The Missing Coach (cancelled episode)

**The Missing Coach** was an episode originally being developed for the second series, but was cancelled. It was to be based on the stories "Hullo Twins!" and The Missing Coach from *The Railway Series* book, *The Twin Engines*.

## Plot

Work on the Fat Controller's railway has become harder, so he orders a goods engine from Scotland. However, two engines arrive instead. When the Fat Controller is informed, he goes to meet the engines, discovering they have lost their numbers, and have since named themselves Donald and Douglas. The Fat Controller orders for them to have numbers painted on them and puts them to work, but is determined to find out which engine should be sent back.

Donald and Douglas have their respective numbers nine and ten added to their tenders, which they realise is the only way to distinguish between them. The Fat Controller introduces the twins to Duck, who shows them around. At night, the twins put Gordon and Henry in their places after the two big engines tease them about their whistles. Shortly afterwards, Douglas is shunting in the yard and frets about being sent away, causing him to forget to shunt Thomas' special coach. The twins decide to swap tenders so as to fool the Fat Controller that they have nothing to do with the missing coach, but he is not fooled and severely reprimands Douglas.

## Characters

* Thomas
* Henry
* Gordon
* James
* Duck
* Donald and Douglas
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Engine Inspector
* Annie and Clarabel *(do not speak)*
* The Foreign Gentlemen *(do not speak)*
* Percy *(cameo)*

## Locations

* Knapford Yards
	+ Sodor Shipping Company
* Sir Topham Hatt's Office
* Tidmouth
	+ Tidmouth Yards
		- Ffarquhar Sheds
		- The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's House
	+ Tidmouth Sheds

## Trivia

* In an interview released on Sodor Island Fansite shortly before his death in 2008, David Mitton confirmed that the episode was in production in 1985 and half way through filming when Britt Allcroft considered the episode unworthy of airing since she thought the plot would be too confusing for children. The twins swapping their tenders was what would have been too difficult for children to understand. Mitton also mentioned that he was in possession of all the footage filmed for this episode. He described the episode's plot as being "complicated and without too much action".
* Several photos of promotional material are currently publicly visible of the filmed footage:
	+ A shot of James wearing his angry face in-between a truck and a siding with the Fat Controller at Knapford Yard.
	+ A shot of the Fat Controller with his assistants can be found in the American Random House Books releases of Thomas Gets Tricked and Other Stories (book) and Thomas' Big Storybook and other various books.
	+ There is an image of a portion of what would have been the opening in the Fat Controller's office.
	+ Two close ups of the Fat Controller in his office, the second one has him holding his hat.
	+ A shot of the inspector from the Fat Controller's desk.
	+ A shot of the twins greeting the Fat Controller.
	+ Two close-ups, each of Donald and Douglas from the beginning of the story. Donald's close-up is seen in various books, posters and on Douglas' Take-Along card. It was also seen on the cover to the New Zealand re-release of The Deputation and Other Stories on VHS.
	+ A shot of the twins getting their numbers.
	+ There is an image of Donald beneath the coal hopper with Duck by his side and another of Duck and Douglas at Tidmouth Station.
	+ Two stills of the twins at Tidmouth Sheds, while Gordon and Henry talk about their whistles in the background. These can be seen in a Japanese book and other merchandise.
	+ Three close up shots of Gordon, Henry and one of the twins at Tidmouth Sheds, after both Twins put the two bigger engines in their place.
	+ A scene of Douglas shunting the coaches is seen in the 1989 annual.
	+ There are two shots featuring Thomas' Special Coach (an orange coach) attached to an express coach on a siding, one also featuring the Fat Controller in front of a group of passengers.
	+ Douglas without his Tender and his crew getting ready with Donald's at Ffarquhar Sheds and it shows a small curve to the left (viewers' right) that leads to the turntable in front of the Brick Berth.
* Britt Allcroft's nephew stated that he was in possession of the original footage.
* This is the first episode known to have been cancelled. However, the series pilot was never broadcast but was re-shot as the twenty-fifth episode of the first series.
* The first clip in the episode *Saved from Scrap* and the first two clips in the episode Break Van were originally filmed for this episode beforehand.
* This episode would have been the first (and only) appearance of Thomas' special coach in the television series, as well as the first episode to feature engines swapping tenders. However, because the episode was cancelled, the first episode to feature engines swapping tenders is the tenth series episode, It's Good to be Gordon.
* At one point during development, the episode was referred to by the name Hullo Twins!, taking the name of the first story from The Twin Engines rather than the second.[1]
* Had this episode been aired, it would have been the third time a tender engine was seen physically separated from their tender, the first was Thomas and the Breakdown Train and the second was Off the Rails.

## Goofs

* In what was to be the opening shot, Gordon stops shortly after passing the signal due to derailing. Due to this shot being reused for Saved from Scrap, this goof is shared between the two episodes.
* In all existing images of the scene at Tidmouth Sheds, both Gordon and Henry's eyes are wonky.

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/TomsProps/status/1261361302795988993