Thomas, Percy and the Coal

"Oh, I don't know. I like my brown paint." "I've always been green. I wouldn't want to be any other color either." "Well.. well anyway... blue is the only color for a really useful engine. Everyone knows that."

- Toby, Percy, and Thomas talking about their colors

Thomas, Percy and the Coal, retitled Double Trouble in American releases, is the first episode of the second season.

Plot
One beautiful morning on Sodor, when his paint sparkles in the sunshine, Thomas puffs happily along his branchline with Annie and Clarabel, feeling very pleased with himself, but arrives at Elsbridge station, and claims to have the best paintwork on Sodor and brags to Percy and Toby about it. When they tell him they like their paint, Thomas disagrees and says that blue is the only colour for a really useful engine before he puffs away.

Later that day, Thomas is resting by the coal hopper when Percy arrives to fill up some trucks. Thomas decides to be cheeky, warning Percy of the trucks' antics and some unsafe buffers behind him. The trucks then push Percy into the buffers and the last truck passes the coal chute causing a pile of coal to bury Thomas and ruin his paintwork when he cries for help and begs to Percy to get him out; Percy thinks this is very funny, much to Thomas' fury. It takes so long to clean Thomas that Toby has to take Annie and Clarabel instead and pull his next train.

That night at the sheds, Thomas is angry at Percy, and accuses him for the cause of this day's incident on purpose. As Toby interprets the argument a great joke, Percy then becomes cross at Thomas for thinking so, while they continue arguing for the rest of the night. The next day, Thomas is feeling more cheerful as Percy brings in a train of trucks from the junction. The trucks are heavy and Percy is thirsty, so he goes into the siding where the water tower is, but there is a set of faulty buffers. As Percy heads to the siding, he accidentally ploughs through the buffers and lands in a pile of coal. Thomas has seen everything and leaves when his signal turns green.

That night, Percy and Thomas forgive each other and both vow to be more careful with coal.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Sir Topham Hatt

Locations

 * Tidmouth
 * Tidmouth Yard
 * Elsbridge
 * Ffarquhar Sheds
 * The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's House
 * The Branch Line Bridge
 * The Watermill

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, More About Thomas the Tank Engine.
 * This episode marks the first for a few things:
 * The first episode not adapted from a story written by Wilbert Awdry. Instead, it's adapted from one written by his son.
 * The first appearance of a truck with a resin face.
 * The first episode filmed at Shepperton Studios.
 * The first episode to feature the red Express Coaches.
 * The first appearance of Tidmouth Station in the television series.
 * This episode replaced The Missing Coach after it was cancelled due to Britt Allcroft deciding the storyline of that episode would be too difficult for young viewers to understand.
 * In the UK narration, when the coal pours down on Thomas, he shouts "Help, I'm choking!" In both US narrations, however, he instead shouts "Help!" twice. This was likely changed because of the concept of Thomas choking possibly frightening younger American kids. Despite this, both US narrations have the line "'I'm not disgraceful!' choked Thomas," said afterwards.
 * This episode was the first episode of Thomas the Tank Engine &amp; Friends that Sam Wilkinson saw.
 * When the narrator says, "It took so long to clean Thomas, that he wasn't in time for his next train," a first season-styled truck is seen.
 * In later versions of this episode, Christopher Awdry is not listed in the credits.
 * The start of the Latin Spanish version features a brief clip of Thomas passing the Watermill from Percy's Promise.
 * In the Nick Jr. version of the Shining Time Station episode “Win, Lose or Draw," the scene of Thomas being cleaned and Toby taking Annie and Clarabel was cut out.

Goofs

 * In the DVD/VHS relese of Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Other Thomas Adventures this episode is titled Doubled Take.
 * Underneath the bridge Thomas crosses at the beginning, there is some black plastic.
 * In the scene where Thomas meets Percy and Toby at Elsbridge, his dome appears to be severely bent.
 * When the narrator says that Thomas is resting in a siding, Thomas' eyes are wonky.
 * In Ringo's US version on the Thomas Breaks the Rules VHS, the A Cow on the Line audio tape, and also in the Japanese version, the coal chute sound effects are absent.
 * Just before Thomas gets covered in coal, Percy is smiling when he is pushed through the buffers by the trucks and the noise of Percy hitting the buffers does not play at the exact time Percy hits the buffers.
 * In the panning shot of Thomas being cleaned, a shadow can be seen moving at the back of the shed behind Thomas, possibly that of a crew member. Thomas' eyes are also looking in different directions and his face is tilted.
 * When Toby backs up to Annie and Clarabel, his face is slightly loose and blu-tak is sticking out from the side of his face
 * When Annie says to Clarabel, "Poor Thomas!" Thomas' eyes are wonky. To add to that Clarabel is facing backwards when Toby pulls them away.
 * In the restored version, studio equipment is visible in the top corner when Toby pulls Annie and Clarabel.
 * In a deleted scene, a black plastic bag, which is used to simulate water, can be seen at the bottom while Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel pass the watermill.
 * Percy's eyes are wonky when he says that he has always been green.
 * When Toby takes Annie and Clarabel away, Clarabel's roof is not attached properly.
 * When Thomas and Percy are resting in the shed at the end, their eyes are wonky and Percy's eyebrow is peeling away.
 * When Thomas is being covered in coal, the side shots show him clean but the close ups on his face show him very dirty.
 * When Percy arrives with his trucks at Tidmouth, a red express coach is amongst the trucks to the left of the screen, but after that there are only trucks on that siding.
 * In a close up of Thomas covered in coal at the coal hopper the hopper shakes.
 * In the restored version, studio equipment is visible at the top of the screen during a close up of the buffers and the water tower.

