| This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the German VHS, the Ladybird book, the Buzz Book or the magazine story. |
- “Pay Percy out!”
- ― The trucks
Percy's Predicament is the twentieth episode of the second series. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book Branch Line Engines.
Plot
Daisy's time on the Island of Sodor is going well for her, but badly for everyone else. Not only is she frightened of bulls and cows, she remains lazy, bad-tempered and stubborn, refusing to do jobs she does not want to do.
Percy is grumpily shunting trucks one day as Toby pulls in, noticing that Daisy has once again refused to take the milk tanker. Percy remarks that he will have to make a special trip with it after his usual work is done. Wanting to help, Toby offers to take the milk if Percy fetches his trucks from the quarry in return. Their crews agree to this and Percy sets off.
Percy goes to the quarry to fetch the trucks and starts enjoying himself by ordering the trucks about. The trucks do not take kindly to another engine entering the quarry and giving them orders, so they decide to pay Percy out. Once the trucks are arranged and coupled behind Percy, they lure him into a false sense of security by following him so quietly that he thinks they are under control. When Percy sees a sign ordering trains to pin down their brakes, he whistles to the guard to apply the brakes. Just then, the trucks make their move and push him along down the line, leaving Percy whistling frantically for help. The signalman at the level crossing rushes out to warn traffic with his red flag, but is too late to switch Percy to the runaway siding. Percy, still going too fast, swerves into the goods yard and crashes into a brake van, destroying it and perching himself on top of the remains of a truck. His driver and fireman have managed to jump clear, but Percy is left stranded.
"What Toby doesn't know about branch line problems isn't worth knowing. Our Toby's an experienced engine."
The next day, Toby and Daisy arrive to help clear up the mess. The Fat Controller arrives too and is angry as he speaks to Percy; the branch line will now have to be run with just Toby and a diesel, putting them in an awkward predicament. Percy - very much stuck in his own predicament - understands fully what the Fat Controller means. The Fat Controller then tells Percy that he has to be left where he is until the wreckage is cleared up, and to be more careful with trucks in the future. The Fat Controller then turns to Daisy and tells her off for her laziness, declaring that his engines work hard, while he sends lazy ones like her away. Daisy feels ashamed, but the Fat Controller decides to give her another chance, as Toby vouched for her on how hard she worked after Percy's accident. Daisy is grateful and promises to work hard with Toby's help. Knowing Toby has a lot of experience with running a branch line, the Fat Controller is satisfied.
The next day, Thomas returns from the Works, fully mended and feeling much better. Happily reunited with Annie and Clarabel, he takes them for a run at once, while Percy is sent to the Works to be repaired. All the engines are now friends and Daisy learns a lot from Toby, leading her to become a Really Useful Engine. She even manages to shoo a stray cow off the line unassisted.
Characters
- Percy
- Toby
- Daisy
- Troublesome Trucks
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Thomas (does not speak)
- Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
- Henrietta (does not speak)
- Troublesome Van (cameo)
- The New Ffarquhar Constable (cameo)
Locations
Trivia
- In the US, this episode, along with Daisy, were the only episodes from the first three series that were never shown on Shining Time Station at all. This was due to Rick Siggelkow's disapproval of her design[3]. As a result, both episodes featuring Daisy first appeared on the Daisy and Other Thomas Stories VHS which was originally released on October 6, 1993. However, these two episodes did air on TV as part of Mister Moose's Fun Time in 1998. Rick's disapproval of Daisy also resulted in her absence in the third series.
- Stock footage from Percy Runs Away and Percy and Harold is used.
- One small truck wears the Spiteful Brake Van's angry face.
- A promotional image shows that Thomas came back just before Toby was coupled up to Percy's flatbed. Also, the van behind Toby does not have a face.
- In both UK and US dubs and the Ukrainian voice-over, the sign says "All Trains Stop to Pin Down Brakes." In the Welsh dub, it says "Stop! All trains to wait." And in the Norwegian dub, it says "To all trains. Stop! The brakes must be checked," though the narrator just reads "Stop! All brakes must be checked." However, the Norwegian sign wasn't used in the episode itself, it was only used in Barnas Favoritter VHS trailer.
- The All Trains Stop to Pin Down Brakes hill is actually the elevated road area at Elsbridge Station but with track laid over it.
