Season 7

The seventh season of the television series aired in 2003. All twenty-six episodes were narrated by Michael Angelis with original music in the UK and Michael Brandon with new music in the US. Michael Angelis also narrated four episodes for the US release, New Friends for Thomas and Other Adventures. This season was filmed during HiT Entertainment's acquisition of Gullane Entertainment. An episode is paired with season 8 and season 9 airings on PBS and Nick Jr airings on weekends.

Episodes[]

UK title (top) US title (bottom)	Original UK release date	Episode number #
"Emily's New Coaches"	6th October 2003	#01
The only new coaches Emily can find are Annie and Clarabel. Thomas notices her with them and demands them back. The other engines are also angry with her, though Emily doesn't understand why. Meanwhile, Thomas collects new coaches and glumly thinks they're for himself. He heads straight for a section of track where two lines cross each other, where Oliver has broken down, and Emily has to save the both of them.

"Percy Gets it Right"	7th October 2003	#02
Percy is worried over a wobbly line and tries to tell the Fat Controller, but he's too late as Thomas sets off to collect a prize bull. It starts to rain, and Thomas gets trapped in a landslide. Percy believes Thomas is in trouble and goes off to rescue him.

"Bill, Ben and Fergus"	8th October 2003	#03
Fergus believes he can keep Bill and Ben under control. He orders them about, telling them to "do it right" whenever they cause mischief. Bill and Ben become fed up with it, and decide to rebel. While pushing the rock rusher through the quarry, a rocks fall onto the tracks, and Fergus pushes Bill and Ben out of the way, leaving himself to be buried in rocks.

"The Old Bridge" "The Old Iron Bridge"	9th October 2003	#04
Skarloey puffs across a damaged bridge, and ends up dangling over the river below. Rheneas pulls him to safety, but Skarloey is afraid to cross it again. Rheneas has to take both of their trucks now, but runs out of water on the bridge. Skarloey must overcome his fear to save Rheneas.

"Edward's Brass Band"	10th October 2003	#05
Edward is excited when he is to take the brass band to a concert. Bad luck comes though, as a huge boiler from a ship knocks Edward on his side. Bertie takes the brass band to the concert as Edward is at the Works, but gets bogged down in mud.

"What's the Matter with Henry?"	13th October 2003	#06
Thomas, Percy and Henry are sent to collect coal trucks and take them to the docks. Emily is worried as she keeps seeing a line of water behind Henry. Thomas and Percy don't believe Henry is ill though and leave him a long line of trucks.

"James and the Queen of Sodor"	14th October 2003	#07
Gordon is irritated James covered him in mud at the washdown, so he tricks him into collecting the Queen of Sodor. He doesn't realise it is actually an old barge until he arrives. James is determined to prove that he can stay clean, even while pulling a dirty barge.

"The Refreshment Lady's Tea Shop" "The Refreshment Lady's Stand"	15th October 2003	#08
The Refreshment Lady is very busy, so Peter Sam is chosen to take her around the railway to find a spot for her new tea-shop. She can't decide, making Peter Sam disappointed. That night, a storm rolls across the island, and Peter Sam and Rusty find a solution to the problem.

"The Spotless Record" "Spotless Record"	16th October 2003	#09
A new tank engine named Arthur has a spotless record, meaning he has never been naughty or had an accident. Thomas gets a cheeky idea and plays a trick on Arthur to spoil his spotless record.

"Toby's Windmill" "Toby and the Windmill"	17th October 2003	#10
Toby's favourite place is the old windmill. One day, he is so distracted by its sails that he damages the flour sacks in his train. The windmill is put in further danger when it is struck by lightning.

"Bad Day at Castle Loch"	20th October 2003	#11
Donald and Douglas like Castle Loch, as it reminds them of their old home in Scotland. They are instructed to take a special load for its special reopening. Douglas teases Percy about a possible monster, and he and Donald get into an argument. Disaster strikes when a fallen tree and landslide leave them stranded all night, leaving the twins to worry about the monster.

"Rheneas and the Roller Coaster"	21st October 2003	#12
Rheneas is concerned he won't be special enough for some schoolchildren. His driver shows the children landmarks he sees daily. He is diverted onto an old mountain line and has a wild ride.

"Salty's Stormy Tale"	22nd October 2003	#13
Salty collects Fergus from the Smelters. On the way home, Salty and Fergus come across the Lighthouse, with its generator broken down, which endangers a ship out at sea.

