Percy Runs Away

Percy Runs Away is the seventeenth episode of the first season of the series. In the US, this episode aired on the Shining Time Station episodes Two Old Hands and Dance Crazy. In this episode, Percy is startled by Gordon and runs away.

Plot
After several days of being shut up in the shed, the Fat Controller visits Gordon, James, and Henry. He tells the three that he hopes they have learned they are not as important as they thought. He informs them that there is a new tank engine named Percy and that Edward and Thomas ran the main line well by themselves. However, he is willing to let them out and return to work on the condition that they be good and do not complain about shunting anymore. All three agree and they quickly resume their duties.

The Fat Controller then speaks to Thomas, Edward, and Percy and, as a reward for their hard work, allows them to play on the branch line for a few days. Thomas happily collects Annie and Clarabel while Edward and Percy go and play with trucks in the yard. Edward and Thomas leave and Percy is left alone where he enjoys watching the larger engines go by. He also enjoys being cheeky to them.

Later, after doing some more shunting, Percy heads back to the yard, but the points are against him. Percy was so eager to work, he had become careless and forgot that Edward had told him to whistle when he got to the signalbox so that the signalman would know he was there. Suddenly he sees something that does make him whistle, in panic; Gordon, on the same line, heading towards him full speed with the express. Percy is horrified, but cannot do anything and closes his eyes as Gordon gets closer. Luckily Gordon applies his brakes and stops just in time. However, by now a frightened Percy has begun to move and, intending to run away, begins running backwards.

Percy runs straight through Edward's station and is so frightened he runs straight up Gordon's Hill without stopping. After he descends the hill, Percy quickly becomes tired, but, as his crew had jumped out when they saw Gordon, could not stop. Finally a signalman sees that Percy is in trouble and sets the points into a siding, where Percy lands in a big bank of earth. By now, Percy is so tired he does not care where he stopped.

Gordon arrives and congratulates Percy on starting quickly and stopping a potential accident. Percy apologises for his previous cheekiness and Gordon pulls Percy out from the bank.

Percy quickly settles into his new role as station pilot. Although he never loses his penchant for cheekiness, he now knows to always be careful when he goes on the main line.

Characters

 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Thomas (does not speak)
 * Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)

Locations

 * Knapford
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Lower Suddery
 * Wellsworth
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Anopha Quarry (mentioned)

Errors

 * Henry has the external steampipes of his new shape in the Tidmouth Sheds scenes.
 * Annie and Clarabel's names are missing when Thomas takes them away.
 * In the close-ups of Wellsworth, greenery appears behind Percy.
 * The narrator says that Edward took some empty trucks to the quarry, but the last three are full.
 * In one close-up of Percy at the points, the camera jumps a bit.
 * In some shots while Percy runs away, his crew is in his cab.
 * Percy goes further back from the signalbox without moving.
 * Gordon said to Percy that he started so quickly that he stopped an accident, but Percy started long after Gordon stopped.
 * When Gordon is rescuing Percy, one of the workmen has blu-tak around his neck.
 * According to maps of Sodor, the branch line to Suddery is between Wellsworth and Gordon's Hill. Percy should've passed the line before he went up Gordon's Hill.
 * The signalman shouldn't set the signals for the express without first making sure the line was clear.
 * In the last shot, a track in front of the camera dead ends.
 * A brakevan should've been added to Edward's train.
 * When Percy crashes into the bank of earth, his rear stripe sticker is partially unattached from his boiler.
 * When the narrator says "But Percy had begun to move," some specs of red can be seen on his wheels.
 * In the George Carlin narration, it was said that Gordon told Percy that he was clever to stop at Wellsworth, when it was Gordon who stopped just before Percy started reversing.
 * In the close-up of Percy's face when he is beginning to reverse, a piece of track is visible next to him. However there is no track next to him by the signal box. This also applies to the close-up where he is about to back into the bank of earth.

US Home Video Releases

 * Tenders and Turntables and Other Stories