Troublesome Trucks (episode)

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“We want a proper engine - not a red monster!”

Troublesome Trucks, retitled Foolish Freight Cars in American releases, is the ninth episode of the first season.

Plot

James is finally let out again to pull a goods train. James is determined to redeem himself and makes good time even though the trucks break away on Gordon's Hill. The Fat Controller is pleased, and allows James to keep his red paint.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, James the Red Engine.
Stock footage from Thomas and the Trucks is used. The aforementioned episode was even filmed at the same time as this one, as the siding arrangements are the same.
In the restored version, an extended close-up shot of James at Maron is shown.
In both Ringo Starr narrations, once Edward leaves at the end, Sir Topham Hatt tells James, "After that, you deserve to keep your coat!" In the George Carlin narration, he says "After that performance, you deserve to keep your coat!"

Goofs

Bootlaces were used to fix the leak in the brakepipe in James and the Coaches, but in the narrator refers to it as singular.
James' tender is derailed while Thomas arranges his train.
When Thomas says "Have you got some bootlaces ready?" there's blu-tak under his lantern and Knapford disappears.
When James puffs out of the yard the truck at the front loses its face.
When Thomas puffs away laughing, all the trucks are coupled to each other. But when James backs onto the trucks, one at the front is uncoupled.
When the trucks get to the bottom of Gordon's Hill, a truck disappears.
When James goes up Gordon's Hill the second time, a wire pulls him up.
James' puffing noise is not in sync with his speed.
When the narrator says the line, "Sometimes their axles would run hot", a crew member's shadow is seen at the end of the set.
The Fat Controller said that he was in Edward's train and that he had seen everything, but Edward wasn't pulling a train when he stopped at Gordon's Hill, nor was he pulling a passenger train later at Maron.
A brakevan should have been added to Thomas' train.
When the trucks break away, a white rock can be seen falling out of one of the trucks.

Gallery

Episode

Video:Troublesome Trucks - British narration|UK narration Video:Foolish Freight Cars - Ringo Starr American narration|Ringo Starr US narration </videogallery>