Air date: November 13th, 1984
Adapted from: Tank Engine Thomas Again, "Thomas Goes Fishing"
When Thomas puffs along his branch line, he always looks forward to something special; the sight of the river beneath the bridge. As Thomas rumbles over the bridge, he often sees people fishing. He wishes he could stay and watch, but his driver always forbids him from doing so, asking what the Fat Controller would have to say if they were late.
Every time Thomas would come across another engine, he would always tell them about his desire to go fishing. Unfortunately, they all give him the same answer; "Engines don't go fishing." Thomas would always call them silly stick-in-the-muds upon hearing this.
One day, Thomas stops by the water tower near Elsbridge Station to take on water. Unfortunately for him, the water tower is out of order today. When Thomas complains about how thirsty he is, his driver tells him that they're going to get some water from the river.
Thomas' Driver and Fireman find a bucket and some rope and come to the bridge. The Driver then lowers the bucket into the water. Unfortunately, the bucket is an old one with five holes in it, meaning that Thomas' Driver and Fireman have to fill it, pull it up, and empty it into Thomas' tank as quickly as they can several times over. At last, they manage to finish and fill Thomas' tank.
When Thomas sets off again, he begins to feel a pain in his boiler, and steam begins to hiss from his safety valve in an alarming way. The Driver tells Thomas that here's too much steam in his boiler, and Thomas feels like he's going to burst. Thomas' Driver and Fireman damp down his fire and struggle on, with Thomas complaining about how much in pain he is the entire time.
Thomas' Driver and Fireman stop just outside Ffarqhuar Station, uncouple Annie and Clarabel, and ran Thomas, still hissing fit to burst, on a nearby siding. Thomas' Guard telephones for an Engine Inspector, while Thomas' Driver finds large notices saying DANGER KEEP AWAY in red letters and hangs them on Thomas in front and behind. The Fat Controller and the Inspector soon arrive, telling Thomas that they'll soon put him right. Thomas' Driver tells the Inspector that Thomas' feedpipe is blocked, and the Inspector takes a look in Thomas' tank. He climbs up, peers in, comes down, and asks the Fat Controller to look in the tank and tell him what he sees. The Fat Controller looks in Thomas' tank, nearly falling off the ladder in surprise. He then asks the Inspector if he saw any fish in the tank, much to Thomas' shock. The Fat Controller then asks Thomas' Driver how fish could have possibly gotten into Thomas' tank. Thomas' Driver tells the Fat Controller how they were collecting water from the river earlier, and must have caught some fish by mistake. The Fat Controller tells Thomas that he found out that he and his Driver have been fishing, but since fish don't suit him, they must get the fish out immediately.
Thomas' Driver, Fireman, and the Inspector all take turns catching the fish in Thomas' tank, while the Fat Controller shows them how to do it. When at last all the fish are caught, they have a lovely picnic supper of fish and chips. The Fat Controller tells Thomas that even though he enjoyed the supper, fish don't suit him, so he mustn't do it again. Thomas promises the Fat Controller that he won't; he now understands why engines don't go fishing; it's too uncomfortable for them. He then backs up to Annie and Clarabel to finish his passenger run.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Be Careful What You Wish For: After watching people fish whenever he crosses the viaduct, Thomas wishes to go fishing as well, despite the other engines often telling him that "engines don't go fishing". Finally, Thomas gets his chance when a water tower is broken. Unfortunately for Thomas, when his feed pipe get clogged by the fishes his driver and firemen caught by accident, he finds out that fishing isn't as cracked up as he thought it would be.
- Bittersweet Ending: Even though The Fat Controller, Thomas' crew, and the inspector took out the fish from Thomas' boiler — not to mention getting a lovely picnic lunch of fish & chips out of it — Thomas still feels unhappy over his unpleasant experience with fish.The Fat Controller: Mmm, that was good! But fish don't suit you, Thomas, so you mustn't do it again.Thomas: No sir, I won't. (sadly, as he leaves) Engines don't go fishing. It's too uncomfortable!
- Dark Reprise: A rather depressing minor-key version of Thomas' theme plays when he starts feeling unwell. It's also a combination of the breakdown train theme.
- Fishing Episode: Thomas wants to go fishing, and gets his chance to sit by the river like he wanted when a water tower is out of order and his driver and fireman have to take on water for him from there. Unfortunately, he ends up getting fish in his water tank — which they accidentally caught in the buckets and put in without realizing — and Sir Topham Hatt and his crew have to fish them out.
- Hidden Depths: The Fat Controller is shown to have a surprisingly good knowledge of fishing when he and Thomas' crew realize what the problem is when Thomas starts feeling unwell; being the one who instructs them and the Inspector on how to catch the fish out of his water tank.
- Ironic Echo: When Thomas talks to the other engines about how he wants to try fishing, all the other engines tell him the same thing that he disregards; "Engines don't go fishing". After his misadventure with the fish accidentally getting into his water tank, Thomas sadly says it himself as he leaves to rejoin Annie and Clarabel.
- Oh, Crap!: Thomas reacts this way when the Fat Controller mentions he saw fish swimming about in his water tank. The resulting look on his face is priceless.The Fat Controller: (suprised) Inspector? Can you see... fish?
- Stock Footage: Footage from "Thomas and the Trucks" are used.
- Wanting Is Better Than Having: How Thomas learns about going fishing. He always wants to stick around on the river bridge and watch people do it, but ends up not liking it when he (unintentionally) ends up with fish in his water tank when his driver and fireman have to collect water from the river, which then have to be fished out of there again by his crew and the Fat Controller.
