Troublesome Trucks (episode)

"Give up!! Give up!! You can't pull us! You can't! You can't!!!" "I can and I will. I can and I will."

- The Troublesome Trucks and James

Troublesome Trucks, retitled Foolish Freight Cars in American releases, is the ninth episode of the first series.

Plot
It has been several days since James damaged one of his coaches, and since then he has been shut up in the shed as punishment for all the trouble he had caused. Having been left alone and not allowed out to push coaches or trucks, James begins to cry at the thought he will have to stay in the shed for always and no one will see his red paint again. However, the Fat Controller finally returns and scolds him for his recent actions have caused a lot of embarrassment for the railway. James sincerely apologises and the Fat Controller assigns him to pull some trucks, for which James cannot be happier to be let out and eagerly goes to work.

At the station, Thomas brings James his trucks and teases him about bootlaces before leaving. James angrily couples himself to the troublesome trucks, who tease him for his red paint. James just ignores them and sets off; however, the trucks refuse to go and attempt to hold back. James does not allow them to and drags them out of the station. As the journey continues, the trucks try everything they can to get James to give up, but it is no use as James is determined to prove himself a better engine.

Finally the train reaches Gordon's Hill and James tries his hardest to run up it as fast as he can which is initially tricky, but with a sudden jerk it gets easier and James makes it up the hill, but his driver stops him and points out that the brake van and the last four trucks became uncoupled and ran down the hill. They stop at the bottom, and the guard gets out to warn approaching engines.

James reverses down the hill to retrieve the trucks, where Edward has stopped due to the blockage. He offers to help, but James politely declines, determined to do it himself and Edward allows him. Pulling with every ounce of his strength, James finally makes it to the top of the hill and easily continues on to the station where Edward later arrives with the Fat Controller. James is very worried, thinking the Fat Controller will be angry again. This time, however, the Fat Controller is happy with James, having been aboard Edward's train and seeing everything. Since James made the most troublesome trucks on the line behave, the Fat Controller allows him to keep his red coat.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * James
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Gordon
 * Jeremiah Jobling

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Bus Yard
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Maron

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, James the Red Engine.
 * Stock footage from Thomas and the Trucks is used.
 * In George Carlin's narration on Thomas and His Friends Help Out, the line, "After that performance, you deserve to keep your red coat." is cut. The uncut scene was added on Thomas and Friends - Vol. 1, but only for a limited time. It is now available on Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 1.
 * In the restored version, an extended close-up shot of James at Maron is used.
 * This episode is the first instance in the series in which an engine (in which case, James) is seen crying.
 * Starting with this episode, any episode featuring Edward up to the seventh series would end with his second nameboard in Japan.

Goofs

 * When the Fat Controller first speaks to James, his head is turned away from him.
 * Thomas' eyes are wonky in the opening scene.
 * James' tender is derailed while Thomas arranges his train. Also, the siding that James is on has no buffers.
 * When Thomas says "Have you got some bootlaces ready?" there is blu-tak under his lantern. Knapford is also missing in that scene.
 * When Thomas puffs off, James' eyes briefly jitter. His eyes are also wonky.
 * When James puffs out of the yard, the truck at the front loses its face and regains it as James pulls the trucks up Gordon's Hill the first time. Also, the train next to James on a siding has a brake van in the middle of it.
 * When Thomas puffs away laughing, all the trucks are coupled to each other. But when James backs onto the trucks, one at the front is uncoupled.
 * When the trucks get to the bottom of Gordon's Hill, a truck disappears. It, however, reappears in the last shot of James pulling the trucks.
 * When James goes up Gordon's Hill the second time, a wire pulls him up.
 * James' puffing noise is not in sync with his speed.
 * When the narrator says the line, "And Sometimes their axles would run hot.", a crew member's shadow is seen in the bottom left corner of the screen.
 * When Edward is first shown at the bottom of Gordon's Hill, he has no train. When James backs down and couples to the lost trucks, look carefully and you can see Edward has at least one truck behind him.
 * In the close-up of James at Maron, the water tower next to him disappears.
 * In the last close-up of James going up Gordon's Hill, his driving wheels are not moving and when they start to move, they are going backwards.
 * When James couples up to his train, he is outside the station, but when he starts moving off, he is inside it.
 * When Edward talks to James at Maron, his tender is not seated properly on the chassis.

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (Betamax/VHS)
 * Troublesome Trucks and other stories
 * Troublesome Trucks, Coal and other stories
 * The Sad Story of Henry and Other Stories
 * Thomas and Gordon, Troublesome Trucks and other stories
 * My Little Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends Video
 * The Complete Series 1
 * Truck Loads of Fun
 * Thomas and the Breakdown Train (DVD)

DVD Boxsets

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

WAL

 * Troublesome Trucks and 8 Other Stories

US

 * James Learns a Lesson and Other Stories
 * Thomas and His Friends Help Out
 * Thomas' Useful Stories
 * The Early Years
 * Series 1 (Digital Download)

VHS/DVD Packs

 * Special Video Collector's Set
 * Thomas' Trackside Tunes and Other Thomas Adventures/Thomas and His Friends Help Out Double Feature
 * Ultimate Thomas Collection
 * Totally Thomas Volume 3
 * Totally Thomas Volume 9

AUS

 * Troublesome Trucks and other stories
 * ABC For Kids Favourites
 * Truck Loads of Fun
 * The Complete Series 1
 * My First Thomas with James

DVD Boxsets

 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * Essential Collection (Five Disc Collection)
 * Trainloads of Thomas Fun
 * Complete Series 1-10 (Boxset)
 * My First Thomas
 * My First Thomas (3 Disc Set)
 * Classic Collection
 * Series One and Series Two Double Pack

NZ

 * James and the Express and other stories
 * Troublesome Trucks and other stories
 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 1
 * Thomas Train Set Compilation Video Volume 6

FRA

 * The Adventures of Thomas

KOR

 * Stories to Raise Cooperation

SE

 * Thomas and the Guard (Swedish VHS)

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.3
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.8
 * Anytime With James!
 * The Complete DVD Box 1

PHL

 * Thomas and Friends Collection

SA

 * Volume 1 (VHS)

GER

 * All Beginnings Are Difficult
 * The Freight Wagons and 4 Other Adventures

MYS

 * Thomas and Gordon and Other Adventures

NOR

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 1 (Scandinavian VHS/DVD)
 * Favourites From Thomas and Friends (Norwegian VHS/DVD)

FIN/ISL

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 1

BRA

 * Helping the Friends

NL

 * ...Taken by the Nose!
 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas, James and Henry

ITA

 * A Freight Train Troublemaker

ROM

 * Thomas and the Trucks (Romanian DVD)

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 1

SER

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 1

DNK

 * Thomas and Gordon and Other Stories (Danish DVD)

ISR

 * Welcome Thomas!

HRV

 * Thomas and Gordon (Croatian DVD)

IND

 * Thomas and Gordon and Other Stories (DVD)

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4 (DVD)

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 2 (Thai DVD)

TWN
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 1 (Taiwanese DVD)

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