Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia
Register
Advertisement
For other uses, see Pop Goes the Diesel (disambiguation).
Main Page

“Trucks are waiting in the yard, tackling them with ease'll,
'Show the world what I can do,' gaily boasts the Diesel.
In and out he creeps about, like a big black weasel.
When he pulls the wrong trucks out, 'Pop!' goes the Diesel.”
― The trucks singing about Diesel

Pop Goes the Diesel is the twelfth episode of the second series. It is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book Duck and the Diesel Engine.

Plot

Duck works very hard on the Island of Sodor and everything goes smoothly when he is around. He can keep the trucks in line, the coaches quiet and the passengers happy. He is very proud of his Great Western heritage and talks endlessly about it, which irritates the larger engines, who quickly grow tired of hearing about "the Great Western way".

One morning, a visitor arrives. The Fat Controller introduces the new engine as Diesel, stating that he has agreed to give him a trial and tells Duck to show him around and teach him what to do. Diesel introduces himself before heaping compliments on Gordon, James and Henry, who are in awe by his flattery. Duck, however, takes a dislike to Diesel's oily nature and shows him to the yard, where it becomes apparent that Duck's dislike of Diesel is mutual as Duck orders Diesel to refer to the Fat Controller as "Sir Topham Hatt" before Diesel smugly tells Duck that he does not have to be taught what to do, saying Diesels know everything and come to a yard to improve it, dubbing himself as "revolutionary". Duck is not impressed with Diesel's boasting and orders him to arrange the trucks while he leaves to take Gordon's coaches to the station. Eager for the chance to show off, Diesel quickly gets to work.

When Duck returns, he finds Diesel trying to move some very old, near-derelict trucks with stiff joints and brakes from a siding. Duck decides to let the events play out and watches with interest. Diesel struggles to move the trucks and gets so forceful with them that some of their brakes snap and the gear jams in the sleepers, causing several of the trucks to derail and overturn in the process. Diesel tries to push the remaining trucks back but he still cannot move them and is forced to give up.

As Duck finally comes around carrying some other trucks, Diesel asks Duck why he did not tell him about this when he had gone through so much trouble. Duck replies that Diesel never asked him, as he was having fun being "revolutionary". Duck leaves happily, while Diesel fumes angrily.

Diesel is later forced to help the workmen clear the mess, a job that he hates, especially as the trucks have started laughing at it and he hears them singing a degrading song at him too. It grows in loudness, soon echoing throughout the whole yard. Now cross with Duck and the trucks, Diesel storms off to the sheds to sulk when the clean-up is over.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • The title, as well as the song featured, is a pun on the nursery rhyme, Pop Goes the Weasel.
  • Despite being Diesel's introduction episode, he made a cameo in the previous episode.
  • In the restored version, during both close-ups of Diesel, his eyes move differently compared to the original version of the episode.
  • This is the first episode for a few things:
    • The first episode where vans have faces.
    • The first episode where trucks have rectangular faces.
    • The first episode to feature Salt Vans, LBSC Railway 8 Ton Vans and Cattle Trucks with faces.
    • The first time Diesel tried to pull a line of trucks with the brakes on. He would eventually do it again in the sixth series episode The World's Strongest Engine.
    • Diesel's first speaking role in the series as well as the first time he is referred to by name.
    • The first and only episode in the second series where Duck has his smirking/sly face.
  • The events were later mentioned by Duck in the third series episode, Diesel Does It Again.
  • In the Romansh, Hungarian, Turkish, Korean, Cantonese and Italian dubs, the song sung by the Troublesome Trucks is not dubbed over and the English backing vocals can be heard, although JEI TV's version of the Korean dub has subtitles.
  • Ringo Starr did not re-sing Pop Goes the Diesel for his US dub. Instead, the word "trucks" in each stanza were replaced with "cars", while "trucks out" was replaced with a newly recorded "cars out".
  • The footage of Diesel "giving a great heave" is reversed as the derailed truck behind him can be seen moving as Diesel pulls forward.
  • The episode's title would have shared the same name of an episode of the Jack and the Sodor Construction Company spin-off series but the latter was cancelled.
  • This episode was never released on home video in South Korea.