Quotes
____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________
 * Percy: Hello, Thomas. You look splendid.
 * Thomas: Yes, indeed. Blue is the only proper colour for an engine.
 * Toby: Oh, I don't know. I like my brown paint.
 * Percy: I've always been green. I wouldn't wanna be any other colour, either.
 * Thomas: Well, well, anyway, blue is the only colour for a.. for a really useful engine. Everyone knows that.
 * [he huffs away]
 * Narrator: Percy said no more. He just grinned at Toby.
 * Thomas: [watches the hopper load coal into Percy's trucks] Careful. Watch out with those silly trucks/freight cars.
 * Trucks: Go on! Go on! Go on!
 * Thomas: And by the way, those buffers don't look very safe to me.
 * [Percy accidentally hits said buffers; the last load of coal pours down on Thomas]
 * Thomas: Help, I'm choking! (US: HELP! HELP!!) Get me out!
 * Narrator: Percy was worried, but he couldn't help laughing! Thomas' smart blue paint was covered in coal dust, from smoke-box to bunker!
 * Percy: Ha-ha! You don't look really useful now, Thomas. You look really disgraceful.
 * Thomas: I'm NOT disgraceful. You did that on purpose! Get me out!
 * Annie: (to Clarabel) Poor Thomas!
 * Percy: (arguing with Thomas) Fancy a really useful blue engine like Thomas, becoming a disgrace to The Fat Controller's/Sir Topham Hatt's railway

Merchandise

 * Ofuro de MiniCar
 * Buzz Books - Thomas, Percy and the Coal
 * Magazine stories - Thomas, Percy and the Coal
 * Ladybird Books - Thomas, Percy and the Coal/Saved from Scrap

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Thomas, Percy and the Coal and Other Stories
 * The Best of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
 * Thomas' Train and 17 other stories
 * Chases, Races and Runaways
 * Chad Valley Video
 * The Complete Series 2
 * Truck Loads of Fun
 * Thomas, Percy and the Coal (DVD)

DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection
 * Bumper Party Collection! and Truck Loads of Fun Double Pack

US

 * Thomas Breaks the Rules and Other Stories (Ringo Starr's narration)
 * Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Two Thomas Adventures
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 2

VHS/DVD Packs

 * Special Video Collector's Set
 * Totally Thomas Volume 9
 * Adventure On the Tracks

AUS

 * Thomas, Percy and the Coal and Other Stories
 * Truck Loads of Fun
 * The Complete Series 2

DVD Boxsets

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * Essential Collection (Five Disc Collection)
 * Trainloads of Thomas Fun
 * Classic Collection
 * Series One and Series Two Double Pack

NZ

 * Saved from Scrap and Other Stories
 * Thomas, Percy and the Coal and Other Stories
 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 2
 * Thomas Train Set Compilation Video Volume 5

FRA

 * The Talkative Trains

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 6
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.7
 * Crash and Smash! Look Out!

DNK

 * The Runaway Train and Other Stories

NL

 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas, Percy and Gordon

Latin America

 * The Visit of Thomas

DVD Boxsets

 * The Adventures of Thomas

BRA

 * The Earliest Adventures of Thomas

MYS

 * Henry's Forest and Other Thomas Adventures

ITA

 * A Daring Rescue

IN

 * Down the Mine and Other Stories (DVD)

SVN

 * Bertie's Race (Slovenian DVD)

UKR

 * A Train Thomas and Friends

ROM

 * Thomas and the Great Runaway (DVD)

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 1

SER

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 2 (Serbian DVD)

HRV

 * Thomas in Trouble (Croatian DVD)

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4 (DVD)

THA
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 3 (Thai DVD)
 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 4 (Thai DVD)