PBS Kids to air 'King of the Railway' movie in November

King of the Railway: The Movie is to debut on US television on PBS Kids in November.

The 2013 special follows the broadcast of Season 17, which was picked up by the network for a new weekday slot back in May.

According to Entertainment Weekly, PBS Kids will air King of the Railway on November 16.

Though the special was played out to British and Australian cinemas, King did not receive an American cinematic run, bar a VIP premiere held at The Grove in Los Angeles.

King of the Railway: The Movie marks its US TV premiere on PBS Kids on November 16th.

'Tale of the Brave' movie tie-in books unveiled for 2014

New books have been revealed to tie-in with the next Thomas & Friends special on amazon.com.

The forthcoming Tale of the Brave film was announced by Hit Entertainment in early October to premiere next year.

Five books are to adapt the story for release in summer 2014, with Brave Little Engines and Thomas and the Monster serving as colour activities.

The Monster of Sodor is to come in the form of a Step Into Reading title while a double pack will combine The Fearsome Footprints/Thomas the Brave together. A Big Golden Book of the special of the same name is also due.

According to Hit's press release, Tale of the Brave will explore the theme of bravery.

When Thomas spots some giant footprints his friend Percy quickly becomes convinced that there is a monster on the island.

When an unusual engine, with sloping boilers, first appears, Percy believes he must be the monster but the new engine proves to be a good friend and ally. He even helps Percy discover what it really means to be brave. 

The five Tale of the Brave books from Random House and Golden Books hit US book shelves on July 22nd 2014.

PRE-ORDER THE 'TALE OF THE BRAVE' BOOKS ON AMAZON.COM

BRAVE LITTLE ENGINES

THOMAS AND THE MONSTER

THE MONSTER OF SODOR

THE FEARSOME FOOTPRINTS/THOMAS THE BRAVE
TALE OF THE BRAVE

Thanks to SteamTeam for the alert.

New 'Hey Hey Thomas' song in Season 17 US broadcast

A new song debuted on PBS Kids on US television this week alongside Season 17.

During the block Spooky Charms, Hey Hey Thomas! was played out to viewers in-between The Phantom Express and Percy's Lucky Day and was sung by Toronto based recording artist, Mike Ferfolio.

The track marked a break in tradition from Robert Hartshorne's compositions, with Eggplant LF instead providing the music.

The company have worked on other children's shows such as The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, Curious George and the Fireman Sam special, The Great Fire of Pontypandy.

The music video included scenes from several episodes of the 2013 series with characters such as Millie, Peter Sam, Harvey and Bill and Ben putting in appearances.

New Thomas & Friends US exhibition to open in 2014

An exhibition exploring the world of Thomas & Friends is to arrive for America in 2014.

The museum is to offer US fans a hands-on experience in working for the Island of Sodor through many observations on a 1500 square foot scale.

The initiative by Hit Entertainment and Fisher Price, is to head to the Minnesota Children's Museum as part of a tour of exhibitions for children, guaranteed until 2024.

It is the first time that the country will be given an experience into the brand after the UK's Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition in Drayton Manor's Thomas Land and Japan's Railway Series Painting Exhibition in Koyto.

Hit Entertainment's Vice President for The Americas, Sid Mathur, gave an insight into the attraction and its appeal.

We look forward to developing a premier, interactive experience for Thomas fans around the country where kids can have fun while learning about everything from how engines roll on the rails to the power of teamwork.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON LICENSING.BIZ

Exclusive: Channel 5 milkshake! talks Season 17 hiatus

Channel 5 milkshake! have spoken about their reasoning behind the UK airing of Season 17.

The 2013 series began broadcasting on the channel on June 3rd with ten episodes across two weeks before taking a break on the 17th.

Another five episodes then continued the run from September 30th for one week only after King of the Railway had debuted in Vue cinemas and on DVD.

Speaking to Roll Along Thomas, the milkshake! team revealed why the series didn't enjoy a consistent airing; The new Thomas episodes have not been confirmed in the schedules at milkshake! yet.

You are quite correct there was a hiatus occurrence as we tied the new Thomas episodes in with a [Super Special Thomas] themed week here on milkshake!

Watch this space for more information about new up and coming episodes of Thomas!

