Not So Slow Coaches

**Not So Slow Coaches** is the twelfth episode of the twelfth season and the 267th episode overall.

## Plot

Annie and Clarabel often complain about Thomas' speed which Thomas uses as an opportunity to be cheeky. When they complain that he is going too fast, Thomas slows right down until they are just crawling along. When they tell him to speed up, he does so and they complain about his speed again.

One day, Thomas is so busy teasing Annie and Clarabel that he is late arriving at Maithwaite. His next job is to take some trucks up to the quarry, so he has to leave Annie and Clarabel in the shunting yard and rush off. While he is away, Caitlin arrives at the yard. She leaves her coaches there while she visits the Steamworks to get her bolts tightened.

Soon, Thomas has completed his delivery to the quarry and is hurrying back to the shunting yard. Caitlin arrives back at the yard first and Charlie tells her a funny joke. Charlie is so busy laughing that he accidentally shunts Annie and Clarabel with Caitlin's coaches. Caitlin is coupled up to her coaches and does not notice that she also has Annie and Clarabel as she pulls away. Annie and Clarabel had been sleeping, so they do not know it is actually Caitlin who is pulling them along until they see Thomas puff into the yard. Thomas arrives just in time to see Caitlin pull away with his coaches. He tries to stop Caitlin, but she does not hear him.

Annie and Clarabel are not enjoying their journey with Caitlin at all. They are being pulled along faster than they have ever gone before. Eventually, Caitlin pulls into Wellsworth Station where she meets up with Connor. She challenges him to a race and, much to Annie and Clarabel's horror, he accepts the challenge. They pull away just as Thomas enters. Once again, Thomas calls out, but the streamlined engine does not hear him.

As Annie and Clarabel are being raced towards Ulfstead Castle, they vow never to complain about Thomas again. Finally, Thomas makes it to the Ulfstead Castle hill, just as Caitlin is coming back down. Thomas calls out, but Caitlin thinks he is just saying hello and speeds on her way.

Thomas knows he needs to stop Caitlin before she gets to the Vicarstown Bridge to go to the Mainland. However, as Thomas arrives at the bridge, Caitlin has already crossed it. He feels very upset that he has made it too late. Just then, Murdoch arrives on his way back from the Mainland. He tells Thomas it is a very good thing he has managed to stop Caitlin and he has Annie and Clarabel coupled to him. Thomas is delighted to see his two faithful coaches again.

Later on, Thomas apologizes for being so cheeky, and in turn, Annie and Clarabel apologize for their complaining. Annie and Clarabel then cannot resist telling Thomas that he is going too fast again, which causes them all to laugh.

## Characters

* Thomas
* Murdoch
* Charlie
* Connor
* Caitlin
* Mavis
* Annie and Clarabel

## Locations

* Maithwaite
* Tidmouth Shunting Yards
* McColl Farm
* Hackenbeck Tunnel
* Ffarquhar Quarry
* Wellsworth
* Ulfstead Castle
* Vicarstown Bridge
* Sodor Steamworks (*mentioned*)
* Vicarstown (*mentioned*)
* The Mainland (*mentioned*)

## Voice Cast

* Ben Small as Thomas
* Matt Wilkinson as Charlie
* Jonathan Forbes as Connor
* Rebecca O'Mara as Caitlin
* Teresa Gallagher as Mavis, Annie and Clarabel

## Trivia

* This episode is similar to the magazine story, First-class Carriage.
* This episode marks a few things for Charlie:
	+ His only speaking role in the twelfth season.
	+ His last speaking role until The Great Race.
	+ This episode marks Caitlin's only appearance in the twelfth season, and the only time Annie and Clarabel become coupled to her own coaches.
* This episode marks the first time that Annie and Clarabel have been the main characters in an episode.