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“Peter Sam said again and again
his new funnel will put ours to shame.
Went into the tunnel,
lost his old funnel.
Now his famous new funnel's a drain!”
― Sir Handel's song, teasing Peter Sam

Special Funnel is the eleventh episode of the fourth series. It is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book Gallant Old Engine.

Plot

,It is wintertime on Sodor. Ever since his accident at the Incline, Peter Sam has been having trouble with his damaged funnel wobbling in the strong wind. He is still awaiting a new funnel which he says, in the Manager's words, will be "something special" but the other engines tease his talk about a new funnel.

Heavy rain soon comes, causing streams to rise which threaten to wash away the line. Rusty is kept busy taking workmen along the line, removing any branches and leaves that prevent water from flowing. One day, a washout is reported near the tunnel and the bridge near it has been destroyed by a torrent, so Rusty and some workmen are sent to mend the bridge. This job, however, takes a long time and, as days pass, the rain ends but the weather becomes frosty and much colder.

A few days later, the bridge is mended and Peter Sam is chuffing carefully down the line with the morning passenger train. As he puffs through the tunnel, his driver spots an object hanging from the roof but is unable to stop Peter Sam from colliding with it. When Peter Sam exits the tunnel, he discovers that the object, revealed by the guard to be a large icicle, has knocked off his old funnel, which cannot be found. They continue on but Peter Sam finds it hard work with smoke billowing in all directions. When his fireman spots an old piece of drainpipe laying by the track, they fasten it to him with wires as a temporary funnel to control the smoke. When the other engines see Peter Sam with the drainpipe, they tease him relentlessly (especially Sir Handel, who sings a song about it).

Peter Sam's new funnel eventually arrives and is presented to him by the Fat Controller. The funnel has an unusual design and Peter Sam fears it has been "squashed," but the Fat Controller assures him it really is "something special." The new funnel has special pipes that make puffing much easier, giving Peter Sam much more strength when pulling trains. He is much happier with it, stating that he feels stronger then ever before. The other engines, especially Sir Handel, are impressed with how easy he makes work look. Since then, they have never teased Peter Sam about his special funnel; instead, they wish they could have one like it.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • Stock footage from Granpuff is used.
  • This episode marks:
  • In the original UK dub:
    • The music bits at the beginning of this episode and the scene when Peter Sam had to use a pipe are omitted.
    • Most of Peter Sam's whistle sound bits are also omitted.
    • Sir Handel's song is heard later.
  • The wind sound effect from The Empire Strikes Back can be heard in this episode.

Goofs

  • In the close-up shots of Peter Sam's funnels, his face, which is actually Duke's, is a different size. This is because a larger model was used for close-ups.
  • Peter Sam has Duke's original whistle sound when he arrives at the Sheds.
  • Rheneas appears, even though he is supposed to be at the Works.
  • Rusty's driver is smiling when he brings the bad news about the washout.
  • During the overhead shot of Peter Sam entering the tunnel, the steam goes off too late.
  • Peter Sam's funnel is completely knocked off, yet when he receives his new one, the base is still left intact.
  • The narrator said that the drain pipe was wired to Peter Sam's boiler, however, it was actually attached to his front with ropes.
  • When Peter Sam pulls into the Sheds, the "wheeshing" sound is heard just before the steam.
  • In the close-up of Sir Handel, his eyes are misaligned.
  • Despite the line "Oh dear, someone squashed it!" being taken from the original book, the new funnel presented in the series does not look flattened or squashed in any way.
  • As Peter Sam passes Skarloey and Rheneas, a camera's shadow is seen.
  • In the last shot, either Skarloey or Rheneas has Duke's whistle sound.
  • In a promotional image, Peter Sam is wearing Sir Handel's sad face.

Quotes

Peter Sam: My funnel feels wobbly. I wish manager would hurry up with my new one. He says it would be something special.
All Skarloey Railway Engines: [laugh] You and your special funnel!
Narrator: They were fond of Peter Sam but his special funnel had become quite a joke.

Rusty's Driver: There's been a washout near the tunnel. The track bed had been swept away. We must repair the damage immediately!

Peter Sam: Oh dear. Someone squashed it!
The Fat Controller: Don't worry, Peter Sam, this funnel is something special indeed. You'll soon see.

Peter Sam: I feel stronger than ever before.
Sir Handel: I can't understand it. Peter Sam just seems to stroll along the line. He makes work look so easy.
Narrator: The engines don't laugh at Peter Sam's funnel now. They wished they had one like it!

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Albanian Një oxhak special
Brazilian Portuguese A chaminé especial
Chinese Mandarin 特殊的烟囱
Czech Mimořádný komín
Danish Den specielle skorsten
Dutch Speciale schoorsteen
Finnish Veturin erikoispiippu
German Der Ersatzschornstein
Greek Το καινούριο φουγάρο του Πέτρος
Hungarian A különleges kémény
Italian Una ciminiera speciale
Japanese とくせいのえんとつ
Korean 피터 샘의 새 굴뚝
Latin American Spanish Una chimenea especial
Norwegian Problemer med vinden
Polish Wyjątkowy komin
Romanian Coșul special
Russian Необыкновенная труба
Slovenian Poseben dimnik
Swedish En speciell skorsten
Ukrainian Особливий димар
Welsh Corn Simnai Arbenning

Merchandise

Home Video Releases

UK

UK DVD Boxset

WAL

US

CAN

  • Thomas Meets the Queen and Other Stories (Direct-to Home-Video)
  • Thomas' Christmas Wonderland and Other Thomas Adventures (Direct-to Home-Video)
  • Ultimate Christmas

US/CAN DVD Packs

AUS

  • Rock 'n' Roll and Other Stories (Direct-to-VHS)
  • Series Four

AUS DVD Packs

NZ

  • Rock 'n' Roll and Other Stories

ZA

IND

MYS

PHL

LATAM

BRA

ITA

NL

GER

NOR

DK

SWE

SVN

GRC

GRC DVD Boxset

THA

JPN

KOR

CHN

HK

TWN

Episode

Reference



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