James and the Queen of Sodor

"Keep your dirt away from me! I'm collecting the mayor today!"

- James

James and the Queen of Sodor is the seventh episode of the seventh season.

Plot
James is very proud of his bright red paint, and thinks his work is very important. One day he is at the washdown when Percy arrives. His whistle is clogged with quarry dust, so he blows hard to clean it. But he accident blows mud all over Gordon, leaving the big engine very cross. James brags that he is collecting the mayor today, which Gordon thinks should be his job. But James laughs and tells him that he needs a wash first. James collects the mayor and puffs on his way.

Later at Tidmouth Sheds, the Fat Controller asks for a volunteer to collect the Queen of Sodor, an old barge which needs to go to the workshop. James pulls into the sheds, which gives Gordon a plan. He asks the Fat Controller if collecting the Queen of Sodor is important, which it is. James loudly announces that he'll collect her and sets off happily. Gordon's plan is working.

James arrives at the docks and is furious to see that the Queen of Sodor is a dirty old boat. He realises that Gordon tricked him, and James is determined to prove that a shiny engine never gets dirty. So he sets off with the Queen of Sodor.

It is a very long way to the workshop. But James is still trying not to get dirty. But he doesn't notice a pipe stretched across in front of the boat. The Queen of Sodor crashes through the pipe, sending sludge all over the boat and the tracks. But James manages to stay clean. Soon the mess is cleared up and James puffs on his way, finally reaching the workshop clean and shiny.

When James returns to the sheds, Gordon is surprised to see him still clean. Then Percy arrives and moans that his whistle is clogged with dust again. He warns James to watch out and blows hard. Dust goes everywhere and covers James. Thomas teases him by telling him that now he's the one who needs a wash. But James insists that he is still a splendid engine.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Duck
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Henry (cameo)
 * Mavis (cameo)
 * 'Arry and Bert (cameo)
 * Salty (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * Butch (cameo)
 * Oliver (stock footage cameo)
 * Skarloey (stock footage cameo)
 * Toad (stock footage cameo)
 * The Mayor of Sodor (mentioned)

Locations

 * Brendan Docks
 * Dryaw
 * Rolf's Castle
 * Suddery Castle
 * The Smelter's Yard
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * The Windmill
 * Crovan's Gate (stock footage)
 * Tidmouth Tunnel (stock footage)
 * The Canal (mentioned)
 * Anopha Quarry (mentioned)
 * The Works (mentioned)

Trivia

 * Stock footage from Oliver Owns Up and Four Little Engines is used, as is mirrored stock footage from James and the Red Balloon.
 * Toad's scrap model from Escape can be seen when James enters the Smelter's Yard.
 * In a rare still, James is in Duck's place at Tidmouth Sheds at the end.
 * Going by production order, this is the sixth episode of the seventh season.
 * This marks Duck's final speaking role until the twelfth season episode, Excellent Emily.

Goofs

 * When the barge crashes through the pipe, during the facial shots of James, he appears to be beside a cement base supporting the pipes. But in back-end shots, he is several centimetres from the base.
 * After James returns to the sheds, Henry disappears.
 * The barge loses its funnel and cab when it reaches the smelter's shed.
 * In the final scene, both Thomas' and Duck's eyes are wonky.
 * In the Crovan's Gate scene, Annie is facing the wrong way.
 * Sir Topham Hatt says that the Queen of Sodor was at the canal, but it was really at Brendam. Also, Sir Topham says that the Queen of Sodor needed to go to the Works, but James takes it to the Smelter's.
 * When James passes Suddery Castle, his face is missing.
 * Since stock footage is used, Skarloey has his brass ring around his funnel, Tidmouth Tunnel appears in its original design, and the lake next to the tunnel is bigger.
 * A close-up of the Queen of Sodor waiting by the canal for James is mirrored.