Bulgy (episode)

"Look at Bulgy! He's a mean scarlet deceiver!"

- Oliver

Bulgy is the twenty-third episode of the third season. In the US, it aired on the Shining Time Station episode, Bully for Mr. Conductor.

Plot
A special holiday is being celebrated and many visitors are travelling on Duck's Branch Line. Bertie and the engines are all kept very busy taking them to and from their destinations. One day, Duck is waiting at Tidmouth when he spots a large and unfriendly looking double-decker bus. The bus grumbles as he sees the happy passengers boarding Duck's train and states he wouldn't have bought them had he known they'd be travelling on a railway. He bluntly tells Duck that one day, the railways will be torn up and replaced by roads. Duck is shocked by this; Bertie would never have made such claims.

At Haultraugh, Duck meets Oliver and tells him about the bus. Oliver explains that he calls the bus "Bulgy" and simply laughs off his threats. That afternoon, however, Oliver is much more serious; since another equally rude bus has arrived and is taking Bulgy's passengers so Bulgy himself can take Duck's to the big station. Duck insists that the route is quicker by rail, but Oliver explains that Bulgy apparently knows a shortcut.

Later, Duck prepares for the afternoon rush, but is surprised to discover he has no passengers. Then, Oliver spots them in Bulgy, who has a sign on his side claiming he is a Railway Bus. Bulgy leaves and Duck quickly follows after him. Sometime later, he is flagged down at a bridge where the line crosses a narrow road, where he discovers that Bulgy has wedged himself under the bridge. The passengers explain that they had been tricked and Bulgy wanted them to think railways were no good. Duck and his crew agree that helping the passengers outweighs the risk of the damaged bridge and carefully cross it. Bulgy begs him to stop, fearing it might collapse on top of him. It doesn't, but Duck states it would have served him right for lying if it had.

Duck soon arrives back at the big station and all his passengers catch their trains on time. The bridge is eventually repaired, but Bulgy's ways remain unchanged until he is eventually taken out of service. He is now a henhouse in the field beside the bridge and any lies he does tell are ignored by the resident chickens.

Characters

 * Duck
 * Oliver
 * Bulgy
 * Bertie (does not speak)
 * Thomas (cameo)
 * James (cameo)
 * Percy (cameo)
 * BoCo (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * Lady Hatt (cameo)
 * Mrs. Kyndley (cameo)
 * Jeremiah Jobling (cameo)
 * Jem Cole (cameo)
 * Farmer Trotter (cameo)
 * The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's Wife (cameo)
 * Bulgy's Friend (mentioned)

Locations

 * Tidmouth
 * Haultraugh
 * Ulfstead
 * Bulgy's Bridge
 * The Lighthouse
 * The Three Way Road

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Oliver the Western Engine.
 * Exactly what holiday that is being celebrated, is not revealed. A banner in the background of one shot even reads "Special Holiday".
 * In the Greek version, the opening scene is cut out.
 * In the US, this episode aired before Escape, this means that the audience would not know who Oliver is.
 * This episode marks the only appearance of Haultraugh in the television series.

Goofs

 * At the beginning of the episode, Duck is seen crossing a bridge. Later in the episode, Bulgy is seen crossing the same bridge.
 * Percy has James' whistle sound and Oliver has Edward's.
 * Throughout the episode, the roofs of Oliver's coaches are dented.
 * When Duck first meets Bulgy, his ANTI-RAILWAY sign is on his right-hand side, and the RAILWAY BUS sign is on his left. But when Bulgy steals Duck's passengers, the signs have swapped sides.
 * Oliver tells Duck that only he calls the bus "Bulgy", but when Duck is talking with Bulgy at Tidmouth Station, the name "Bulgy" can be clearly seen placed on the bus' left side.
 * Lady Hatt appears in her first season form again.
 * When Bulgy's passengers complain about being tricked, Jeremiah Jobling is smiling.
 * The narrator says that Duck is taking his passengers to the Big Station, clearly meaning Knapford; but in the end, he takes them back to Tidmouth.

UK

 * Escape and other stories
 * Thomas Gets Bumped and 17 Other Stories
 * The Biggest Ever Christmas Collection
 * The Complete Third Series
 * My Little Thomas and Bertie Adventures
 * Seasonal Scrapes

WAL

 * Help and 15 other stories

US

 * Bully for Mr. Conductor
 * James Goes Buzz Buzz and Other Thomas Stories

NZ

 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 5

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 17
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.2
 * Engines’ Big Success

NOR

 * Edward, Trevor and the Useful Party (Norwegian VHS)