At the experimental engines' yard, Thomas, Lexi, Theo and Merlin put together a plan to save James, with Lexi and Theo to cause a distraction while Thomas sneaks in to rescue James and Merlin to be the lookout. The distraction works and temporarily draws Frankie and Hurricane from the Steelworks, allowing Thomas to sneak inside looking for James. But Merlin, becoming uneasy of Thomas' whereabouts, begins to sneak inside himself, but a nervous Theo manages to give him away and a chase into the Steelworks ensues. The only special to be seventy-three minutes long, over thirteen minutes longer than the usual length. Calling All Engines! | The Great Discovery | Cancelled 2009 Special | Hero of the Rails | Misty Island Rescue | Day of the Diesels | Blue Mountain Mystery | King of the Railway | Tale of the Brave | The Adventure Begins | Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure | The Great Race | Journey Beyond Sodor | Big World! Big Adventures!

The only time the Mainland Diesels have spoken, as two of them speak in this special and this is the only time Ulli is referred to by name. This special aired before Engine of the Future and Bradford the Brake Van in the US, so the audience may not know who Hugo and Bradford are.The party is a huge success. The Fat Controller gives everyone a piece of the giant Easter eggs and thanks Henry and Thomas for delivering the eggs before they melted. The Fat Controller then wishes everyone a happy Easter. The front cover of the DVD shows Frankie puffing steam, despite the fact that she is a diesel engine. Edward and Gordon | Thomas and the Breakdown Train | Thomas and Bertie | Thomas in Trouble | Thomas, Percy and the Coal | Percy Takes the Plunge | A Close Shave | Edward's Exploit This special takes place between the twenty-first series and Big World! Big Adventures!, even though after this film, the twenty-first series was next and then Big World! Big Adventures! However, there are some hints with production crew, voice actors and changes that this was produced before the twenty-first series in 2016, these being:

An image of Thomas from this special is re-used on the spine of the DVD release of the next special, Big World! Big Adventures!.The first time she is voiced by Nicola Stapleton in the UK and US, taking over from Teresa Gallagher and Jules de Jongh, respectively. Thus, Nicola Stapleton joins the voice cast. Throughout most of the special, Hurricane's siderods connecting his four rear most driving wheels are not linked to those connecting his foremost six wheels, giving him the appearance of a 0-6-4-0 wheel arrangement rather than the correct 0-10-0 arrangement. The first special animated by Jam Filled Toronto, albeit partially. The first half of the film was animated by Arc Productions before their bankruptcy. When Frankie laughs and says "Well isn't he a clever little tank engine", her wheels are clipping through the rails. The first appearance of the salt vans in full CGI and their first appearances since the twelfth series episode, Best Friends.

In the first shot of James passing Thomas with the band, his mouth is not animated to show him humming. Also, in the US dub, James hums with his British accent instead of his American accent. In the close-up shot of Hiro's wheels, his eccentric rods are disconnected from his connecting rods. Merlin and Beresford are the only characters introduced in this film to make appearances outside of the special. Thomas' Useful Stories* | Thomas' Fan Favorite Adventures* | Thomas' Magical Musical Ride* | Great Destinations! | Double Features | HiT FavoritesOn Sodor, James approaches the Fat Controller and asks if he could go to the Mainland to search for Thomas. The Fat Controller praises his proposal, but notes that he cannot spare another engine and that he will continue his work on Thomas' branchline. Percy cheers him up and says that he tried. The events of this special are mentioned by James in Big World! Big Adventures! during the song, Where in the World is Thomas? The only special not to have Tim Whitnall and Joe Mills since they joined the voice cast in Tale of the Brave and the eighteenth series, respectively.