Quick moral, kids. If you see a sign that says "Danger, don't pass that board" or anything like it, don't.
It's a shame these engines can't always be really useful. Not that the humans in charge aren't guilty of acts of stupidity, either. open/close all folders
In General
- The basic staple of the series starting with season 12 until season 17 (though some episodes before season 12 used this format as well) consists of an engine being advised on how to do things properly or warned about something dangerous.
You'd Expect: That the engine would take heed to the advice.
Instead: The engine foolishly and even arrogantly ignores it.
As A Result: The engine gets into an accident, causing "Confusion and Delay".
On A Positive Note: After fixing their mistakes, the engine learns their lesson, makes things right, and becomes a wiser engine.
Then Again: They will eventually forget about the lesson and revert to their arrogance and foolishness. Lather, rinse, and repeat. - It's been well-established since the very beginning that the engines have crews who have some degree of control over them.
You'd Expect: Said crews to assert control over engines who misbehave and/or try to neglect work in favor of some silly activity that almost always results in confusion and delay.
Instead: Several times, mostly outside of the Awdry-adapted stories, they fail to show responsibility and sometimes don't even appear to be present. The most egregious example so far is in the 2018 special Big World! Big Adventures! where Thomas' driver and fireman not only allow but outright enable him to leave Sodor without the Fat Controller's permission.- It's worth noting that a Funny Background Event in "Diesel and the Ducklings" seems to imply that Diesel's crew are just as bad as he is, which would go miles in explaining how he gets away with so many bad deeds. That does nothing to explain the misdeeds/mishaps of other engines, though. Or, for that matter, why Diesel's crew can't be replaced with a crew that's actually responsible; Diesel can't exactly be unemployed without being sent to the scrapyard, which would be a major case of Disproportionate Retribution even for as much trouble as Diesel causes, but his crew should have been fired after the first time Diesel's antics caused problems for the railway company.
- The Troublesome Trucks whom the engines have to use for freight deliveries are finicky and mischievous, often deliberately causing the engine who's pulling them to crash.
You'd Expect: The railway staff to find a way to get the trucks to stop screwing with the engines, such as by only using trucks that don't have faces like The Unlucky Tug suggested.
Instead: They do no such thing, and so the trucks continue to mess with the engines to this day, regardless of if they get smashed or not.
Main Series
Season 1
The Sad Story Of Henry/Come Out, Henry!
- Henry goes into a tunnel and squeaks through his funnel, because he doesn't want the rain to spoil his lovely green paint and red stripes. Again and again, the passengers along with his driver and fireman try and get him to get out.
You'd Expect: That Henry would stop being a pompous dick and listen to them.
Instead: He blows steam at them, telling them that "he's not going to spoil his lovely green paint and red stripes for them".
As a Result: Sir Topham Hatt himself comes down to tell Henry to get out of the tunnel. When Henry still refuses, Sir Topham Hatt tries three different methods of getting him out himselfnote . When none of these work, Sir Topham Hatt bricks up the entrance halfway to make Henry see the error of his ways.
Thomas' Train/A Big Day for Thomas
- Thomas finally gets to pull his first train.
You'd Expect: Thomas to avoid cocking it up by making sure he's actually coupled to the train before he leaves.
Instead: He leaves before this can be done.
Extra Points: He can't even feel the fact that he's pulling nothing.
You'd Then Expect: Thomas' driver and fireman to stop him.
Instead: They do nothing, and Thomas keeps going until a signalman stops him.
To Make Matters Worse: The passengers are angry and tell The Fat Controller "what a bad railway it was".
In addition: The narration stated that either the shunter forgot to couple Thomas or Thomas' driver started him by mistake.
James and the Coaches/James Learns a Lesson
- James is a steam engine. The Fat Controller is standing nearby, with a brand-new top hat.
You'd Expect: The Fat Controller to keep a reasonable distance away from a machine that spews hot water vapor.
Instead: The Fat Controller stands next to James.
As A Result: James lets off some steam, which is normal for a steam engine, and unfortunately The Fat Controller's new hat gets wet.
- Thomas needs to have his water refilled. Unfortunately, the nearest water column is out of order, so the crew decide to use a bucket to lift some water from the nearby river. They have to do it quickly as the bucket has holes in it.
You'd Expect: The crew to make sure there are no foreign objects (such as fish) in the water before putting it into Thomas.
