Air date: April 10th, 1995 (UK), September 25th, 1995 (US)
Adapted from: The Eight Famous Engines, "The Fat Controller's Engines"
Thomas is surprised to see some of the engines travelling to Tidmouth Sheds and follows them to get to the bottom of the matter. It turns out the first eight engines have been invited to the big city by a little girl eager to meet the engines, and the others are to do their work. Thomas is paired with Oliver to show him his branch line. Thomas is feeling excited and boasts about his race with Bertie, unluckily crashing through the buffers and into a wall. The workmen are sent to repair Thomas before the trip, and manage to do so just in time. One minute before it is time to leave, Thomas pants into the junction with his coaches, and follows after the other engines to the big city. Once the engines have arrived, Thomas tells Percy that a single letter can bring happiness.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Call-Back: Thomas tells Oliver about his race with Bertie, which causes him to show off and have an accident that nearly jeopardises his spot on the trip to the Big City.
- Composite Character: Likely due to budget costs for models, Oliver, Donald and Douglas take the place of one-offs Jinty and Pug in the novel.
- Disneyfication: This episode omitted the part in "The Fat Controller's Engines" where the Fat Controller severely reprimands Thomas for damaging his front, nearly causing them to be late in their trip to England.
- Epic Fail: Thomas' attempt to stop just in front of the buffers causes him to crash spectacularly.
- Grimmification: Thomas' accident with his front buffers is more severe than in the books. In the books, he only damaged his front by bumping the buffers, but in the episode, he broke the buffers, slides down a hill and crashes into a wall.
- Literal-Minded: Toby of all characters takes the phrase "Something's up" literally and looks up at the sky.
- Silence, You Fool!: The Fat Controller does this twice to the engines who were whistling about the big news.
- A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: Thomas was so excited about the trip that he crashed through some buffers and into a wall, nearly making him late to meet with the other engines at the station.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Thomas' accident is similar to a crash when an LB&SCR E4 0-6-2T tank engine No. 32493 also crashed into a wall, but the tank engine ran off from the turntable and crashed into the wall at Southern Region sheds.
