Down at the Station

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Down at the Station is a series of informative live-action segments featured on Thomas & Friends DVDs in the UK and in between episodes on PBS in the US, as well as the official Thomas & Friends YouTube channel. They are produced by Leighton Cheal and directed by Ben Hall. In the series, real operating railways are presented, showing what passengers do during journeys, and informing viewers of what railway staff do at work.

The first videos of the series were filmed at the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway and the Llangollen Railway.

In the seventeenth series, these segments were succeeded by Mr. Perkins' Railway and were hosted by Mr. Perkins.

Segments

Passengers (Hero of the Rails DVD; UK and AUS, "Friends and Family", US)
The Railway Line (Creaky Cranky DVD; UK, "Working Well", US)
Water (Misty Island Rescue DVD; UK and AUS, "Giving and Sharing", US)
Whistle (Wobbly Wheels and Whistles DVD; UK, "Laughing Together", US)
Steam Engine (The Lion of Sodor DVD; UK, Marvellous Moments!; US)
Morning (Pop Goes Thomas DVD; UK, Season 16 (Digital Download) "A Friend in Need"; US)
Diesel Engines (Day of the Diesels DVD; UK and AUS, Season 16 (Digital Download) "All Together Now"; US)
The Driver (The Birthday Express DVD; UK, "Best Times", US)
The Guard/The Conductor (US) (Thomas in Charge! DVD; UK, Season 16 (Digital Download) "If a Job's Worth Doing"; US)
Fireman (Up, Up and Away! DVD; UK, "Good Deeds", US)
Coal (Merry Winter Wish DVD; UK, "Clever Ideas", US)
The Level Crossing (Rescue on the Rails DVD; UK, Season 16 (Digital Download) "Let it Snow"; US)
The Signalman (Curious Cargo; UK, "Safe and Sound", US)
Going Backwards (Sticky Situations; UK, "Slow Down", US)
The End of the Line/End of the Line (US) (Go Go Thomas! DVD; UK, Season 16 (Digital Download) "Don't Give Up"; US)
Evening (Muddy Matters DVD; UK, "Busy Days", US)
Points (Merry Christmas, Thomas! DVD; UK, "Giving and Sharing", US)
Engines (Big Bang Surprise DVD; UK, "Out and About", US)
The Engine Shed (Official Thomas and Friends YouTube Channel; UK, Season 16 (Digital Download) "Chuffing with Pride"; US)
The Engineer/The Workman (Official Thomas and Friends YouTube Channel; UK, "Playing with Friends", US)

Trivia

The name of this series of shorts uses the same name as the popular children's nursery rhyme often named Down By The Station.
The segments were part of the half hour blocks on TV, but although both Leighton Cheal and Ben Hall were credited on the Nick Jr. UK broadcasts, they were cut out.
In the segment "Evening", a locomotive made up to look like Thomas can be seen in a shot of the yards.
Both Spencer's and the Rainbow Sun's whistles are heard throughout the segments.
The Engine Shed is the only segment not to be released on physical home media despite being online and on streaming.

Goofs

At the end of the original "Whistle" segment, the camera on top of an engine's roof gets knocked over by a tree branch. This was later cut from the video, but it is still shown in the Wobbly Wheels and Whistles UK DVD.
"The End of the Line" was renamed "End of the Line" in the US, but Michael Brandon still says "The End of the Line".
During "Fireman", a camera crane and a cameraman are seen.
When the driver first uncouples the engine in "The End of the Line", the locomotive is facing away from the carriages, but in the next shot the locomotive is facing towards the carriages (its reflection is in the carriage window).