Instead: They don't even notice the fish.
As A Result: Thomas starts having problems. On the plus side, when they finally get the fish out of Thomas, they're able to enjoy a meal of fish and chips.
To Be Fair: They were carrying a passenger train at the time, and probably wanted to get moving again as quickly as possible. The fact that the bucket had five holes in it probably didn't help.
Thomas in Trouble/Thomas Breaks the Rules
- A friendly policeman has retired and is replaced with a bad-tempered one who does not take kindly to Thomas whistling at him unexpectedly after a poor night's sleep, even though Thomas was only saying "Good morning!" The policeman calls out Thomas for not having a cowcatcher, to which a confused Thomas replies with "But I don't catch cows, sir".
You'd Expect: The new policeman would consider the possibility that Thomas might honestly not know what a cowcatcher isnote . Thomas has a well-deserved reputation for being cheeky, but he does have a point — someone not in the know could assume that a cowcatcher is a tool used to catch cows with.
Instead: The policeman immediately scolds Thomas for being cheeky.
As A Result: Thomas takes an active dislike to the new policeman within less than half a minute of meeting him.
Off the Rails/Gordon Takes A Dip
- Gordon is in no mood to take his goods train, and devises a plan to get out of it.
You'd Expect: Gordon to realize what a stupid idea it is to try and move off the turntable before it finishes turning.
Instead: He tries to jam the turntable, and ends up in a ditch, where he remains until late at night.
Down the Mine
- Thomas has seen a sign that reads, "DANGER: Engines must not pass this board".
You'd Expect: Thomas to follow the board's instructions.
Instead: He goes forward, only to discover he can't stop, and ends up buffer-first in the mine.
As A Result: He has to be saved by Gordon, whom he had previously mocked.
Extra Points: The narration establishes that Thomas has tried to pass the board several times even before this.- On the subject, the danger is that miners dug underground tunnels in their search for lead, whose roofs are strong enough to withstand the weight of trucks, but not engines.
You'd Expect: The board to explain this. Something like "DANGER: Unstable mining roofs. Engines must not pass this board." would provide clarity, as there is no visible danger aboveground.
Instead: The board just says "DANGER: Engines must not pass this board" without explanation. This is the equivalent of "Don't do this because I say so".
As A Result: Thomas doesn't take the board seriously, and the rest is history.
- On the subject, the danger is that miners dug underground tunnels in their search for lead, whose roofs are strong enough to withstand the weight of trucks, but not engines.
Season 2
Percy Takes The Plunge
- Percy has also seen the "DANGER" sign that Thomas saw in "Down the Mine".
You'd Expect: Percy would obey the board. Especially after Thomas tells him what happened when he passed it.
Instead: He uses Insane Troll Logic to conclude that the board is wrong because "I can't see a mine", and comes up with a stupid "plan" to get the trucks to push him past the board.
As A Result: The trucks push him too far past the board, hard enough to knock his crew off the footplate, resulting in him crashing into the sea.
Extra Points: It's worth mentioning that in the original adaptation from the book The Eight Famous Engines, the narration mentions that Percy had made several attempts to pass the board before asking the trucks to push him.
Dirty Work
- Gordon, Henry and James find out that apparently, Duck had been telling lies about them to the trucks (In reality, it was Diesel as revenge for Duck apparently making the trucks laugh at him).
You'd Expect: For the big engines to, upon Duck returning to Tidmouth Sheds, ask him if he had anything to do with the trucks laughing at them.
Instead: They block him from entering the shed, and immediately jump to the conclusion that Duck had been giving them names.
Extra Points: Henry specifically said that Duck would never be that cruel.
To Be Fair: This is mitigated in the annuals, which explain that Diesel had spread the lies over a period of several weeks. Basing them off of incidents that each of the big engines had suffered through, and thus playing to each of their egos in order to get them mad at Duck. - Duck is also somewhat to blame for starting the whole feud in the first place and casting the first stone at Diesel. Literally Diesel just says hello to James, Henry, and Gordon and kinda kisses up to them but in general he was being polite. The narrator says "Duck had his doubts..." when the Fat Controller sends him to show Diesel the ropes. Diesel later refers to The Fat Controller as such when Duck cuts him off with "Sir Topham Hatt to you!" which hurts Diesel. Sure Diesel would later boast about diesel engines being "revolutionary" and "don't need to learn, [they] know everything." Which resulted in Duck pulling a trick on him by making him fetch a wrong lot of trucks and later laughing at his mistakes.
