Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a 2000 children's fantasy adventure film written and directed by Britt Allcroft and produced by Allcroft and Phil Fehrle; the cast includes Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Mara Wilson, Didi Conn, Russell Means, Cody McMains, Michael E. Rodgers, and the voices of Eddie Glen and Neil Crone. The film is based on the British children's book series The Railway Series by the Reverend W. Awdry, its televised adaptation Thomas & Friends by Allcroft, and the American television series Shining Time Station by Allcroft and Rick Siggelkow; it is the only theatrical live-action/animated film in the Thomas & Friends franchise.

Plot

Sir Topham Hatt and his family have left the Island of Sodor on holiday, leaving Mr. Conductor from Shining Time Station in charge. When Gordon complains that Thomas was eight seconds late, Diesel 10 races by and scares both engines. In Shining Time, Mr. Conductor is suffering a crisis; his supply of magic gold dust is too low for him to travel back from Sodor. At Tidmouth Sheds, Diesel 10 announces his plan to rid Sodor of steam engines by destroying Lady, the lost engine. Lady had been hidden in a workshop on Muffle Mountain by her driver, Burnett Stone, after Diesel 10's previous attempt to destroy her. Lady is unable to steam despite trying all of the coals in Indian Valley. The steam engines agree to find Lady before Diesel 10, unaware that Diesel 10's cronies, Splatter and Dodge, are spying on them. That night, Diesel 10 approaches the shed where the steam engines are sleeping and destroys the side of it with his claw. Mr. Conductor scares Diesel 10 away by threatening to pour a bag of sugar into his fuel tanks.