Thomas Helps Out

Thomas Helps Out is the first episode of the first season of Thomas the Wooden Tank Engine and Friends. Released on August 26, 2014, it was the pilot episode of the series is currently the most watched episode of the series.

Plot
Thomas is a tank engine who works in the yards on the Island of Sodor. He wants to see the world but does his work well nonetheless, even though he is ocassionally taunted by the big engines, especially James. Then one day, Ferdinand comes into the yard and informs Thomas that there has been an accident between Henry and James on the main line. James' coaches luckily stayed on the line, but with no one to pull it, they slowly grew angry. One of them, Archibald Masters, got so mad that he started yelling at James' and Henry's crews, demanding a refund.

Luckily, Thomas is able to arrive and fetch the coaches, while Harvey is brought there to clean up the wreckage. When one of the passengers leads Mr. Masters back into the coaches, Thomas sets off and pulls the train as smoothly as the train has ever been pulled, and the passengers knowtice it! Archibald even likes the ride! When Thomas finally arrives at Barrow, Sir Topham Hatt arrives there too to thank him for his great performance that day and decides to give Thomas his own branchline, as well as his own two coaches, Annie and Clarabel.

The post-credit scene takes place the next year, with Sir Topham Hatt III arriving at a meeting with the Railway Board. Three members are there: Larry Webb, Michael Hendrix, and Barbra Meadows. They shoot his Narrow Gauge Expansion Project plan out of the air, while telling Hatt to be careful where he steps, as he may be fired.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * James
 * Duck
 * Ferdinand
 * Harvey
 * Bertie
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Archibad Masters
 * Jeffrey
 * Annie and Clarabel? (not named)
 * Larry Webb (not named)
 * Michael Hendrix (not named)
 * Barbra Meadows (not named)
 * Percy (does not speak)
 * Donald and Douglas (do not speak)
 * Stepney (does not speak)
 * Boco (does not speak)
 * Connor/Engine From The Other Railway (does not speak)
 * Gordon (cameo)
 * Toby (cameo)
 * Hiro (cameo)
 * Stanley (cameo)
 * Duncan (cameo)
 * Proteus (cameo)
 * D199 (cameo)
 * Stephen (cameo)
 * Charlie (cameo)
 * Stafford (cameo)
 * Spencer (cameo)
 * Duke (cameo)
 * Belle (cameo)
 * Arthur (cameo)
 * Emily (cameo)
 * Billy (cameo)
 * Logan (cameo)
 * Porter (cameo)
 * Victor (cameo)
 * Mavis (cameo)
 * Peter Sam (cameo)
 * Rheneas (cameo)
 * Salty (cameo)
 * Caitlin (cameo)
 * Luke (cameo)
 * Big City Engine (cameo)
 * Mike (cameo)
 * Harold (cameo)
 * Trevor (cameo)
 * Bulgy (cameo)
 * Elizabella (cameo)
 * Thumper (cameo)
 * Monty (cameo)
 * Terence (cameo)
 * Jack (cameo)
 * Butch (cameo)
 * Tigermoth (cameo)
 * S.C.Ruffy (cameo)
 * Ada, Jane, and Mabel (cameo)
 * Fred (cameo)
 * Rocky (cameo)

Trivia

 * The episode takes place a year prior to Rickity's Ridiculous Ruckus, around the same time Sharknado came out.
 * The coaches shown in the episode may or may not be Annie and Clarabel.
 * Actual audio from the movie "Sharknado" is heard during the episode.
 * The episode does not take place in the same universe as the regular Thomas universe. The characters are the same, but the backstories to many have been changed, as well as some birth dates and the order of events.
 * The showdown between the Ralway Board and Sir Stephen is connected to the episode because both of the times, Sir Stephen talked about expanding the railway, with them being Thomas' Branch Line and the Narrow Gauge Railway.
 * Harvey is given a "Nicholas Cage" voice.

Goofs

 * Ferdinand tells Thomas that he is the only engine who can pull the train, even though both he and Harvey, who appears later in the episode, can do it as well.
 * Stephen appears in the episode, even though he isn't supposed to be introduced until later in the season as an engine owned by the National Railway Museum and Science Museum.