Thomas Comes to Breakfast

"You miserable engine! Just look what you've done to our breakfast! Now I shall have to cook some more."

- The Stationmaster's Wife scolding Thomas

Thomas Comes to Breakfast is the eighteenth episode of the second series. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Branch Line Engines.

Plot
Thomas has run his branch line for many years and knows it very well. After another hard day of work, Thomas' driver jokes that Thomas could almost manage without him. Thomas does not realize the joke and becomes conceited. Later in the shed, Thomas brags to Percy and Toby that he does not need a driver. They both disagree with the suggestion and make it clear they would never even consider running without one, but Thomas shrugs off their concerns and insists he is not scared when his friends tell him that he should not try it.

The next morning, a firelighter comes and starts up the engines' fires. Thomas wakes up first as the warmth spreads through his boiler. When he sees Percy and Toby asleep, he decides to take the opportunity to run by himself and prove them wrong by stopping and wheeshing in front of them. Thomas slowly starts moving along the track, but does not realize he is only moving due to a careless cleaner messing with his controls. Thomas quickly realizes his big mistake and tries vainly to wheesh and stop, but cannot do anything without a driver and keeps moving forwards. At the end of the tracks sits the stationmaster's house, where he and his family are about to have breakfast. Thomas crashes through the front window leaving him peering into the dining room at the family. The house rocks, causing broken plaster and shattered glass to be scattered. Both the stationmaster and his wife are angry at Thomas for crashing into their house and ruining their breakfast in the process. The stationmaster's wife scolds Thomas for what he did and now she will now have to cook some more. She storms out, slamming the dining room door shut, causing more plaster to fall on Thomas, making him feel depressed.

After workmen prop up the house with strong poles and lay rails through the garden, Donald and Douglas arrive and pull Thomas clear of the house. Thomas is freed, but there are pieces of fencing, a bush and a broken window frame hanging from his front, which has been badly twisted by the impact. The twins leave laughing while Thomas, now in disgrace, is left behind miserable.

Back at the sheds, the Fat Controller scolds Thomas for his recklessness and decides to send him to the Works for a long repair. As a result, a diesel railcar is going to be brought in to run his branch line. Thomas is shocked that a diesel will be replacing him, but the Fat Controller informs him that "diesels always stay in their sheds until they are wanted, and never gallivant off to breakfast in stationmasters' houses."

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Donald and Douglas
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's Wife
 * The Ffarquhar Stationmaster
 * The Firelighter
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Mrs. Kyndley
 * One Little Boy
 * The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's Children
 * Earnest
 * The Careless Cleaner
 * Daisy

Locations

 * Tidmouth
 * Tidmouth Yards
 * Ffarquhar Sheds
 * The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's House
 * The Windmill
 * The Watermill
 * The Works

Trivia

 * This is the first episode of the second series to air in the US. It infamously made a few continuity errors for American audiences, such as Toby, Donald and Douglas being introduced before their respective introductory episodes.
 * Stock footage from the first series episode Thomas and the Guard is used, as well as a deleted scene from the second series episode Thomas, Percy and the Coal.
 * A portrait of Earnest, a Victorian-style steam engine depicted with a moustache, can be seen in the Ffarquhar Stationmaster's house.
 * This episode was filmed at the same time as Break Van. Donald's tender is seen merged into the signal box when Thomas pulls into Tidmouth and in the first close-up of Percy at Ffarquhar Sheds.
 * Footage of the episode was used as a reference to the original story read aloud by Christopher Awdry in the exclusive YouTube documentary 70 Years of Friendship. Christopher also stated that this was one of his favourite stories.
 * This is writer Michael White's favourite episode.
 * A large scale model of Thomas was used for the scenes inside of the house.
 * When the narrator says "The stationmaster was furious!" the wall set-up behind the stationmaster is different in the restored version.
 * In George Carlin's US narration, when the stationmaster's wife shouts "Now I shall have to cook some more!" the sound of the door being banged sounds quieter than in all the other dubs for this episode.
 * The cereal box that the stationmaster's son is holding is a recreation of a Kellogg's Corn Flakes box.
 * This is the only episode in the television series that shows Thomas without his head lamp due to damage from the crash.
 * This episode was reran back to back with Bulldog on Storytime with Thomas.
 * Bridget Hatt's likeness is the Ffarquhar stationmaster's daughter.
 * The events of this episode are mentioned by James in Journey Beyond Sodor and Edward in Big World! Big Adventures! during the song, Where in the World is Thomas? The scene where Thomas is in the stationmaster's house was recreated in CGI during the song.
 * This episode marks the last appearance of Thomas’ frightened face until “Thomas and the Magic Railroad”.