Goofs

  • In a promotional sideview image of Duck at Knapford Yards, the handrail on his coal bunker is missing.
  • When Duck is on the turntable in the beginning:
    • The turntable bounces back and forth a little when it stops.
    • A gap is visible between his face and the smokebox.
  • When Duck passes James, Gordon and Henry:
    • There are only two tracks to the right of the water tower and it is not in line with the Sodor Shipping Company building. When Diesel and Duck arrive, later on, there are three tracks to the right of the water tower and it is in line with the building.
    • Henry and James' tenders are missing.
    • Gordon's tender is tilted.
  • At the sheds:
    • When Diesel is on the turntable, camera equipment is reflected in the windows for several frames.
    • The front right wheel on the Fat Controller's car is crooked.
    • Most of the engines' eyes are misaligned, especially Gordon and Henry's.
    • James' leading wheels are derailed.
    • Gordon and Henry's faces are crooked.
    • Gordon's buffers are crooked.
    • A figurine has sticky tac under his feet.
  • Duck's eyebrows are missing when Diesel first backs into the shed and when he and Diesel are frowning at each other.
  • Henry's whistle sound is lower-pitched at one point during the scene at Tidmouth Sheds.
  • Throughout the Knapford Yards and Brendam Warehouse scene sequence, Diesel is missing his eyebrows.
  • In the Romansh dub, there is a large pause after Diesel says "We are revolutionary."
  • In a close up of Duck at the Yard, his face is loose and a tiny piece of sticky tac can also be seen above his face.
  • As Duck leaves to get Gordon's coaches, there is still steam venting from the track.
  • The narrator says that Diesel was delighted to show off but he is still frowning.
  • Duck disappears in the siding when Diesel tries to pull the trucks.
  • When the narrator says "Diesel lost patience," one of the trucks has a clump of hair inside it.
  • When Diesel first tries to move the trucks, the front truck derails.
  • While Diesel tries to move the trucks, the truck right behind him is a china clay truck but when he pulls the truck off the track, it appears to be a coal truck.
  • Steam can be seen around Diesel despite being a diesel engine after he derails some of the trucks.
  • The footage of Diesel backing down onto the breakdown train is incorrectly used for the scene of Diesel trying to push the trucks back and one of the buffers stops on the left is also leaning over.
  • In one scene, there is not a truck in the siding that Duck is in before he goes to collect the other trucks. One appears in the siding during the trucks' song, then after it finishes, there is not.
  • When Duck runs around to collect his trucks with Diesel reversing towards him:
    • His eyes jitter a little before he stops to talk to Diesel.
    • His handrail is a bit crooked.
    • Diesel moves forward a little so as to be directly in line with Duck. Similarly, when Duck leaves, he suddenly goes backwards before heading off.
  • When the narrator says "Diesel had to help the workmen clear the mess," the breakdown train is missing its left buffer and the right buffer is also a little chipped.
  • In Ringo Starr's US dub, during the song, the line "cars" and "cars out" does not match the song the trucks sing due each line "cars" being re-sung only instead of singing the whole song.
  • When this episode was originally released on the Thomas Comes to Breakfast 1998 VHS in Canada, it had no narration and only included the music and sound effects. This was later corrected on the 2000 VHS tape release in Canada.

Quotes

  • The Fat Controller: Here is Diesel. I have agreed to give him a trial. He needs to learn. Please teach him, Duck.
  • Diesel: Good morning. Pleased to meet you, Duck. Is that James and Henry and Gordon too? I am delighted to meet such famous engines.
  • The engines: He has very good manners. We are pleased to have in our yard.

  • Diesel: Your worthy Fat–
  • Duck: "Sir Topham Hatt" to you!
  • Diesel: Your worthy Sir Topham Hatt thinks I need to learn. He is mistaken. We diesels don't need to learn. We know everything. We come to a yard and improve it. We are revolutionary.
  • Duck: Oh! If you're revo... revo-thinga-gummy, perhaps you would collect my trucks while I fetch Gordon's coaches.
  • Narrator: Diesel, delighted to show off purred away.

  • Old empty trucks: (groan while Diesel tries to pull them) We can't! We won't!

(after Diesel's snafu with the trucks)

  • Duck: Thank you for arranging these, Diesel. I must go now.
  • Diesel: Don't you want this lot?
  • Duck: No thank you.
  • Diesel: And I've taken all this trouble? Why didn't you tell me?
  • Duck: You never asked me. Besides, you were having such fun being rev-whatever it was you said. Goodbye.

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Brazilian Portuguese Mau comportamento
Chinese Mandarin 狄塞尔的大叫
Croatian Dizel je propao
Czech Nafoukaný Diesel
Danish Øv for Dieseltoget
Dutch De diesel ploft
Finnish Dieselveturi kuumenee
French En avant Diesel
German Schöner Mist, Herr Diesel
Greek Ο ερχομός της Ντίζι
Hungarian Dízel az új mozdony
Italian La locomotiva Diesel
Japanese ディーゼルがやってきた
Korean 디젤의 헛수고
Latin American Spanish Diesel da la nota
Norwegian Diesel knurrer og knuffer
Polish Samochwała Diesel
Romanian Poc face Diesel
Romansh Engaschi da Diesel
Russian Дизельный локомотив
Serbian Pode Dizel
Slovenian Nezgoda dizelske lokomotive
Swedish Diesel får en läxa
Turkish Kabak Diesel'e Patladı
Ukrainian Як Дизель зганьбився
Welsh Y Dîsl Du

Merchandise

Home Video Releases

UK

UK DVD Boxsets

US

CAN

  • Better Late than Never and Other Stories (Ringo Starr's US dub)
  • Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Other Thomas Adventures (No narration on 1998 VHS)

DVD Boxsets

AUS

  • Percy and Harold and Other Stories
  • The Biggest Ever Christmas Collection
  • The Very Best of Thomas & Friends
  • Series Two
  • My First Thomas with Diesel

AUS DVD Packs

NZ

ZA

IND

MYS

PHL

LATAM

LATAM DVD Boxset

BRA

ITA

FRA

ROM

ROM DVD Pack

NL

GER

NOR/ICE

DK

SWE/FIN

SVN

HRV

SRP

GRC

GRC DVD Boxset

TUR

THA

JPN

JPN DVD Boxset

CHN

HK

Episode

References



Advertisement