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- “That old tub?! Gordon tricked me, he wants me to get dirty! I'll show him! A shiny engine like me never gets dirty!”
- ― James finding out that the Queen of Sodor is actually an old barge
James and the Queen of Sodor is the seventh episode of the seventh series.
Plot
James is very proud of his bright red paint and thinks his work is very important. One day, he is at the washdown when Percy arrives from the quarry. His whistle is clogged with quarry dust, so he blows hard to clean it. But he lets off steam, accidentally blowing mud from the ground all over Gordon, making the latter cross. James brags that he is collecting the mayor today, which Gordon thinks should be his job. But James laughs and tells him that he needs a wash first. James collects the mayor and puffs on his way.
Later at Tidmouth Sheds, the Fat Controller asks for a volunteer to collect the Queen of Sodor, a leaky old barge. James pulls into the sheds, which gives Gordon an idea; as James was not there to hear the entire conversation, Gordon loudly asks if collecting the Queen of Sodor is important, which the Fat Controller says it is. James announces that he will collect her and sets off happily while Gordon sees that his plan is working.
James arrives at Brendam Canal and is furious to see that the Queen of Sodor is a rusty, grimy old barge. He realizes that Gordon conned him, and James is determined to prove that a shiny engine never gets dirty, so he sets off with the Queen of Sodor.
Throughout his very long journey, James tries his hardest not to get dirty. He does not notice a pipe stretched across in front of the boat. The Queen of Sodor crashes through the pipe, pouring sludge all over the boat and the tracks. However, James stops in time and manages to stay clean and shiny. After the mess is cleared up and the barge's wheelhouse and funnel are cut down, James puffs on his way, finally reaching the smelter's shed clean and shiny.
When James returns to the sheds, Gordon is surprised to see him still clean. Then Percy arrives back from the quarry and moans that his whistle is clogged with dust again. He warns James to watch out and blows hard, spraying dust from the ground all over a furious James. Thomas teases him by telling him that now he is the one who needs a wash, but James insists that he is still a splendid engine, joking that he will be reddier than ever.
Characters
- Thomas
- Gordon
- James
- Percy
- Sir Topham Hatt
- The Second Dock Manager
- Duck (groans only)
- Henry (cameo)
- Mavis (cameo)
- 'Arry and Bert (cameos)
- Salty (cameo)
- Annie and Clarabel (cameos)
- Butch (cameo)
- The Sodor Ironworks Manager (cameo)
- Oliver (stock footage cameo)
- Skarloey (stock footage cameo)
- Toad (stock footage cameo)
- Red Narrow Gauge Coaches (stock footage cameos)
- The First Mayor of Sodor (mentioned)
Locations
- Tower Windmill
- The Mountain Village
- Tidmouth Sheds
- Suddery Castle
- Brendam Docks
- Sodor Ironworks
- Tidmouth Tunnel (stock footage)
- Crovan's Gate (stock footage)
- Dryaw (stock footage)
- Ffarquhar Quarry (mentioned)
Trivia
- Going by production order, this is the sixth episode of the seventh series.
- Stock footage from Oliver Owns Up, extended stock footage from Four Little Engines, and mirrored stock footage from James and the Red Balloon is used.
- For the US, this was made as classic stock footage due to the this series being paired with the eighth series and made as part of the HiT model era.
- Toad's scrap model from Escape can be seen when James enters the smelter's yard as well as City of Truro and one of the Scottish twins' scrap models.
- In a promotional image, James is in Duck's place at Tidmouth Sheds at the end.
- Other than a simple groan with the other engines, Duck does not have any lines of dialogue.
- This episode marks the only appearance of the Queen of Sodor.
- This episode marks the last with four things:
- If groaning with Gordon and Percy in that episode counts, this marks Duck's last speaking role until the twelfth series episode, Excellent Emily, along with his only speaking role in the seventh series and his last speaking role in the Classic Series.
- The last episode to use James's ending ditty from the fifth series, as well as the only seventh series episode to use said ditty.
- Mavis's last appearance in the Classic Series.
- The LT warehouse from Tugs makes an appearance.
- Toad's faceless model can be seen near Tidmouth Sheds at the end.
- This episode marks the first of four things:
- The first mention of the Mayor of Sodor in the television series.
- The Dockyard Manager's first speaking role.
- The first episode with "Sodor" in the title.
- The first appearance of Brendam Canal since the third series episode, Heroes.