You'd Expect: Duck to be more polite to Diesel considering he's a new engine and should have been more civil when telling him he should call The Fat Controller by his formal name.
You'd Also Expect: Diesel to be a bit more humble and resolve his issues with Duck peacefully, as "two wrongs don't make a right".
Instead: Diesel conspires against Duck while also slandering the other engines in order to frame him.
As A Result: This later comes back to bite him when TFC catches on to his tricks and sends him away. Duck was temporarily sent away to work with Edward which led to his barbershop accident (see below).
Extra Points: The episode establishes Duck as a competent worker but also a bit smug with his Great Western Railway nationalism which annoyed the other engines. His tussle with Diesel did manage to knock him down a few pegs until the end of "A Close Shave".
A Close Shave
- Sure, barber, set up shop at the end of a train track without any buffers. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
As A Result: On a railway with mischievous trucks infamous for pushing engines past their destinations and causing them to crash, the inevitable happens: the barber gets a surprise-visit from Duck when the trucks cause him to crash into the shop.
Extra Points: The barber eventually calms down with help from the Fat Controller, but he never considers the possibility that he could have avoided this had he simply not been such an idiot as to set up his shop at the end of a train track without any buffers in the first place, even after his Jerkass Realization.
Break Van
- Donald gets into trouble involving a signal box and slippery railway tracks.
You'd Expect: The signal box to have been built by the side of the tracks.
Instead: It was built at the end of a train track. Without any buffers.
As A Result: The slippery railway tracks prevent Donald from stopping in time resulting in him crashing tender-first into the signal box. - After this, the Fat Controller arrives, none too pleased that the signal box (and Donald's tender) is broken.
You'd Expect: The Fat Controller to realize that the signal box incident was not entirely Donald's fault, owing to slippery tracks preventing him from stopping in time. Not to mention, whoever's bright idea it was to build a signal box at the end of a train track instead of by the side of it, was an utter moron.
Instead: The Fat Controller pins all the blame on Donald, apparently not realizing anything wrong with the signal box's position.
However: One upside to this is that the Fat Controller takes more time to think about which twin to keep (Donald or Douglas), resulting in them both getting to stay by the end of "The Deputation".
Thomas Comes to Breakfast
- After a smooth and successful journey, Thomas' driver tells him that "You could almost manage without me".
You'd Expect: Thomas to realize that his driver is joking.
Instead: In his hubris, Thomas takes his driver seriously.
As A Result: Pride comes before a fall — Thomas boasts to Percy and Toby about not needing his driver anymore, and later attempts to start on his own... only to realize that a careless cleaner had accidentally meddled with his controls and crash into the stationmaster's house. - On that note, the railway track Thomas is on heads directly towards the stationmaster's garden and house.
You'd Expect: Whether the house was built before the tracks or vice-versa, somebody would have nonetheless realized that tracks heading directly towards somebody's house is extremely dangerous, whereupon railway workers would remove the obvious danger.
Or, Even Better: Workers wouldn't have built the house at the end of a train track, or tracks that head towards the house, in the first place.
Instead: Not only did the workers do neither, but nobody realizes anything could go wrong until the inevitable accident happens.
Bonus Idiot Points: Nobody thought to put buffers in front of the stationmaster's house. - The Fat Controller gets this after Donald and Douglas pull Thomas back to safety.
You'd Expect: The Fat Controller to ask Thomas what happened.
Instead: The Fat Controller immediately blames and scolds Thomas for the entire incident. Sure, it was foolish of Thomas to take his driver's joke at face value and think he could actually start and stop all on his own, but the stationmaster incident was not his fault — it was the result of the careless cleaner obliviously changing his controls, who gets away scot-free with no comeuppance whatsoever.
Season 4
Bowled Out
- When Stepney's visit to Sir Topham Hatt's railway is about to come to an end, Sir Topham Hatt decides to bring a new diesel engine, D261, from the Mainland to help the steam engines out with the extra work. D261 is rude to the steam engines, boasting about how superior he is to them and saying that Sir Topham Hatt should scrap them and get more diesels like him. The engines are furious and want to teach D261 a lesson. As it turns out, an inspector in a bowler hat is watching D261's fitter making some final adjustments to his engine. The wind blows the inspector's hat off his head, and D261's air intake sucks it up.