The series is scheduled to make a brief return on November 5th with Too Many Fire Engines tie-ing in with Guy Fawkes Night.

Season 17 of Thomas & Friends in the UK returns for one day only on November 5th on Channel 5 milkshake! at 7:35am, with the episode Too Many Fire Engines.

Season 17's 'Too Many Fire Engines' for UK November

Season 17 is to return briefly to British television screens in early November with just one episode.

The 2013 series, which resumed its run with five episodes on September 30th, culminated with Bill or Ben? on October 4th.

According to digiguide, Too Many Fire Engines will reportedly air after the conclusion of a repeat run of Season 13 before a re-run of Season 14.

The summary reads; When inspectors question whether the Fat Controller needs two fire engines, it causes concern for Sodor's fire fighting team, Flynn and Belle.

With another ten episodes remaining for UK broadcast, listings are subject to change.

A break from the series first occurred back in June to make way for King of the Railway's cinema and DVD releases.

Season 17 of Thomas & Friends in the UK returns for one day only on November 5th on Channel 5 milkshake! at 7:35am, with the episode Too Many Fire Engines.

Wooden Railway range brings back Duck in new model

Fisher Price will soon re-introduce an old favourite to the Wooden Railway range later this year.

From the backbone of his much celebrated roles in the 17th Series, Duck will also return for the above mentioned merchandising line as a wooden model.

Compared to his previous guise, Duck's model features a brighter colour scheme, a dome and a redesigned face.

The engine returned for a brief cameo in Henry's Hero before gaining a lead role in The Thomas Way.

Wooden Railway Duck from Fisher Price is coming soon to toy shelves worldwide.

SEE THE NEW 'WOODEN RAILWAY DUCK' MODEL ON AMAZON.COM

Arc Productions lends animation to new US DVD scenes

Arc Productions have provided animation towards specially made scenes that have appeared on a US DVD.

The current animators of the series lent their CGI to the interactive interstital Who's That Engine? on the Santa's Little Engine disc.

It shows The Fat Controller giving clues towards one of his Sodor engines that is hidden from profile in the countryside.

Emerging from some bushes is Percy, who then whistles and breaks the fourth wall. It then leads to The Fat Controller reminiscing about the events of Percy the Snowman. A certificate is awarded to the viewer at the end.

Alongside a Meet Thomas and Gordon double, The Earl of Sodor also appears on the DVD questioning scenarios based on Toby's New Whistle and Tickled Pink. More interactive scenes are certain for inclusions on future releases.

Santa's Little Engine from Lionsgate Entertainment is out now to buy on US DVD.

Hit sells more Thomas seasons to global broadcasters

Hit Entertainment have sold newer series of Thomas & Friends for global distribution.

Hot on the heels of the forthcoming Tale of the Brave movie and the 18th Series, the children's brand makers have granted multimedia company Lagardere the rights to air Series 13, 16 and 17 on Gulli and Tiji in France.

For Spain, Series 15 to 17 have been picked up by Boing together with King of the Railway: The Movie.

Various seasons will make their way onto DVD and On Demand content for Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

Meanwhile, Australia, who are currently airing the 17th Season on ABC2, will also transmit King with Latin America to follow suite for Discovery Kids.

The initiative by Hit has also allowed Fireman Sam, Mike the Knight, Bob the Builder, Pingu and Angelina Ballerina to adopt similar phases

READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON KIDSCREEN

Thanks to Hawk01 for the alert.

Porter and Season 17 scenes in Wooden Railway range

New stock for the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway range is to arrive from this year through to 2014.

From unknown sources, Sodor's newest arrival Porter is one of the first to join after being made for Take-n-Play and Trackmaster. His so far prototype model shows a section of pink painted on his boiler and cab.

Based on a key scene from Bill or Ben?, the twin engines are re-introduced to the range with Bill in current form sporting red wheels and Ben in dark blue livery.

Salty's Celebration sees the dockside diesel covered in oil and bunting while pulling a truck full of party supplies in a scene to be witnessed in Porter's debut episode, Away from the Sea.

Meanwhile, Whiff returns to Wooden Railway alongside Toby, where the tram engine's model is significantly wider to accommodate a Battery Powered guise.

The new Wooden Railway stock hit toy shelves worldwide from this year through to 2014.

Thanks to alcofan158 for the alert.

