Trying, or Trying to Do Things Better, is a song from Calling All Engines! A CGI version was released on the Danger at the Docks UK DVD on 8th January 2018.
Extended Lyrics
- Anything that Diesels do
- Steamies know that they can too.
- Diesels! Steamies! Engines who
- Try to do things better.
- They both have a different role.
- 'We need oil!' 'We need coal!'
- All of us have just one goal
- Trying to do things better.
- Who can shunt the most trucks of bricks
- On trains that are much longer?
- Steamies may get up to tricks
- But Diesels are much stronger.
- Who has gleaming piston rods
- And paintwork bright and shiny?
- Who can pull the longest train
- And still keep perfect timing?
- Anything that Diesels do
- Steamies know that they can too.
- Diesels! Steamies! Engines who
- Try to do things better.
- They both have a different role.
- 'We need oil!' 'We need coal!'
- All of us have just one goal
- Trying to do things better.
- Who goes bumping into trucks
- Causing so much trouble?
- Who can lift those heavy loads
- And clear the lines of rubble?
- Who can only honk their horns
- While steamies whistle loudly?
- Who's that straining up the hill
- While Gordon steams by proudly?
- Anything that Diesels do
- Steamies know that they can too.
- Diesels! Steamies! Engines who
- Try to do things better.
- They both have a different role.
- 'We need oil!' 'We need coal!'
- All of us have just one goal
- Trying to do things better.
- Who can shunt the most trucks of bricks
- On trains that are much longer?
- Steamies may get up to tricks
- But Diesels are much stronger.
- Who has gleaming piston rods
- And paintwork bright and shiny?
- Who can pull the longest train
- And still keep perfect timing?
- Anything that Diesels do
- Steamies know that they can too.
- Diesels! Steamies! Engines who
- Try to do things better.
- They both have a different role.
- 'We need oil!', 'We need coal!'
- All of us have just one goal
- Trying to do things better.
- All of us have just one goal
- Trying to do things better.
Characters
Model Series
- Thomas
- Edward
- Henry
- Gordon
- James
- Percy
- Toby
- Emily
- Bill and Ben
- Harvey
- Diesel
- Mavis
- Derek
- 'Arry and Bert
- Diesel 10
- Salty
- Annie and Clarabel
- Caroline
- Cranky
- Big Mickey (faceless)
CGI Series
- Thomas
- Edward
- Henry
- Gordon
- James
- Percy
- Toby
- Duck
- Emily
- Bill and Ben
- Hiro
- Stephen
- Porter
- Timothy
- Marion
- Samson
- Ryan
- Diesel
- Daisy
- Mavis
- 'Arry and Bert
- Diesel 10
- Salty
- Den
- Dart
- Paxton
- Sidney
- Philip
- Stafford
- Annie and Clarabel
- Henrietta
- Harold
Locations
Model Series
- Brendam Docks
- Ffarquhar Quarry
- Tidmouth Sheds
- Maron
- Knapford Yards
- The Coaling Plant
- The Railway Works
- The Scrapyards
- Sodor Cement Works
- Gordon's Hill
- Sodor Airport
- The Lumber Mill
CGI Series
- Ffarquhar Quarry
- Vicarstown Dieselworks
- Vicarstown Diesel Sheds
- Ulfstead Castle
- Knapford
- Brendam Docks
- Sodor Shipping Company
- Sodor China Clay Company
- Knapford Station Yard
- The Washdown
- Knapford Yards
- Gordon's Hill
- Hiro's Hideout
- Wellsworth
- Sodor Steamworks
- Arlesburgh Harbour
- Arlesburgh Maritime Museum
- The Coal Hopper
- Duck Pond
Footage Used
Model Series
- Thomas to the Rescue
- James Gets a New Coat
- Percy's Big Mistake
- Emily's New Route
- Spic and Span
- Edward the Great
- Squeak, Rattle and Roll
- Percy and the Magic Carpet
- Calling All Engines!
- Toby Feels Left Out
- Thomas' New Trucks
- Thomas and the Golden Eagle
Learning Segments
- Steamies and Diesels Sounds
- Diesel Engines and Steam Engines are Different
- Which Engine for Which Job?
- Which Diesel Engine with Which Steam Engine?
