Series 16

The sixteenth series of Thomas & Friends first aired on television in February and March 2012 in the UK and between April and September in the US: after delays, the twentieth episode finally aired in the UK on Christmas Day 2012.

This was the final series with twenty episodes and also the final series with narration from Michael Angelis in the UK and Michael Brandon in the US.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Emily
 * Spencer
 * Rosie
 * Whiff
 * Charlie
 * Bash and Dash
 * Ferdinand
 * Diesel
 * Mavis
 * 'Arry and Bert
 * Salty
 * Den
 * Dart
 * Winston
 * Skarloey
 * Rheneas
 * Sir Handel
 * Peter Sam
 * Rusty
 * Victor
 * Troublesome Trucks
 * Rocky
 * Bertie
 * Butch
 * Kevin
 * Flynn
 * Cranky
 * Ol' Wheezy
 * Hee-Haw
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Farmer Trotter
 * Dowager Hatt
 * Farmer McColl
 * The Mayor of Sodor
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford
 * The Photographer
 * Mr. Percival
 * The Dock Manager
 * A Tree Specialist
 * The Schoolchildren ​​​​​​
 * The Ginger-haired Boy
 * Stanley
 * Scruff
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Harold
 * Captain
 * Lady Hatt
 * Sodor Brass Band
 * Sir Topham Hatt's Assistants
 * Hiro
 * Belle
 * Paxton
 * Norman
 * Henrietta
 * Merrick
 * Owen
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Jem Cole
 * Allicia Botti
 * Mr. Bubbles
 * The Railway Inspector
 * The Railway Coal Inspector
 * The rest of the Tree Specialists
 * The Blond-haired Engineer
 * The Fireman
 * The Bargeman
 * The Bakers
 * The Teacher
 * The Bird Watcher
 * Sodor United Football Team
 * The Laundry Lady
 * The Blond-haired Boy
 * The Welsh Bird Watcher
 * The Lady with the Big Hat
 * The Search and Rescue Manager
 * Dowager Hatt's Friends
 * The Female Puppet Show Entertainer
 * Big Mickey
 * City of Truro
 * Duncan
 * Father Christmas
 * Lord Callan
 * Derek
 * Freddie

Characters Introduced

 * Stafford
 * The Great Composer
 * The Great Railway Show Judge
 * The Man with the Green Waistcoat and Grey Hair

Locations

 * Island of Sodor
 * Blue Mountain Quarry
 * Blondin Bridge
 * Bluff's Cove
 * Brendam Docks
 * Brendam Warehouse
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Callan Castle
 * Crosby Washdown
 * Daisy Halt
 * Farmer Trotter's Pig Farm
 * Ffarquhar Quarry
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Kirk Ronan Junction
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Iron Bridge
 * Knapford Yards
 * M.C. Bunn
 * Maithwaite
 * Maron
 * McColl Farm
 * Norramby Fishing Village
 * Rail Under Road Bridge and Signalbox
 * Road, Rail and Level Crossing Interchange
 * Single Track Siding and Bridge Runby
 * Sir Topham Hatt's Shed
 * Sodor Bakery
 * Sodor Dairy
 * Sodor Search and Rescue Centre
 * Misty Island Tunnel
 * The High Bridge
 * Sodor Slate Quarry
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Victor's Shed
 * Sodor Suspension Bridge
 * The Coal Hopper
 * The Depot
 * Mr. Percival's House
 * The Double Hills
 * The Double Junction
 * The Duke and Duchess of Boxford's Summer House
 * The Watermill
 * Three-Track Level Crossing
 * Tidmouth Beach
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Tidmouth Engine Works
 * Tidmouth Goods Station
 * Tidmouth Town Square
 * Tower Windmill
 * Vicarstown Dieselworks
 * Diesel 10's Shed
 * Vicarstown Diesel Sheds
 * Vicarstown Tunnel
 * Wellsworth
 * Wellsworth Bridge
 * Wellsworth Yards
 * Whiff's Waste Dump
 * Whispering Woods
 * Whispering Woods Halt
 * Whistling Woods
 * Woodland Track
 * Black Loch
 * Sodor Ironworks
 * Misty Island
 * Echo Valley
 * Hollow Tree Tunnel
 * Misty Island Seashore
 * The Jobi Woods
 * The Logging Pond
 * Shake Shake Bridge
 * The Logging Station
 * The Mainland

Half Hour Format
When Series 16 aired on PBS Kids in the US and Nick Jr. in the UK and Ireland, each broadcast aired two episodes and a song while the US airings includes a Down at the Station segment.

Chuffing with Pride

 * Race to the Rescue
 * Song: Go, Go Thomas
 * Day of the Diesels
 * Down at the Station: The Engine Shed
 * Bust My Buffers!

