Philip's Number

"Ah, here comes number 68! Really slow and always late!"

- Gordon

Philip's Number is the eleventh episode of the twenty-first series.

Plot
Many of the engines on the Island of Sodor have numbers: Toby is number 7, Percy is number 6, James is number 5, Gordon is number 4, Henry is number 3, Edward is number 2, and Thomas is, of course, number 1. Philip the Diesel Boxcab is number 68, and when he pulls some trucks into Wellsworth Station one day, Gordon teases Philip by calling him really slow and always late, and then teasing him that he's broken down sixty-eight times, and finally because he has sixty-eight loose rivets in his radiator. Philip is very unhappy, but Thomas tries to assure him that Gordon is only teasing, and his number doesn't make a difference as long as he's really useful. But Philip doesn't believe this at first, because Thomas is number one, and Philip doesn't even know why he is number 68.

When Philip arrives back at Knapford Station, Sir Topham Hatt tells him to take some spare parts to the Steamworks. Before he goes, Philip asks Sir Topham Hatt if he knows why Philip is number 68. Sir Topham Hatt says that all he knows is that Philip held that number when he first came to Sodor, but agrees to check the records later. He then jokingly states that maybe there were sixty-seven other Philips before him. Philip thinks about it, but as he leaves the station, he begins hallucinating about multiple clones of him all at once, each one bearing a number between 1 and 67. His daydream is interrupted by Toby, who asks if he's okay. Philip says he's fine, and as he leaves, he is more determined than ever to find the reason why his number is what it is.

Philip delivers the spare parts to the Steamworks, and he eagerly asks Victor if he knows why he is number 68, making Victor reverse away in discomfort. Kevin suggests that 68 is Philip's number because he's 68 years old, but Victor denies this, saying Philip is a very young diesel. Then he suggests that Philip ask the diesels, so Philip heads for the Dieselworks.

Upon arriving at the Dieselworks, Philip asks Paxton and Sidney if either of them knows why Philip is number 68. Sidney asks if Philip has sixty-eight wheels, but as Paxton begins counting Philip's wheels, Sidney declares he knows. But as Paxton and Philip ask, Sidney forgets his thought, leaving Philip sad.

Philip still doesn't know why he is number 68, but he is sure it means something as he passes Knapford Station, Brendam Docks, and Dryaw Soccer Field. He sees numbers everywhere, and he begins seeing his number in the clouds, and imagining a bunch of trucks floating in the air forming the number 68.

Later, Philip passes a field when some sheep break through the fence and stroll out onto the tracks. Philip stops and tries to scare the sheep away. He blows his horn, which awakens Farmer McColl, and he realizes his sheep have escaped. But Philip hears Gordon coming with the Express, and he is uncoupled from his trucks. He races off to warn Gordon, switching onto the Express track and blasting his horn. Gordon sees Philip as he rounds a bend, and both engines screech to a halt. Gordon, believing Philip was being silly, asks Philip what he is doing, to which Philip breathlessly tells him of the broken fence and the sheep on the track, and Gordon thanks Philip for warning him.

That evening, Farmer McColl is leading his sheep back into their field just as Sir Topham Hatt arrives on Winston. He asks what happened, and Gordon explains that Philip stopped a terrible accident. Philip explains that he just saw the sheep on the line, but Gordon says that he's being modest and that he was extremely brave. Both Sir Topham Hatt and Farmer McColl praise Philip, and Farmer McColl explains that Philip saved his whole flock of sheep, which just happens to be a total of sixty-eight sheep! This reminds Sir Topham Hatt that he found some information relating to Philip's number, but before he can explain, Philip tells him that it doesn't matter to him anymore. Philip declares that now he's found his own reason why he's number 68: He's saved sixty-eight sheep, and no other engine ever has done that. Sir Topham Hatt agrees, and Gordon apologizes to Philip about teasing him because of his number. He then calls Philip number one when it comes to being brave, but Philip misses the meaning, declaring that everyone knows he's number 68, and it's great.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * Toby
 * Sidney
 * Paxton
 * Philip
 * Victor
 * Kevin
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Farmer McColl
 * The Photographer
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * James
 * Percy
 * Emily
 * Daisy
 * Stafford
 * Winston
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Henrietta
 * Cranky
 * Fergus Duncan
 * The Teacher
 * The Bird Watcher
 * The Blond-haired Boy
 * Sodor United Football Team
 * One of Dowager Hatt's Friends
 * The Great Composer
 * The Welsh Bird Watcher
 * The Knapford Stationmaster

Locations

 * Knapford
 * Knapford Station Yard
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Dryaw
 * Dryaw FC
 * Wellsworth
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Vicarstown Dieselworks
 * Vicarstown Tunnel
 * Bridge Over Tunnel Runby
 * Gordon's Hill
 * The Sheep Field
 * Harwick

UK and AUS

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Keith Wickham as Gordon, The Fat Controller and the Knapford Station Announcer
 * Rob Rackstraw as Toby
 * Steven Kynman as Paxton
 * Bob Golding as Sidney
 * Rasmus Hardiker as Philip
 * David Bedella as Victor
 * Matt Wilkinson as Kevin
 * Christopher Ragland as the Troublesome Trucks
 * William Hope as Farmer McColl and the Photographer

USA and CAN

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * Kerry Shale as Gordon and Kevin
 * William Hope as Toby, Farmer McColl and the Photographer
 * Steven Kynman as Paxton
 * Bob Golding as Sidney
 * Rasmus Hardiker as Philip
 * David Bedella as Victor
 * Christopher Ragland as the Troublesome Trucks
 * Keith Wickham as Sir Topham Hatt and the Knapford Station Announcer

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the sixteenth episode of the twenty-first series.
 * Farmer McColl has his US voice in the UK dub.
 * The transition of the image going around in circles is a reference to the transitions from the "Batman" 1960's TV show.
 * On the Nick Jr. USA airing, this episode is paired with A Most Singular Engine.
 * A shortened version of the episode, narrated by Joseph May as Thomas, can be found on the official YouTube channel and the Nick Jr website.
 * At the beginning of the episode, the butterfly has the number 68 painted on its wings.

Goofs

 * William Hope and Christopher Ragland are not credited in the UK dub for voicing Farmer McColl, the Photographer and the Troublesome Trucks.
 * When Gordon stops in front of Philip, his piston valve is clipping into his running board.
 * Victor is on standard gauge track in the Sodor Steamworks, despite the fact that he is a narrow gauge engine and would not be able to travel there.

UK

 * Danger at the Docks
 * The Complete Series 21 Coming soon