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Thomas and the Trucks

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This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the Buzz Book, the board book, the 1987 magazine story or the 1998 magazine story.

“I'm tired of pushing coaches. I want to see the world.”
―Thomas

Thomas and the Trucks, retitled Trouble for Thomas in American releases, is the sixth episode of the first series. It is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book Thomas the Tank Engine.

Plot

Thomas is fed up with his job of shunting coaches and complains relentlessly to the other engines about it every night saying that he wishes to see the world for a change, despite the others taking little notice. One night, Edward comes to the shed and feels sorry for Thomas. Edward offers to let Thomas take his goods train, while he shunts coaches for him. Thomas happily agrees.

The next morning, their drivers agree and Thomas sets off happily for the yard. Troublesome Trucks talk a lot, do not attend to what they are doing and often play tricks on engines who are not used to them. Edward is well aware of this and has warned Thomas to be careful but he is too excited to listen. Thomas is coupled to the train and starts to pull, but the trucks are not ready. Despite their cries to stop and wait, Thomas just ignores them as he puffs out of the station rather stubbornly.

Thomas goes faster and faster passing through Henry's Tunnel and the junction along the journey, but the increased speed makes the trucks very cross and they decide to pay him out. Thomas eventually slows down while climbing Gordon's Hill, but as he stops to apply the brakes at the top, the trucks begin to push Thomas down the hill. Thomas loses control of the trucks as they rush into Maron. He swerves into a siding at the goods yard and shuts his eyes until finally he stops in front of the buffers, narrowly preventing an accident. The Fat Controller, having seen everything, questions him why he came in so fast. Thomas explains that the trucks pushed him, while the Fat Controller advises Thomas that he has a lot to learn about trucks and that after pushing them about in the yard for a few weeks, he will know much more about them and then he will be a Really Useful Engine.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • The events of this episode were retold in The Adventure Begins and referenced by Thomas in the twenty-third series, episode, Chucklesome Trucks.
  • At the beginning of the A Big Day for Thomas release of this episode, Mr. Conductor's whistle from Shining Time Station can be heard.
  • In PBS Kids Sprout airings of the episode and on Thomas and Friends Classic Volume 1, the music at the end is played twice.
  • Stock footage from Thomas' Train and a deleted scene of Edward and Gordon are used.
  • In a deleted scene, Thomas' train has a tanker, one van, three open trucks and a brake van.
  • This is the first episode where Thomas' aghast facemask is used on screen, which has been known as his infamous "O" face.
  • To make the trucks, the crew used two white oval paper cutouts, two black circle paper cutouts, small strips of black tape, a brown crayon for the eyelids, and even glue as well. They also used another strip of black tape for the mouth as well. This is evidenced in the first shot of one of the trucks.
  • When the trucks (freight cars in the US version) are first seen, the narrator tells the viewers, "Now, trucks/the freight cars are silly and noisy. They talk a lot and don't attend to what they are doing. And, I'm sorry to say, they play tricks on an engine who is not used to them." This is a fourth wall break.
  • This episode was shown as a double bill with Thomas' Train from 27th February 1989 before the airing of the second series on 6th March 1989. This was also Jerry Foulkes' last contribution to Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends before his departure on 22nd December 1989.

