- In Memoriam: The 80th Anniversary restoration of this Pilot was dedicated to Britt Allcroft (who had passed away in December 2024).
- Missing Episode: This was a long sought-after piece of Thomas history, finally being released in celebration of the 80th anniversary of The Railway Series in 2025 to much rejoicing. Before then, the pilot's notoriety came in part from the fact that a few snippets of footage from it still appear in the final episode: Namely, the shot of Thomas passing Knapford Station, the close-ups of the Fat Controller, and a close-up shot of Thomas' coupling as Gordon begins to tow him.
- No Dub for You: The pilot was never dubbed into other languages after the release, and only subtitled.
- Troubled Production: The models of Thomas and Gordon looked simpler and were completely scratch-built, with chassis so unreliable that in some shots they had to be pulled along with fishing wire.
- What Could Have Been: The pilot itself had differences from its original plan.
- An intro sequence was planned and would have featured animated puffs of steam.
- A Henry model was planned to be made for the pilot alongside Thomas and Gordon.
- Thomas was supposed to pull many coaches, not just Annie and Clarabel.
- Working Title: "Thomas Down the Mine".
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/ThomasAndFriendsS1E0DownTheMine1983
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