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This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the vinyl record, the German VHS, the Italian DVD or the magazine story.
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“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

TroubleintheShed12

"Oh, indeed. We'll see about that. Engines on my railway do as they are told".

There is no sign of Henry or his train at Knapford one morning, causing the passengers to become angry. The stationmaster tells the Fat Controller that Henry is refusing to leave his shed, so he goes to find out what is going on. Gordon says that he, James and Henry will no longer fetch their own coaches or shunt in sidings, declaring that shunting is for tank engines like Thomas, not important tender engines. The Fat Controller is very surprised that the bigger engines are 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 the coaches and the rest of the day's trains run as usual.

The next morning, the Fat Controller visits the yard to see how Edward is getting along, only to see Gordon puff by and hiss at him rudely. The Fat Controller is shocked at this abuse, while Edward explains that Gordon, James and Henry have been hissing him and saying 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 his work, saying that tender engines do shunt. All the same however, he decides that they need a new tank engine to find a permanent solution to the problem.

TroubleintheShed19

"They all hissed me, sir. And last night, they said I had black wheels".

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. The engine eagerly responds that he is and with that, the matter is settled. The Fat Controller names the engine Percy and takes 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 when he attempts to insult Edward again. The next day, 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 shed for their little mutiny and until they learn to behave, and in their absence, Edward and the two tank engines will be doing their work running the railway.

Thomas and Edward are put in charge of the main line, while Percy is put in charge of Thomas' branch line and looking after Annie and Clarabel. 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 middle of learning a lesson.

Meanwhile, Gordon, James and Henry are left in the shed feeling cold, lonely and miserable. They finally start to realise just how silly they have been.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • This episode marks the first appearance of Percy 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[1], 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 UK dub 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 derogatory term for someone who works during a strike. In both US dubs, it was changed to "grey" wheels, most 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.
  • This episode marks the first appearance of Henry's surprised face.
  • 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".

Goofs

  • 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 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 shape.
  • 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 the right of Henry 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.

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Brazilian Portuguese A greve
Chinese Mandarin 车棚里的麻烦
Croatian Nevolje u spremištu
Czech Potíže v depu
Danish Ballade i remissen
Dutch Rumoer in de remise
Finnish Ongelmia vaunuvajassa
French Des problèmes dans le dépôt
German Ärger im Depot
Greek Η μεγάλη απεργία
Hebrew צרות בסככה
Hungarian A szállítomozdonyok lázadása
Icelandic Skakkaföll í skílinu
Italian Guai al deposito
Japanese きかんこのもめごと
Korean 고든, 헨리, 제임스의 후회
Latin American Spanish Un problema para Sir Topham Hatt
Norwegian Trøbbel i lokomotivstallen
Polish Kłopoty w parowozowni (Original)
Kłopoty w hangarze (Alternate)
Romanian Necazuri în hangar
Romansh Dispita en il deposit
Russian Неприятности на путях
Serbian Problem u garaži
Slovak Problémy v depe
Slovenian Zapleti na postaji
Swedish Trubbel i lokstallet
Turkish Hangarda Sorun
Ukrainian Неприємності у депо
Welsh Streic yn y Sied

Merchandise

Home Video Releases

UK

UK VHS/DVD Boxsets

WAL

  • Troublesome Trucks and 8 Other Stories

US

CAN

  • Tenders and Turntables and Other Stories (Ringo Starr's US dub)
  • Thomas and His Friends Help Out
  • Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Other Thomas Adventures
  • The Early Years (UK dub)
  • Engine Friends (Ringo Starr's US dub)

US/CAN DVD Packs

AUS

AUS DVD Packs

NZ

ZA

IND

MYS

PHL

BRA

LATAM

LATAM DVD Boxset

ITA

FRA

ROM

ROM DVD Pack

NL

NL DVD Boxsets

GER

NOR

DK

SWE/FIN

ICE

  • Thomas the Tank Engine 2

SVN

HRV

SRP

GRC

GRC DVD Boxset

TUR

THA

JPN

JPN DVD Boxset

KOR

CHN

HK

Episode

Reference



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