Faulty Whistles

"Look! It's Duncan the musical engine!"

- Rusty

Faulty Whistles is the twenty-sixth episode of the sixth season.

Plot
Peter Sam is delivering some goods, but on the way home his whistle is knocked off by a branch. Duncan laughs and sets off with his goods. On the way, he startles Elizabeth and the bull she is carrying by whistling loudly. When he passes Terence in a field he prepares to give him the same surprise, but he blows his whistle so hard it simply flies off into the field.

Luckily, one of Duncan's trucks is carrying an organ destined for Strawberry Grove School, and Headmaster Hastings plays the organ in lieu of Duncan's whistle. Duncan reaches home safely, but is teased by Skarloey, Rheneas, and Rusty. Peter Sam tells Duncan that he was brave to go on without a whistle, which cheers Duncan up.

Characters

 * Rheneas
 * Peter Sam
 * Duncan
 * Rusty
 * Elizabeth
 * Headmaster Hastings
 * Skarloey (does not speak in US version)
 * Terence (does not speak)
 * Farmer Finney (does not speak)

Locations

 * Skarloey Railway Engine Sheds
 * Rheneas Viaduct
 * Skarloey Bridge
 * Skarloey Railway Mountain Line
 * Strawberry Grove

Trivia

 * This story appears to be a loose adaptation of the Railway Series story, Mike's Whistle. Peter Sam and Duncan take the roles of Duck and Mike respectively.
 * The organ plays the song "Comin' Round the Mountain" while Duncan puffs on the cliffside.
 * Headmaster Hastings is named after the episode's writer, Ross Hastings.
 * This was the last episode of a few things:
 * The last one narrated by Alec Baldwin in the US and Terje Strømdal in Norway and the final episode narrated by Vladimir Jurc in Slovenia until the thirteenth season.
 * The last to have Britt Allcroft as an executive producer, though she would become creative consultant in Season 7.
 * A deleted scene shows where Duncan's whistle landed.

Goofs

 * Peter Sam and Duncan have the same whistle sound.
 * When Elizabeth is carrying the bull, her eyes are wonky.
 * For the first shot of the camera "pulling" Duncan, at the bottom of the screen a wire is bouncing up and down.
 * Duncan's driver's hair is blonde for most of the episode, but becomes brown when he is looking for Duncan's whistle.
 * The narrator says "The rest of the engines just ignored him", but Peter Sam was the only one there.
 * In the close-up of Duncan's whistle flying off, there is no one in his cab.
 * Because Terence's regular sized model is used, he is not to scale with Duncan.
 * When Peter Sam crosses the bridge at the beginning of the episode, his cab is empty and his whistle is missing.

Merchandise

 * Take Along (four-pack and movie car; both discontinued)
 * Books - Duncan and the Faulty Whistles and A Smart Idea (Germany only)
 * Magazine stories - Musical Duncan

UK

 * The Chocolate Crunch and other stories
 * The Complete Sixth Series

DVD Packs

 * Classic Collection
 * Pulling Together! & The Chocolate Crunch Double Pack
 * Peep Peep Party, Engines to the Rescue, & The Chocolate Crunch Triple Pack
 * Double DVD Giftset

US

 * Percy's Chocolate Crunch and Other Thomas Adventures

DVD Boxsets

 * Totally Thomas Volume 1

AUS

 * Rusty Saves the Day
 * The Complete Sixth Series

DVD Packs

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * The Great Adventures of Thomas and Friends

JPN

 * People of Sodor Island
 * Thomas the Tank Engine Series 6 Vol.6

MYS

 * Scaredy Engines and Other Adventures

NOR

 * Percy's Chocolate Crash

DK

 * Percy's Chocolate Crash

DVD Boxsets

 * Danish DVD Boxset (2008)

SWE

 * Percy's Chocolate Dip

PHL

 * Edward, the Very Useful Engine (Philippine DVD)

ITA

 * The Jet Engine (Italian DVD)

TWN

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 15 (Taiwanese DVD)