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This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the Japanese VHS, the Malaysian VCD or the Buzz Book.
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“I'm sorry about the trucks. I can't think how you managed to stop them in time."
"Oh, well, my driver told me about circus people who walk tightropes but I just didn't fancy doing it myself!”
― Mavis and Toby

Toby's Tightrope is the fifteenth episode of the third series. It is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book Tramway Engines.

Plot

One day, Percy arrives at the quarry to pick up some stone trucks. The only other engine in the quarry at the moment is Mavis, who is sheltering between rocks looking miserable. Percy tells the young diesel to cheer up but she explains that the manager found out about her going down Toby's line and causing trouble, so he has confined her to the quarry. She calls Toby a fusspot again, angering Percy, who tells her that Toby knows a lot about trucks and that they must be left where he wants them. Percy then leaves to take his trucks to the harbour. Although Mavis likes Percy, she still does not understand why she cannot go down the line.

The quarry's siding arrangements are very awkward. Mavis is forced to make several trips by going backwards and forwards shunting a few trucks at a time if she wants to put them in the correct places for Toby. Mavis is desperate to leave the quarry and makes a plan; she starts by telling her driver the work would be a lot easier if she could use a small part of Toby's line. Suspecting nothing, the driver agrees and Mavis is allowed to go as far as the first level crossing.

The weather changes a few days later, which melts the ice and the snow away. This causes an increase in work and Mavis takes trains that are so long that she has to go beyond the level crossing. She decides to proceed with her plan to go further down the line without making it look like her fault and asks the trucks to bump her at the level crossing. The trucks agree but things go awry when Toby arrives while she is gone and decides to shunt them himself. The trucks decide to bump Toby instead of Mavis and when he reaches the level crossing, the trucks give him a fearful bump and push him down the line.

Melted ice and snow have caused the river on Toby's line to become a torrent and wash away a crumbling wooden bridge after a log destroys a section of it, leaving only the rails behind which form a tightrope across the abyss. When Toby is finally able to stop after his driver fights for control, he is on the "tightrope" precariously above the water, ready to fall any second as more pieces of the bridge crumble into the torrent.

When Mavis hears what has happened, she is horrified and immediately goes to help. Toby is anchored to some rocks with chains as Mavis takes away the trucks. Eventually, she is able to pull Toby to safety and later apologises about what happened with the trucks. Toby thanks Mavis, telling her that while he has heard of tightrope walkers from a circus, he had not imagined doing it himself.

The Fat Controller sees Mavis later and congratulates her for doing well in an emergency. Mavis admits she was responsible for the trucks' behaviour but asks if she can still use Toby's line, as Toby has offered to show her what to do. The Fat Controller agrees on the condition that Mavis' manager allows her to, which he does. Mavis is now happier than ever and is considered to be a Really Useful Engine.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • This is one of the few third series episodes to use the train brake sound effect from the 20th Century Fox Film sound effects library.
  • Both this episode and the previous episode aired on Christmas Day 1991 in the United States.
  • This is Mavis' last episode with a leading role until the sixth series episode, Salty's Secret.
  • In the UK re-dub, most international dubs and the Ukrainian voice-over, the music is barely audible when Mavis pulls the trucks away and rescues Toby.
  • Starting with this episode, Percy's whistle is at a lower pitch and would stay that way for the rest of the series. It was previously at a lower pitch in Time for Trouble, then returned to normal in Thomas, Percy and the Dragon.
  • In the second opening shot of Percy entering the quarry, a pickup truck prop from Thomas & Friends' sister series TUGS can be seen.
  • This episode was paired with Rusty to the Rescue in an airing of Storytime with Thomas.
  • This episode was never released on home video in South Korea.
  • Despite having Toby's name in the title, he only has two lines in this episode.

Goofs

  • Throughout the episode, Mavis' face is slightly tilted to the left.
  • In the beginning of the episode, some studio equipment is visible at the top of the screen.
  • When Mavis leaves her trucks, there are ten of them. But when Toby arrives, there are only seven. And when the trucks are pushing Toby, there are only five.
  • When Mavis asks the trucks to bump her, the truck furthest to the left of her has a square face. However, when Toby arrives to collect the trucks, said truck now has a rectangular face.
  • Percy's roof is not properly fitted when he leaves the quarry.
  • When Toby backs down onto the trucks, his eyes are misaligned.
  • When Toby stops at the level crossing, his face is crooked.
  • In the restored version, a crew member's hand can be seen pushing the trucks when they "surge" against Toby.
  • A wire can be seen pulling the log and the support beams off the bridge.
  • When Mavis pulls Toby to safety:
    • There are chains fastened to her cowcatchers. In the next shot, the chains disappear and are replaced by a single chain fastened to Mavis' front coupling. The chains fastened to both her front coupling and cowcatchers all appear in the next shot.
    • His face is not properly put in place.
    • Michael Angelis' original UK, George Carlin and other international dubs refer to the chains as "ropes" due to an error from the original Railway Series story.

Quotes

Percy: Cheer up, Mavis.
Narrator: Mavis was still remembering the trouble she had with trucks.
Mavis: [about her previous troubles] Manager says I don't listen to his advice. He says I've no business jauntering down Toby's line. Toby's a fusspot!
Percy: Toby has forgotten more about trucks than you will ever know. You must put the trucks where he wants them, then you'll be a really useful engine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take these stones to the harbour.
Narrator: [after Percy leaves with the trucks full of stone] Mavis liked Percy, but she still wouldn't listen to his advice.
Mavis: Why shouldn't I go on Toby's line?

Mavis: [after saving Toby from the damaged bridge] I'm sorry about the trucks. I can't think how you managed to stop them in time.
Toby: Oh, well. My driver told me about circus people who walk tightropes but I just didn't fancy doing it myself.

The Fat Controller: A very smart piece of work. Mavis, you did well too I hear.
Mavis: It was my fault about those trucks, sir, but if I could…
The Fat Controller: Could what?
Mavis: Come down the line sometimes, sir? Toby says he'll show me what to do.
The Fat Controller: Certainly. If your manager agrees.
Narrator: And so it was arranged. Now, Mavis is as happy as can be and the Fat Controller thinks she's really useful indeed.

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Brazilian Portuguese Toby em perigo
Chinese Mandarin 托比的钢线表演
Czech Toby provazochodec
Danish Toby kommer i fare
Dutch Toby de koorddanser
Finnish Topi nuorallatanssijana
German Toby in Gefahr
Greek Ο Τόμπι κινδυνεύει
Hungarian Toby a kötéltáncos
Italian Sospeso nel vuoto
Japanese トビーのつなわたり
Korean 토비의 줄타기 곡예
Latin American Spanish Toby en la cuerda floja
Norwegian Toby havner i vanskeligheter
Polish Jazda po linie
Romanian Sârma lui Toby
Russian Тоби на канате
Serbian Tobijevo zategnuto uže
Slovenian Tobi se znajde v nevarnosti
Swedish Toby i trubbel
Turkish Toby'nin Cambaz İpi
Ukrainian Тобів канат
Welsh Rhaff Tobi

Merchandise

Home Video Releases

UK

UK DVD Boxset

WAL

US

CAN

  • Trust Thomas and Other Stories

US/CAN DVD Packs

AUS

AUS DVD Packs

NZ

ZA

IND

MYS

ITA

NL

GER

GER DVD Boxset

NOR

DK

SWE

FIN

  • Edward, Trevor and a Truly Incomparable Party

SVN

SRP

GRC

GRC DVD Boxset

TUR

THA

JPN

JPN DVD Boxset

KOR

CHN

HK

Episode

References



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