All Together Now

 * Ol' Wheezy Wobbles
 * Song: Hear the Engines Coming
 * Down at the Station: Diesel Engines
 * Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor

If a Job's Worth Doing

 * Thomas and the Garbage/Rubbish Train
 * Song: Day of the Diesels
 * Down at the Station: The Conductor
 * Sodor Surprise Day

Fun on the Farm

 * Thomas Toots the Crows
 * Song: Hear the Engines Coming
 * Down at the Station: Whistle
 * Muddy Matters

Don't Give Up

 * Percy and the Calliope
 * Song: Thomas and Percy
 * Down at the Station: The End of the Line
 * Happy Birthday Sir!

A Friend in Need

 * Percy and the Monster of Brendam
 * Song: All You Need
 * Down at the Station: Morning
 * Flash Bang Wallop!

Winter Surprise

 * Emily's Winter Party Special
 * Song: All You Need
 * Down at the Station: Engines
 * Salty's Surprise

Communication

 * Welcome Stafford
 * Song: Working Together
 * Down at the Station: The Workman
 * Don't Bother Victor!

Let It Snow

 * The Christmas Tree Express
 * Song: Working Together
 * Down at the Station: The Level Crossing
 * Ho Ho Snowman

Just Being You

 * Express Coming Through
 * Song: Thomas and Percy
 * Down at the Station: The Signalman
 * Whiff's Wish

UK

 * Ben Small as Thomas, Toby, Ferdinand, Rheneas and the Troublesome Trucks
 * Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Whiff, Dash, Salty, Den, Stafford, Skarloey, Sir Handel, the Fat Controller, Dowager Hatt, the Mayor of Sodor, Mr. Percival, the Man at the Fire and the Great Composer
 * Matt Wilkinson as Spencer, Charlie, Bash, Winston, Victor, Rusty, Rocky, Cranky, Butch, Kevin, Farmer McColl, the Duke of Boxford, Farmer Trotter, the Photographer and the Dock Manager
 * Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Rosie, Mavis, the Duchess of Boxford and the Schoolboy
 * Rupert Degas as Dart, Flynn, and Bertie
 * Steven Kynman as Peter Sam
 * Kerry Shale as Diesel and 'Arry
 * William Hope as Bert

US

 * Martin Sherman as Thomas and Percy
 * William Hope as Edward, Toby, Whiff, Bash, Bert, Rocky, Farmer McColl, the Duke of Boxford and the Dock Manager
 * Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, James, Dash, 'Arry, Kevin, Sir Topham Hatt, Mr. Percival, Farmer Trotter and the Photographer
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily, Rosie, Mavis, the Duchess of Boxford and the Schoolboy
 * Ben Small as Charlie, Rheneas and the Troublesome Trucks
 * Michael Brandon as Diesel
 * Keith Wickham as Salty, Den, Stafford, Skarloey, Sir Handel, Dowager Hatt, and the Great Composer
 * Matt Wilkinson as Winston and Rusty
 * Rupert Degas as Dart, Flynn, and Bertie
 * Glenn Wrage as Spencer, Ferdinand, Cranky and Butch
 * David Bedella as Victor and the Mayor of Sodor
 * Steven Kynman as Peter Sam

