A Bad Day for Sir Handel

"Whatever next! Those aren't coaches, they're cattle trucks!"

- Sir Handel

A Bad Day for Sir Handel is the sixth episode of the fourth season. It first aired on Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales in 1996 in the US.

Plot
Peter Sam and Sir Handel arrive on the Skarloey Railway. Peter Sam is kind, but Sir Handel is bad-tempered and insults Skarloey and the sheds. The next day, Sir Handel is chosen to pull the train to the top station. He does so grudgingly, and, after insulting the coaches by calling them "cattle trucks" and surprising Gordon with his knowledge of coaches, makes his way to the top station. There, he is angry to discover he is expected to go to the quarry and collect trucks, and refuses to do so, punctuating his point by deliberately derailing himself. In the end, Peter Sam helps Sir Handel back on the rails and the Fat Controller puts Sir Handel in the shed as punishment.

Characters

 * Gordon
 * Skarloey
 * Sir Handel
 * Peter Sam
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Rheneas (does not speak)
 * Thomas (cameo)
 * Percy (cameo)

Locations

 * Crovan's Gate
 * Skarloey Railway Engine Sheds
 * Lakeside
 * Sodor Castle
 * Glennock

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story Sir Handel from The Railway Series book, Four Little Engines.
 * Michael Angelis says "We're much too smart for this old shack" whereas George Carlin says "We're much too good for this old shack". Michael Angelis also says "smart coaches" whereas George Carlin says "new coaches".
 * In the British narration, Gordon whistles when he enters Crovan's Gate, but not in the American narration.
 * On Sir Handel's journey from Crovan's Gate to King Orry's Bridge, Sir Handel is not heard wheeshing steam in the UK narration.
 * Most of the whistle sounds are missing in the American narration.
 * Some TUGS models can be seen in this episode.
 * When broadcast on Miramax, the episode has no narration.

Goofs

 * When Sir Handel and Peter Sam first arrive Percy is passing with a train of trucks. However, when Sir Handel looks at Skarloey, Percy is reversing for some reason, and a tar wagon has joined his train.
 * When Sir Handel backs onto his coaches and stops, he can still be heard puffing for another four seconds.
 * When Sir Handel and Gordon greet each other, a door can be heard closing in the background.
 * From this episode on for the remainder of the fourth season, Gordon has Duck's whistle sound.
 * When Sir Handel goes off-camera on the mountain ledge, the steam platform blows steam too late.
 * When Sir Handel derails a small rod is sticking up from the tracks.
 * When the Fat Controller says "You're a very naughty engine", a fly crawls on the workbench beside Sir Handel.
 * Sir Handel has Rheneas' whistle sound and Rheneas has Sir Handel's whistle sound.
 * The coaches are cross before Sir Handel calls them "cattle trucks".
 * In a rare picture, a wire is visible beneath Sir Handel.

Episode
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