Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway

Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway is a 2013 British animated fantasy comedy adventure film and feature-length special of the British television series, Thomas & Friends. The film is produced by HIT Entertainment and animated by Arc Productions, replacing Nitrogen Studios. It is the series’ first production to have CGI animation provided by Arc Productions.

Directed by Rob Silvestri and written by Andrew Brenner with additional material by Sam Wilkinson, the film stars Ben Small and Martin Sherman as Thomas the Tank Engine in the US and the UK respectively. Co-stars include Keith Wickham, Kerry Shale, William Hope and Teresa Gallagher.

Bob Golding, Mike Grady, Jonathan Forbes, Rebecca O'Mara and Miranda Raison join the cast.

Plot
In medieval times, Sodor was a kingdom under the rule of King Godred. One day Godred's crown was stolen by thieves. Though the thieves were caught, the crown was hidden and considered lost forever.

In the present day, Sir Topham Hatt announces to the engines that Sir Robert Norramby, the Earl of Sodor, is returning from his travels around the world for many years. Sir Robert has a project at the ruins of King Godred's Castle at Ulfstead, but will not say what.

Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends Percy and James are assigned to pull a heavy goods train to the castle. Once there, Thomas meets his old friend Jack the Front Loader, who informs him of the Earl's plans to restore the castle. The Earl tells them that one of the crates has to be taken to the Sodor Steamworks. At the works, the crate is opened to reveal an old and rusty engine: Stephenson's Rocket, referred to as Stephen.

The Earl says that he has a "special job" for Stephen but warns Thomas not to tell him yet. However, upon his restoration, Thomas tells Stephen about the special job to boost his spirits. As expected, Stephen gets very excited and starts searching Sodor for his new job. Upon learning of a mine below Ulfstead, he heads there. The Earl tells Thomas, Percy, and James that the castle will be opened to the public as a tourist attraction and that Stephen's special job is to be their tour guide.

Stephen reaches the mine but is disappointed to see that the entrance is blocked. Meanwhile, Thomas and Percy lose control of some Troublesome Trucks, which drag them downhill and push Stephen into the mine. The impact causes a shower of rocks to trap him inside.

Upon learning that Stephen left the Steamworks, Thomas enlists everyone’s help to search for him. Inside the mine, Stephen finds an old wooden chest, in which he finds King Godred’s crown. Thomas brings Jack to the mine, who clears the fallen rocks, enabling Thomas to find Stephen and pull him out of the mine to safety.

At Ulfstead Castle’s grand opening, the Earl unveils Godred’s crown.