Rusty and the Boulder

Rusty and the Boulder is the twenty-fifth episode of the fifth season and the one hundred and twenty-ninth episode of the series. In this episode, Thumper causes chaos when he dislodges a boulder.

Plot
On the Island of Sodor, high up in the mountains, there was a mysterious boulder and it stood alone for a long time. But one day, a new quarry was being built near the mines on the land below and Rusty was afraid the giant boulder would fall onto the line. He confesses his fears to Thomas and Percy. Then Edward arrives with a new machine called Thumper to help with the mining process. Soon, Thumper is working hard. The men are pleased, but no one bothers to check the boulder. But when it started raining, the workmen left. Rusty gazed up and shivered as above stood Boulder. Suddenly, a large slab of rock lands on the rails. Rusty is shocked and worried by this, but his driver is concerned. His driver thinks the rock has been loosened by the rain, but Rusty thinks it is Boulder telling them to go away. As they leave, a face mysteriously appears on Boulder and then disappears.

The next day, the sun is shining and Thumper is working harder than ever. He always works hard on the rocks below Boulder. Suddenly, Rusty notices something. He realises that Boulder is moving, but his driver does not believe him until Boulder falls down in front of them and begins to chase Rusty. Boulder rolls along the line of the rails as Rusty quickly drives himself backwards to get away from Boulder. Rusty and his driver stop at a junction and wait for Boulder to pass by, but Boulder is nowhere to be seen. Then, they soon realise that Boulder is behind them. Just ahead, they see a small junction, so Rusty races towards it. Rusty takes the line that goes uphill, while Boulder thunders past by them.

Meanwhile, Skarloey is making his way up to the quarry. Then, he sees the boulder heading for him. He becomes shocked, shouts for help and quickly reverses, but the boulder is catching up fast. Skarloey slips into a siding, while the Boulder passes by. Boulder smashes up the water tower that was in between the tracks. Skarloey realises they have to warn the yards, but Rusty does not know how. Boulder rounds a bend and there ahead is Rheneas. He shouts that the boulder is running loose, as his driver quickly drives him back as fast as he can. Both Rheneas and the Boulder go along the viaduct, as Rheneas runs into some buffers with Boulder just missing him, but his driver sighs that it is rather a smash than a squash. At the yards, Percy is collectingtrucks. Then, he hears Boulder approaching. Percy is shocked and realises that Boulder is heading straight for him. Percy makes his whistle squeak, closes his eyes, his crew jump off and Boulder crashes nearby into the sheds, causing a large explosion with flames.

When Sir Topham Hatt inspects the damage, he has no choice but to close the mine. Then he looks at Boulder with the shed, destroyed. He realises that they should have left this part of the island alone. They move Boulder to a hill close by the yards so it would never harm anyone or anything on the island anymore.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Percy
 * Skarloey
 * Rheneas
 * Rusty
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Thumper (does not speak)
 * Terence (cameo)
 * George (cameo)
 * Butch (cameo)

Locations

 * Boulder Quarry
 * Rheneas Viaduct
 * Echo Pass Ravine

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Spooks and Surprises (Direct-to-Home Video)
 * The Very Best of Thomas and Friends
 * The Complete Fifth Series

DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection
 * The Fogman and Other Stories/The Very Best of Thomas and Friends Double Pack

US

 * Spills and Chills and Other Thomas Thrills
 * Quarry Adventures On Sodor
 * Season 5 (Digital Download)

DVD Packs

 * Totally Thomas Volume 1
 * New Friends for Thomas/Spills and Chills Double Feature

JPN

 * Sing-Along and Stories 2
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 2 Vol.2
 * Thomas the Tank Engine Character Encyclopaedia

AUS

 * Spooks and Surprises
 * The Very Best of Thomas and Friends
 * The Complete Fifth Series
 * The Best of Thomas and Friends - Volume 1

DVD Boxsets

 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * Complete Series 1-10

GRC

 * Time for Work

MYS

 * Busy Going Backwards and Other Adventures
 * Salty's Secret and Other Thomas Adventures

PHL

 * Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday (Philippine DVD)

DK

 * Forward and Backward and Other Stories

GER

 * Heroes on Rails

ITA

 * Back All!

SWE

 * Hidden in Snow

WAL

 * Fleas and 15 other Stories

TWN

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 13 (Taiwanese DVD)
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