Goofs

  • In several American releases, notably those on PBS Kids Sprout, Best of Thomas, Thomas and Friends Classic Volume 1, Roku Kids and the official Thomas & Friends YouTube channel, the episode's audio is out of sync. This is due to the audio being taken from a Shining Time Station airing, where the first few seconds of the opening on the episode, Jingle, Jingle, Jingle are cut and barred by Mr. Conductor's Whistle, while the episode on the releases is shown in its full form.
  • At the beginning, because of an alternate shot, Gordon is in the middle of the shed with Thomas and Henry to the left and James and Edward to the right, but in the close-ups, Thomas is in the middle, Gordon and James are on one side and Edward and Henry are on the other. This appears to be unused footage shots for the episode Edward and Gordon, as the engines are all in the same positions. Because of this alternate shot, Edward is smiling while the others are frowning. In fact, Edward is clearly shown frowning along with the others just before the narrator says: "The other engines didn't take much notice", even though he is said to feel sorry for Thomas.
  • The narrator says that the guard blew his whistle and a whistle sound is heard, but the guard is only holding a green flag.
  • In the close-ups of Thomas pulling a truck, the rest of the train is missing.
  • When Thomas hits the buffers in the siding, there is a second track because the same truck close-up is used.
  • On early American home video releases, when Thomas puffs up Gordon's Hill, a technician's voice is heard saying "Look out for the train!" and the music and sound effects are briefly muted as it is said.
  • Throughout the episode, when Thomas is pulling the trucks, they change their position rapidly. The number of trucks also change, such as when Thomas leaves Knapford, he has three vans. However, when he goes through Henry's Tunnel, he has two vans for the rest of the episode. Also, as Thomas comes out of Henry's Tunnel, the tracks bounce and the front GWR van also changes into a utility van.
  • In the restored version, the scene of the trucks bumping Thomas is not cut properly. As a result, the buffering sound effects are out of sync.
  • When Thomas hits the buffers on the siding, the close-up shows him with black buffer housings and a different-looking brake pipe.
  • In the close-up of Thomas hitting the buffers, his buffer beam is black as opposed to red.
  • The narrator refers to the siding as the goods yard when Thomas bumped into the buffers.
  • When the narrator says, "When he opened his eyes..." Thomas' eyes are wonky and his face is slightly crooked.
  • In a rare picture, the edge of the set can be seen behind Thomas and the trucks.
  • In a deleted scene, a truck overlaps a small portion of James' face.
  • For a brief second, when Thomas flies through Elsbridge, John Attwell's hand can be seen in the top right corner of the screen, grabbing the footbridge to prevent the camera from hitting it,[1] and the left pair of tracks come to an end.
  • In a deleted scene, Thomas does not have a lamp on his running board.
  • In the second close-up of the troublesome truck, Knapford cannot be seen behind it. The same thing happens in the close-up of Thomas' whistle.

In Other Languages

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Language Title
Brazilian Portuguese A Bronca
Chinese 托马斯和货车厢
Croatian Tomica i Teretni Vagoni
Czech Tomáš a Vagóny
Danish Thomas og Godsvognene
Dutch Thomas en de Goederenwagons
Finnish Tuomas-Veturi ja Tavaravaunut
French Thomas et les Wagons-Bennes
German Die Güterwagen
Greek Ο Τόμας και τα Βαγόνια
Hebrew (תומס וקרונות המסע (משא
Hungarian Thomas és a Teherkocsik
Italian Un Trenino Dispettoso
Japanese トーマスのさいなん
Korean 토마스, 고생하던 날 (DVD Acadamy)
말썽꾸러기 화물차들 (JEI TV)
Norwegian Thomas og Godsvognene
Polish Tomek i Wagony
Portuguese A Bronca
Problemas para Thomas
Romanian Thomas și Vagoanele
Romansh Tumasch ed ils chars
Russian Недовольный паровозик
Serbian Tomas i Teretni Vagoni
Slovak Thomas a Nákladné Vágony
Slovenian Tomaž in Vagoni
Spanish Thomas en Problemas
Swedish Thomas och Godsvagnarna
Thai โธมัสถูกลองดี
Turkish Thomas ve Yük Vagonları
Welsh Tomos a'r Tryciau

Merchandise

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Books

Name Published Publisher Highlights Photo
Thomas and the Trucks Dean and Son ?
  • Board book
ThomasandtheTrucks(boardbook).png
Thomas and the Trucks 1990 Buzz Books
  • Buzz book
ThomasandtheTrucks(BuzzBook).PNG
Troublesome Trucks 2010 Egmont
MyThomasStoryLibraryTroublesomeTrucksbook.jpg
Troublesome Trucks 2017 Egmont
TroublesomeTrucks(EngineAdventures).png

Magazine stories

Home Media Releases

{{Scroll box|

UK

DVD Packs

WAL

  • Thomas and Gordon and other Stories

US

VHS/DVD Boxsets

AUS

  • Thomas and Gordon and other stories
  • The Complete Series 1
  • Truck Loads of Fun

DVD Boxsets

NZ

JPN

FRA

NL

SWE

GER

DNK

BRA

SA

SVN

PHL

NOR/FIN/ISL

ITA

ROM

  • [[Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends Cassette 1|Thomas and the Trucks

DVD Packs

SER

ISR

HRV

IND

MYS

CHN

HK

THA

}}

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