James and the Coaches

"If you can't behave, I will take away your red coat and have you painted blue!"

- The Fat Controller

James and the Coaches, retitled James Learns a Lesson in American releases, is the eighth episode of the first season. It aired in the US on the Shining Time Station episodes, Pitching in and Helping Out and The Mayor runs for Re-Election.

Plot
James is settling into his new life nicely. The Fat Controller tells James that he is a mixed-traffic engine, so he can take coaches or trucks easily but must learn from his mistakes. James, who had a nasty accident with trucks on his first day, knew exactly what the Fat Controller meant.

James' first job of the day is to double-head a train of coaches with Edward, who warns him that the coaches do not like being bumped. People have arrived on the platform to admire James, who quickly gets full of himself and lets off steam without warning causing a shower of water to fall on the Fat Controller's brand new top hat. It is time for the train to leave and James tries to get out as fast as he can which angers Edward and the coaches. This causes trouble at the first station, when James causes two of the coaches to run beyond the platform forcing the train to reverse to let the passengers out. However, it seems that no one knows what happened with the Fat Controller, much to James' relief.

Next James and Edward stop at the station on Thomas' new branch line, where the tank engine greets James before leaving. The train then passes the field where James had crashed. Finally, the journey ends and after unloading the passengers James and Edward head for home, with James still wondering what the Fat Controller will have to say about his top hat.

The next morning, the Fat Controller visits James in the shed and gives him a severe telling off and warns him that if anything else happens, then James will be punished by being painted blue. James does not like this idea at all.

However, rather than calm James down, this only serves to make him angry and later that day he roughly bumps his coaches, moaning that he has to fetch them. To make matters worse, none of the passengers dare go near him, which makes James even crosser.

James pulls the coaches very roughly and tries to run as fast as he can. Eventually the coaches force James to stop. His driver explains that James' rough treatment has caused a leak in the coaches' pipes. The crew inspects the damage and the guard's only recommendation is to plug the leak with newspaper and a leather bootlace. However, none of the crew have a leather bootlace on them. They ask the passengers and the guard finds a man with a leather bootlace, who initially refuses to give it up. The guard explains that without the bootlace, the train cannot continue. The other passengers get very angry, both at the man and at the railway. Under pressure, the man finally hands over the bootlace and the damage is temporarily repaired allowing James to finish the journey.

James proceeds on his way with the coaches, knowing that he is going to be in a lot of trouble with the Fat Controller.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * James
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Jeremiah Jobling (not named)
 * Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
 * Stephen Hatt (cameo)
 * Gordon (mentioned)

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford
 * The Bus Yard
 * Dryaw
 * Elsbridge
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Maron
 * Henry's Tunnel

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the stories James and the Top-Hat and James and the Bootlace from The Railway Series book, James the Red Engine.
 * A flashback of Thomas and the Breakdown Train is used.
 * A reference to Thomas and the Breakdown Train is made.
 * A train passing Edward and James, when they are in front of the Fat Controller, has a truck with "NE" painted on the side.
 * The two coaches at the end of James' train are Annie and Clarabel (in that order).
 * George Carlin's US narration was not released on home video until 2002, when it was included on Best of James.

Goofs

 * It is mentioned that the events of the previous episode happened on James' first day. However, James had appeared in every single episode leading up to the airing of the aforementioned episode.
 * Clarabel is facing the wrong way when Thomas leaves the junction.
 * When James is getting his branch line coaches ready, the brake coach is in the middle of the train.
 * A member of James' crew is blond at the beginning, but when his crew wonder how to fix the leak all three have dark hair.
 * When the train passes James and Edward, a brakevan is in the middle.
 * When James and Edward overrun the platform, they are at Dryaw, which is on Thomas' Branch Line.
 * When James and Edward pass by the field where James crashed, the narrator says that the fence was mended, but there never was a fence.
 * In the restored version, when James bumps the coaches at Knapford on the second day, the bumping sound is out of sync.
 * In close-ups of Annie when she is attached to James' train, she is facing backwards even though she is forwards for the rest of that journey.
 * James and Edward are seen coming down Gordon's Hill, however they are also seen travelling between Dryaw and Elsbridge, while Gordon's hill is between Wellsworth and Maron, and there are no lines connecting the two routes together.

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (Betamax/VHS)
 * Thomas and Gordon and other Stories
 * Thomas and the Breakdown Train and Other Stories
 * Bumper Special
 * My Little Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends Video
 * The Complete First Series
 * The Very Best of Thomas and Friends
 * The Best of James
 * Thomas and the Breakdown Train (DVD)

WAL

 * Thomas and Gordon and other Stories (Welsh VHS)

US

 * James Learns a Lesson and Other Stories
 * Best of James
 * Thomas' Fan Favorite Adventures
 * The Early Years

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.2 (Japanese VHS)
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.2
 * Anytime With James! (Japanese DVD)

AUS

 * Thomas and Gordon and other Stories
 * The Very Best of Thomas and Friends
 * The Complete First Series
 * My First Thomas with James
 * My First Thomas with The Fat Controller
 * The Best of Thomas and Friends - Volume 1

GER

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

NZ

 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 1
 * Thomas Train Set Compilation Video Volume 3
 * Thomas and Gordon and other stories (New Zealand VHS)
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