Air date: December 11th, 1984
Adapted from: Henry the Green Engine, "The Flying Kipper"
"Who cares? This is good cocoa."
One night in winter, after his day's work is done, Henry is told by his driver that they'll be leaving early in the morning to pull "The Flying Kipper", a train that carries fish from the harbour to the mainland. The driver tells Henry that his special coal is working so well that if he pulls the Flying Kipper nicely the Fat Controller will let him pull the express, a thought that makes Henry very happy.
Early next morning, Henry arrives at the quay ready to pick up the Flying Kipper. Everything goes very smoothly and Henry leaves the harbour without a hitch. After getting the vans to come along quickly and quietly, Henry quickly begins to enjoy his journey through the snow-covered countryside as the sun rises.
Soon Henry comes to a yellow signal indicating caution. Henry's driver initially prepares to stop, until he sees the home signal is down, meaning that the line ahead is clear. With that, the driver allows Henry to continue at full speed. What Henry and his crew don't know however, is that the points to the main line have frozen towards a siding and the home signal, which should have been set at "danger", had been forced down by the snow.
In the siding is a goods train which had pulled in to let Henry and the Flying Kipper pass and the engine's crew is enjoying cocoa in the brake van. The crew notices that it's nearly time for Henry to pass by, so the crew leaves to return to their engine. Their exit comes just in time as Henry rushes into the siding and, unable to stop in time, crashes straight into the back of the train, destroying the brake van and landing on his side, while his crew manage to jump clear before the collision.
A few hours later, the clean-up effort is underway. Henry is left on his side dazed. The Fat Controller comes to talk to Henry and kindly reassures him that the accident wasn't his fault, but was caused by the weather. He then tells Henry that he is going to be sent to Crewe, an excellent place for sick engines. As well as repairing him, they will also give him a brand new shape and a larger firebox. As a result, Henry will feel much better and won't need special coal anymore.
Henry is doubtful at first, but when spring arrives, he returns from Crewe feeling better than ever. Everyone is delighted to see Henry in his new shape and he looks so splendid and strong that the crowd gives him three cheers. A lot of children are now often late for school as they want to wait to see Henry ride by and often see him pulling the express. He is able to pull it so well that Gordon feels jealous, but that's another story.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Another Story for Another Time: The narration does this after mentioning Gordon's jealousy towards Henry for doing so well with the Express.
- Creator Cameo: One of the workers at the harbour was modelled after series narrator Ringo Starr.
- Digital Destruction: The restored version is notorious for framing most of Henry's journey at night much lower than it was in the original version. This was done for one shot to hide the visible end of the sky backdrop, but the rest of the scenes seem to have been left lowered by mistake.
- Disneyfication: In Henry the Green Engine, the crew in the brake van don't escape in time and Henry's crash sends them shooting into the air (albeit comically, with the guard getting stuck headfirst in the snow and the fireman complaining about his lost cocoa afterward).
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Henry's accident with the Flying Kipper leaves him in an even sorrier state than before, though the Fat Controller is more than convinced that Henry is worth a full rebuild, and he comes back from Crewe a well and strong engine that doesn't even need special coal anymore.
- Emergency Transformation: Henry gets a massive rebuild into a new engine after he crashes into a goods train. When he returns, his new build gives him far more strength and eliminates the need for Welsh coal.
- Failsafe Failure: A fairly realistic one that was actually based on a real-life rail disaster
. Ice and snow jam a set of points into an occupied siding - the corresponding home signal should have been set at danger, but the weight of the snow had forced the semaphore arm down (or prevented it from returning to danger). - Grimmification: In an odd blend between this and Disneyfication, Henry's crash scene. In the book, Henry's crash is somewhat Played for Laughs, with the guard getting stuck headfirst in the snow in the background and the fireman complaining that he's just spilled his cocoa. Here, although the crew escapes the brake van just in time, Henry's crash is played dead serious, with him lying in the snow worrying that this is the end for him.
- Leitmotif: Probably the most variations of one in an episode. The Flying Kipper theme starts off as a Triumphant Reprise of Henry's theme, and then turns into a Dark Reprise as he's led into his accident with the brakevan. Henry's sad theme plays following his crash, and then the original one following his rebuild.
- Lemony Narrator: The narrator is sorry to say a lot of little children are now late for school because they wait to see Henry pulling the Express.
- Mid-Season Upgrade: Henry gets one during his time at Crewe.
- Mood Whiplash: As Henry pulls his train through the wintry countryside, it has such a magical, almost "Christmassy" atmosphere to it. Then a yellow caution signal appears followed by a green clear one. It was okay just until the music turns threatening an impending disaster. Ice and snow have respectively frozen the points towards an occupied siding and forced the home signal down, taking Henry straight into the back of a goods train.
- Oh, Crap!: There's nothing Henry can do to stop himself crashing, except frantically whistling to warn the other train's crew.
- Pet the Dog: Poor Henry couldn't understand how everything went wrong when they obeyed the signals, until the Fat Controller kindly reassures him ice and snow caused the crash, and for his troubles is being sent to Crewe for a rebuild.
- Shoo Out the Clowns: An adaptational variation. In the original story, the crew of the goods train is catapulted into the snow when Henry collides with the brake van. There are two humorous moments when the guard gets stuck headfirst in the snow, and the fireman furiously complains about his spilt cocoa. This episode has absolutely no levity, as the crash is played entirely seriously.
- Shown Their Work:
- Not many people outside of the railway industry would know what a "home signal" is.
- The headlamps carried by Henry show the correct indication for a fast perishables train.
- When Henry first pulls into the harbour, he is carrying a single headlamp on his port side to indicate he is a 'pick-up' (although in a goof, he sets off with this lamp still in place before it changes in the next scene to the center and starboard configuration for 'fast perishables').
- Too Fast to Stop: Poor Henry isn’t able to stop himself in time when he notices the goods train directly in front of him.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Henry's crash draws a lot of influence from the 1876 Abbots Ripton rail accident (snow forcing down the signals' semaphore arms) and, to a lesser extent, the 1937 Castlecary rail accident (frozen points and possibly a malfunctioning signal, although in this case it was the distant signal rather than the home signal).
- We Can Rebuild Him: After crashing into a goods train, a badly damaged Henry thinks he's good for scrap. However, the Fat Controller sends him off to Crewe where he gets a full rebuild and his firebox is replaced with a bigger, better one.