You'd Expect: D261's fitter to notice the inspector's hat lodged in D261's air intake before starting D261 up for his job of taking Gordon's express coaches to the big station.
Instead: D261's fitter doesn't even notice the bowler hat.
As a Result: When D261 rolls towards Gordon's coaches, he starts shaking and spluttering due to his air intake being clogged up by the inspector's hat, eventually coming to a stop. When Duck and Stepney take D261 to the shed, the inspector notices his hat and Sir Topham Hatt gives Duck and Stepney the job of taking Gordon's coaches to the big station. Duck and Stepney do it flawlessly, Gordon praises them, and D261 is sent back to the Mainland in disgrace, leaving only two things behind; a rather nasty smell and a battered bowler hat.
Thomas and the Special Letter
- While Thomas and seven of the other engines are away, other engines will be covering for their work. Thomas is showing Oliver what to do.
You'd Expect: Thomas would be more careful and take better note of his surroundings and the possible dangers, since if he ends up having an accident, it's unlikely he'll be repaired in time for the journey, which would be awful to miss.
Instead: He carelessly shows off while reminiscing about his race with Bertie.
As A Result: He smashes through some buffers, rolls down a hill, and breaks through a wall. He gets repaired in time, but it could have gone either way.
Season 5
Busy Going Backwards
- Toad the Brake Van becomes upset when he sees the engines and their coaches moving steadily forwards, all looking confident and cheerful, and wishes he could do the same, since he is always facing backwards. When he expresses his desire to go forwards to Oliver, the Troublesome Trucks overhear and decide to teach Toad a lesson by breaking away from Oliver as he climbs to the top of Gordon's Hill, resulting in the train sliding back down the hill and Toad going forwards.
You'd Expect: Toad's guard to pull Toad's brake lever to slow him down.
Instead: The guard jumps clear and lands in a bush.
As A Result: Thanks in part to the Troublesome Trucks pushing him, Toad goes on a wild ride around Sodor at a high speed, crashing through the gates of a level crossing and narrowly avoiding crashing into Bertie, also narrowly avoiding crashing into other engines thanks to the signalmen switching the points, and eventually being diverted into a muddy pond.
Season 6
Middle Engine
- Henry doesn't see Percy and reverses into him, pushing him into the loading ramp. When Percy comes back down, the yard manager is furious, and reports the incident to The Fat Controller, who tells Percy off that night.
You'd Expect: The yard manager and The Fat Controller to look at the incident a little further instead of instantaneously pinning all of the blame on Percy.
Or Better Yet: Henry to speak up.
Instead: No one bothers to do any of those things.
As A Result: Percy gets sent to the yards for something that was not all his fault before The Fat Controller investigates.
Then: James, who had previously laughed at Percy for getting stuck in the middle, has overheard everything.
You'd Expect: James to save whatever he has to say after The Fat Controller leaves, or at least speak to himself quietly. After all, one wrong word could lead to trouble.
Instead: He declares within earshot that he can handle 'Arry and Bert (who got Percy into the above mess to begin with).
As A Result: The Fat Controller nominates him to do Percy's run to the smelters, much to his displeasure. The next day, 'Arry and Bert promptly make him a middle engine, and Percy promptly arrives to fetch him, embarrassing him further.
Gordon Takes a Tumble
- As you may have presumed from the title, Gordon proceeds to endure a tumble. How, you may ask? Well, an incompetent signal man forgets to change the points, and Gordon is diverted to a much weaker track. However, the track is not to blame, as there is a sign that specifically says, in no unclear terms, "Go Slow".
You'd Expect (or perhaps not): That Gordon would not act like an asinine moron and abide by the clearly labelled sign.
Instead: Gordon concludes that since he's an express engine (though not pulling the express at the given time), he's exempted from having to pay attention to the sign.
As a Result: He accelerates, derails, and crashes into a nearby barn.
Season 7
Bulgy Rides Again
- When Thomas and Emily are sent to the foundry for repairs, Sir Topham Hatt comes to them, telling them he needs to find a way to carry more passengers, as they have more vacationers this year and fewer engines to take them. When Thomas hears this problem, he calls it "A double-decker problem", which inspires Sir Topham Hatt to repair Bulgy, a double-decker bus who was previously turned into a henhouse, and send him back on the road. Before long, Bulgy is repaired and ready for his new job, which starts the next morning.
