Salty's Secret

"Yo, ho, ho, and a bucket of prawns! The tiller spins..." "And the captain yawns!"

- Salty and the trucks

Salty's Secret is the first episode of the sixth season.

Plot
Salty is a new diesel who enjoys working near the sea. It is his first day working on Sodor, and is naturally disappointed when he is sent to work at the quarry to help Mavis, Bill, and Ben with an important job for the Fat Controller. Bill and Ben think that they do not need help, but when they see that Salty manages to win the trucks over with his tales and songs of the sea, they become rather jealous. However, Salty still pines for the sea, but he still knows that the quarry work is important. Mavis notices this, and tries to comfort him. Next day, Salty tries to show Bill and Ben his secret with the trucks, which is singing a tune for the trucks to sing along with. Bill and Ben try singing a rhythm to get the trucks moving, but they could not make them move the way Salty could. Later, The Fat Controller arrives at the quarry, and is surprised to see that the job has been completed. Mavis tells him that they can not have done it without Salty. Luckily for him, there is no further need for him at the quarry and he is transferred to Brendam Docks, which is his dream place to work. It is where he feels really useful, and he sorts out the trucks better than any other engine.

Characters

 * Bill and Ben
 * Mavis
 * Salty
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Thomas (cameo)
 * Edward (cameo)
 * Henry (cameo)
 * Gordon (cameo)
 * James (cameo)
 * Percy (cameo)

Locations

 * Brendam Docks
 * Centre Island Quarry

Trivia

 * This was Britt Allcroft's first episode as executive producer since Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree.
 * This is the first episode to have it's own writer, rather than David Mitton or Britt Allcroft.
 * Some scenes were recreated in CGI for the episode Away From the Sea.
 * The Italian title of this episode is "The Secret of Salty". In Japan, this episode is called "Secret of Salty". The Welsh title is "The Diesel's Secret".

Goofs

 * When Mavis first meets Salty, her happy face is missing its eyebrows.
 * Salty's voice is incorrectly used for the lines "Here we go, here we go, here we go" and "No we don't, no we don't..." in the British version.
 * Salty is rolling off the end of the set as he sings "The tiller spins..."
 * When Salty feels sad, Mavis comes out of the shed to talk to him without a driver.
 * Salty should know that sea breezes only occur during the day.
 * Brakevans should have been added to Mavis and Thomas' trains.
 * The word "Truck" is used throughout the US version.

Quotes

 * Bill: "Driver says he'll bore the bolts off us with his stories."