- Changing Sounds
- The Quarry
CGI Series
- King of the Railway
- The Lost Puff
- The Thomas Way
- The Missing Christmas Decorations
- Away From the Sea
- No More Mr Nice Engine
- Tale of the Brave
- Old Reliable Edward
- Disappearing Diesels
- Thomas the Quarry Engine
- Spencer's VIP
- Emily Saves the World
- Timothy and the Rainbow Truck
- The Adventure Begins
- Very Important Sheep
- Salty All at Sea
- Den and Dart
- Helping Hiro
- Slow Stephen
- Reds vs. Blues
- The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead
- The Other Side of the Mountain
- Goodbye Fat Controller
- Sidney Sings
- Toby's New Friend
- Diesel and the Ducklings
- Saving Time
- Ryan and Daisy
- Pouty James
- The Way She Does It
- The Missing Breakdown Train
- The Great Race
Deleted Scenes and Edited Scenes
- Thomas to the Rescue:
- Mavis in her shed with her mouth edited differently. (Short version)
- Mavis in her shed without her mouth edited. (Extended version)
- An extended scene of Salty arriving at Centre Island Quarry.
- A deleted scene of Mavis, Bill and Ben working at Centre Island Quarry.
- James Gets a New Coat - A deleted scene of James leaving the Coaling Plant. (Extended version)
- Percy's Big Mistake - An extended scene of Percy pulling trucks of stone at Centre Island Quarry.
- Emily's New Route - A deleted scene of Salty at Brendam Docks.
- Spic and Span - A deleted scene of Percy and Thomas leaving Centre Island Quarry.
- Squeak, Rattle and Roll:
- An extended beginning of Gordon passing Diesel at the docks.
- A deleted scene of Gordon and the express. (Extended version)
- Calling All Engines!:
- A deleted scene of Thomas and Percy shooting forward at Tidmouth Sheds.
- A deleted scene of Gordon going down his hill passing Derek.
- A deleted scene of Gordon going down his hill passing 'Arry and Bert who are going up. (Extended version)
- Learning Segments:
- Steamies and Diesels Sounds - A deleted scene of Mavis pushing her trucks after they were filled with gravel.
- Diesel Engines and Steam Engines are Different - A different shot of Thomas getting filled with coal.
- Unknown - A scene of James at the Sodor Cement Works from the ninth series. (Extended version)
Trivia
- An extended version of this song can be seen on the Songs from Sodor DVD.
- In the model series version, the song uses footage of episodes from the ninth series, despite being premiered after Calling All Engines!
- In the CGI version, the song doesn’t show any footage from the twenty-first series even though it was remade in the season and from the DVD Danger at the Docks.
- An excerpt of the music video was used on an episode of the Japanese game show, IQ Mirror Machigai 9, where the contestants have to point out the difference between the real and mirrored footage. This includes:
- Thomas and Percy staying in the sheds, rather than moving out.
- A closeup of Thomas not mirrored.
- No shadow on Pinchy.
- Thomas having a "2" when pushing the oil drums.
- The steam from Gordon's funnel has CGI effects.
- 'Arry/Bert winking.
- Percy's cab windows are red.
- Diesel's mirror footage not synching with the real one.
- The white ring on the ship's smokestack is bigger.
- This is the only music video to feature a scene from the Series 10 segment, Sodor's Special Places that were on PBS and Nick Jr. airings, as it shows a scene of James at the cement works from Sodor's Special Places: The Quarry.
- On the Danger at the Docks UK DVD, the song is titled, "Trying Song".
- In the CGI Version, the last chorus is omitted.
- This is the only song from Calling All Engines! to date to have a CGI music video.
- In the Russian and Greek versions of Calling All Engines!, it plays the instrumental version.
- There is an instrumental of the extended verison on the China DVD, Sing-a-Long 3.
- This song was never dubbed in Serbian, Russian, Greek, Albanian, Chinese Mandarin, Taiwanese Mandarin and Cantonese.
- Some segments of the music sound similar to Mavis’ theme from the third series. It is unknown if this was intentional or not.
- In the scene of Derek passing Gordon on the hill, the lyrics “Who's that straining up the hill...?” is referencing Derek’s anonymity within the TV series - his name was only really used in merchandising. The “straining” line could also be referencing his teething troubles he had in Double Teething Troubles.
In Other Languages
| Language | Title |
|---|---|
| Czech | Dělat všechno lépe |
| Dutch | Like keer weer beter |
| Finnish | Yritetään tehdä asiat paremmin |
| German | Wir geben unser Bestes |
| Hungarian | Legyen meg a munka |
| Indonesian | Berusaha Lebih Baik |
| Japanese | がんばるんだ |
| Latin American Spanish | Diésel y Vapor |
| Norwegian | Sammen er vi bedre |
Home Media Releases
UK
AUS
US
JPNCHN |
Music Videos
Trying - Short Version
Thomas and Friends - Trying
Trying - CGI Music Video
