Pop Goes the Diesel

"Trucks are waiting in the Yard; Tacking them with ease'll, "Show the world what I can do," Gaily boasts the Diesel. In and out he creeps about, Like a big black weasel. When he pulls the wrong truck out – Pop goes the Diesel!"

- Troublesome Trucks

Pop Goes the Diesel is the twelfth episode of the second season. It aired in the US on the Shining Time Station episodes, "Promises Promises" and "Yabba, Yabba, Yabba".

Plot
Duck the Great Western engine works very hard on the Island of Sodor and everything goes smoothly when he is around. He can keep the coaches quiet, the trucks behaving, and the passengers happy. He is also very proud of his Great Western heritage and talks endlessly about it, which irritates the larger engines who quickly grow tired of hearing about "the Great Western way".

One day a visitor arrives in the shed. The Fat Controller introduces the new engine as Diesel, stating that he is going to be given a trial and charges Duck with showing him around and teaching him what to do. Diesel introduces himself before heaping compliments on Gordon, James, and Henry, which quickly win them around to the newcomer. Duck, however, takes a dislike to Diesel's oily nature and shows him to the yard.

There it becomes apparant that Duck's dislike of Diesel is mutual as Duck orders Diesel to refer to the Fat Controller as "Sir Topham Hatt", before Diesel smugly tells Duck that he does not have to be taught what to do. As a Diesel, he already knows everything and that Diesels will always improve a yard. Duck is not very happy about this and orders Diesel to arrange the trucks while he leaves to take Gordon's coaches to the station.

Diesel, eager for the chance to show off, quickly gets to work. However, he attempts to move the wrong trucks; some really old ones which have stiff joints and brakes. When Diesel cannot move them, he tries getting very forceful with them. Duck arrives, and realises what is happening, but decides to let events play out. Diesel gets so frustrated with the trucks that he accidentally overturns some when their brakes snap. Diesel still cannot move the remaining trucks and is forced to give up.

Duck finally comes forward carrying some other trucks and Diesel asks Duck why he did not tell him about the others. Duck simply reminds Diesel that he was supposed to instantly improve the yard. Duck leaves happily, while Diesel fumes.

Diesel is later forced to help clean up the mess, a duty that he hates especially as the trucks have started teasing and singing at him. When the clean-up is over, Diesel, now unhappy with the trucks and with Duck, storms off back to the shed.

Characters

 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Duck
 * Diesel
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Percy (cameo)

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford Yards

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Duck and the Diesel Engine.
 * In the restored UK version, Ringo Starr's voice is edited out when the trucks sing Pop Goes the Diesel.
 * In a rare picture, Diesel's siderods are crooked.
 * In the UK version, Diesel says, "Your worthy Fat..." when Duck immediately corrects, "Sir Topham Hatt to you!" Since the US narrations use the Sir Topham Hatt moniker exclusively, the line was changed to "Your worthy Top..." when Duck corrects him.

Goofs

 * In the scene where Duck is exactly side-on, a small space between the face and the model is visible.
 * Henry's tender is missing in the first shot featuring him.
 * Diesel didn't say anything to compliment Percy, so it's odd that Percy was smiling at Diesel too.
 * Diesel follows Duck too quickly for the turntable to have turned to face him.
 * Gordon's eyes are wonky when Duck and Diesel leave.
 * When Duck and Diesel frown at each other Duck is missing his eyebrows. Duck is also missing eyebrows when Diesel first backs into the shed.
 * Duck isn't in the siding when Diesel tries to pull the trucks.
 * Steam can be seen around Diesel when he was trying to move the trucks.
 * When the narrator says "Diesel lost patience" one of the trucks has a piece of hair on it.
 * When Diesel tries to push the trucks back he backs down onto the breakdown train, not the trucks.
 * In one scene, there isn't a truck in the siding that Duck is in before he goes to collect the other trucks. One appears in the siding during the trucks' song, then after it finishes there isn't.
 * In the scene of Duck seeing Diesel after collecting the trucks, Diesel backs down to the trucks he had been struggling with - straight into them - then he comes forward a little so as to be directly in line with Duck. Last of all, when Duck leaves, he goes backwards suddenly before heading off.
 * After Duck leaves to get Gordon's coaches, there is still steam venting from the track.

Episode
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