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- “Your colour's nice, James, pity about your face though.”
- ― Troublesome Trucks teasing James
James and the Trouble with Trees is the fifth episode of the fifth series. It aired back to back with Make Someone Happy on Storytime with Thomas in the US.
Plot
Thomas has been working at the coaling plant all day and is disappointed when he cannot receive a washdown due to a broken hosepipe and is afraid that the other engines will make fun of his dirty paintwork. However, when Thomas comes back to the sheds, he finds James boasting; James is being given a new coat of paint the next day, as the Fat Controller has told him that he is the pride of the line. Henry contradicts James by saying they are all pride of the line, but James ignores him and mocks Thomas when he says he needs a new coat of paint.
The next morning, while James is being repainted, Henry shunts some trucks, but they unintentionally run into a few solid boxes causing the first two to derail. James insults him, saying he should go talk to trees instead if he cannot push trucks carefully. Henry tells James that the Fat Controller has been working on removing trees that are too close to the line. Later, James meets Thomas, Percy and Terence while in the forest removing the trees. James thinks that trees are silly, so the others try to warn him, but the red engine just ignores them. He thinks the Fat Controller wants him to pull the express, so he sets off for the station at Kirk Ronan.
James then arrives at the station to collect the express, but it turns out that Fat Controller needs him to fetch an important goods train. James tells him that he has been repainted and asks him if Thomas and Percy can do it instead, but the Fat Controller does not care, telling him that Really Useful Engines don't argue. This puts James in a very bad mood. At the docks, the weather has changed significantly, and the trucks tease James about shunting before he sets off with the train. They soon reach a hill and begin to climb. An old tree by the side of the line is being blown by the wind. Rain has softened the soil and the tree slowly slides onto the tracks, blocking James' line. Immediately James comes to a stop and tries to reverse, but the train is too heavy. Luckily for him, Thomas comes to James' rescue. At first James is afraid Thomas would tease him, but he does not. Thomas helps James move out of the way before the tree falls over.
Back at the yard, James thanks Thomas. Edward comes in to tell them that The Fat Controller says that they are both brave engines. As a reward, Thomas will get a repaint, while James will finally pull the express.
Characters
- Thomas
- Edward
- Henry
- James
- Percy
- Troublesome Trucks
- Terence
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Gordon (cameo)
- Farmer Finney (cameo)
- The Painter (cameo)
- Duck (original concept)
Locations
- Kirk Ronan
- Wellsworth
- Brendam Docks
- Gordon's Hill
- The Unsafe Tree Hill
- The Coal Mines
- Tidmouth Sheds
- Shunting Yards
Trivia
- This episode is inspired by an event that occurred during David Maidment's time as stationmaster of Aberbeeg (1964-1965): During a storm, a tree slid down a bank and stood upright in the middle of the track between Ebbw Vale and Aberbeeg.
- The scene of the tree sliding down the embankment is similar to the scene in the 1970 British film adaptation of E. Nesbit's classic children's novel, The Railway Children, when the three children watch trees sliding down a cutting, causing rocks to fall onto the rails.
- Scrap pieces of the Märklin Engine and the goods engine from TUGS can be spotted at Wellsworth at the end.
- This is the last episode to feature Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Vans with faces.
- In the US version, when the Troublesome Trucks derail, the crash sounds are different from the UK version.
Goofs
- Thomas is covered in coal dust at the beginning of the episode, but when James is warned about the trees and when Thomas rescues James, Thomas is clean. Then when James apologises to Thomas, he is covered in coal dust again.
- In the Japanese version, Henry has Gordon's voice during the scene at Tidmouth Sheds.
- In the scene of Thomas and Percy looking angry, the latter's face is crooked.
- When James is being repainted, one of the painters' heads is on backwards.
- When Henry is shunting the trucks, he is coming from a dead end.
- James says he is to pull the express, but he couples up to red coaches.
- After James leaves Brendam Docks, his trucks lose their faces.
- In the first close-up of James looking shocked, his face is dry, but in the next close-up of him looking shocked, his face is wet. Also, the edge of the set can be seen.
- When James' driver applies his brakes to prevent hitting the tree, James' pony truck is derailed.
- From James' point-of-view when he stops in front of the tree, the camera was obviously wet, as a white smudge mark can be seen across the tree trunk.
- In the second and third close-ups of James looking shocked, a white light is seen in the top-left corner and James is on the other side of the set as the tree can be seen behind him.
- At the shunting yard, the two trucks to James' right move positions between the wide and close-up shots.
- When Thomas is being coupled up to James' brake van, he is some centimetres away from it, but when Thomas says "I'm ready!" his buffers are touching the brake van's buffers.
- When Thomas and James start to back away from the tree, Thomas' driver's head looks up, possibly coming off its joints. In addition, the tree is standing up again and James' brake pipe is crooked.
- James has a different whistle sound when he leaves the forest, Kirk Ronan and Brendam Docks.
Merchandise
- Wooden Railway (discontinued)
- Take Along (discontinued)
In Other Languages
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Home Media Releases
UKDVD BoxsetsUS
DVD PacksAUS
DVD Packs
NZ
SWEGERDVD BoxsetsNORSVN
JPN
MYSDKITAGRDVD BoxsetsWALHKTHATWN |
| #01 Cranky Bugs | #10 Toby and the Flood | #19 Happy Ever After |
| #02 Horrid Lorry | #11 Haunted Henry | #20 Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday |
| #03 A Better View for Gordon | #12 Double Teething Troubles | #21 A Surprise for Percy |
| #04 Lady Hatt's Birthday Party | #13 Stepney Gets Lost | #22 Make Someone Happy |
| #05 James and the Trouble with Trees | #14 Toby's Discovery | #23 Busy Going Backwards |
| #06 Gordon and the Gremlin | #15 Something in the Air | #24 Duncan Gets Spooked |
| #07 Bye George! | #16 Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach | #25 Rusty and the Boulder |
| #08 Baa! | #17 Thomas and the Rumours | #26 Snow |
| #09 Put Upon Percy | #18 Oliver's Find | |