Special Attraction

"Oooogh! I'm sinking!" "Serves you right! You were always barging in and moaning!"

- Bulstrode and the troublesome trucks

Special Attraction is the twenty-fifth episode of the fourth season. It aired in the US on the Shining Time Station episode Queen for a Day in 1995.

Plot
Toby is delighted to be invited to a seaside festival held every year as a "special attraction", but when he gets there, he finds there is no room for him in the parade.

Toby chuffs sadly home, and when Percy sees how sad Toby is, he wants to know why, but The Fat Controller tells him to take care of some important work in the harbour, and his driver says that it'll be trouble with Bulstrode, a disagreeable barge who never stops complaining. The trucks tell Percy that their stone is for Bulstrode and they tell him to shunt them into the siding so that they can be loaded up and be rid of him.

Percy unfortunately loses control and his trucks burst through some buffers and fall into Bulstrode's hull. It takes a long time to clear the mess and Percy watches as Bulstrode is towed to a beach for children to play in sand, when Percy returns, Toby is over his disappointment and tells Percy that his driver says that both of them are Special Attractions after all.

Characters

 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Bulstrode
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Trevor (cameo)
 * Jem Cole (cameo)
 * The Vicar of Wellsworth (cameo)
 * Farmer Trotter (cameo)
 * The Refreshment Lady (cameo)
 * Minor Human Characters in the Railway Series (cameo)
 * Minor Human Characters in the Railway Series (cameo)

Locations

 * Elsbridge
 * Knapford Harbour
 * Knapford Beach
 * Gordon's Hill
 * The Lighthouse
 * The Seaside Village

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the stories Toby's Seaside Holiday and Bulstrode from The Railway Series book, Toby, Trucks and Trouble.
 * The models for O.J., Izzy Gomez, and Big Mickey from TUGS are seen.
 * In Norway, this episode is called "A Special Attraction". The German title is "Main Attraction". In Japan, this episode is called "Little Sight to See". The Spanish title is "The Attraction of the Parade".
 * This episode marks the first and only appearance of Bulstrode to date, although his model and face were seen in seasons following.

Goofs

 * Studio equipment can be seen when Toby puffs through the seaside.
 * When the trucks say "There's no engine and we can only go where we're put! You're in the wrong place, not us!" one has wonky eyes and another truck's face is loose.
 * When Percy's trucks land in Bulstrode's hull, Percy's wheels derail and he is crooked on his chasis.
 * No reason is given as to why the tracks continued after the buffers.
 * In a close-up of Toby at the seaside, his left window (viewer's right) appears to be burnt.
 * In the US version, after Bulstrode says "Come on, come on!", a hiccup can be heard.
 * When Percy shunts the trucks through the buffers, the front one's front wheels derail. Until they crash, it bounces up and down repeatedly.
 * A brakevan should have been added to Percy's train.
 * Nothing is said about any of Bulstrode's crew after the accident.