen try to tell Thomas, but he has already gone, determined to beat Gordon.

When Thomas puffs to the top of Gordon's Hill, the flatbed rolls away from him and he chases after it. While Percy is waiting at a red signal, Arthur is pulling into a siding with heavy trucks of fish. Percy sees the runaway car coming and warns Arthur, who ends up backing up much too fast, biffing the buffers with fish flying in the air and splattering all over him. Up ahead, mud is all over the track and Rosie has just left the washdown. The runaway car runs past her, which causes mud to splatter all over her, making her cross at the predicament.

The flatbed then races past Gordon and goes into a siding crashing into some buffers with the car then flying off and running into a haystack. When Thomas catches up, he sees what happened and Gordon, feeling triumphant, chuffs to the show. Thomas realises that he lost the race and the Fat Controller's car will never get to the show on time. He sets off to the Docks to get Rocky, but he stops knowing that he is not strong enough to pull Rocky on his own. When Gordon comes back after delivering the bandstand and winning the race, Thomas begs him to fetch Rocky. Gordon, taking pity on Thomas, is more than happy to help his friend as well as show off his strength. He goes to the Docks, fetches Rocky and brings him over to the hay field. After getting the car back on the flatbed, Thomas thanks Gordon by giving him the car to deliver and they arrive at the show together.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * Percy
 * Arthur
 * Rosie
 * Rocky
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Lady Hatt
 * James
 * Cranky
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Jem Cole
 * Farmer Trotter
 * Sodor Brass Band
 * The Mayor of Sodor
 * "Dusty" Dave
 * Alice
 * Two members of the Railway Board
 * The Baker
 * Big Mickey

Locations

 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Whispering Woods Halt

Trivia

 * The "new" car model is actually the same old one.
 * The crowd scene from Toby's Triumph is reused, only with the people changed around slightly.
 * This episode was shown in select USA cinemas as part of Thomas and Friends on the Big Screen.
 * This episode marks the only appearance of a few faces:
 * Arthur with his unused wincing face in the television series, which was also seen in the DVD game, Arthur's Tricky Travels from the ninth series.
 * Rosie with her unused clenched and cross face.
 * This episode marks Arthur's only speaking role in the eleventh series.
 * This episode marks the last of a few things:
 * The last episode until the sixteenth series episode, Percy and the Monster of Brendam in which the Fat Controller does not have a speaking role. This is also the last episode in the model series where he does not speak.
 * Rocky's last speaking role until the special, Hero of the Rails, his last speaking role in an episode until the thirteenth series episode, Percy's Parcel, and his last speaking role in the model series.
 * Jem Cole's last appearance until the fourteenth series episode, Jitters and Japes.
 * Rosie's last appearance in a fully model-filmed episode.
 * The flatbed the new car is on is the same one used for the Breakdown Train, which makes a cameo in this episode when the car passes Rosie.

Goofs

 * Gordon's buffer is crooked at the docks.
 * When the flatbed rolls away from Thomas, a finger of a crew member is briefly seen in the bottom left-hand corner. Thomas' eyes are also wonky in this scene.
 * When the flatbed passes Rosie, it splashes mud all over her, but when Thomas runs by, he does not.
 * When Thomas passes Arthur, red wires can be seen beneath him.
 * Right before the camera cuts to Thomas, Rocky's left eye (viewer's right) moves up slightly.
 * On his way to the docks, Thomas passes by Gordon who is pulling the Express. However, when Thomas arrives at the docks Gordon is already there.

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * The Complete Series 11

DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection

AUS

 * The Best of Thomas and Friends - Volume 2
 * The Complete Series 11

DVD Boxsets

 * The Essential Collection

US

 * Safety First

ZA

 * Thomas and the Lighthouse

SPN

 * Thomas and the Stinky Cheese

GER

 * The New Steam-pipe

NOR/SWE/DNK/FIN

 * Thomas and the Lighthouse

MYS

 * Thomas and the Runaway Car and Other Adventures

THA/IDN

 * Thomas and the Runaway Car

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Series 11 Vol.3
 * Thomas' Surprise!

KOR

 * Thomas the Little Engine and Friends Season 6 Vol. 3

HK

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 39

TWN
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 25

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