Goofs

 * Clarabel is facing the wrong direction and her roof is lifted when Thomas comes into Tidmouth.
 * Thomas is wearing his defeated face mask when he is meant to be conceited.
 * When Percy and Toby are asleep, Toby is tilted to the left.
 * In the close-up of Toby sleeping, his windows are open slightly, but in the wider shot of the three engines in the shed, Toby's right window is completely open. It is then again slightly open when Thomas is rolling out of the shed.
 * Just after Thomas finds that he cannot stop, he passes a station building on his left, but in the next shot, he has not passed it yet.
 * In the shots from Thomas' perspective before he runs into the house, the tracks on the right all seem to end abruptly at a wall, the wall is presumably there to hide the edge of the set.
 * Just before Thomas crashes into the house, there's glass missing from the window frame.
 * As Thomas crashes into the house, his wheels do not move. They also don't move as he is being pulled away from the house.
 * In the interior shots of the house, the people are almost as big as Thomas due to their large scale models being used.
 * When Thomas is pulled free from the house, a bush is lying on his buffer beam, but when the Fat Controller is talking to him, the bush seems to have become larger.
 * In a close-up of Thomas' driver, he is clean shaven, but in some non close-ups, he has a beard.
 * After Thomas crashes into the house, his head lamp disappears, except for the shot of Donald and Douglas pulling him out.
 * When Thomas is pulled away from the house, he looks unharmed. However, in the next shot, a bush suddenly appears on his suddenly damaged buffer beam, in addition to his head lamp vanishing.
 * It is clear to see that a bent buffer beam has been placed on top of Thomas' own when it is damaged.
 * When Thomas says "Silly stick-in-the-muds," the sheds and the engines are all arranged facing the wrong way.
 * When Thomas enters Tidmouth and During the close-up of Percy looking cross, Donald's tender and a hole can be seen in the signal box in the background, indicating that this episode was filmed during the same time as Break Van.
 * In the close-ups of the Fat Controller, the faded marks of where a smile had been are visible behind his frown.
 * The Portuguese and Spanish dubs credit George Carlin as the narrator, even though it was re-dubbed.
 * Thomas' eyes are off-centre from each other throughout the majority of the episode.
 * In George Carlin's US narration, he does not provide a muffled voice when Thomas speaks behind his bush.
 * The two bits of clay used to simulate Thomas' half-open eyelids are badly put on, so viewers can see some gaps in his eyelids.
 * When Thomas finds that he cannot stop, his lamp is not placed on correctly.
 * In the Japanese dub, Ringo Starr's narration can be faintly heard throughout the episode.
 * Thomas' side rods change positions from when he crashes into the house to when he is rescued.
 * After Thomas crashed into the station master's house, the narrator stated Thomas collected a bush on his travel, but during his 'runaway', Thomas is never actually seen picking up a bush.

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway - Thomas Comes to Breakfast Accessory Pack and Thomas Comes to Breakfast version of Thomas
 * Plarail - The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's House
 * Minis - Breakfast Thomas
 * Books - Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Breakfast-Time for Thomas
 * Buzz Books - Thomas Comes to Breakfast
 * Railway Series Books - Thomas Comes to Breakfast
 * Ladybird Books - Thomas Comes to Breakfast and BoCo the Diseasel
 * Pop-Up Books - Trouble on the Tracks
 * Engine Adventures - Thomas Goes Crash!

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * The Deputation and Other Stories
 * Thomas Comes To Breakfast and Other Stories
 * The Best of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
 * Ghost Train and other stories/Time for Trouble and other stories
 * Your Favourite Story Collection
 * 3 Splendid Episodes
 * The Complete Series 2
 * The Very Best of Thomas and Friends
 * A Close Shave (DVD)

DVD Packs

 * Classic Collection
 * Ghost Train and other stories/Time for Trouble and other stories
 * The Fogman and The Very Best of Thomas and Friends Double Pack

US

 * Tenders and Turntables and Other Stories
 * Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Thomas' Useful Stories
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 2

DVD Boxsets

 * Totally Thomas Volume 9
 * Adventure On the Tracks

AUS

 * The Deputation and other Stories
 * ABC For Kids - Bumper Collection
 * The Very Best of Thomas and Friends
 * The Complete Series 2
 * My First Thomas with Thomas

DVD Boxsets

 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * Essential Collection
 * Complete Series 1-10
 * My First Thomas
 * My First Thomas
 * Classic Collection
 * Series One and Series Two Double Pack

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.10
 * Best of Thomas
 * Let's Sing Thomas Songs Together Vol.2
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.6
 * Nice to Meet You Thomas!
 * The Best Collection
 * The Complete DVD Box 1

PHL

 * The Deputation (DVD)

HRV

 * Better Late Than Never

GER

 * Better Late Than Never and 4 Other Adventures
 * Thomas and His Friends Vol. 5

NZ

 * The Deputation and Other Stories
 * Thomas Train Set Compilation Video Volume 2

NOR

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 4
 * Thomas-Festival

SA

 * Volume 4 (VHS)

UKR

 * A Train Thomas and Friends

NL

 * Percy and Harold
 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas

ITA

 * The Brave Locomotive

IND

 * Pop Goes the Diesel and Other Stories

BRA

 * The Earliest Adventures of Thomas

Latin America

 * The Visit of Thomas

DVD Boxsets

 * The Adventures of Thomas

SER

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 4

MYS

 * Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Other Thomas Adventures
 * The Deputation and Other Adventures

ROM

 * Thomas Comes to Breakfast

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 2

FIN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 4

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4

HK

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 5

THA
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 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 7