Trivia

 * Nitrogen Studios began production on this series in April 2010. Additionally, according to writer Andrew Viner's website, the episode Thomas and the Rubbish Train was commissioned/written in 2010. Every episode has a copyright of 2011.
 * Originally, Derek was going to appear in this series in Bust My Buffers! with a non-speaking role, but when animating the episode, "Paxman" in the script was mistaken for "Paxton".
 * This series marks the first of several things:
 * The first series since their debuts where Belle and Harold appear, but do not speak in any of their appearances.
 * The first and only series not to have Togo Igawa as part of the voice cast until the twenty-first series.
 * The first series to have Steven Kynman as part of the voice cast.
 * The first series to have Matt Wilkinson as part of the US voice cast.
 * Skarloey, Rheneas, Sir Handel, Peter Sam and Rusty's first episodic appearances in full CGI.
 * The Skarloey Railway Depot, the Lighthouse and the Sodor Suspension Bridge's first appearances in full CGI.
 * The first series since the thirteenth series where the trucks have faces.
 * The first series to feature Matt Wilkinson as Butch in the UK version.
 * The first series to feature Ben Small as Charlie in the US version.
 * The first series to feature William Hope as Bert.
 * The first series to feature Ian McCue as producer.
 * The first series to have an episode written by Andrew Viner since the twelfth series.
 * The first series where the end credits only list the cast members who provide voices in the particular episodes. The only exceptions are the UK dub of Whiff's Wish, where Ben Small is incorrectly added to the list of voice actors despite none of his characters speaking in that dub, and the UK dub of Don't Bother Victor, where Steven Kynman is not credited despite voicing Peter Sam.
 * The first series to not be dubbed in Finnish.
 * The first series to have Baek Kyung-hoon and Lee Je-in as part of the voice cast in South Korea.
 * The first series recorded and mixed by An Ho-seong in South Korea.
 * The first series translated by Kim Hye-yeon in South Korea.
 * The first series directed by Lee Won-hee in South Korea.
 * The first series aired on Spacetoon for the Arabic dub.
 * The first series aired by Polsat JimJam until the eleventh series in Poland.
 * This series marks the last of several things:
 * Sharon Miller's last series as head writer.
 * Greg Tiernan's last series as director.
 * Nicole Stinn's last series as producer.
 * The last series to feature Matt Wilkinson as Victor in the UK. David Bedella takes over the role in Blue Mountain Mystery.
 * Sam Barlow's last series as story executive.
 * The last series animated by Nitrogen Studios.
 * The last series to not feature Duck.
 * The last series to feature Bash and Dash.
 * The last series to feature Misty Island. It was later mentioned in the twentieth series episode, The Way She Does It and the special, Big World! Big Adventures!
 * The final series where Thomas’ whistle bounces up and down until The Adventure Begins.
 * The last series to feature Glenn Wrage and Jules de Jongh as Butch and Mavis in the US. Steven Kynman and Teresa Gallagher took over the roles in the seventeenth series.
 * The last series to have 20 episodes until the twenty-third series. If The Christmas Coffeepot and Over the Hill count as part of the twenty-first series, this would be the last series to have 20 episodes until the twenty-first series.
 * The last series until the twenty-first series to not have at least 26 episodes.
 * The last series to feature Teresa Gallagher and Jules de Jongh as Rosie in the UK and US, respectively. Nicola Stapleton later took over the role in Journey Beyond Sodor.
 * The last series in fullscreen in Italy, Brazil, Canada, Latin America, the UK (Nick Jr. broadcasts only) and in the US (with some PBS broadcasts).
 * The last series aired by CBeebies in South Korea.
 * The last series narrated by Michael Brandon and Michael Angelis for the US dub and UK dub, respectively, and the last to have two separate narrators for the UK and US until the twenty-second series.
 * The last series to have Rupert Degas as part of the voice cast. Keith Wickham took over the role of Bertie and Steven Kynman took over the role of Dart. Ben Small only voiced Flynn in the seventeenth series, then this role was given to Kerry Shale and later, Rob Rackstraw in the nineteenth series.
 * The last series until Tale of the Brave to have a character voiced by the narrator in the US dub (Diesel in this case as Martin Sherman took over the role of this character until the eighteenth series and Mark Moraghan was the narrator from the seventeenth series to the twenty-first series).
 * The last series to have the steam engines' whistles budge up and down when they use them.
 * The last series where the narrator has more dialogue than the characters.
 * The last series produced by HiT Entertainment under ownership of Apax Partners, as they sold HiT to Mattel on 1 February, 2012.
 * This series marks the only of several things:
 * The only series in which where Hiro and Captain appear, but do not speak their introductions in Hero of the Rails and Misty Island Rescue respectively.
 * The only series since Day of the Diesels to have Teresa Gallagher as part of the UK voice cast, but not the US voice cast.
 * The only series to have episodes written by Dan Wicksman, Nuria Wicksman, Max Allen, Jessica Kedward, Andy Bernhardt and Kristy Peart.
 * The only series to feature Rebecca Evans as script editor.
 * The only series for which all of the episodes (except The Christmas Tree Express) aired in Australia before airing in other countries. However, selected episodes from the seventeenth and eighteenth series also aired in Australia ahead of their overseas debuts.
 * Skarloey, Rheneas and Peter Sam's whistles now budge up and down when they use them.
 * Prior to the narrow gauge engines' return, the team went to the Talyllyn Railway to measure the real engines to make the Skarloey Railway engines. However, Douglas, Duncan's basis, was under an overhaul and thus could not be measured. This could be why Duncan did not return until the eighteenth series.
 * On Netflix UK, this series was incorrectly listed as the fourteenth series. The mistake was later corrected.
 * In Norway, this series was shown on the TV 2 Sumo website before airing on television.
 * Only one episode from this series was dubbed in Dutch, that being Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor. The episode was dubbed alongside series 18. A short clip of the episode was uploaded on the Cinemeta website. The episode only appeared on a Belgian Take 'n Play DVD from 2015, titled Railway Stories in Dutch and Stories from Trains in French. The DVD was sold exclusively at the Belgian Days Out with Thomas events, which were held at Stoomtrein Maldegem-Eeklo.