This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the book or the magazine story. |
- "Look! It's Duncan the Musical Engine!"
- ― Rusty
Faulty Whistles, shortened to Faulty Whistle in one North American release, is the twenty-sixth and final episode of the sixth series.
Plot
Duncan waits at a junction one morning for Peter Sam to deliver his goods to take to Strawberry Grove. He is also assigned the task to take the headmaster and the new organ. After having steamed overnight all the way to the morning to deliver Duncan his goods, Peter Sam is approaching the junction his whistle is knocked off by a branch. As a result, Peter Sam cannot run anywhere without a whistle as it would be unsafe. Duncan brags that an engine is not an engine without a whistle and lets off a big blast with his whistle, but the other engines ignore him. Duncan becomes offended while he sets off with his goods because he thinks the other engines are jealous of his whistle.
On the way, Duncan whistles at some sheep, but they are too busy eating to pay attention. Duncan becomes frustrated and thinks he needs to whistle louder and longer. He approaches a crossing where Elizabeth is carrying the Farmer's Prize Bull. As Duncan approaches the crossing, he whistles loud and long, startling the bull. Elizabeth scolds Duncan but to no avail as he finds it fun, not knowing that his whistle has become loose. When he sees Terence ploughing a field, he prepares to give him the same surprise. Unfortunately, he blows his whistle so hard that it simply flies off like a rocket and lands out of sight.
With his whistle nowhere to be found, Duncan's driver tells him they are stuck and cannot continue on. However, with Duncan carrying the organ destined for Strawberry Grove School, Duncan's crew cleverly decide to have Headmaster Hastings play the organ in lieu of Duncan's whistle, which alerts every person at stops during the delivery, despite Duncan not thinking so. When Duncan reaches home, he is teased by Rusty for being a "musical engine" while Rheneas and Skarloey whistle along. Peter Sam, having been in the works for a new whistle, tells Duncan that he was brave to go on and make his deliveries without a whistle, which cheers Duncan up. The headmaster makes one last "toot" on the organ and all the other engines whistle back in reply, except Duncan who just happily grins.
Characters
- Rheneas
- Peter Sam
- Duncan
- Rusty
- Elizabeth
- Headmaster Hastings
- Skarloey (speaks only in the UK dub; does not speak in US dub)
- Terence (does not speak)
- The Organ Boy (does not speak)
- Farmer Finney (not named; does not speak)
- Stepney (mistakenly mentioned in Finnish dub)
Locations
Trivia
- This episode appears to be a loose adaptation of The Railway Series story, Mike's Whistle. Peter Sam and Duncan take the roles of Duck and Mike respectively. The actual story was later adapted in the twentieth series episode of the same name.
- In the US dub, when Duncan passes Elizabeth at the level crossing, the chuffing sound is different from the UK dub.
- The organ plays the song "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain" while Duncan puffs around the Mountain Line.
- When Duncan delivers his trucks, music is played only in the UK dub.
- Headmaster Hastings is named after the episode's writer, Ross Hastings.
- During the production of this episode, Duncan's small-scale model was refurbished for the scene where he would blow his whistle at Terence. A gloss coat and a special weathering would have been applied to match the look of all other character models used in the series by this point. However, because the scene with Duncan and Terence featured the two at such a long distance from where the camera was stationed (thus making it so that they do not look out of scale), the large-scale model for Duncan was used instead. As a result, Duncan's small-scale model's refurbishment was left unfinished, and therefore, it was left unused for this episode.
- This episode is the first series finale in which Thomas and Percy do not appear.
- The broken cart from Twin Trouble can be seen next to a tree when Duncan approaches the field Terence is working at.
- This episode marks the last of a few things:
- The last episode narrated by Alec Baldwin in the US due to him pursuing other projects and Terje Strømdal in Norway, as well as by Vladimir Jurc in Slovenia until the thirteenth series.
- The last episode to have Britt Allcroft as an executive producer.
- The last episode to be produced solely by Gullane Entertainment.
- The last episode where Duncan has an American accent in the US dub.
- Counting this as a loose adaptation of Mike's Whistle, the last episode based on a story from the Railway Series until Tit for Tat.
- The last episode to feature music composed by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell in the US (not counting the seven episodes from seventh series on New Friends for Thomas and Thomas and the Jet Engine where it is retained).
- This episode marks a couple of things for Peter Sam:
- His first speaking role since the fourth series episode, Gallant Old Engine.
- His only speaking role in the sixth series.
- The first time his large scale fifth series sad face is used on-screen.
- The second time he loses a part of his body that was then replaced with a better one in the same episode; the first was his funnel in Special Funnel.
- This is the first appearance of Duncan's joyful face.
- There are a few deleted scenes from this episode including:
- The scene that revealed the spot where Duncan's whistle landed is featured in the music video for The Whistle Song.
- A scene of Peter Sam pulling the train he had in the opening with a sad face after he lost his whistle. This scene was in the Take Along Faulty Whistles Movie Car.
- A scene of Duncan going around a bend possibly before reaching the field. This scene was also featured in the Faulty Whistles Movie Car.
- In the magazine story adaptation, Musical Duncan, the bull is revealed to be owned by Sir Rackham.
Goofs
- In the beginning and the end of the episode, Peter Sam has Duncan's whistle sound.
- When Peter Sam crosses the bridge at the beginning of the episode, his cab is empty, and his whistle is also already missing.
- The narrator says, "The rest of the engines just ignored [Duncan]," but Peter Sam was the only one there.
- In the first shot of the camera "pulling" Duncan, at the bottom of the screen a wire is seen bouncing up and down.
- When Elizabeth is carrying the bull, her eyes are misaligned.
- In the scene where Duncan’s crew search for his whistle, Terence's model is out of scale compared to the trucks due to his gauge one model being seen close to them.
- In a promotional image, Duncan and Terence are seen closer together than they were in the episode, and because Duncan's large scale model was used next to Terence's regular gauge 1 model, they both look out of scale from each other. This is notable with Terence's driver being much smaller than Duncan's driver.
- In the close-up of Duncan's whistle flying off, his crew are not in his cab.
- A steam platform is visible when Duncan comes to a stop after losing his whistle.
- When Rheneas says "let's whistle along," Skarloey had Peter Sam's original whistle sound.
- In the Finnish dub, Skarloey was mistakenly called "Severi". which is the Finnish name for Stepney.
Quotes
- Peter Sam: [without his whistle] I can't run on the tracks without my whistle. It'd be too dangerous.
- Duncan: An engine is not an engine without a whistle.
- [after the whistle-less Duncan has returned with the headmaster, who is still playing his organ]
- Rusty: Look! It's Duncan the Musical Engine!
- Rheneas: Let's whistle along!
- Skarloey: Toot Toot!
- Peter Sam: You really did well to deliver your goods without a whistle.
- Duncan: Do you think so?
- Peter Sam: Absolutely, even though an engine's not an engine without a whistle. (whistles)
- Headmaster: Or an organ. (toots the organ)
- (the other engines whistle back in reply, except for Duncan, who just smiles)
In Other Languages
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Merchandise
- Take Along (four-pack and movie car; both discontinued)
- Books - Duncan and the Faulty Whistles and A Smart Idea (Germany only)
- Magazine stories - Musical Duncan
Home Media Releases
UKDVD Packs
WALUS
CAN
DVD BoxsetsAUS
DVD Packs
JPNMYS
NOR/DKDK DVD BoxsetsSWEPHLITAKORHKTHATWN |
#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 | |