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"You must slow down and take care!"
"I am taking care! Taking care to finish first, I'm going to pull the presents' train!"
― Edward and James

Keeping Up with James is the twenty-fifth episode of the ninth series.

Plot

The Christmas season has arrived on Sodor. The engines are getting their snowploughs fitted at the fitter's yard. The Fat Controller tells them that when the lines are clear from snow, that one of the engines would get to take the presents train to the Christmas party at Knapford as an award. James is teamed with Edward to clear a path through the snow to Knapford. This ends up enraging James, who wants to get all of his jobs done quickly so that he can pull the present train and does not like how slow Edward always is. A furious James overtakes Edward and passes Henry who tells him to slow down, but James is not listening to Henry as he is still thinking about pulling the present train and is soon going at high speeds on the icy tracks sliding all the way to Maithwaite.

James and Edward later go to collect coal from the coaling plant. Edward arrives at Knapford a little later then James, which makes James impatient. During the journey, James slides excitedly down Gordon's Hill to Edward's shock. He tries to warn James to take care on the icy tracks while they are filling up with coal, but to no avail. James starts to go faster and is enjoying himself. But his enjoyment is short lived. His wheels start slipping on the icy tracks. He and Edward try to brake, but James zooms off the tracks into the snow, much to both his and Edward's shock.

Later, the Fat Controller arrives onboard Salty, cross that the two engines were not taking care. James owns up that he was the one hurrying in an attempt to finish first to collect the presents train despite Edward wanting to go slow. After telling James that he will not be doing that, the Fat Controller gives the job to Edward as he has been more careful. He warns Edward that the present train is very heavy, so James offers to be Edward's back engine, and the Fat Controller gladly agrees on this idea, as long as James puffs slowly and carefully. Once Edward helps James back onto the tracks, they pick up the presents train and James is quick to listen to Edward when taking care. Once they deliver the presents, James thanks Edward and says how much of a really useful blue engine he is.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • Going by production order, this is the twenty-third episode of the ninth series.
  • The episode was criticised when the 2011 UK and Irish DVD releases of Little Engines Big Days Out altered the dialogue from Christmas and Christmas trees to "winter holidays" and "trees with decorations". Hilary Fortnam expressed her disapproval of this alteration, saying that her father would be distressed over the removal of religious references from his stories.
  • A deleted scene shows Thomas and Percy passing James and Edward. An alternate angle of the same scene is edited for a promotional image to show Thomas wearing a Day Out with Thomas face.
  • Percy's snowplough is Duck's from the sixth series episode, Toby Had a Little Lamb.
  • This episode marks:
  • The heads and scarfs of the Fat Controller's assistants that were made for this episode are now owned by Twitter user ModelsThomas.

Goofs

  • When Edward and James pull the presents train down Gordon's Hill, the narrator says that James applied his brakes, but his wheels still continue moving.
  • When James' wheels start slipping and sliding for the third time, a small red wire can be seen in front of his middle wheel.
  • When James realises he is going too fast, he applies his brakes, but his wheels are visibly still moving in the very next shot.
  • Before James crashes into the snow, the track can be seen sloping towards the spot where he crashes.
  • James' leading wheels are derailed in the first scene of him and Edward clearing snow.
  • James stops as the scene fades to him and Edward going up Gordon's Hill with the empty trucks.
  • When James and Edward leave the coaling plant, the chuffing sound is heard before they start moving.
  • The signalbox at the beginning has a sign for Bluff's Cove despite being in a different location.

Merchandise

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Arabic المتابعة مع جيمس
Brazilian Portuguese Alcançando James
Chinese Mandarin 跟上詹姆士
Croatian U korak s Juricom
Czech Jak dohonit Jakuba
Danish James og Julegavetoget
Dutch Op Glad ijs
Finnish Jaskan kanssa reissussa
French James est Trop Pressé!
German James hat es zu eilig
Hungarian James sietni akar
Indonesian Menyamai Cepatnya James
Italian Tenere il Passo di James
Japanese ジェームスについていく
Korean 제임스와 선물 짐차
Latin American Spanish Alcanzando a James
Norwegian Holde følge med James
Polish Trzymając się z Kubą
Romanian Ținând Pasul cu James
Russian Поспевая за Джеймсом
Scottish Gaelic Suemas Cabhagach
Spanish James Quiere ser el Primero
Swedish Bråttom, bråttom!
Turkish James'e Ayak Uydurmak

Home Media Releases

UK

DVD Boxsets

AUS

  • Little Engines Big Days Out
  • The Complete Series 9

DVD Boxsets

US

CAN

DVD Boxsets

DK

NOR/SWE

FIN

CZ

HUN

THA

CHN

  • Holiday Express

MYS

ZA

SPN

DVD Boxsets

JPN

KOR

HK

TWN


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