You'd Expect: Bulgy's Driver to take Bulgy to a bus shed for him to spend the night, like the kind Bertie stays in.
Instead: Bulgy's Driver takes Bulgy back to the farm where he was once a henhouse and where the chickens he raised live.
As a Result: As Bulgy sleeps, his chickens, who missed their old home, climb aboard him and go to sleep in the luggage racks. By the next morning, the chickens are still asleep.
You'd Then Expect: Bulgy's driver to discover the chickens before he sets off for Bulgy's new job and take them somewhere before they cause trouble.
Instead: He doesn't even notice the chickens and drives Bulgy off to the first bus stop. He drives Bulgy so smoothly that his chickens don't wake up.
You'd Then Expect: One or more of the passengers to notice the chickens sleeping in the luggage racks and alert Bulgy's driver of this, especially if they have luggage they need to store there.
Instead: The passengers don't notice the chickens, either.
As a Result: When Bulgy tries to pass by a slow-moving Trevor, he sees Tom Tipper's post van approaching him and swerves to avoid crashing into it. This wakes up the chickens, who flap and squawk out of fear, covering the passengers in feathers and broken eggs. The passengers then demand that Bulgy stop and complain to him. Bulgy then returns to the foundry to be cleaned and tells Thomas and Emily that they can have both his chickens and his passengers.
Fortunately For Him: When Emily tells him that the new farmer still needs help delivering his vegetables around the island, it gives him the idea to be a vegetable bus. He gets painted green and is given a serving hatch. He likes this new job because vegetables don't lay eggs and they never complain.
Best Dressed Engine
- Towards the end of the episode, Gordon ends up having a banner stuck around his smoke box, he tells his driver to stop the train.
You'd Expect: That the driver would stop the train, and try and remove the banner.
Instead: He tells Gordon "You can't stop, you're the Express," and doesn't stop at all.
Season 8
James Gets a New Coat
- The Fat Controller orders James to help Percy at the coal plant without dilly-dallying.
You'd Expect: James to go to the coal plant and do his job.
Instead: He forgets the Fat Controller's orders and goes around various areas wanting people to see his paintwork.
As a Result: Percy gets tired of shunting trucks and as soon as James arrives to the plant, it was very late. - Then Percy warns James to be careful with the trucks.
You'd Expect: James to listen to Percy's advice.
Instead: He was too busy to listen and was more focused on being seen at the Docks.
As a Result: The trucks misbehave and get James dirty. And thus everyone does get to see James... dirty and unhappy.
Season 9
Thomas and the New Engine
- Thomas sees 'Arry and Bert laughing at Neville, the new engine, for clumsily bumping into the trucks.
You'd Expect: Thomas to stick up for Neville and tell off the two bullying diesels.
Instead: He thinks Neville is being friends with 'Arry and Bert and spreads rumors about him because steam engines aren't supposed to be friends with diesels. Only when Toby arrives to tell him and Emily (who initially sided with Thomas) what really happened does Thomas realize his mistake.
Season 11
Don't be Silly, Billy
- Thomas is to be a mentor for new engine Billy, who is given three big jobs and is eager to do them. However, he forgets to stock up on coal and water and keeps messing up his jobs, thus is given the nickname "Silly Billy" by the other engines. Thomas repeatedly tries to warn him that he didn't stock up and is not doing it right.
You'd Expect: Billy to listen to Thomas and correct his mistakes.
Instead: He scoffs Thomas off, assuming he's being bossy, and ignores him.
As a Result: Billy ends up running out of coal and water, and soon realizes his mistake. He apologizes to Thomas, and finally allows him to help out.
Thomas in Trouble
- Thomas is tasked by Sir Topham Hatt to pick up the school choir and take them to their concert; however, he has broken down and must wait for his final inspection before he can go. Unfortunately, "nearly ready" is not enough.
You'd Expect: Thomas to listen to Sir Topham and wait until he's fully repaired.
Instead: He is too ecstatic to wait and thus, decides to leave the works without a final inspection.
As a Result: He begins to clangity-clong the whole way until he breaks down completely.
Season 13
Thomas and the Pigs
- Thomas is tasked by Farmer Trotter to pick up some straw from Farmer McColl for one of his pigs, whom is pregnant. However, Thomas soon starts thinking of other things to give to the piglets, and visits his friends for ideas: Percy for milk, James for apples, and some children for chestnuts.
