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“They have their uses. They can save the wear on a poor car's wheels!”
― Caroline changing her opinion on trains

Train Stops Play is the seventeenth episode of the fourth series. It is based on the story of the same name from the the Railway Series book Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine.

Plot

Stepney has been enjoying his visit to Sodor and, one day, he is busy talking to Thomas, Percy and Toby. Stepney compliments the engines and says that Sodor has lots of things that make the Island feel special, especially since he enjoys long runs. Stepney also mentions he misses pulling trucks. Percy tells Stepney that he can help with his goods train. Both their drivers agree and the two tank engines set off for their deliveries. Stepney delivers his loaded trucks to the Harbour and then leaves to take some "empties" to the Quarry.

Later, Stepney stops at a red signal by a cricket field where a game has just started. A batsman hits a "six" when the signal drops and the ball lands in one of Stepney's trucks. Stepney does not notice this and, when the signal drops, he puffs away. The cricketers shout at him to stop but neither Stepney nor his driver hear them. The cricketers don't have a spare ball to continue playing cricket, so they climb into their old car Caroline to chase after Stepney.

Stepney is not hurrying and Caroline, honking her horn, chases after them with the desperate cricketers inside. The driver mistakes them for joyriders and increases Stepney's speed, much to Caroline's annoyance, as she easily overheats when travelling at high speed. When Caroline finds that Stepney has disappeared into a tunnel, she hopes the players will give up and take her home but her driver instead forces her over a hill and onward to the next station.

Stepney has placed his train in a siding when Caroline wearily arrives at the station with the cricketers, who tell Stepney's crew that they need their ball back. The ball is found in the third truck from the brake van hidden under some straw, much to the delight of the cricketers. They are, now, ready to return to the cricket field but Stepney's driver notices Caroline is completely overheated. After discussing with the stationmaster and the signalman, they roll Caroline onto a flatbed so she can rest during the return journey. The cricketers ride back to the field in a brake van. Stepney and his crew enjoy watching the rest of the game. Caroline, pleased, changes her mind about trains being silly.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • The Elsbridge Cricket Club set was filmed on 28 November 1994.
  • Because this episode is the eighteenth episode of the fourth series in production order, it was broadcast after Bowled Out, which is the seventeenth, thus scuppering the continuity of Stepney's visit to the Fat Controller's railway.
  • Edited scenes from this episode are used in the song The Red Balloon. One shot superimposes the red balloon above the cricket field and another shows the cricketers smiling.
  • This is the only episode of a few things:
    • Caroline's only appearance in the fourth series.
    • The Elsbridge Cricket Club members' only speaking roles.
  • This episode marks the first physical appearance of Hackenbeck Tunnel since the first series episode Thomas' Christmas Party, not counting its stock footage appearances in the second series episodes Bertie's Chase, Better Late than Never and Edward's Exploit.
  • This episode is the first episode of the fourth series in which neither the Skarloey Railway nor any of its engines appear.
  • In certain scenes where the cricket field is shown, Bulgy can be seen still in the field where he was left in his debut episode Bulgy. He can also be seen in the episode Mind that Bike.
  • This episode was paired alongside No Joke for James in an airing of Storytime with Thomas.
  • This episode was not released on DVD in North America but it was released digitally on Amazon in 2016 as part of Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 4.

Goofs

  • After Percy arrives with his trucks, his roof is lifted.
  • Studio equipment is visible in the shots of the cricket field.
  • At the harbour, Henry and James' eyes are misaligned and the guard figure in Stepney's brake van also appears to have fallen backwards.
  • When Stepney arrives at the harbour, Thomas' trucks wobble and nearly come off the rails.
  • One of Percy's lamp irons is crooked.
  • Paint chips are visible in Stepney's running board when he or the narrator says that Caroline "doesn't think trains are silly."
  • Duck and Donald are behind Thomas, Stepney, Percy and Toby at the beginning. But a few scenes later, some trucks and a green express coach have taken their places.
  • After Stepney's driver tells Stepney to speed up, Caroline is nowhere to be seen.
  • When Percy talks to Stepney, his eyes are misaligned.
  • In the shot of Thomas and Toby being speechless, Thomas' funnel is a bit crooked.
  • At the end of the episode, the roof of the brake van is bent.

Quotes

Stepney: You are very lucky engines. Your line has got everything. It's long enough to give you a good run and you have plenty of passengers. Then, you have a quarry and a mine, so you'll need plenty of trucks. Trucks are fun. I miss them on our line.
Narrator: Percy was surprised. All the engines thought trucks were trouble.
Percy: You're welcome to take some of mine but you'd better ask driver first.
Narrator: Their drivers agreed and the two engines set off. Thomas and Toby were speechless!

[after a cricket ball flies into one of Stepney's trucks]
Cricket Players: Stop!
Stepney: [to his trucks] Come along! Come along!
Cricket Players: Our one and only ball!

Caroline: [being pushed twice her usual speed] I shouldn't be treated like this! This pace is too hot for system! It'll fuse all my circuits!
Narrator: Suddenly, Stepney was nowhere to be seen.
Caroline: Hurrah! That silly train has run into a hole so we can't catch it. I can go home now!
Narrator: But she couldn't.

Narrator: Even Caroline was pleased. She doesn't think trains silly now.
Caroline: [about steam engines] They have their uses. They can save the wear on a poor car's wheels!

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Brazilian Portuguese Trem para o jogo
Chinese Mandarin 列车不动了
Czech Vlak, který zastavil zápas
Danish Toget standser spillet
Dutch Trein vangsten bal
Finnish Pallo pelistä pois
German Ohne ball kein spiel
Greek Η Καταδιώξει Αρχίζει
Hungarian A félbeszakadt krikettjáték
Italian Partita interrotta
Japanese しあいちゅうだん
Korean 화물차에 떨어진 공을 찾아서
Latin American Spanish No detengan el juego
Norwegian Lek og lær
Polish Mecz krykieta (Original)
Koniec zabawy (Alternate)
Romanian Trenul opreşte jocul
Russian Поезда перестают играть
Slovenian Vlak prekine tekmo
Swedish Stepney stoppar spelet
Ukrainian Потяг припиняє гру
Welsh Dim Pêl - Dim Gêm

Merchandise

Home Video Releases

UK

UK DVD Boxset

WAL

US

CAN

  • Thomas Meets the Queen and Other Stories (Direct-to-VHS)

AUS

AUS DVD Packs

NZ

  • Thomas and the Special Letter and Other Stories

ZA

IND

MYS

PHL

ITA

NL

GER

GER DVD Boxset

NOR

DK

SWE

SVN

GRC

GRC DVD Boxset

THA

JPN

KOR

CHN

HK

TWN

Episode

Reference



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