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For other uses, see Thomas in Trouble (disambiguation).
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“Where's your cowcatcher?"
"But I don't catch cows, sir.”
― The policeman and Thomas

Thomas in Trouble, retitled Thomas Breaks the Rules on North American releases, is the twenty-second episode of the first series. It is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book Toby the Tram Engine.

Plot

One day, Thomas is leaving the quarry at the end of his branch line with some trucks and his coaches. The rails here run alongside the road, so Thomas is always careful at this point in his run and whistles to make sure no one is in his way. Thomas sees a new policeman by the crossing and, having been friends with the previous constable who has just retired, he whistles to him in greeting. Unfortunately, the policeman is not in the mood to be friendly.

The policeman first complains about engines whistling after remarking that he did not get any sleep the night before and then tells Thomas that he is breaking the law by not having any cowcatchers or sideplates fitted. Thomas' driver protests, stating that they have been along the road many times before without an accident but the policeman says that it only makes the situation worse and brands Thomas a "regular law breaker" in his notebook. Thomas sadly continues on to the station.

During breakfast, the Fat Controller receives a phone call informing him of Thomas' run-in with the police. He heads to the junction and tries to reason with the policeman, who tells him that the law is unchangeable. Giving up on the argument, the Fat Controller decides to equip Thomas with cowcatchers. Thomas worries that people will compare him to a tram. This comment reminds the Fat Controller of Toby, the tram engine he met while on holiday. Knowing that Toby's line has lost its business to buses and lorries, he writes to Toby's controller, asking to send him to his railway.

A few days later, Toby arrives and is greeted by the Fat Controller. Toby has brought his coach, Henrietta, who was going to be turned into a henhouse, and the Fat Controller allows her to stay as well. Toby proves to be exceptional at handling trucks and, although Thomas is jealous at first, they become good friends when Toby uses his bell to frighten the policeman.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • A portrait of Earnest, a Victorian-style steam engine with a moustache, can be seen in Topham Hall.
  • This is Toby's last episode with a leading role until the third series episode, Mavis.
ThomasinTrouble25

Ringo Starr: "But however much he argued with him, it was no good. 'The law is the law,' he said, 'and we can't change it.' The Fat Controller felt exhausted."

  • In the scene where the Fat Controller is talking on the phone, the voice on the other end is actually a sped-up snippet of dialogue from a later scene in the episode, specifically, the one where the Fat Controller argues with the policeman. This was used again in Off the Rails, along with several other quotes from this episode.
  • Stock footage from the original version of Thomas' Train was used in the original version. The restored version uses a different shot where Thomas has a different happy face, presumably unused footage from said episode. A deleted scene from Coal is used as well.
  • The shot of Thomas puffing away sadly was used in the intro for Storytime with Thomas, albeit with Thomas' happy face edited over his scared one and footage from other episodes of Thomas and Friends and Magic Adventures of Mumfie (another television series created by Britt Allcroft) seen on the sides of the trucks he is pulling.
  • This was the last first series episode introduced by Matthew Kelly before his departure from Children's ITV. However, Matthew would later introduce the entire second series in 1986.
  • The scene where Thomas gets angry with the policeman has become a popular meme.
  • This episode was never released on VHS or DVD in South Korea.
  • When this and Toby and the Stout Gentleman were released on Curiosity Stream, the episode's format was stretched to 16:9 widescreen, and the UK narration was used.

Goofs

  • In the original version, the note featured in the first shot in the policeman's notebook is blurred. This is corrected in the restored version.
  • In the restored version, during the first close-up of Thomas, his wheels do not move for the first two seconds of the shot.
  • When Thomas stops and talks to policeman, the top right corner of his tank has a chip in it.
  • When Thomas' driver says, "Rubbish! We've been along here hundreds of times and never had an accident," the brim of his cap is coming off and there is also a hole in his chin.
  • The words "regular law breaker" are already written in the policeman's notebook before Thomas' driver says that they had travelled along the line before.
  • Clarabel is facing the wrong way when Thomas puffs away from the policeman and when Toby passes Elsbridge at the end.
  • In the first shot of Elsbridge Station, one of the stairs is crooked.
  • During the confrontation between the Fat Controller and the policeman, Thomas' crew can both be seen inside his cab and on the Elsbridge platform.
  • When the Fat Controller talks to the policeman, the brim of his top hat has several chips in it.
  • When Thomas says, "They'll say I'll look like a tram," the bush beside him moves slightly and his smokebox saddle is cracked, there is a gap between his right eye (viewer's left) and face, and his eyebrows are also peeling off.
  • Before Toby passes Thomas, the track in front of him wobbles.
  • In the Serbian dub, Ringo Starr's narration can be heard clearly in the background.
  • When Thomas puffs away from the policeman, the studio equipment is visible at the top left.

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Albanian Tomasi ka telashe
Brazilian Portuguese Thomas desrespeita a lei
Chinese Mandarin 托马斯有麻烦了
Croatian Tomica u nevolji
Czech Tomáš má potíže
Danish Thomas i knibe
Dutch Thomas in de nesten
Finnish Tuomas-veturi vaikeuksissa
French Thomas a des ennuis
German Thomas in Not
Hebrew תומס בצרות
Hungarian Thomas bajba kerül
Italian Thomas nei guai
Japanese トーマスとけいさつかん
Korean 토마스와 토비의 만남
Latin American Spanish Thomas rompe las reglas
Norwegian Thomas i trøbbel
Polish Kłopoty Tomka
Romanian Thomas are necazuri
Romansh Tumasch en difficultads
Russian Томас в беде
Serbian Tomas u nevolji
Slovak Thomas má problémy
Slovenian Tomaž se znajde v težavah
Swedish Thomas i trubbel
Ukrainian У Томаса неприємності
Welsh Tomos a'r Plismon Newydd

Merchandise

Home Video Releases

UK

UK VHS/DVD Boxsets

WAL

US

CAN

  • Thomas Breaks the Rules and Other Stories (Ringo Starr's US dub)
  • Thomas and His Friends Help Out
  • A Big Day for Thomas
  • The Early Years (UK dub)

US/CAN VHS/DVD Packs

AUS

AUS DVD Packs

NZ

ZA

IND

MYS

PHL

LATAM

BRA

ITA

FRA

ROM

ROM DVD Pack

NL

NL DVD Boxsets

GER

NOR

DK

SWE/FIN

ICE

  • Thomas the Tank Engine 2

SVN

HRV

SRP

GRC

GRC DVD Boxset

TUR

  • Brave Hero (VCD)
  • Brave Hero and Hello Thomas (DVD)

THA

JPN

JPN DVD Boxset

CHN

HK

Episode


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