Faulty Whistles

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

- Rusty

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

Plot
Duncan waits at a junction one morning for Peter Sam to deliver his goods to take to Strawberry Grove. He is also assigned the task to take the headmaster and the new organ.

Peter Sam has steamed overnight all the way to the morning to deliver Duncan his goods, but as he approaches the junction his whistle is knocked off by a branch. As a result, Peter Sam cannot run anywhere without a whistle as it would be unsafe. Duncan brags that an engine is not one without a whistle and lets off a big blast with his whistle, but the other engines ignore him. Duncan becomes cross while he sets off with his goods because he thinks the other engines are jealous with his whistle. On the way, he whistles at some sheep, but they are busy eating to grab any attention. Duncan becomes frustrated and thinks he needs to whistle louder and longer. He approaches a crossing where Elizabeth is carrying the Farmer's Prize Bull. As Duncan approaches the crossing, he whistles loud and long, startling the bull. Elizabeth scolds Duncan but to no avail as he finds it fun, not knowing that his whistle had become loose. When he sees Terence ploughing a field, he prepares to give him the same surprise, but he blows his whistle so hard, it simply flies off and lands out of sight.

With his whistle nowhere to be found, Duncan's driver tells him they are stuck and cannot move anywhere. 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, which alerts every person at stops during the delivery, despite Duncan not thinking so. When Duncan reaches home, he is teased by Rusty as being a "musical engine" while Rheneas and Skarloey whistle along. Peter Sam, having been in the works for a new whistle, tells Duncan that he was brave to go on and make his deliveries without a whistle, which cheers Duncan up. The headmaster makes one last "toot" on the organ and the all the other engines whistle back in reply, except Duncan who just grins.

Characters

 * Rheneas
 * Peter Sam
 * Duncan
 * Rusty
 * Elizabeth
 * Headmaster Hastings
 * Skarloey
 * Terence
 * Farmer Finney

Locations

 * Skarloey Railway Depot
 * Rheneas Viaduct
 * Skarloey Bridge
 * Cattle Creek
 * The Mountain Line
 * Strawberry Grove

Trivia

 * This episode 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 actual story was adapted in the twentieth season episode of the same name.
 * The organ plays the song "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain" while Duncan puffs on the cliffside.
 * When Duncan delivered his trucks, music is played in the UK version but not in the US version.
 * Headmaster Hastings is named after the episode's writer, Ross Hastings.
 * This episode marks the first of two things:
 * The first time that Farmer Finney is acknowledged by name in the television series.
 * The first season finale in which Thomas and Percy do not appear.
 * This was the last episode of a few things:
 * The last episode 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 episode to have Britt Allcroft as an executive producer.
 * This was also the last episode to feature Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell's music in the US, excluding the DVD releases of seven episodes from the seventh season on the New Friends for Thomas and Thomas and the Jet Engine DVDs, which had Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell's music. Robert Hartshorne and Ed Welch would compose music for the seventh season in the US.
 * A deleted scene shows where Duncan's whistle landed. It was cut from the final version for unknown reasons.

Goofs

 * 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 seen 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, his crew are not in his cab.
 * 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

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * The Chocolate Crunch and other stories
 * The Complete Series 6

DVD Packs

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

WAL

 * Brave Little Engines

US

 * Percy's Chocolate Crunch and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 6

DVD Boxsets

 * Totally Thomas Volume 1

AUS

 * Rusty Saves the Day
 * The Complete Series 6

DVD Packs

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * The Great Adventures of Thomas and Friends
 * Trainloads of Thomas Fun
 * Series Five and Series Six Double Pack

JPN

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

MYS

 * Scaredy Engines and Other Adventures

NOR/DK

 * Percy's Chocolate Crash

DK 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)

KOR

 * The Story of Getting to Know Nature

THA
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 15 (Thai DVD)
 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 23 (Thai DVD)

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