You'd Expect: Thomas to take only one portion of those ideas, leaving room for the straw to go on his flatbed.
Instead: He asks for multiple portions which fill up the flatbed all over, leaving no room for the straw.
You'd Also Expect: For Thomas to reconsider if the piglets will like what he found, given that they are newborns and cannot use anything adult-sized yet.
Instead: He goes right to Farmer McColl's, who sees his full flatbed and cannot load the straw. Thomas then goes back to Farmer Trotter who reveals the piglets won't like the milk, apples, and chestnuts and they need their straw as they are about to be born any minute. Thomas realizes his mistake, empties his flatbed, and collects the straw and delivers just in time.
Snow Tracks
- Gordon suddenly makes a giant snowball upon going up Gordon's Hill, which starts to roll back and chase he and Thomas. The latter goes into a siding while the former reverses down the line, and the snowball is diverted toward Thomas.
You'd Expect: Thomas to reverse quickly away from the snowball back onto the main line until he loses it.
Instead: He just stays where he is, and the snowball crashes into him.
Splish Splash Splosh
- Thomas and Rosie are playing a game where they splash each other with muddy rainwater, but they are told by Sir Topham Hatt to have a washdown prior to Alicia Botti's tea party that afternoon. Rather than go to the washdown right away, Thomas decides to play the game more; he splashes Charlie, who likes it, but then comes across Emily and James, both of whom are making deliveries for the party.
You'd Expect: For Thomas to examine Emily and James if they are carrying anything in their cars that might get wet from the puddles.
Instead: He goes right ahead and splashes them; unknown to him unfortunately, he ruined the flour to make the party cakes that Emily was delivering, and the strawberries to put on the cakes that James was delivering - The last puddle Thomas encounters is a humongous puddle that goes under a bridge. He splashes through, and unknown to him, Sir Topham Hatt and Alicia Botti were on that very bridge when he passed through.
You'd Expect: For Sir Topham and Alicia to quickly run off the bridge before getting splashed.
Instead: They stay on the bridge and get all muddy. Thomas is then punished, and because of so many splashes, his fire had went out.
The Biggest Present of All
- Thomas' friend Hiro is coming back to Sodor, and he is tasked to tell his friends about the welcome back party so they can attend. He simultaneously begins thinking of a present to give to Hiro.
You'd Expect: For Thomas to tell his friends to go to the party while talking about his present ideas at the same time.
Instead: He becomes so focused at finding a present that he neglects to do so, resulting in no engines present for the party.
Season 15
Wonky Whistle
- The Fat Controller assigns Thomas, who is at the Steamworks, to pick up Farmer McColl's animals and take them to the country show and encourages him to whistle to everyone and tell them about the show. Thomas is excited about this and asks Kevin to hurry up fixing his whistle. But the whistle is wonky.
You'd Expect: That Thomas to patiently wait until his whistle is properly fixed.
Instead: He decides to leave the Steamworks with the wonky whistle.
Extra Points: He could've injured the workmen who were fixing his whistle. - Later, Thomas arrives to pick up the animals, and as the animals get inside the van...
You'd Expect: Thomas to wait as the van door closes.
Instead: He sets off anyways. - After this, Thomas whistles at others and tells people about the country show, but his wonky whistle scares the animals off of the van. The people notice the animals and warn Thomas about them.
You'd Expect: That Thomas hear their warnings.
Instead: Thomas mishears them and thinks they're saying hello and doesn't stop.
Extra Points: This process is repeated a couple more times until Farmer McColl points out that the van is empty.
More Extra Points: Thomas never recognizes the sound of his own whistle until Farmer McColl points it out after scaring his sheep away.
Fiery Flynn
- Rocky informs Flynn that there's a blue engine on fire.
You'd Expect: Flynn to wait as Rocky tells him which blue engine is it.
Instead: He races off to find a blue engine before Rocky could tell him which blue engine it is; the blue engine in danger was Thomas. - Later, Flynn finds Edward who is at the coal hopper.
You'd Expect: Flynn to see that Edward clearly isn't on fire.
Instead: He thinks Edward is on fire and sprays water at him until Edward clarifies to him that he isn't on fire. - Then, Flynn finds Gordon arriving at Maron station with the Express to collect the Hatt Family.