- This is the first episode to feature short wheelbase trucks with faces.
- This marks a few things for Daisy:
- Her last appearance until the fourth series episode, Rusty to the Rescue
- Her only appearance in the Clearwater Features era.
- Her last episode with a leading role (and speaking role) until the fourth series episode, Bulls Eyes. Both episodes, coincidentally, were shown together in an airing of Storytime with Thomas.
Goofs
- Throughout the episode:
- Percy's left (viewers' right) cylinder is loose.
- Percy only has half of his screw-link coupling.
- Percy's trucks' faces also continuously disappear and reappear.
- When Daisy passes the cows, she hits a bush close to the tracks.
- In the aerial shot of the Quarry:
- The narrator says "Percy had never been to the Quarry before," even though he met Toby and collected a goods train from there in Percy and Harold due to portions of the script being taken verbatim from the original book.
- He shunts four trucks together and there is also a gap between the last two trucks and the brake van but in the very next scene; a fifth truck appears and the brake van is now behind the last one.
- At the Quarry and scrap yard and stock footage, Percy's brake van is a BR 20 Ton, but at the Quarry Tramroad, crossing and yard, it is replaced with an SR 25.
- When the first truck says "Pay Percy out!", its face is on the back end.
- When Percy says "Come along," the truck on the right of the screen does not have a chain on his hook.
- When Percy backs down on to the line of trucks, his face is hanging loose.
- Because stock footage is used, Percy's load of gravel changes into stone slabs and Percy is also smiling when he cries "Help! Help!"
- When Percy passes by the signalbox, the signalman moves slightly, since Percy's weight moves the ground where the signalman is standing.
- When Percy runs into the yard, his eyes are misaligned.
- When Percy crashes into the brake van:
- A stone used to lift Percy on top of the trucks is seen on the track that the brake van is on.
- His whistle is crooked.
- Percy's cab reveals part of the motor casting after the accident, during the panning shot from Toby to Daisy to Percy.
- Percy's face moves a bit when he talks to the Fat Controller after his accident.
- When Thomas couples up to Annie and Clarabel, his driver is facing the back. However, when he puffs away, his driver is still looking back.
- When Toby takes Percy away, Percy isn't chained up and the chains are dangling towards the sleepers.
Quotes
- (after the accident)
- The Fat Controller: We must now try to run the branch line with Toby and a diesel. You have put us in an awkward predicament.
- Percy: I am sorry, sir.
- The Fat Controller: You can stay there till we are ready. Perhaps it will teach you to be careful with trucks.
- Narrator: Percy sighed. The trucks groaned beneath his wheels. He quite understood about awkward predicaments. The Fat Controller spoke severely to Daisy, too.
- The Fat Controller: My engines work hard. I send lazy engines away.
- Narrator: Daisy was ashamed.
- The Fat Controller: However, Toby says you worked hard after Percy's accident, so, you shall have another chance.
- Daisy: Thank you, sir. I will work hard, sir. Toby says he'll help me.
- The Fat Controller: Excellent. What Toby doesn't know about branch line problems isn't worth knowing. Our Toby's an experienced engine.
In Other Languages
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Merchandise
- Ladybird book - Daisy and Percy's Predicament and Woolly Bear
- Buzz Book - Percy's Predicament
- My Thomas Story Library book - Daisy
- Magazine Story - Percy's Predicament
Home Video Releases
Episode
References
| #01 Thomas, Percy and the Coal | #10 The Runaway | #19 Daisy |
| #02 Cows | #11 Percy Takes the Plunge | #20 Percy's Predicament |
| #03 Bertie's Chase | #12 Pop Goes the Diesel | #21 The Diseasel |
| #04 Saved from Scrap | #13 Dirty Work | #22 Wrong Road |
| #05 Old Iron | #14 A Close Shave | #23 Edward's Exploit |
| #06 Thomas and Trevor | #15 Better Late than Never | #24 Ghost Train |
| #07 Percy and the Signal | #16 Break Van | #25 Woolly Bear |
| #08 Duck Takes Charge | #17 The Deputation | #26 Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree |
| #09 Percy and Harold | #18 Thomas Comes to Breakfast | Cancelled: The Missing Coach |
| Cancelled: Gordon Goes Foreign | ||