Running Backwards is a fan-made Thomas and Friends episode idea thought up by BiggestThomasFan.
Characters[]
- Duck
- Donald and Douglas
- Oliver
- Isabel and Dulcie
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Gordon (does not speak)
- Georgia the Red Narrow Gauge Engine (does not speak)
- Thomas (cameo; seen at Tidmouth Station)
- Ryan (cameo; seen at Arlesburgh West)
- Daisy (cameo; seen at Arlesburgh West)
- Bert (small railway) (cameo; seen at Arlesburgh West)
- Frank (cameo; seen at Arlesburgh West)
- Annie and Clarabel (cameo; seen with Thomas at Tidmouth Station)
- Toad (cameo; seen with Oliver, Isabel and Dulcie at the end)
- Bulgy (menioned)
Voice Cast[]
- Mark Moraghan as the Narrator
- Steven Kynman as Duck
- Rob Rackstraw as Donald
- Joe Mills as Douglas and Oliver
- Lucy Montgomery as Isabel and Dulcie
- Keith Wickham as Sir Topham Hatt
- Tom Stourton as Oliver's driver
Transcript[]
Narrator: Oliver had helped out on the mainland with Gordon. While he was on the mainland, Oliver had discovered two autocoaches named Isabel and Dulcie, who had been left in a shed for years. When Sir Topham Hatt heard about it, he agreed to have Isabel and Dulcie come to Sodor to be restored and work with Oliver. When Oliver returned to Sodor with Gordon and Georgia the Narrow Gauge Engine, Isabel and Dulcie had been fully restored, and were ready for their first run on Sodor.
Oliver: Right! Here we go!
Isabel: We can't thank you enough for giving us a new life, Oliver.
Dulcie: If you hadn't found us and suggested that we became your coaches, we would have eventually been scrapped.
Oliver: I was saved from scrap too. I should tell you two about my escape soon.
Isabel: Where exactly are we going to be working?
Oliver: I work on a branch line called the Little Western. Sometimes I carry passengers, and sometimes I pull trucks. I work with three other engines; Duck, Donald and Douglas.
Dulcie: I'm not sure if we already told you this, Oliver, but me and Isabel have cabs inside us.
Oliver: Really? You didn't tell me that yet.
Isabel: Your driver can drive you from either one of us, but only if we're running backwards.
Dulcie: We even have bells. We can use them to warn you if there's something wrong.
Oliver: Wow! I'm impressed. Maybe my driver should try driving me from one of you.
Narrator: They soon reached Tidmouth Station, which as the junction to the Little Western. Duck was there with some ballast trucks.
Oliver: Hello, Duck. These are my new coaches, Isabel and Dulcie. I found them on the mainland.
Duck: Pleased to meet you two. My real name is Montague, but everyone calls me Duck because some engines used to say I waddled. I don't really waddle, but I quite like Duck more.
Isabel: Okay, Duck.
Dulcie: Nice to meet you, too.
Duck: Anyway, Oliver, the turntable at the end of our branch line is out of order. You'll have to pull your train backwards once you've reached the end of the line.
Oliver: There's no need for that, Duck. Isabel and Dulcie are autocoaches. They have cabs inside them, so my driver can drive me from either one.
Duck: Oh! I see. Well, I better get going. Goodbye, Oliver. Isabel and Duclie, I hope you enjoy your first run with Oliver.
Isabel: We sure will.
Dulcie: Thank you, Duck.
Narrator: Soon, the guard blew his whistle, and Oliver puffed away with his autocoaches. Oliver, Isabel and Dulcie were enjoying themselves. Oliver was glad to be back on Sodor, and Isabel and Dulcie were happy to be carrying passengers for the first time in years. They reached the other end of the line right on time.
Oliver's Driver: Right, I'm going to climb into Dulcie, and drive you from there, Oliver.
Oliver: Okay, driver.
Narrator: Soon, they were puffing back up the line backwards. Secretly, Oliver felt a little silly for running backwards.
Oliver (to himself): I hope none of my friends see me traveling like this.
Narrator: Oliver and his coaches soon went over Bulgy's Bridge, and they didn't know that they got switched onto the wrong line. Further down the line, Donald and Douglas were double heading a goods train. They didn't know Oliver and his coaches were on the same line as them until...
Dulcie (while ringing her bell): Oliver! Another train's coming, and they're on the same line as us!
Oliver: What?!
(Oliver's driver applies the brakes)
Donald: Douglas, there's a train on our line! Apply your brakes now!
(Donald and Douglas brake hard, and the two trains stop just in time)
Donald: Who are you?
Oliver: Donald? Is that you?
Donald: Aye.
Douglas: And Douglas too. Is that you, Oliver?
Oliver: Yes. Me and my new coaches were traveling backwards due to the turntable at the other end being out of order. We must have gotten switched onto the wrong line by mistake. But thanks to Dulcie, no one is hurt. Thank you, Dulcie.
Donald: Yes. Thank you, Dulcie.
Oliver: And the other coach is Isabel.
Douglas: Nice to meet you too, Isabel. I think you're both going to be really useful if you have to travel like that again.
Oliver: Indeed!
(Isabel and Dulcie smile)
Narrator: Oliver, Isabel and Dulcie finished their run without any further incidents. Once it was done, Oliver shunted the autocoaches into a siding, and puffed up alongside them.
Oliver: Isabel, Dulcie, I have to admit I felt a bit silly traveling backwards at first. But after the near collusion today, I'm proud to have coaches like you two.
Isabel: And we're proud to have an engine like you, Oliver.
Duclie: Here, here.
Narrator: Then, Sir Topham Hatt came to see them.
Sir Topham Hatt: Isabel and Dulcie, I heard about your good work today, and I also heard about the near collusion. I'm proud of you two. You are both really useful coaches.
Oliver: Sir, I was thinking maybe from now on, I don't need a turntable. My driver can just drive me from Isabel and Dulcie whenever we have to go backwards, and Isabel and Dulcie can warn me if there's any trouble.
Sir Topham Hatt: That's a splendid idea, Oliver! If it works great for you all, then I'm sure you can all be really useful doing that.
Oliver, Isabel and Dulcie: Hooray!