The Switch

**The Switch** is the eighteenth episode of the eleventh season and the 248th episode overall.

## Plot

At Ulfstead Castle, Luke meets Sir Robert Norramby, the Earl of Sodor, and his private engine Millie for the first time. Luke introduces himself and the Earl tells Millie to show Luke where the stone is needed. Millie notices that Luke has a dirty face, leading Luke to explain about his job at the dusty quarry. Millie suggests that Luke stays at the castle for the day, and she can show him around. Luke would like to take Millie up on her offer, but he has work to do at Blue Mountain Quarry. Millie explains that she has work to do as well, delivering plants to the groundskeeper and taking visitors on tours of the grounds. Luke says he has more heavy stones to deliver. Millie says she has to pull heavy loads too. Luke compliments her and says he has to rush back to the Quarry. Millie says that anyone can rush and that sometimes she has to be quiet and patient. Luke says that he knows how to be patient as well. Then, Luke has an idea and suggests that they swap jobs for the day. The Earl thinks that it is a great idea and the Thin Controller also agrees to the switch going ahead.

Millie arrives at Blue Mountain Quarry nervous, but excited. Rheneas is not sure that Millie is up to the job, but Peter Sam reminds him that the Earl has approved it and asks Millie to take some trucks over to Owen. Millie struggles, just as Rheneas anticipated. Although Rheneas attempts to take over, it is not long before Millie's determination kicks in and she soon has the trucks moving.

Meanwhile, at Ulfstead Castle, Luke is being loaded up with supplies for the groundskeeper. Luke is smug about his light load and sets off to locate the groundskeeper's lodge, only to have some difficulty in finding it amongst all of the greenery. Everything looks the same - not like the busy quarry at all - and he soon winds up back where he started after doing a loop of the entire estate.

Over at the quarry, it is not long before Millie comes across a tunnel. She is not used to tunnels and does not want to go through it. She is used to big open spaces, not dark confined ones. Rheneas offers to push Millie through, but she is determined to do it on her own. She plucks up her courage and charges straight into the tunnel and out of the other side. Now, Millie loves the tunnels.

Back at the castle, Luke has another job to do; he is to take some visitors on a tour of the castle's grounds. Soon, Luke comes across a deer on the line. Luke blows his whistle to get the deer to move aside. Luke thinks he has done the right thing, but the passengers all groan loudly due to Luke scaring off the deer.

At the quarry, Rusty pulls up with a load of gravel for Luke and is surprised to see Millie, who explains the situation. Rusty asks Millie to take the load of gravel from him. Millie puffs round to the front of the trucks and is coupled up as Skarloey comes pounding along. Some of the rocks in Skarloey's hoppers bounce out, causing Millie to get covered in dust.

Luke, meanwhile, is still speeding around the Earl's estate with his carriage full of passengers. When he pulls up at the station, the passengers are not pleased, and neither is the Earl. He explains that the passengers do not like being bounced around like peas in a pod and tells Luke that he needs to learn to take things easy.

Millie is now adjusting to her work at the quarry and is pleased to find out that she is not as feeble as she had thought, she is not afraid of tunnels, and she is not worried about getting a little bit dusty. Luke now realizes that he needs to take things a little slower in order to see everything at the castle.

After they have both finished work, Millie and Luke meet each other outside Ulfstead Castle. Luke asks Millie if she liked working at Blue Mountain Quarry. Millie admits that she loved it there and asks Luke if he liked doing her duties at the castle. Luke says that it had been very peaceful, but he is pleased to be going back home and Millie agrees with him. Luke and Millie both return to their own jobs, very pleased to have each made a new friend.

## Characters

* Rheneas
* Peter Sam
* Rusty
* Luke
* Millie
* Sir Robert Norramby
* Owen *(does not speak)*
* Skarloey *(cameo)*
* The Thin Controller *(mentioned)*

## Locations

* Ulfstead Castle
* Old Iron Bridge
* Blue Mountain Quarry

## Voice Cast

* Ben Small as Rheneas
* Steven Kynman as Peter Sam and the Passengers
* Matt Wilkinson as Rusty
* Michael Legge as Luke
* Miranda Raison as Millie
* Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby
* Teresa Gallagher as the Little Boy and the Passengers

## Trivia

* This episode's plot is similar to the novel The Prince and the Pauper, in which a person of royalty (Millie) meets someone of a lower class (Luke), and they decide to switch places.