Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends - Chases, Races and Runaways

Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends - Chases, Races & Runaways is a UK VHS release by VCI on 6th October 1997. It features 18 episodes of the "Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends" TV Series - featuring three Season 1 episodes and eight Season 2 episodes narrated by Ringo Starr, as well as four Season 3 episodes and three Season 4 episodes narrated by Michael Angelis.

Description[]

18 Episodes of Mischief & Mishaps.

Episodes[]

Percy Runs Away - Percy is being careless on the mainline and gets a nasty shock.
Dirty Objects - James learns that it isn't wise to speak rudely to the other engines.
Down the Mine - Thomas tries some mischief at the mine and finds himself in a big hole!
Thomas, Percy and the Coal - Trucks and coal dust brings disaster all over the yard.
Cows - Gordon and Henry tease Edward about an accident until they find out why...
Percy and Harold - Harold is being a nuisance, but Percy and his driver surprise him.
The Runaway - Duck looks after Annie and Clarabel whilst Thomas is feeling ill.
A Close Shave - Duck pays a surprise visit to the barber's shop!
Better Late Than Never - Railway repairs make life difficult for Thomas and his friends.
Break Van - A brake van makes things worse for Donald and Douglas until James helps.
Percy's Predicament - Daisy is difficult, Percy is annoyed, and Toby tries to help.
Gordon and the Famous Visitor - Gordon doesn't trust the important visiting engine.
Toby's Tightrope - Mavis is very sorry to have put Toby in danger with her high spirits.
Escape! - Douglas helps a frightened engine called Oliver and his brake van Toad.
Oliver Owns Up - Oliver is wiser after an uncomfortable derailment with some trucks.
Four Little Engines - Some Cheeky sheep and rude coaches bump Sir Handel off the rails.
Steamroller - Sir Handel and George the Steamroller squabble during their race.
Train Stops Play - Caroline the Car helps when Stepney disrupts a cricket match.

Episode Inner Sleeve[]

Percy Runs Away - Henry, James and Gordon decide to go back to work, but Percy is careless on the mainline and gets a nasty shock.
Dirty Objects - James the Red Engine learns that it is wise not to speak rudely to the other engines. You'll never know what will happen next.
Down the Mine - Thomas tries some mischief and gets in a big hole. Gordon has to help him out. Both engines are in disgrace, so they decide to form an alliance and never be cheeky to each other again.
Thomas, Percy and the Coal - Thomas becomes a little too cheeky for his own good. Trucks and coal dust bring disaster - first to Thomas - then to Percy.
Cows - Edward has an accident. Gordon and Henry tease him about it when they learn why, but Edward has the last laugh.
Percy and Harold - Harold the Helicopter is being a nuisance. He thinks railways are out of date. Percy and his Driver surprise him.
The Runaway - Duck looks after Annie and Clarabel whilst Thomas is ill. When Thomas returns, Annie and Clarabel the coaches discover that Thomas is still in trouble.
A Close Shave - Duck has a chase with runaway trucks and pays a surprise visit to a barber's shop.
Better Late Than Never - The Railway Viaduct is being repaired onto the mainline. Delays make life difficult for Thomas and his friends.
Break Van - Donald and Douglas are delightfully disorganized twin engines from Scotland, and when they arrive they cause the Fat Controller a great deal of trouble. They are worried that the Fat Controller will order one of them to leave his Railway. A brake van makes matters worse until James helps in a surprising way.
Percy's Predicament - Daisy is being difficult. Percy is annoyed, and Toby tries to help the situation with surprising results.
Gordon and the Famous Visitor - An important steam engine visits the yard. Everyone is excited, except Gordon - who doesn't trust dome-less engines.
Toby's Tightrope - Mavis's high spirits put Toby in terrible danger. She is sorry for her actions and decides she will always ask experienced engines for advice in the future.
Escape! - Douglas is pulling the Midnight Goods Train when he encounters an Great Western engine called Oliver and his brake van, Toad - escaping from the fate that all engines dread!
Oliver Owns Up - Oliver learns that trucks can be troublesome and after an uncomfortable derailment he returns to Duck's branch line a wiser engine.
Four Little Engines - Sir Handel is having trouble with some trucks who are being awkward and rude.
Steamroller - One day, when Sir Handel is showing off about his big wheels, Skarloey decides to trick him into a race with George the Steamroller. Sir Handel and George squabble as they race down the line and the road, but who is the winner?
Train Stops Play - Stepney watches a cricket match while waiting at a signal. As he set off again, he doesn't realize that the ball has landed in one of the trucks.

Credits[]

Release Dates[]

Percy Runs Away (17th May 1984)
Dirty Objects (22nd May 1984)
Down the Mine (23rd May 1984)
Thomas, Percy and the Coal (7th July 1986)
Cows (7th July 1986)
Percy and Harold (11th July 1986)
The Runaway (11th July 1986)
A Close Shave (15th July 1986)
Better Late Than Never (16th July 1986)
Break Van (16th July 1986)
Percy's Predicament (18th July 1986)
Gordon and the Famous Visitor (Later Narration) (12th September 1991)
Toby's Tightrope (Later Narration) (27th September 1991)
Escape! (17th January 1992)
Oliver Owns Up (20th January 1992)
Four Little Engines (9th September 1994)
Steam Roller (2nd January 1995)
Train Stops Play (4th January 1995)

Trivia[]

The front cover features images from Thomas Comes to Breakfast, Off the Rails, and Trust Thomas.
Although Cows is an even-numbered episode, the ending credits uses the last scene from Duck Takes Charge. The same thing happened in another UK VHS PAL, Thomas' Christmas Party and 17 other stories.

Goofs[]

The description of 4 Little Engines says Sir Handel has trouble with some trucks, when they are actually smart coaches.
James has his Season 1 Whistle for 4 Four Little Engines.

Opening (Original 1997 Release)[]

VCI Children's Promo From 1997 with clips of "Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends", "Fourways Farm", "Sooty & Co", "The Sooty Show: My Bumper Christmas Sooty", "Teddy Bear Sing-Along: My Christmas Play Rhymes & Songs", "Tots Video", "Roald Dahl's The BFG: Big Friendly Giant" And The New For '97 Overview. [announced by Jonathan Kydd]
VCI Tracking Control Screen (1995-2005)
VCI Warning Screen (1995-2005)
VCI Ident (1995-2005)
Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends: Chases, Races & Runaways Title Card
Britt Allcroft Presents logo
Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends: Season 1 Opening Titles (Cartoon Network Version)
Start of Percy Runs Away (1984)

Closing (Original 1997 Release)[]

End of Train Stops Play (1995)
Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends: Season 4 Ending Credits
A Britt Allcroft Production logo 1995 (Short Version) (Silent)
VCI Ident (1995-2005)

Trailers and info[]

The VCI children's trailer from 1997 with clips of "Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends", "Fourways Farm", "Sooty & Co.", "The Sooty Show: My Bumper Christmas Sooty", "Teddy Bear Sing-Along: My Christmas Play Rhymes & Songs", "Tots Video", "Roald Dahl's The BFG: Big Friendly Giant" and the New for '97 overview.