- In the Finnish dub of this episode, instead of the other engines groaning, James says the last line in the end of the episode, being "Oh no!".
Goofs
- Since stock footage is used:
- Skarloey has his brass ring around his funnel, and he also looks cross when the narrator says: "They are happiest when the Fat Controller gives them important work to do."
- Annie and Clarabel are in their old orange-brown liveries and the former is also facing the wrong way.
- Tidmouth Tunnel appears in its original design and the lake next to the tunnel is bigger.
- As the stock footage from James and the Red Balloon is mirrored, James' number 5 looks like it has been flipped over.
- When James leaves Gordon and Percy, his eyes are misaligned.
- When James passes Suddery Castle, his face is missing.
- When Gordon passes under the bridge and says "Show off," the first coach in his train slightly shakes.
- The Queen of Sodor is said to be going to the workshops, but she is really going to the Smelter's.
- When James arrives to collect the Queen of Sodor, Salty can be seen shunting trucks. But in James' close-ups, Salty is already round the bend and appears to have stopped.
- The first close-up shot of the Queen of Sodor is mirrored as the dockside and ships are on her left side, instead of her right.
- Throughout the scene of James arriving to collect the Queen of Sodor, a three-roofed building (seen across the canal) appears to change position in separate shots.
- When the barge crashes through the pipe, during the facial shots of James, he appears to be beside a cement base supporting the pipes. But in back-end shots, he is several centimetres from the base. Then, as James says "Shiny and clean, shiny and clean!", he is beside the cement base again.
- In the far shot of the sludge flowing all over the barge, the end of the set can be seen on James' track. In the top-left corner of the same shot, a building can also be seen placed upon two tracks.
- When the narrator says; "It was a long journey to the workshops," James appears to be on the other side of the set where the barge's funnel smashes the pipe, as the cement bases for the pipe can be seen in the top-right corner of the screen.
- When James returns to the sheds, his front pony truck is too high up and is not touching the rails.
- When James returns to the sheds, Henry can be seen next to Gordon, but in the shot of Gordon when he asks James how he managed to stay so clean, Henry disappears for the rest of the episode.
- When James returns to the sheds, Mavis can be seen shunting trucks and a line of trucks (containing an open wagon truck, a salt wagon and a cattle truck) is one the siding next to her. But when Percy arrives, Mavis can be seen reversing that very line of trucks back into the siding.
- When Percy arrives from the quarry, Henry can be seen rotating on the turntable, but in the close-up of mud splattering Gordon, Henry has stopped midway on the turntable. Then, in the two close-ups of Gordon looking cross, Henry has now fully turned round.
- In the final scene, both Thomas' and Duck's eyes are misaligned.
Quotes
- James: Keep your dirt away from me! I'm collecting the mayor today!
- Gordon: I should do that.
- James: Really? You need a washdown first!
- Gordon: Pah!
________________________________________________________
- Gordon: Is collecting the Queen of Sodor important work, too?
- The Fat Controller: Very important work. Do I have a volunteer?
- James: Very important work? I'll do it!
- The Fat Controller: Then it's settled. She's waiting at the canal.
- James: Thank you, sir!
________________________________________________________
- Narrator: Just then, Percy returned from the quarry.
- Percy: My whistle is clogged again, watch out James!
- [Percy tries blowing his whistle, and James is covered in quarry dust]
- Narrator: Dust went everywhere.
- Percy: I did warn you!
- Thomas: You'll need a washdown now!
- James: Good! [snorted James] It'll make me reddier than ever! [all engines groan]
Merchandise
In Other Languages
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| #01 Emily's New Coaches | #10 Toby's Windmill | #19 Bulgy Rides Again |
| #02 Percy Gets It Right | #11 Bad Day at Castle Loch | #20 Harold and the Flying Horse |
| #03 Bill, Ben and Fergus | #12 Rheneas and the Roller Coaster | #21 The Grand Opening |
| #04 The Old Bridge | #13 Salty's Stormy Tale | #22 Best Dressed Engine |
| #05 Edward's Brass Band | #14 Snow Engine | #23 Gordon and Spencer |
| #06 What's the Matter with Henry? | #15 Something Fishy | #24 Not So Hasty Puddings |
| #07 James and the Queen of Sodor | #16 The Runaway Elephant | #25 Trusty Rusty |
| #08 The Refreshment Lady's Tea Shop | #17 Peace and Quiet | #26 Three Cheers for Thomas |
| #09 The Spotless Record | #18 Fergus Breaks the Rules | |