"Snow Engine" "Oliver the Snow Engine"	23rd October 2003	#14
Oliver hates snow, though Toad thinks snow is splendid. They slowly see a giant snowman being built. While taking a special train to a mountain village, Oliver slips on some icy rails and he and Toad must spend the night in the snowman.

"Something Fishy"	24th October 2003	#15
The Fat Controller is looking for engines to run the coastal line. Arthur wishes to, as he's already been there and sees it as his favourite place. Thomas is chosen instead, who complains about the smell of fish. A set of faulty points diverts Thomas onto an old pier and he falls into a tidal pool. Arthur is sent to help, and takes the fish to the Docks just in time. The Fat Controller needs a replacement, so Arthur swiftly volunteers.

"The Runaway Elephant"	27th October 2003	#16
When Duncan is asked to take an elephant statue to a new park, he carelessly leaves behind the brake van. He can't stop in time, and the elephant statue flies into the pond.

"Peace and Quiet"	28th October 2003	#17
Murdoch arrives to lend a "hand" in the goods work. He gets annoyed when Salty and Harvey continuously ask questions. He longs for quiet time in the countryside but is dismayed when he encounters a flock of sheep.

"Fergus Breaks the Rules" "Thomas and the Search for Fergus"	29th October 2003	#18
Diesel is sent to help Fergus at the Cement Works, though he has not changed since his last visit as he causes confusion and delay. Diesel becomes annoyed with Fergus constantly telling him off. To get rid of him, he tricks Fergus into venturing into the scrapyard.

"Bulgy Rides Again"	30th October 2003	#19
More summer holidaymakers are flocking to Sodor, but Thomas and Emily are being repaired, so no-one is running the branch line. The Fat Controller goes to Bulgy, who is delighted to be put back into service. Bulgy is restored and is brought back to his old field for the night. The hens miss their home and creep aboard in his luggage racks, without Bulgy noticing.

"Harold and the Flying Horse"	31st October 2003	#20
The Vicar is organising a Village Fete, and Thomas and Percy are taking goods and passengers. Harold feels left out of the celebrations and wishes to help in some way. He gets his chance when Pegasus, the carthorse, is stuck in a ditch.

"The Grand Opening"	3rd November 2003	#21
Skarloey is often delayed as he has to take workmen to repair the line, and the Fat Controller is worried he may be late to the opening of the new station.. Harold has engine trouble, so the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt choose to ride the hot air balloon instead. The balloon's burner runs out of fuel, but they land in a tree next to Skarloey, who takes them to the grand opening.

"Best Dressed Engine"	4th November 2003	#22
The engines are celebrating May Day, and they are all decorated. James comes up with a "Best Dressed Engine" competition. Gordon wants to join, but sees decorations as undignified However, he becomes decorated anyway, though not in the way anyone expected.

"Gordon and Spencer"	5th November 2003	#23
Gordon is diverted onto a siding to a allow a sleek, silver engine to pass by. At the sheds, Gordon meets the splendid but arrogant streamliner named Spencer. Spencer is taking his owners, the Duke and Duchess, on a sightseeing trip of Sodor. Gordon advises Spencer to take on water, but he refuses to listen. This gets him into trouble as he runs out of water on Gordon's Hill.

"Not So Hasty Puddings" "Not So Hasty Cakes" "Thomas and the Avalanche"	6th November 2003	#24
Thomas is cross with Elizabeth for telling him he's not reliable enough when The Fat Controller assigns her to deliver some Christmas Puddings to the harbour. Elizabeth gets stuck in a snowdrift, so Thomas and Terence have to rescue her in order for everyone to get their Christmas puddings on time.

"Trusty Rusty"	7th November 2003	#25
Rusty hits a bump on an old bridge, so he alerts the other engines about it. Duncan doesn't trust him, especially when he needs more coal for the journey home. The nearest coal bunker was on the other side of the bridge, but Skarloey warns him not to cross it. Duncan doesn't listen, but runs out of coal and stops on the bridge. The bridge starts to collapse with the extra weight.

"Three Cheers for Thomas" "Hooray for Thomas	10th November 2003	#26
Thomas has to take some children to their annual sports day, and starts to dream of winning a medal. Thomas tells Percy and Bertie he wishes to have a medal too, so Percy suggests having a race. Thomas races Bertie again, but he has to stop as the Fat Controller explains he left the Sports Day medals at Knapford and orders Thomas go and collect them.

