A New Beginning

Plot
The episode opens to a fast-forward scene of Adam Norman taking a ride along Thomas' branchline. Thomas pulls the train to Crovan's Gate where Adam boards Sir Handel. Sir Handel takes Adam to the picnic area where Adam begins to write a book for his son, Arthur.

Edward the Blue Engine is built in 1896 and is introduced to his older brother, Eric. Eric teaches his brother all about shunting, pulling passengers, and pulling goods trains and Edward establishes himself as a reliable mixed traffic engine. However, after working on the railway for nearly 20 years, his manager is seemingly unimpressed with his performance and sells Edward to Sir Bertram Topham Hatt on the Island of Sodor.

Upon his arrival, Edward finds himself all alone and left to fend for himself. After nearly derailing thanks to some trucks, Edward has a very awkward confrontation with a truck in the sheds. The truck disappears the next morning, but his words continue to haunt Edward. Edward is sent to be repainted where he meets Skarloey and returns home to the sheds. There, Sir Bertram Topham Hatt informs him that another engine will be arriving within the next few days to assist in the construction of the railway.

Characters

 * Edward
 * Eric
 * Old Manager
 * Sir Bertram Topham Hatt
 * Skarloey
 * Old Truck
 * Troublesome Engines
 * Background Engines
 * Thomas (DOES NOT SPEAK)
 * Duncan (DOES NOT SPEAK)
 * Splatter (DOES NOT SPEAK)
 * Bill (DOES NOT SPEAK)
 * Ben (DOES NOT SPEAK)

Trivia

 * This episode was filmed twice, as the footage from the first shoot was lost after GTSH's phone fell in the ocean
 * Some of the background characters include Neville, Molly, Murdoch, Charlie, and Whiff, but they aren't actually said characters. They are merely there to indicate a functional railway.
 * Eric's model is just a duplicate Edward that no longer runs.
 * This episode marks Thomas' first appearance, though he does not speak.
 * Sir Bertram Topham Hatt only wears this suit in this episode and the next episode, 'He's Number One!'
 * The episode was originally called just "Edward" but was changed during production.
 * This episode takes place over a 20 year period, 1896-1915 to be precise.
 * The Bloopers and Behind the Scenes videos for this episode have been lost to time following GTSH's old channel being suspended
 * The current thumbnail was taken during the production of 'He's Number One!' because GTSH preferred the lighting of Episode 2 to Episode 1.