'The Rocket Returns' becomes 'Afternoon Tea Express'

An upcoming story from Season 17 has had its TV series title revealed by ABC Television.

The Rocket Returns was unveiled by amazon.com in May as a tie-in book for an episode from the DVD, Spills & Thrills, coming soon in 2014.

However, it will now be based on The Aftenoon Tea Express. Stephen is to be the main character with The Earl of Sodor and Spencer in co-starring.

The summary reads; Stephen becomes very excited when the Earl gives him the special job of collecting the ingredients for the afternoon teas at the Castle. But Spencer teases him about being too old and slow.

Although being one of the first episodes for 2013 to be revealed, its official title was uncertain at the time.

The season's span of 26 stories will be carried onto the forthcoming 18th Series next year.

Series 17 of Thomas & Friends marks its Australian premiere tomorrow on October 9th on ABC2 at 8am, with the episode Steamie Stafford.

Mark Moraghan re-narrates Season 13 story in US DVD

Present storyteller Mark Moraghan has lent his voice to an existing episode in a new US DVD.

Santa's Little Engine was released in America today and contains four episodes from the 17th Series.

To add more value due to the 2013 season only having four Christmas stories, Snow Tracks is provided as a filler.

According to US fans, Michael Brandon's original narration has been replaced by new narration by Mark Moraghan for the Season 13 re-issue.

It has also been confirmed that Santa's Little Engine, Frozen Turntable and The Missing Christmas Decorations were written by Andrew Brenner while Laura Beaumont and Paul Larson penned No Snow for Thomas.

Santa's Little Engine from Lionsgate Entertainment is out now to buy on US DVD.

Mr. Perkins railway sketches start airing on PBS Kids

DVD character Mr. Perkins made his television debut on American television's PBS this week.

The popular interactive guide of the Watch with Mr. Perkins sketches on UK and US releases, returned for new scenes set on the South Tyndale Railway and and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

The character, this time, educates viewers on the workings of engines and railways, in a similar vein to the Down at the Station skits.

Providing linking and on-camera narration, actor Ben Forster is also seen riding an engine sharing the same prototype as Millie.

Lighting Cameraman Ben Jones spoke to Roll Along Thomas in July about the new scenes and filming the aforementioned sequence; We filmed one sequence where Mr. Perkins drives away from the station, waving to the camera.

It looks like the camera is on a bridge and the train is about to pass under it, however, its actually at the end of the line and so the train had to stop as soon as it left the bottom of frame.

Title music from Gordon and Ferdinand and Percy and the Calliope were used in Mr. Perkins' Railway.

Season 17 of Thomas & Friends is currently airing weekdays on PBS Kids.

WATCH THE NEW 'MR. PERKINS' RAILWAY' ON YOUTUBE

'Sticky Situations' DVD heads Down Under for Christmas

Sticky Situations is to proceed towards Australia for a DVD release in time for the Christmas season.

Originating from the UK, the episodes Stuck On You, Spencer the Grand, Gordon and Ferdinand and Charlie and Eddie are to remain on the disc.

It will run for a run time of 66 minutes as opposed to the UK's main 70 minute duration.

The description reads; The engines on the Island of Sodor find themselves in some sticky and slippery situations! Thomas and Butch are stuck in a bind when they don't fully listen to directions.

Spencer gets lost in the fog but learns he can actually be Spencer the Helpful.

Gordon must swallow his pride after dropping the Lion of Sodor in the mucky muddy river and Edward shows Charlie there's a time to be Really Fun and a time to be Really Useful.

All aboard for fun-filled tales as friends help each other through all kinds of sticky situations!

Sticky Situations from ABC for Kids hits Australian DVD shelves on December 4th.

PRE-ORDER THE 'STICKY SITUATIONS' DVD ON EZYDVD

Fisher Price presents Porter as next Trackmaster toy

Mattel's next character to join the Fisher Price Trackmaster range will be Porter.

The new character, who is to make his TV series debut in the 17th Season Away from the Sea episode, will be available in Trackmaster form.

Two trucks join the engine's packaging with a flatbed full of metal suspension grids and an open truck supply of crates.

Porter, who is to star with Salty in the above mentioned episode, will also appear in the Harvey comeback story, Gone Fishing.