Songs[]

Five New Engines in the Shed
The Red Balloon
There Once Was an Engine Who Ran Away
Troublesome Trucks
Salty
The Whistle Song

Characters[]

Thomas
Edward
Henry
Gordon
James
Percy
Toby
Duck
Donald and Douglas
Oliver
Bill and Ben
Harvey
Diesel
'Arry and Bert
Mavis
Salty
Skarloey
Rheneas
Peter Sam
Duncan
Rusty
Annie and Clarabel
Toad
Bertie
Bulgy
Elizabeth
Harold
Cranky
Sir Topham Hatt
Lady Hatt
Refreshment Lady
The Tailor
The Lighthouse Keeper
The Fisherman
The Dockyard Manager
Stephen Hatt (not named)
Stepney (does not speak; stock footage)
Terence (does not speak)
Trevor (does not speak)
Jem Cole (does not speak)
The Vicar of Wellsworth (does not speak)
Farmer Trotter (not named; does not speak)
Henrietta (cameo)
George (cameo)
Butch (cameo)
Tiger Moth (cameo)
Bridget Hatt (cameo)
Mrs. Kyndley (cameo)
Farmer McColl (cameo)
Farmer Finney (cameo)
Nancy (cameo)
Cyril the Fogman (cameo)
Miss Jenny (cameo)
The Storyteller (cameo)
The Butler (cameo)
Tiger Moth's Pilot (cameo)
One Member of the Railway Board (cameo)
Duke (stock footage cameo)
The Crovan's Gate Policeman (stock footage cameo)
The Dryaw Policeman (stock footage cameo)
BoCo (music video cameo)
The Diesel (music video cameo)
S.C. Ruffey (music video cameo)
The Elsbridge Cricket Club (music video cameo)

Characters introduced[]

Emily
Fergus
Arthur
Murdoch
Spencer
Sodor Brass Band
Lord Callan
The Captain
The Teacher
Dusty Miller (not named)
The Duke and Duchess of Boxford (do not speak)
The Mayor of Sodor (mentioned)

Trivia[]

This was the final season of several things:
- David Mitton's final season as director.
- Phil Fehrle's last season as producer.
- Peter Urie's last season as executive producer.
- The final season to have Britt Allcroft involved in production.
- The final season to include music composed by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell.
- The final season to use music composed with Proteus 2, Proteus 2000 and Proteus 3.
- The final season to use 35mm film.
- The final season in 4:3 fullscreen in Japan (As well as the last season to be released on Japanese video tapes).
- The final season to use the original opening credits and theme.
This was also the first season of several things:
- This was Michael Brandon's first season as narrator.
- This was the only season to have different soundtracks in

different regions. In the US, the episodes were recomposed with music by Robert Hartshorne and using Engine Rollcall as the theme.

- This was Jocelyn Stevenson's first season as executive producer.
- This was the first season to use the Thomas & Friends logo in the opening titles.
- This was the first season not dubbed in Norwegian or Slovenian.
- This was the first season filmed under HiT Entertainment.
The US version of this season uses the eighth season intro and music.
US versions of Gordon and Spencer, Emily's New Coaches, The

Spotless Record, Peace and Quiet, Harold and the Flying Horse, Bulgy Rides Again, and Salty's Stormy Tale scored by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell were released on the New Friends for Thomas and Thomas and the Jet Engine VHS/DVDs respectively in 2004.

UK versions of the season, excluding Snow Engine, A Bad Day at

Castle Loch, The Refreshment Lady's Tea Shop, The Grand Opening and The Runaway Elephant, recomposed by Robert Hartshorne were broadcast on Nick Jr. and included on the Bumper Party Collection! DVD.

This was Jan Page's only season as script editor.
This was Britt Allcroft's only season as creative consultant.
This season uses more stock footage than any other season.
This season has the most episodes broadcast out of production order.
This season was never shown in Norway, Spain or Germany.
In the UK versions of some of the episodes, Britt Allcroft is not credited for creating the series for television.
This season saw the return of two episodes being compiled into

one 10-minute block when CiTV broadcasted this season. The only difference is that the opening titles are shown again at the end of the first episode. At the same time, CiTV also compiled the previous episodes from the sixth season into 10 minute blocks.