Adapted from: Really Useful Engines, "Mind that Bike"
Tom Tipper is the local Sodor postman who takes the mail from Thomas and Percy's post trains to deliver to the residents of Sodor. He is very friendly and always helps to load the mail vans, but knows he could never do his job without his trusty post van.
One morning, Tom is sick and his substitute, who is forced to ride a bicycle, leaves the mail bags on the platform and leaves without saying a word. Percy's driver attributes his bad mood to having to use the bike. When Tom does return, Percy discovers that he, too, has been given a bike as his van was considered too expensive to run. Due to this, Tom no longer has time to help load the trains, which makes him very upset. Percy wishes he could cheer Tom up, but is unsure how.
Just as Tom is about to leave, he is called to the Fat Controller's office to sign some important papers. Knowing this will make him very late, he rushes off and, in his haste, leaves his bike propped up against Percy's mail vans, despite the tank engine's attempts to stop him. Percy's driver is oblivious of this and as Percy starts, the bike falls onto the line and is destroyed beneath the vans.
When Tom returns, Percy apologises for destroying his bike. Tom assures Percy that it is not his fault, but laments the fact that he will now have to deliver all the mail on foot. When Percy returns the next day, however, he finds that Tom has received a brand new van. Tom explains that the postmaster, after learning about what had happened, decided that the van was worth the expense after all, and cheerfully goes back to his work. Percy is delighted that he was able to help his friend after all, albeit by accident.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Adaptational Dumbass: In the book, Tom's bicycle is run over by Percy after a boy tries to ride it and falls off after rolling down the station ramp. Here, this is replaced by Tom propping the bike against Percy’s vans in the rush to meet the Fat Controller.
- Disneyfication: The episode omitted the part where one of the boys was playing with Tom Tipper's bike just as Percy starts. The boy falls off and manages to get out of the way.
- End of an Age: Not only is this the season finale, but this episode marks the end of episodes being based from The Railway Series until season 20's "Tit for Tat". It was also the last episode to be narrated by George Carlin in the US dub before Alec Baldwin took over for the following season.
- Necessary Fail: Percy admits that breaking Tom's bike results in him being given a new van.
- Season Finale: Of Series 4. It's also the first series finale to not be a Christmas Episode.