Trackmaster Porter from Fisher Price is coming soon to toy shelves worldwide.

SEE 'TRACKMASTER PORTER' ON THE THOMAS & FRIENDS WIKIA

Bachmann Large Scale Toby shows up at iHobby Expo

Bachmann's larger produced version of Toby made an appearance at iHobby Expo on Sunday.

The G scale model of the tram engine was presented to the public at the model hobby convention in Schaumburg on October 3rd to 6th.

Toby's replication reflects his current animated state, in particular, his face. The character was seen in a Large Scale area for Thomas models.

Also showcased were Bachmann's Thomas' Christmas Express set, Duck and their existing HO models in a Tidmouth Sheds area of the exhibition.

A people sized Thomas, Annie and Clarabel ride meanwhile, turned up to entertain the public.

VIEW PICTURES FROM THE iHOBBY EXPO ON BACHMANN TRAINS' FACEBOOK PAGE

Harvey return in last named 2013 story 'Gone Fishing'

The last unknown episode of the 17th Series has been named online by ABC Television, due for broadcast on October 21st.

Bringing the 2013 season to a full 26 episode stint is Gone Fishing with Harvey to mark his official return to the show, after five years, in a lead role alongside new character Porter.

The summary reads; Bill and Ben see Harvey the Crane Engine at Brendam Docks. They tease him about having a hook and ask "is he going fishing?" Porter helps Harvey see the positive side of being both a crane and an engine.

The network is to also air the newly announced No More Mr. Nice Engine, Away from the Sea, Thomas' Shortcut and The Smelly Kipper which has been adapted for the 2014 Spills & Thrills book.

Too Many Fire Engines, No Snow for Thomas, Frozen Turntable, The Missing Christmas Decorations and Santa's Little Engine were named by PBS in August. The latter four of which are to be in a US DVD Christmas release.

Stephen vehicle The Rocket Returns was revealed in May by amazon.com to be based on an episode from the upcoming DVD release, Spills and Thrills. With its title subject to change, a book tie-in is also scheduled for 2014.

The latest series, currently on repeat, is to return to Channel 5 milkshake! in the United Kingdom later this year with the above mentioned stories lined up for broadcast.

An 18th series has been commissioned by Hit Entertainment for transmission next year while paving the way for the eighth feature-length special, Tale of the Brave.

Series 17 of Thomas & Friends marks its Australian premiere on October 9th on ABC2 at 8am, with the episode Steamie Stafford.

New character Porter receives Take-n-Play treatment

Season 17's newest star Porter has been made into a Take-n-Play diecast model.

The character who will make his first appearance in the Salty episode Away from the Sea, is the latest to join the Fisher Price merchandising series.

Painted in dark green and sporting hazard stripes on his boiler, Porter's cab shows a loose split in the middle.

Above the new engine's face is a headlamp with a gold star on its side. The design has been suggested by fans to be of American traits.

Take-n-Play Porter from Fisher Price is coming soon to toy shelves worldwide.

TAKE A LOOK AT 'TAKE-N-PLAY' PORTER ON THE THOMAS & FRIENDS WIKIA

Thanks to SteamTeam for the alert.

Flying Kipper return for Season 17's 'The Smelly Kipper'

ABC Television have revealed a brand new episode for the 17th Series, due to air in Australia on October 20th.

Following recently announced stories No More Mr. Nice Engine, Away from the Sea and Thomas' Shortcut, James will once again star in a lead role.

The penultimate named story The Smelly Kipper is to challenge the character's cheekiness again after a similar plotline occurred in The Phantom Express.

The Flying Kipper will return for its proper utilisation to the series after being used briefly during the opening of Whiff's Wish and in Calm Down Caitlin.

The summary reads; One evening at Tidmouth Sheds, James is teasing Percy about being scared in the dark, so Henry challenges James to take The Flying Kipper that night for him.

Series 17 of Thomas & Friends marks its Australian premiere on October 9th on ABC2 at 8am, with the episode Steamie Stafford.

Thanks to Thomas Stansfield for the alert.

'Away from the Sea' and 'Thomas' Shortcut' in Series 17

Another two episodes from the 17th Series have been revealed online by ABC Television.

Just a day after it was announced that No More Mr. Nice Engine was to be an episode, sometime after a book 2014 tie-in was due, Salty will receive his own story alongside new character, Porter.

