Salty's Secret

"Yo, ho, ho, and a bucket of prawns! The tiller spins..." "And the captain yawns!"

- Salty and the trucks

Salty's Secret is the first episode of the sixth season.

Plot
Salty is a new diesel who enjoys working near the sea. It is his first day working on Sodor and as the island is surrounded by the sea, he is hopeful he will be working near it. Naturally, he is disappointed when he is sent to work at the quarry to help Mavis, Bill and Ben with an important job for the Fat Controller. Bill and Ben think that they do not need help, and do not think Salty will be able to manage all of the trucks. However, when they see that Salty manages to win the trucks over with his tales and songs of the sea, they become rather jealous. But Salty still longs for the sea.

One night, Mavis, Bill and Ben see him alone outside. Bill and Ben call him names, but Mavis tries to comfort him. Salty wants to be near the sea, but he knows that the quarry work is important. And the next day, Salty tries to show Bill and Ben his secret with the trucks, which is singing a tune for the trucks to sing along with. Bill and Ben try singing a rhythm to get the trucks moving, but they could not make them move the way Salty could.

Later, the Fat Controller arrives at the quarry, and is surprised to see that the job has been completed. Mavis tells him that they could not have done it without Salty. Luckily for him, there is no further need for him at the quarry, and he is finally transferred to Brendam Docks, which is his dream place to work. It is where he feels really useful, and he sorts out the trucks better than any other engine.

Characters

 * Bill and Ben
 * Mavis
 * Salty
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Big Mickey

Locations

 * Jem Cole's Yard
 * Brendam Docks
 * Centre Island Quarry
 * Tidmouth Beach

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the second episode of the sixth season.
 * This was the first episode of many things:
 * Phil Fehrle's first episode as producer.
 * Britt Allcroft's first episode as executive producer since the second season episode, Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree.
 * Peter Urie's first episode as executive producer.
 * The first episode of the 2000s.
 * The first episode to have its own writer, rather than David Mitton or Britt Allcroft.
 * The first episode narrated by Blanche Ravalec in France, Terje Strømdal in Norway and Giorgio Bonino in Italy.
 * The first episode to feature the new models for the engines (with Thomas and the Magic Railroad being the first production to feature these models), the models would later be used throughout the series up until the twelfth season.
 * The first episode to feature a new intro.
 * The first episode where a character breaks the fourth wall.
 * The first episode filmed in 16:9 widescreen, although the majority of the episode was filmed in 4:3 fullscreen and later cropped to widescreen.
 * The first season premiere where Thomas does not speak.
 * Some scenes were recreated in CGI for the seventeenth season episode, Away From the Sea.
 * The end of the scene where Salty says “The tiller spins...” is sped up.
 * Toad's scrap model from Escape can be seen in the first scene of this episode.
 * This episode premiered on the day that Channel 5 was rebranded.

Goofs

 * When Mavis first meets Salty, her happy face mask is missing its eyebrows.
 * When Salty sings "The tiller spins..." He can be seen rolling off the end of the set and studio equipment can be seen in the top left corner.
 * When Salty sings "Yo ho ho and a bucket of prawns," he is rolling towards one of the twins and there are three trucks behind him, but in the next shot, he is in a different part of the quarry, both twins appear behind him, he gains several more trucks, and the trucks in front of him disappear.
 * When the trucks sing "And the captain yawns!" all but one of them has wonky eyes, and the trucks are suddenly facing forwards.

Merchandise

 * Books - Salty's Secret and Salty's Secret (Germany only)
 * Magazine Stories - Seaside Salty and Salty and the Trucks
 * My Thomas Story Library - Salty (discontinued)

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * The Fogman and Other Stories
 * The Complete Series 6

DVD Packs

 * The Very Best of Thomas and Friends/The Fogman Double Pack
 * Double DVD Giftset
 * Classic Collection

US

 * Salty's Secret and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 6

DVD Boxsets

 * Totally Thomas Volume 2

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Series 6 Vol.1
 * Welcome Aboard! Pleasant Fellow First Appearance On Sodor Island

PHL

 * Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday (Philippine DVD)

AUS

 * Twin Trouble (Australian VHS/DVD)
 * The Complete Series 6

DVD Boxsets

 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * Complete Series 1-10
 * 3 DVDs (Boxset)
 * Series Five and Series Six Double Pack

SWE

 * Hidden in Snow
 * The World's Strongest Engine (Swedish DVD)

ITA

 * Percy and the Haunted Mine (Italian DVD)

MYS

 * Busy Going Backwards and Other Adventures
 * Salty's Secret and Other Thomas Adventures (VCD)

NOR

 * Scaredy Engines (Norwegian DVD)

THA
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 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 19 (Thai DVD)
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 13 (Thai DVD)

El Secreto de Salty Sekret Sylwka