| For other uses, see Trouble in the Shed (disambiguation). |
- "If I choose you, will you work hard?"
"Oh, Sir. Yes, Sir!"
"That's a good engine. I'll call you 'Percy'."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir!" - ― The Fat Controller and Percy
Trouble in the Shed is the sixteenth episode of the first series. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book Troublesome Engines.
Plot
"Oh, indeed. We'll see about that. Engines on my railway do as they are told."
The morning after Gordon and James' turntable mishaps, there is no sign of Henry or his train at Knapford, causing the passengers to become angry. The stationmaster tells the Fat Controller that Henry is refusing to leave his shed, so the Fat Controller goes to the shed to find out what is going on. Gordon crossly says that he, James and Henry will no longer fetch their own coaches nor shunt in sidings, declaring that shunting is for tank engines like Thomas, not important tender engines. The Fat Controller does not appreciate the bigger engines trying to tell him what they are willing to do. He then leaves for Wellsworth to enlist Edward as a station pilot to ensure that the day's trains run as normal. On the way, he notes to himself that the yard has never been the same since Thomas left to run his branch line. Edward is happy to shunt coaches and the rest of the day's trains run as usual.
"They all hiss me, Sir. They say 'tender engines don't shunt' and last night they said I have black wheels."
The next morning, the Fat Controller visits the yard to see how Edward is getting along, only to see Gordon puff by hissing rudely at him. Edward then explains the abuse that he had to endure; Gordon, James and Henry have been hissing him and the previous night, they said he has black wheels, thinking he is a traitor since he is a tender engine as well. The Fat Controller kindly assures Edward that he has nice blue wheels and is very proud of him and his work, saying that tender engines do shunt. All the same, he decides that they need to find a new tank engine as a permanent solution to the problem.
Visiting an engine workshop, the Fat Controller looks at all kinds of engines. Soon, he is shown a smart little green saddle tank engine with four wheels and decides this is the one he wants. The Fat Controller asks the engine if he is willing to work hard if chosen. The engine eagerly responds that he is and with that the matter is settled. The Fat Controller names the engine Percy and brings him back to the yard.
The Fat Controller asks Edward to get Percy acquainted with the yard and the pair set off for work. Edward is very impressed by Percy's hard work and loud wheeshing - something he learned in the workshop so as to be heard, which startles Henry and he runs back to the sheds when he attempts to insult Edward again. The next morning, the Fat Controller sends for Thomas and calls all three engines to the yard for an announcement. He tells them that he has shut the big engines up in the sheds as punishment for their strike, and until they learn to behave, Edward and the two tank engines will be doing their work running the railway.
"WHEEEEEESH!"
Thomas and Edward are put in charge of the main line, while Percy is put in charge of Thomas' branch and pulling Annie and Clarabel. Although Thomas is anxious about leaving his coaches with a different engine, Clarabel's guard and Percy's driver promise to look after them. While there are fewer trains, the passengers do not mind as they understand that the three engines are doing their best to keep the railway running while the other three are in the sheds learning a lesson.
Meanwhile, Gordon, James and Henry are left in the shed feeling cold, lonely and miserable. They finally begin to realise just how silly they have been.
Characters
- Thomas
- Edward
- Gordon
- Percy (debut)
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Henry (does not speak)
- James (does not speak)
- Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
- Green Express Coaches (do not speak)
- Orange Coaches (do not speak)
- Old Coaches (do not speak)
- Percy's Workshop Friends (debut, wheels and buffers only, do not speak)
Locations
Trivia
- This episode marks the first of a few things:
- The first appearance of Percy in the television series.
- The first appearance of Henry's surprised face.
- The first episode to have a railway engine with four wheels.
- The first episode to have a title drop in the US.
- The first appearance of The Mainland and thus, the first appearance of somewhere that is not on The Island of Sodor in the television series.
- Stock footage from Thomas' Train is used.
- Going from left to right, the other engines under the tarps in the workshop are Gordon, Thomas[3], James, Henry and Edward, the latter three without their tenders.
- The scene of the Fat Controller putting his hat on is omitted in the restored version.
- The close-up of the Fat Controller standing in front of two piles of coal when talking to the engines at Tidmouth Sheds was used for the "Next Story Coming Up Soon!" card in between double bills and early American videos. This was also used in HBO's parodic news series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in a YouTube-exclusive segment on endorsements.
