U.S. Title: Thomas and Bertie's Great Race
Air date: November 20th, 1984
Adapted from: Tank Engine Thomas Again, "Thomas and Bertie"
Thomas is waiting at a junction when a bus drives up alongside him. The bus introduces himself as Bertie, who remembers Thomas from the time he took his passengers home after Thomas got stuck in a snowdrift, and that he's come to help his passengers. Thomas claims that he doesn't need help since he can go faster than Bertie. After a brief back-and-forth, Bertie challenges Thomas to a race along his branch line. The drivers agree, and Thomas and Bertie begin their race.
Thomas knows he can't hit full speed when he's just starting off, and so Bertie draws an early lead. Despite protests from Annie and Clarabel that he pick up his pace, Thomas isn't worried. When he reaches the level crossing, he sees exactly what he anticipated: Bertie is stuck behind the gate and forced to wait until after Thomas passes through and takes the lead.
After that, the road leaves the railway, so Thomas can't tell where Bertie is in relation to him. He arrives at the next station to collect passengers. He tells them to get in quickly, and starts off again as fast as he's able. The race begins to take a toll as Thomas rushes down his branch line, and soon he sees Bertie crossing a bridge ahead and realizes he's falling behind. His driver and coaches try to reassure him, but Thomas soon has to stop at the next station, just in time to see Bertie pull away. Fatigued, Thomas is sure that he'll lose the race, but he feels better after a drink and takes off once more.
As luck would have it, Thomas is able to make up some ground when Bertie gets stuck at a traffic light by the river. The two are briefly in a dead heat, but now Thomas is finally at a point on the branch line where he can reach his full speed, and when coupled with the tunnel taking him easily through a hill that Bertie needs to climb and descend, Thomas makes it to the last station well ahead of Bertie, winning the race. Everyone celebrates Thomas' victory, but they give Bertie a big cheer as well. Bertie congratulates Thomas and tells him that to beat him over that hill, he would have to grow wings and be an airplane.
The two friends often talk about their race and would enjoy having another, but since Bertie's passengers don't like being bounced like peas in a frying pan, and the Fat Controller has warned Thomas not to race at dangerous speeds, it seems unlikely they ever will.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- The Big Race: The first for Thomas and Bertie. They would have more races later on in the series, despite the narrator saying he doesn't think they ever will.
- Call-Back: Bertie mentions the time Thomas was rescued by Terence.
- Graceful Loser: Despite losing the race, Bertie congratulates Thomas for his win.
- Name and Name: Thomas and Bertie
- Oh, Crap!: Thomas, as Bertie gains the lead.Thomas: Oh deary me, oh deary me...
- Perpetual Smiler: Bertie, who had yet to gain any of his alternate face models, even when he is "fuming" at the level crossing.
- Racing the Train: It's more of a train vs. vehicle variant.
- The Rival: Bertie to Thomas. Thomas did gain his respect in the end, however, and both have become more of Friendly Rivals.
- Stock Footage: Footage from "Thomas and Gordon" and "Thomas and the Guard" is used.
