Thomas the Tank Engine Wiki
This article is about the German audiobook. You may be looking for the special, the book, the colouring book, the other colouring book, the Leapster game or the segments.


Calling All Engines! is a German audiobook that is based on the special of the same name.

Plot[]

An airport is built on Sodor so that more tourists can visit the island. The Fat Controller's announcement of this news makes Thomas and the other steam locomotives excited. Everyone eagerly gets to work, but 'Arry and Co., the usually rather grouchy diesel engines, are supposed to help, too. This leads to growing tensions, because diesel and steam locomotives cannot really stand each other. A storm, that invades major parts of the island and not only destroys the beautiful Sodor Suspension Bridge but almost the entire airport-construction site, questions the development of tourist-arrival so much, that only a determined new beginning of the relationship between diesel and steam engines can help. And then, Thomas has a dream: He goes to Mavis! Can she help?

Cast[]

Some children, workmen and a guard speak, too. It is unknown who voiced them.

Trivia[]

  • The audiobook caused some slight controversies because for one, the names of many characters and locations are articulated with a much stronger German pronunciation, like in the other audiobooks. However, what was much more criticised was some rather strong language within the insults of the steam and diesel engines to each other.
  • The songs Busy, Trying and the Engine Roll Call from the special were re-used, but also re-sung and some of the lyrics were altered.
    • Trying was also shortened.
    • One of the lyric-changes include the Engine Roll Call where the words "brown" and "blue" are swapped, because the German word for "brown" rhymes better with the rest of the lyrics. They were not able to do so in the television series as the colours of the engines are shown there.
  • Some engines are described as being different than in the television series:
    • Mavis is male and is also said to have a similar face to Thomas.
    • Henry is referred to as being the fastest engine instead of Gordon. During the storm-scene, Henry is also afraid of "getting his migraine", implying that he is often affected by it.
    • Percy and Edward are described as the two main-shunting engines.
    • Diesel is said to be grey instead of black and equipped with automatic couplings.
      • The same goes for switches, that are also said to be automatic.
    • Diesel 10 uses the third person when he is talking to others.
  • Sir Topham Hatt says that "his doctor has forbidden him to get cross", which might be a reference to the first series episode The Sad Story of Henry.
  • Edward is mentioned a lot of times and present during many scenes, but does not speak at all.
  • The Sodor Suspension Bridge is described as being blue instead of green.
  • A musical theme from the first series composed by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell is used after Thomas talks to Diesel 10.
  • The ending is much shorter as Diesel 10 already joins the meeting of steam and diesel engines and from there, it is just said that the airport could now be constructed and Tidmouth Sheds got an additional berth for Emily.

Goofs[]

  • Clarabel's name is misspelt "Clarabelle" in the credits.
  • The songs Trying and Busy are swapped around, causing them to not quite fit in the context:
    • Trying is a song about steam and diesel engines, but it is played before the diesel engines are introduced.
    • The Sodor Suspension Bridge is mentioned during Busy, but it is already destroyed at that point.
  • While being male in the audiobook, Mavis is still referred to as being female in the description, like in the television and Railway Series.

Gallery[]