The newbie who was revealed this week by the Thomas & Friends Japanese website blog, is now confirmed make his season debut in Away from the Sea, to be broadcast on Australia's ABC2 on October 18th.

The description reads; When Salty the Dockside Diesel develops engine trouble, he worries he will be sent away from the docks.

And when a new steam engine Porter arrives to help out, Salty becomes convinced that Porter has been sent to replace him.

A day later on October 19th, Thomas' Shortcut brings Thomas and Bertie to the forefront for their latest race since Season Seven's Three Cheers for Thomas.

Thomas and Bertie love racing, but Thomas gets annoyed when Bertie starts winning all the time. When Thomas discovers Bertie's been re-routed and takes a shortcut now, he decides to try to take a shortcut too.

Two more episode titles are to be unveiled in the coming days, bringing the 2013 series to 26 stories.

Series 17 of Thomas & Friends marks its Australian premiere on October 9th on ABC2 at 8am, with the episode Steamie Stafford.

Thanks to SteamTeam for the alert.

Channel 5's milkshake previews 'Bill or Ben?' episode

Channel 5 milkshake! in the United Kingdom have previewed a new episode on their channel.

Sometime after the broadcast of Percy's Lucky Day came a clip from its succeeding episode, Bill or Ben?.

It saw Connor arriving back at Ulfstead Castle Station and becoming embroiled in a case of mistaken identity, confusing Bill for Ben.

The two tank engine twins made their comebacks in the preceding episode and were voiced by Jonathan Broadbent.

Series 17 of Thomas & Friends airs weekdays in the UK on Channel 5 milkshake! at 7:35am.

TAKE A SNEAK PEEK AT 'BILL OR BEN?' ON YOUTUBE

Thanks to SteamTeam for the alert.

Series 17 AU debut and 'No More Mr. Nice Engine' due

Season 17 has been confirmed for its Australian premiere next week by ABC Television.

The latest season is to head Down Under every day of the week in a changed running order, with Steamie Stafford becoming the premiere episode on ABC2 on October 9th.

Following the aforementioned is Gordon Runs Dry, The Lost Puff, Kevin's Cranky Friend, Scruff's Makeover, Too Many Fire Engines, Calm Down Caitlin and Wayward Winston.

The series will break away from the 20 episode format to 26, with No More Mr. Nice Engine finally confirmed as an episode, which is to receive its own tie-in book in 2014.

Coming as the ninth story in Australia, Hiro will serve as the lead character alongside Diesel in a supporting role.

The summary reads; Hiro is one of the strongest engines on Sodor. He is also very polite and gentle. Diesel tells Hiro that the only way to get the trucks to do what you want is to give them a biff and a bash, but Hiro is not convinced.

Series 17 of Thomas & Friends marks its Australian premiere on October 9th on ABC2 at 8am, with the episode Steamie Stafford.

Thanks to Thomas Stansfield for the alert.

Hit orders Series 18 and 'Tale of the Brave' for 2014

An eighteenth series and an eighth feature-length special have been commissioned by Hit Entertainment.

The announcement of another series for next year was revealed this week via Hit's corporate website, with 26 episodes confirmed to appear in the now upcoming Season 18 in 2014.

The press release states; Hit Entertainment [have] greenlit a new 26 x 11’ CGI series of Thomas & Friends.

This will be the eighteenth series of Thomas & Friends, which remains one of the world’s premiere preschool lifestyle brands and currently broadcasts in 200 territories to over 1.1 billion households.

Coinciding with next year's run of episodes is the eighth feature-length special, Tale of the Brave. The ninth movie in the franchise, counting Thomas and the Magic Railroad, is so far confirmed as a direct-to-DVD release.

Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave, which will premiere in 2014, explores the theme of bravery. When Thomas spots some giant footprints his friend Percy quickly becomes convinced that there is a monster on the island.

When an unusual engine, with sloping boilers, first appears, Percy believes he must be the monster but the new engine proves to be a good friend and ally. He even helps Percy discover what it really means to be brave. 

News of the special, originally titled, Monster of Sodor, was leaked across the internet and the Thomas fandom in the summer, within hours after a page was made before Hit removed the information completely.

