For other uses, see Elizabeth (disambiguation). |
- "Oh, it's you. Have you learned to drive properly yet?"
- ― Elizabeth upon reuniting with the Fat Controller
Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry, retitled Elizabeth the Vintage Quarry Truck on the majority of North American releases, is the fifth episode of the sixth series.
Plot

"Do you mind?! I'm trying to sleep!"
Thomas is pulling a special to Brendam, which is heavy, and because he puffs very hard, he breaks his siderods in the process. Thomas' crew see an old disused shed, which Thomas thinks is haunted. But instead of finding a ghost inside, Thomas' crew discover a vintage Sentinel lorry named Elizabeth. She has been sheeted for many years and has not been out since. Thomas' fireman puts some of Thomas' coal in her fire, and soon she is out and working again.
Although Elizabeth is initially hesitant and rude to Thomas, she drives off to the works to get new siderods for him. She still is not quite ready yet and discovers that her engine can only just manage hills when she climbs them, but at last she returns and Thomas sets off to the docks.
He arrives just in time for the boat, but the Fat Controller is cross that he is almost late. Thomas explains about his siderods, and is just about to tell him about how rude Elizabeth was, when she pulls up. It turns out the Fat Controller drove Elizabeth when he was younger, and he has Jem Cole restore her to her original beauty. Even after everything, Thomas ends up admitting how grand she looks on the whole railway.
Characters
- Thomas
- Elizabeth
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Jem Cole (does not speak)
- Edward (cameo)
- James (cameo)
- Duck (cameo)
- Donald (cameo)
- Annie (cameo)
- Trevor (cameo)
- Sir Topham Hatt's Brown-haired Assistant (cameo)
- Big Mickey (faceless; cameo)
Locations
- Tidmouth Beach
- The Seaside Village
- Jem Cole's Yard
- Elizabeth's Shed
- Brendam Docks
- The Church Runby (deleted scene)
- The Fitters Yard (mentioned)
Trivia
- This episode was filmed on 24th-25th January 2002.
- The shed Thomas' crew find Elizabeth in was later used as Toby's shed at Arlesdale End from the seventh series onwards.
- When Thomas' crew took some coal from his bunker for Elizabeth, his driver's head was digitally edited with the close-up scale model's head.
- The CiTV continuity of this episode during the end credits featured Leah Charles King holding up a drawing of Thomas, Percy and James sent in by Daniel Coffey, when it was repeated on 17th February 2003.
- When this episode was released on the Thomas and the Jet Engine Australian DVD/VHS and aired on CITV in the United Kingdom, the widescreen version was cropped to fullscreen.
- This is the first episode of several things:
- Elizabeth's first appearance.
- The first episode since the second series episode, Saved from Scrap that Jem Cole has been referred to by name.
- The first appearance of Thomas' tired face on his model since the second series episode, The Runaway, the first appearance overall since the third series episode, Diesel Does It Again, as Percy mistakenly used it as well as his sad face since the fourth series episode, Thomas and the Special Letter.
- The first episode since the third series to have a single character's name as the title.
- This episode marks the last physical appearance of The Seaside Village, not counting its stock footage appearance in the seventh series episode, Best Dressed Engine.
- This is the second episode where an engine has an issue that involves their siderods being removed in some way, the first being the second series episode, Edward's Exploit.
- An LMS poster can be seen on a signal box at one point.
- In the opening shot, Thomas is pulling the circus CCT van from Henry and the Elephant but with the "Topham Circus" lettering removed.
- There are several scenes that were left unused in the final scenes:
- A deleted scene shows Thomas puffing through the Runby Church in a rare picture.
- A deleted scene shows Thomas wearing his depressed face while warning his driver to be careful of the shed.
- A deleted scene of Thomas looking surprised to see Elizabeth when he first meets her.
- An extended scene of Thomas looking upset before he lets off steam.
- An extended scene of Donald pulling milk tankers passing Thomas before he breaks his side rods.
- An extended scene of Elizabeth driving out of the shed and passing Thomas to get him new side rods.
- An extended scene of Elizabeth driving back to Thomas looking pleased with herself.
- An extended scene of Thomas puffing away to the docks after his side rods are fixed.
Goofs
- In some close-ups of Elizabeth, her eye mechanism is visible inside her cab.
- Due to a different larger model being used for the close-up shot of Thomas' broken siderods, the damage is different compared to the rest of the episode; Thomas' standard Gauge 1 model has two separate siderod pieces that have fallen off his intact crankpins, while the close-up model has a single siderod broken in half and his crankpins sheared off.
- The right-hand pillar (viewer's perspective) of the bridge Elizabeth goes under wobbles a bit.
- Although the narrator says that Thomas is cross, he has his suspicious face.
- When Elizabeth asks "Have you learned to drive properly yet?" the steam Thomas blows disappears and reappears due to a film cut.
- There appear to be two Jem Coles at the end; one with the Fat Controller and the other driving Trevor.
- Two red wires can be seen in Thomas' cab window in a close-up of his driver.
- The whistle on Thomas' plastic model can be seen much further then on its usual place.
- In the UK dub, the Fat Controller signifies Elizabeth as the grandest lorry of the whole "railroad", which is the American term for "railway".
- In the scenes of Thomas looking worried, his eyes are misaligned, his face is tilted, and his lamp irons are also crooked.
Quotes
- Elizabeth: Do you mind?! I'm trying to sleep!
- Elizabeth: Oh, it's you. Have you learned to drive properly yet?
- Thomas: She's in for it now!
- The Fat Controller: Elizabeth, my first lorry! I thought you had been lost!
- The Fat Controller: You're the grandest lorry in the whole railroad.
- Elizabeth: I know.
In Other Languages
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Merchandise
- Books - Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry and Blessing in Disguise (Germany only)
- My Thomas Story Library book - Elizabeth
Home Video Releases
UKUK DVD Packs
US
CAN
US/CAN DVD BoxsetAUSAUS DVD Packs
MYS
PHLITANORDK/SWESVNTHAJPN
KORHKTWN |
#01 Salty's Secret | #10 Twin Trouble | #19 Buffer Bother |
#02 Harvey to the Rescue | #11 The World's Strongest Engine | #20 Toby Had a Little Lamb |
#03 No Sleep for Cranky | #12 Scaredy Engines | #21 Thomas, Percy and the Squeak |
#04 A Bad Day for Harold the Helicopter | #13 Percy and the Haunted Mine | #22 Thomas the Jet Engine |
#05 Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry | #14 Middle Engine | #23 Edward the Very Useful Engine |
#06 The Fogman | #15 James and the Red Balloon | #24 Dunkin Duncan |
#07 Jack Jumps In | #16 Jack Frost | #25 Rusty Saves the Day |
#08 A Friend in Need | #17 Gordon Takes a Tumble | #26 Faulty Whistles |
#09 It's Only Snow | #18 Percy's Chocolate Crunch | |