- In the original version of the episode, in the shot of the Fat Controller telling Edward they need another tank engine, a freeze frame is used. In the restored footage, Edward's eyes move slightly.
- In the UK version of this episode, Edward claims that the big engines told him he had black wheels. This insult is a play on the word "blackleg", which is a pejorative term for someone who works during a strike. In both US narrations, it was changed to "grey" wheels, likely to avoid confusing North American audiences.
- The JEI TV version of the Korean dub added subtitles to inform viewers what a shunting yard is.
- Gordon's infamous belief that "tender engines don't shunt" would be used again later in the CGI series.
- Scenes from this episode were recreated for the Japanese web video series Salaryman Thomas.
- The narrator mentions the title when the stationmaster tells the Fat Controller, "There's trouble in the shed, Sir". This exact line is later spoken in the nineteenth series episode Goodbye Fat Controller when he is informed that all of the engines have gone on strike.
Goofs
- In George Carlin's dub, before Sir Topham Hatt says "We'll see about that!", he can be heard smacking his lips.
- When Edward shunts the coaches, the brake coach is in the middle and the first one has a damaged roof.
- Just before Gordon hisses, he is passing Edward. But when he stops hissing, he is passing Edward again.
- In some scenes, Gordon's buffers are crooked.
- In the close-up of the Fat Controller to Edward at Tidmouth Sheds, he has some small holes in his chin.
- In the shot of Edward being "wheeshed" by Gordon, the Fat Controller is not seen on the platform and Edward's eyes are also misaligned.
- When Edward and Percy shunt, Edward's trucks push a set of buffers out of place.
- In the scenes of Henry coming out of and reversing back into the shed, he is in his new shape, but in the close-up of when after Percy wheeshes at him, he is in his old one.
- Because stock footage is used, the background in a close-up of the Fat Controller is Knapford, when he is supposed to be at Tidmouth.
- In the close-ups of Edward, Henry and Percy at the sheds:
- When Percy "wheeshes" at Henry, the berths Henry, James and Gordon were in are closed.
- Henry and Edward are off the tracks.
- Percy's left eye is not a perfect circle.
- The track on Henry's left comes to end.
- The red stripe on Henry's cylinder is peeling off.
- Edward's tender is missing and he has Thomas' whistle sound.
- Edward's side rods are missing.
- Thomas' lamp is tilted up.
- When Thomas passes Edward, his brake coach is backwards, due to the Old Coaches only being painted on one side.
- When Percy is running with Annie and Clarabel under the bridge, the first shot has them both facing backwards (with Annie positioned incorrectly), while the second shot has them both facing forwards (with Clarabel now positioned incorrectly).
- Henry, Gordon and James keep changing positions in the shed throughout the episode.
- Some of the people shouting at Knapford have blu-tak on their shoes.
- In the close-up of Henry looking angry and the close-up of him looking surprised, one of his wheel arches is missing.
- When Edward meets Percy, his tender is tilted.
- When Percy arrives at Knapford Station, there is a random piece of track beside him with no entrance or exit route.
- In the Brazilian Portuguese dub, when Thomas and Edward pass each other on the main line, Thomas is referred to as Percy.
- The Korean title of the episode is "고든, 헨리, 제임스의 후회" (Godeun, Henli, Jeimseuui Huhoe). However, this is incorrect grammar, as the correct title should have been 고든, 헨리 그리고 제임스의 후회 (Godeun, Henli Geuligo Jeimseuui Huhoe).
In Other Languages
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Merchandise
Home Video Releases
Episode
UK narration
US narration (George Carlin)References
| #01 Thomas and Gordon | #10 James and the Express | #19 The Flying Kipper |
| #02 Edward and Gordon | #11 Thomas and the Guard | #20 Whistles and Sneezes |
| #03 The Sad Story of Henry | #12 Thomas Goes Fishing | #21 Toby and the Stout Gentleman |
| #04 Edward, Gordon and Henry | #13 Thomas, Terence and the Snow | #22 Thomas in Trouble |
| #05 Thomas' Train | #14 Thomas and Bertie | #23 Dirty Objects |
| #06 Thomas and the Trucks | #15 Tenders and Turntables | #24 Thomas' Christmas Party |
| #07 Thomas and the Breakdown Train | #16 Trouble in the Shed | #25 Off the Rails |
| #08 James and the Coaches | #17 Percy Runs Away | #26 Down the Mine |
| #09 Troublesome Trucks | #18 Coal | |