Storyteller Mark Moraghan revealed earlier this year on BBC Radio Merseyside that he had recorded narration for over 100 episodes.

Tale of the Brave and the 18th Series of Thomas & Friends are coming soon in 2014.

READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE ON HIT ENTERTAINMENT'S CORPORATE WEBSITE

Stage actor Jonathan Broadbent cast as Bill and Ben

Jonathan Broadbent has been revealed as the voice of Bill and Ben in a brand new episode.

The actor, who has been in countless professional stage productions since 1998, lent his voice to the returned China Clay Twins in the story, Percy's Lucky Day, which aired today on Channel 5 milkshake! in the UK.

Broadbent, who trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, has been accomplished as a prolific stage actor by being associated with productions from the National Theatre, the British Old Vic and the RSC.

Peter Pan, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night are just some of the shows attached to his name. Broadbent also provided several voice-overs for a 2005 Pokémon video game

Alongside minor television roles in Hallmark and Channel 4's 1999 version of Alice in Wonderland and the BBC sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme, his other experiences include musical theatre, film and acrobatics.

'King of the Railway' six game app launched on iTunes

Hit Entertainment have created a new digital app based on the King of the Railway movie.

Their latest creation, collaborating again with Lift & Haul makers, Funny Garbage, sees six games become playable in one purchase.

Three of the games from King's minisite, Working Together, Castle Builder and Spruce Up Stephen, renamed Stephen's Spruce Up, are ported onto the product alongside three new games.

Cranky's Dock Drop instructs the player to move Thomas into place whilst Cranky loads crates onto the engine's flatbeds.

Mission at the Castle Mines finds Thomas searching for hidden treasure upon successfully relocating Stephen in the Ulfstead Castle Mine.

Lastly, the little blue engine is needed to get to Ulfstead Castle while avoiding obstructions on the way in Trouble on the Tracks.

Keith Wickham guides players through the app with Robert Hartshorne's music from the film assisting.

The description reads; Calling all little engineers! Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway Game Pack features SIX exciting new games starring characters and locations from the latest Thomas & Friends DVD adventure!

Help Thomas explore the Island of Sodor with all your favorite friends including James, Percy, Cranky, Millie, Stephen, the Earl and more!

Each game showcases scenes from the Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway story and features its characters and locations in thrilling interactive adventures. Easy and Hard modes ensure that kids of every level enjoy the fun.

Thomas fans of all ages are guaranteed to enjoy hours of fun playing while they test their reflexes, dexterity, and explore the Island of Sodor and its secrets!

King of the Railway: Game Pack from Hit Entertainment and Funny Garbage is available to buy on the App Store on iTunes.

UK £2.49

US $3.99

AUS $4.49

'Percy's Lucky Day' episode previewed on UK Channel 5

Channel 5 milkshake! in the United Kingdom have given viewers a glimpse at a Season 17 episode.

A day early from its broadcast, Percy's Lucky Day was previewed on the channel with a minute long teaser almost an hour after The Phantom Express was shown.

It shows Percy mistaking a man's green hankerchief for a signal to leave with the mail run from Wellsworth Station.

The scene makes a reference to Season Two's Wrong Road, recollecting the moment a woman's green hat misleads Gordon to leave with the express.

Bill and Ben are to make their returns in the new installment as evident by one of the twins' whistles being heard briefly at the end.

TAKE A SNEAK PEEK AT 'PERCY'S LUCKY DAY' ON YOUTUBE

Thanks to SteamTeam for the alert.

New character teased on Thomas Japan website blog

The Thomas & Friends Japanese website has posted an image of a new character on its blog.

Promoting Series 17 on the country's television network NHK, a collage featuring promo shots of Stephen, Connor, Caitlin and Millie is included in the post.

Beside Millie is a screenshot of an unknown dark green engine from an unknown episode placed at The Docks.

A summary of the new series' debut in the country translates as the following; New series starts broadcasting from Sunday, October 06, 2013. Fellow debuts Stephen, Millie, Connor, Caitlin, and Porter appear.

It is speculated that the upcoming character may either appear in the latest series or in the next Series 18 and its assisting special.

Series 17 of Thomas & Friends marks its Japanese premiere on NHK on October 6th with the episodes Steamie Stafford and Gordon Runs Dry.

Thanks to TheRollingThunder for the alert.