Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia
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This article is about the UK/AUS/NZ VHS. You may be looking for the episode, the Malaysian DVD, the Philippine DVD or the magazine story.
For other uses, see Ghost Train (disambiguation).
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The Deputation and Other Stories (Volume 6 in New Zealand) is a UK/AUS/NZ VHS featuring ten second series episodes narrated by Ringo Starr. When originally released in New Zealand in 1989, it only featured eight second series episodes. It was re-released in the UK in 1992 under the title Ghost Train and Other Stories.

Description

AUS

It's full steam ahead for Thomas, the little blue engine with the short stumpy funnel, short stumpy boiler and short stumpy dome and his special friends Gordon, Henry, James, Percy, Edward, Toby, Annie and Clarabel the carriages and of course their Boss, the Fat Controller. His friend, storyteller Ringo Starr says 'Thomas is Number One and never lets anyone forget it!'

NZ (1989)

Watch out! They are coming through. Thomas, the little blue engine and his friends are off on eight more exciting adventures with their friend and storyteller Ringo Starr. For an engine, being late can leads to lots of trouble. A broken break van causes a bit of bother and it takes a "Deputation" to save the day. Thomas discovers that doing away with his driver can have disastrous results. A change can sometimes be worse than a holiday and there is nothing more annoying than a certain fuss pot diesel who won't do her fair share of the work. Some engines can always keep on the rails but what happens when the rails are the wrong ones?

Episodes

UK/AUS/NZ (1992)

  1. The Deputation - When Donald and Douglas come to Henry's rescue, the other engines give the twins their full support.
  2. Thomas Comes to Breakfast - Thomas is being conceited but when he shows off to Percy and Toby one morning, he finds himself an unwelcome guest in the Stationmaster's house.
  3. Daisy - Thomas is in trouble. The Fat Controller sends for Daisy, a diesel railcar to help run his Railway. Daisy is spoilt and hard to please - as everyone soon discovers.
  4. Percy's Predicament - Daisy is difficult. Percy is annoyed and Toby tries to help the situation with surprising results.
  5. The Diseasel - Some silly trucks cause trouble between Bill and Ben the tank engine twins and a diesel called BoCo. Confusion reigns until Edward puffs in.
  6. Wrong Road - Edward suggests Gordon runs on a branch line for a change. Proud Gordon the main line engine refuses until one day he travels on a branch line by mistake.
  7. Edward's Exploit - Gordon, James and Henry are teasing Edward for being old, but later an accident on an important journey shows just how strong Edward can be.
  8. Ghost Train - Percy tells Thomas and Toby a ghost story. Thomas laughs it off - at first.
  9. Woolly Bear - Percy enjoys helping at hay-making time, but sometimes he makes Thomas late. Thomas is cross until something happens which makes him most amused.
  10. Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree - The Fat Controller is planning a big celebration, but Thomas goes missing on an important mission. The engines come to his rescue and there is a splendid party after all.

NZ (1989)

  1. Better Late Than Never
  2. Break Van
  3. The Deputation
  4. Thomas Comes to Breakfast
  5. Daisy
  6. Percy's Predicament
  7. The Diseasel
  8. Wrong Road

Trivia

  • This was the last UK/AUS/NZ VHS to feature nameboards.
  • Some copies of the 1987 Screen Legends release do not feature a logo on the start of the tape, whilst others have a still of the logo remaining before the end of the tape.
  • The front cover of the 1992 UK re-release features an image from The Runaway.
  • Some copies of the 1988 Australian release included a fan card.
  • The end of each episode on the 1991 Australian release has the Clearwater Features endboards removed.
  • The front cover of the 1988 Australian release features a promotional image of Edward from the first series. The back cover also features an image of Thomas, Annie, and Sir Topham Hatt from the same series.
  • The front cover of the Australian re-release features an image from Thomas, Terence and the Snow. The back cover also features an image from Thomas' Christmas Party.
  • The front cover of the 1989 New Zealand release features a photo from Cows.
  • The front cover of the New Zealand re-release features a photo from the cancelled episode The Missing Coach.
  • This was the last VHS released by Festival Records and CEL Home Video in Australia and New Zealand, respectively.
  • The label for the NZ Endeavour release reads "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends: The Deputation and Other Stories" while the Roadshow release reads "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends Volume 6".
  • In Australia, this VHS was released on Betamax in 1988 making it the final home media Betamax release.

Goofs

  • On the back cover of the 1987 UK release, Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree is referred to as "Thomas' Missing Christmas Tree."
  • On the back cover of the 1992 UK re-release:
    • The Diseasel is misnamed "The Diesel".
    • The T in Percy's Predicament is not in bold like the rest of the title. Additionally BoCo is mis-capitalised as "Boco" and the word "Railcar" is also misspelt as "rail-car".
  • Several mistakes are present on the New Zealand releases:
    • BoCo is mis-capitalised as "Boco" on the back cover.
    • The word railcar is misspelt as "rail-car".
    • On the Endeavour release when the credits for Thomas Comes to Breakfast come to an end, a frame of the intro for Daisy appears for a few seconds before the actual intro starts. This also happens on the Roadshow re-release most likely due to the reusing of the master tapes.
    • On the Roadshow re-release when the opening credits for Daisy start, one frame is visible before the opening theme does start, upon which it slows down for a second before reverting back to the original pitch and tempo. A similar audio glitch also occurs during the opening credits for The Diseasel, Edward's Exploit and Woolly Bear, however, it does not occur during the opening credits for The Deputation.
    • Several beginnings of the intros to episodes are also cut off on the Roadshow re-release and Endeavour release, respectively.
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