Down the Mine

"Down the Mine"
Thomas & Friends episode
Thomas (left) and Gordon (right) conversing at Lower Tidmouth station
Episode no.Series 1[a]
Episode 0
Directed byBritt Allcroft
David Mitton
Robert Cardona
Written byWilbert Awdry (original)
Britt Allcroft (adaptation)
David Mitton (adaptation)
Story byWilbert Awdry
Based onThe Railway Series
by Wilbert Awdry
Narrated byRingo Starr
Original air dates1983 (1983) (ITV screening)
9 May 2025 (2025-05-09) (restoration)
Running time5 minutes

"Down the Mine" (also known as "Episode 0"[2]) is the television pilot of the British children's television series Thomas & Friends. It was based on a story written by Wilbert Awdry for The Railway Series. In the pilot, Thomas the Tank Engine makes a rude remark to Gordon the Big Engine as he pulls a freight train. Later, Thomas shunts freight cars at a mine, but the tracks give way underneath him. Gordon pulls Thomas out of the mine and forgives him.

The pilot began production in April 1983, being produced by Britt Allcroft and the model animation company Clearwater Features. After a screening for the studio executives at ITV, the pilot was stored for over 40 years. The film was rediscovered in 2025, and an official restoration was released on YouTube by Mattel the same year, receiving positive reviews from fans. After it was released, many of the props from the series were put up for auction.

Plot

Thomas the Tank Engine waits at Lower Tidmouth station with a passenger train consisting of Annie and Clarabel. Gordon the Big Engine enters the station, pulling a freight train. Thomas makes a rude remark to Gordon, stating that he smells like "ditch water", before leaving. After having left Annie and Clarabel at another station, Thomas goes to a mine to shunt freight cars. Thomas stops short of a sign prohibiting locomotives to pass. Thomas pushes a freight car past the sign so he can follow it. The tracks give way underneath Thomas, and he falls into a mine tunnel. Since the ground is not firm enough for cranes, The Fat Controller brings Gordon to pull Thomas out of the mine with a winch. Thomas apologizes for to Gordon being rude; Gordon forgives him, and the two form an alliance.

Production

Prior to "Down the Mine", there were several unsuccessful attempts to create a television series based on Wilbert Awdry's The Railway Series in the 1950s and 1970s.[3][4] British producer Britt Allcroft first read The Railway Series books in 1979, while working on a documentary pertaining to the Bluebell Railway.[5] After several years of fundraising,[3] the pilot began production in April 1983 with Allcroft and the model animation company Clearwater Features in Battersea, London.[4][2][6]

Wilbert Awdry, creator of The Railway Series, pictured in 1988

"Down the Mine" was adapted from pages 34–49 in Gordon the Big Engine, the eighth book of The Railway Series.[7] The locomotives were model trains designed with mechanical humanoid faces.[4] The two locomotives featured in the pilot—Thomas and Gordon—were built from scratch.[6] The locomotives showed several faults during filming: smoke would come out of the locomotives' faces rather than their chimneys, and the radio control used to operate the locomotives would malfunction.[8] Robert Gauld-Galliers, the art director of the series, compared the filming conditions to "working in an oven".[6] Rather than using a placeholder recording, Ringo Starr provided the narration for the pilot.[8][9][10] The pilot was 5 minutes long, and shot on 35 mm film.[11][4][10] After a screening with the studio executives at ITV, "Down the Mine" was reshot for the first series, while the original pilot was kept in storage for over 40 years.[1][8]

In 2025, the team of Ian McCue—the producer of Thomas & Friends from 2010 to 2020—had found the pilot's film, and began to "piece it together with great love and care".[4][8] When McCue found the film, it was in poor condition; short sections of film were wrapped with rubber bands and covered in residue.[1] The pilot was restored by Silver Salt Restoration in Hammersmith, London,[1] with additional editing and sound design done by Fonic.[9] Each frame was scanned in 4K resolution and stabilized.[9][12] McCue did not want to use a pre-existing soundtrack, so he collaborated with Mike O'Donnell, one of the original composers for the series, to score the pilot.[1][4]

Release, reception and legacy

Original pilot

In the same year it was produced, the original pilot was screened for the studio executives at ITV.[4] The series was greenlit, and began airing in 1984 under the title Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends.[3][1][8] From 1984 to 2021, the series moved to other networks, including Cartoon Network, Nick Jr., Channel 5, and Netflix.[8] Its spinoff, Shining Time Station, aired from 1989 to 1998.[11][13] The series expanded to a franchise complete with merchandising.[11]

Restored pilot

The restored pilot was uploaded to YouTube by Mattel at 18:00 British Summer Time (UTC+1) on 9 May 2025.[1][10][14] This was the first time that the pilot was available to the public.[8][3][1] The year marked the 80th anniversary of the franchise, which began with the first book of The Railway Series in 1945.[8] The restored pilot received positive responses from fans of all ages.[11][9] Prior to its release, fans on Reddit expressed eagerness and amazement in the discovery of the pilot, which was considered to be lost. After its release, fans' reactions were more sentimental.[11] In addition to the release, artwork and props from the series were put up for auction.[15]

Notes

  1. ↑ The pilot was reshot as the 26th episode of series 1.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Goodyear, Sheena (14 May 2025). "The original Thomas & Friends pilot has been restored — 'and it looks beautiful'". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 Dean, Natalie (Summer 2025). "Thomas & Friends". Plugged In. Archived from the original on 19 June 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Andaloro, Angela (9 May 2025). "Thomas & Friends Reveals Never-Before-Seen 1983 Pilot Featuring Ringo Starr as Beloved Tank Engine Turns 80 (Exclusive)". People.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wizevich, Eli (14 May 2025). "You Can Now Watch the Long-Lost Thomas the Tank Engine Pilot Episode for the First Time Ever". Smithsonian Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 August 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  5. ↑ Muir, Ellie. "Britt Allcroft, Thomas the Tank Engine series creator, dies aged 81". Archived from the original on 9 January 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 Gauld-Galliers, Robert (August 2007 – December 2011). "Robert Gauld-Galliers". Sodor Island Fansite (Interview). Interviewed by Gratton, James. Archived from the original on 17 April 2026. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Allcroft 1983, p. 1.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Glynn, Paul (9 May 2025). "Rediscovered Thomas & Friends pilot to be released". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 May 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Original 1983 Thomas the Tank Engine Pilot Restored by Fonic for 80th Anniversary Tribute" (Press release). Fonic. 3 July 2025. Archived from the original on 23 August 2026. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 Patrick, Holly (9 May 2025). "Never-before-seen 1983 Thomas & Friends pilot voiced by Ringo Starr revealed". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 May 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Mather, Victor (9 May 2025). "Rediscovered Thomas the Tank Engine Pilot Is Released". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 May 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Beckett, Amelia (9 May 2025). 'Long lost' original Thomas the Tank Engine episode airs 40 years on. ITV News (Internet video). Event occurs at 0:50. Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2026 – via YouTube.
  13. ↑ Moore, Scott (19 December 1997). "Thomas The Tank Engine Near End Of The Line With Pbs". The Spokesman-Review. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  14. ↑ Roseveare, Nik (9 May 2025). "Lost Thomas the Tank Engine pilot on YouTube". Advanced Television. Archived from the original on 25 August 2026. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Thomas & Friends Marks 80th Anniversary with Lost Pilot Episode and Charity Auction". License Global. 8 May 2025. Archived from the original on 3 June 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2026.

Sources

  • Allcroft, Britt (1983). "The Railway Series Sample Episode: Down the Mine" (Transcript). Britt Allcroft Railway Productions Limited. pp. 1–3.
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