You'd Expect: Flynn to see that Gordon clearly isn't on fire.
Instead: He thinks Gordon is on fire and sprays water at him.
As a Result: By the time he comes to Thomas, who really is on fire, he has run out of water and needs help from the diesels' drivers to put the fire out.
Extra Points: He doesn't realize he sprayed water all over the Fat Controller.
Season 16
Welcome, Stafford!
- Spencer is given the assignment of taking the new engine, Stafford, on a tour of the Island. Stafford, however, is an electric shunting engine who requires batteries.
You'd Expect: Spencer to listen to Stafford's warnings about his battery draining.
Instead: Spencer, being an Attention Whore, wants to be grand and get everyone's attention, so he interrupts Stafford every time he tries to tell him.
As a Result: When Spencer supposedly takes Stafford to meet the Search and Rescue Team, the Logging Locos, and the Duke and Duchess, they are puzzled as to why Stafford isn't with Spencer.
Bonus Points: When Spencer finds Stafford charging his battery for the third time, he ends up running out of water. Stafford has to shunt him all the way to Knapford as a result.
Season 17
Bill or Ben?
- In an attempt to curb Bill and Ben's antics, The Fat Controller orders for Bill to be repainted blue so they cannot be confused easily. The day after Bill has been repainted, Ben goes to the Steamworks himself and tells Kevin that he is Bill and has come for a repaint as per Topham's orders.
You'd Expect: Kevin or the painters would simply check the nameplate to see if it really is Bill or if it's actually Ben pretending to be his twin.
Instead: Apparently no one thinks to do this and the repainting goes ahead.
Season 18
Not So Slow Coaches
- After his passenger run, Thomas has to work at the quarry, so he leaves Annie and Clarabel in the shunting yard. Around the same time, Caitlin arrives from the Mainland and leaves her coaches in the shunting yard while she goes to the Steamworks to get her bolts tightened. Charlie is the engine on duty at the yard, and a short time later, Caitlin returns to pick up her coaches. Annie and Clarabel are resting between Charlie and Caitlin's coaches, relieved to have a break from Thomas, who was earlier pulling them too fast.
You'd Expect: Charlie to notice Annie and Clarabel and move them out of the way as he gets Caitlin's coaches ready.
Instead: He spends his time telling Caitlin a joke about bees going to school.
As a Result: He doesn't notice Annie and Clarabel and pushes them towards Caitlin's coaches. Annie and Clarabel themselves are too tired to notice they're being pushed by Charlie, and are soon buffered up to Caitlin's coaches.
You'd Then Expect: The shunter who is fastening the couplings to notice Annie and Clarabel and leave them uncoupled so Thomas can collect them.
Instead: He couples Annie and Clarabel up to Caitlin's coaches.
As a Result: By the time Thomas comes back to collect Annie and Clarabel, Caitlin is on her way back to the Mainland. Only at this point do Annie and Clarabel wake up and find out that they're being pulled by Caitlin, and are horrified. Thomas is also horrified when he finds out, and rushes to get them back from Caitlin.
Season 20
The Way She Does It
- As Daisy picks up the entertainers, lamenting the fact that they aren't what she was expecting, Stafford shunts a truck onto her.
You'd Expect: Daisy to just take the truck and to perhaps ask what it is since it could be important. And since it's at the same time she is to take the entertainers to their show, it's reasonable to conclude that it's related to that.
Instead: She loathes the thought of pulling even one single truck and leaves before it can be coupled up.
As A Result: The truck turns out to have contained the puppet stand, and the puppet show is almost ruined until a remorseful Daisy comes up with an idea to use one of her windows instead.
Extra Points: She only narrowly avoided being sent away for her laziness back in Season 2, yet Aesop Amnesia has kicked in for her.
Season 21
The Big Freeze
- The coal on Sodor is empty, and the arrival of a new supply is very late. The Fat Controller orders the Steam Team to go back to Tidmouth Sheds until the coal arrives. Annie and Clarabel warn Thomas to listen to Percy about the supply coal being empty and that he needs to return to the sheds.
You'd Expect: Thomas to listen to Annie and Clarabel and head back to the sheds.
Instead: He decides to continue taking his passengers to the stations despite running low on coal.
As A Result: He runs out of coal and he, Annie, and Clarabel are stranded in Kellstorpe Road Station in the freezing cold temperature. Fortunately, Diesel arrives with the new coal supply.
