The World's Strongest Engine

"That's me, the world's strongest engine!"

- Diesel

"Is that all you can haul? Henry must be stronger."

- Troublesome Trucks

The World's Strongest Engine is the eleventh episode of the sixth season.

Plot
Henry has had an accident pulling a goods train and is sent to the works to be mended and unfortunately Diesel is the only spare engine available. The engines are not very happy about this, seeing that they know Diesel is troublesome.

The next day, as Diesel is working at the docks, he brags to the trucks that when the Fat Controller sees how good he is at shunting trucks, he will get rid of steam engines once and for all. The trucks tease Diesel as he is shunting them, saying how Henry can shunt more trucks than he is, so he boasts he can push them all at the same time. Diesel then arranges a line of twenty trucks, but soon finds he is unable to move them (unbeknownst to him, a shunter has put the brakes on), so Diesel decides to pull them instead. He pulls so hard that he breaks loose and falls off the quay and onto a barge. Henry, who is now repaired, arrives at the docks with the Fat Controller. He is cross with Diesel and sends him home in disgrace.

Henry then pulls away from the docks, pulling the line of trucks easily and the engines all agree that even trucks can be helpful sometimes, like helping to get rid of Diesel.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * Percy
 * Diesel
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * James (cameo)
 * Duck (cameo)
 * Oliver (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * The Storyteller (cameo)
 * Salty (deleted scene)

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Brendam Docks
 * Callan

Trivia

 * S.S. Vienna from TUGS can be seen.
 * This episode may have been inspired by the magazine story, Showing Off.
 * This episode marks several things for Diesel:
 * His first speaking role since the third season episode, Tender Engines.
 * His only appearance in the sixth season.
 * His last appearance as the main character until the fourteenth season episode, Diesel's Special Delivery.
 * The last time he was sent away. Stories afterwards states he became a permanent residence on Sodor.
 * In the UK version, this is the first time Diesel refers to the Fat Controller as such. In previous episodes, he would correct himself by calling him Sir Topham Hatt.
 * In the US version, Diesel's "HELP!" as he falls off the quay is later used for Duncan in the sixth season episode, Dunkin Duncan.
 * Salty was intended to have a role in this episode as he is seen in a deleted scene.

Goofs

 * In the first scene, Clarabel is facing the wrong way.
 * One of the workmen who comes to rescue Henry is tilted.
 * At Tidmouth Sheds, the buffers behind Thomas are resting on top of the rails.
 * When Diesel pushes the trucks back, his side rods are going forwards.
 * In the close-up of Diesel going in between the trucks, filming equipment can be seen to his left.
 * Diesel starts with three trucks and adds four more, but the narrator says he starts with five.
 * After shunting the trucks, Diesel runs on the third line, but he should have travelled on the first line; the next scene shows the third line is blocked by the trucks.
 * After the trucks shout "Push! Push! Push!" steam is seen going into Thomas, indicating reversed footage.
 * When the camera moves with Diesel a wire is visible on his coupling.
 * As the trucks laugh, they are not in the formation that Diesel arranged them, but as they were before jeering at Diesel.
 * Diesel falls off the quay face-first, but lands back-first.
 * When the Fat Controller looks down at Diesel, there appears to be a rip in his suit.
 * In the shot where Diesel's teeth were shown and his eyes are looking left to right you can see that his face is moving.
 * Oliver has Duck's whistle sound.
 * During the final scene with Thomas and Percy, both of their roofs are crooked.
 * When the narrator says "fifteen", Diesel jumps backward from one spot to another, indicating a film cut.
 * When the trucks sing "Push us all, that's the longest!" the cattle truck has a dented roof.
 * When Henry leaves the docks, the leading two trucks are cattle trucks, even though two vans were in front of them when Diesel had shunted them all together.
 * In the first shot of Diesel at Brendam, he passes the cruise ship moored at the docks. But in the next shot, he passes it again. Also the trucks are arranged differently in the two shots.
 * Thomas is smiling during close-ups of him as Diesel shunts the trucks, but in long shots he looks suspicious.

Merchandise

 * Books - Diesel and the Troublesome Trucks
 * Magazine Stories - More Mischief! and Sodor's Strongest Engine

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * The Chocolate Crunch and other stories
 * Bumper Party Collection!
 * The Complete Sixth Series

DVD Packs

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

US

 * James and the Red Balloon (DVD)
 * Season 6 (Digital Download)

DVD Boxsets

 * Totally Thomas Volume 3

AUS

 * Thomas and the Jet Engine
 * The Complete Sixth Series
 * My First Thomas with Diesel

DVD Packs

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * My First Thomas
 * Series Five and Series Six Double Pack

NOR

 * Scaredy Engines (Norwegian DVD)

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Series 6 Vol.1
 * I Will Not Loose to the Diesel

PHL

 * The World's Strongest Engine (Philippine DVD)

ITA

 * Percy and the Haunted Mine (Italian DVD)

MYS

 * Busy Going Backwards and Other Adventures
 * Scaredy Engines and Other Thomas Adventures

SWE/DK

 * The World's Strongest Engine (Swedish DVD)

THA
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 14 (Thai DVD)
 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 21 (Thai DVD)