Season 22
Thomas and the Dragon
- While visiting China for Chinese New Year, Thomas overhears Yong Bao saying he's going to take "the dragon" for the parade. While he is really going to take a paper dragon, Thomas mishears him and assumes he's taking a real live dragon, which are evil fire breathing creatures.
You'd Expect: Thomas to ask Yong Bao about the dragon, given that he didn't understand him enough to hear the important details (especially that he took a Chinese dragon before).
Or: Yong Bao to clarify what he's really talking about.
Instead: None of this happens.
Specials
Misty Island Rescue
- Following the chase with Diesel, Thomas is asked to go to Hiro's hometown on the mainland to find more jobi wood that will build the Search and Rescue Center. Unfortunately, there's no room for Thomas on the ship, and he must wait for the next one.
You'd Expect: Thomas to wait for the next ship to arrive.
Instead: He doesn't want to wait, instead deciding to ride a raft at the back of the ship which has a rather old and rusty chain link.
The Result: The raft's chain link breaks off in the middle of the night, leaving Thomas lost at sea, kicking off the plot of the film. - The Misty Island logging operation has two log loaders. The main one they use is called Old Wheezy. It's unreliable and often throws the logs it's meant to load around randomly.
You'd Expect: The logging operation would either get Old Wheezy working properly or scrap it. Not only would it cut into their profit margins, but it's also a major safety hazard.
Instead: They keep using Old Wheezy.
Thomas refuses to use Old Wheezy, instead insisting on using Hee-Haw, the other log loader, which is more reliable, but also uses more fuel. While he uses the same Arc Words he uses whenever he makes a bad decision in this special, this time, he made the correct decision; Old Wheezy was dangerous and using it could have ended in disaster. Still, as a result of using Hee-Haw, the Logging Locos are low on fuel.
You'd Then Expect: They'd stop by the fuel station and fuel up. There's no reason presented in the narrative why they can't. Even if they're on a strict fuel ration, the worst case scenario is that they have to wait for the following day to refuel and proceed with continuing to try to transport the jobi logs then.
Instead: Thomas and the Logging Locos try to take the Misty Island Tunnel without fueling up. The Logging Locos protest that they don't have enough fuel to make it through, but neither they, Thomas, nor any of their engineers suggest that they could just get more and take the trip afterwards.
The Result: The four trains get stranded in the tunnel when the Logging Locos run out of fuel.
Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure
- When some dynamite is unexpectedly lit by mistake, Thomas is forced to dispose of it by dumping it into a mine before it explodes. The Fat Controller looks outside at the display and thinks Thomas is only causing trouble, and promptly goes to scold him.
You'd Expect: That he would get the full story by asking what happened or letting Thomas explain. Keep in mind, at the end of Blue Mountain Mystery, he said that it was always important to find out what really happened because that was what really mattered.
You'd Also Expect: The others around the time to stick up for Thomas. Even if the earlier incident at Knapford Station made The Fat Controller believe Thomas was causing trouble, there was nothing stopping the others from doing that.
Instead: The Fat Controller jumps to conclusions and sends Thomas to his shed, and nobody else bothers to help, likely out of fear they would be labelled accessories and punished, as well.
The Great Race
- Diesel devises a plan to be entered into the strength competition; it involves Den, Dart, and Paxton using crates to pretend to be trucks. Thomas finds the “trucks” and when Diesel refuses to move them, decides to move them himself.
You'd Expect: The three diesels to realize that Thomas' whistle obviously isn't Diesel's horn (the agreed signal for them to move).
Instead: They think it's Diesel's horn and that it sounds like a whistle to them because they're under crates. Lampshaded by Diesel afterward. - It's time for the selected engines to leave for the Great Railway Show. Gordon hasn't been reassembled properly and is missing his safety valve.
You'd Expect: Gordon to listen to Victor and go back for his safety check.
Instead: He's too impatient and leaves without it.
As A Result: This comes back to bite him when he's forced to drop out of the race at the Great Railway Show, losing Sodor yet another event. - Vinnie has Philip cornered right against the turntable well.
You'd Expect: Vinnie to just get his dirty deed over with.
Instead: He moves forward so slowly that Thomas and Ashima have time to couple up behind him and pull him away.
As A Result: This gives Philip time to escape while taunting Vinnie, who is sent hurtling head-first into a pylon.
