Train Stops Play

"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 Railway Series book, Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine.

Plot
Stepney has been enjoying his visit on 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 important, especially since he enjoys long runs. Percy offers Stepney to help with his goods trains, to which 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 it and starts. The cricketers shout at him to stop, but neither he nor his driver hear them. The cricketers need the ball for their game, so they climb into their old car Caroline to chase after Stepney.

Stepney does not hurry, but when his driver sees Caroline chasing after them with the desperate cricketers inside, he mistakes them for joyriders and has Stepney go faster. This is 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 the 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 hidden under some hay and the cricketers make up with Stepney's crew. They are now ready to return to the cricket field, but Stepney's driver notices Caroline is completely exhausted and they decide to roll her onto a flatbed so she can rest during the return journey. The cricketers (along with Caroline) ride back to the field in a brake van. Stepney and his crew enjoy and watch the rest of the game. Caroline, pleased, changes her mind about trains being silly.

Characters

 * Percy
 * Stepney
 * Caroline
 * The Elsbridge Cricket Club
 * The Tailor
 * The Inspector with the Bowler Hat
 * Thomas
 * Toby
 * Troublesome Trucks
 * Henry
 * James
 * Duck
 * Donald
 * Bulgy
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Jem Cole
 * Farmer Trotter
 * The Vicar of Wellsworth
 * The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's Wife
 * Refreshment Lady
 * One Little Boy
 * The Second Butler
 * Big Mickey

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Brendam
 * Brendam Docks
 * Elsbridge Cricket Field
 * Bulgy's Bridge
 * Road Beside Rail and Canal Runby
 * Terence's Field
 * Hackenbeck
 * Hackenbeck Shed
 * Hackenbeck Tunnel
 * The Lead Mines
 * Ffarquhar Quarry

Trivia

 * The Elsbridge Cricket Club set was filmed on November 28th, 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.
 * The only appearance of Hackenbeck Tunnel in the fourth series, not counting its stock footage appearances in the second series episodes, Bertie's Chase, Better Late Than Never and Edward's Exploit. It also marks its first physical appearance since the first series episode, Thomas' Christmas Party.
 * The only appearance of Brendam Station in the fourth series, as well as its last appearance overall.
 * This episode was paired alongside No Joke for James in an airing of Storytime with Thomas.
 * This episode is the first episode of the fourth series in which the Skarloey Railway and its engines do not appear.
 * This episode marks the last appearance of Brendam, not counting being mentioned on the timetable in Toby Had a Little Lamb and a mentioned appearance in Thomas and the Royal Engine.
 * This episode was not released on DVD in North America, but it was released on digital download on Amazon in 2016.
 * 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 released early on VHS in the UK before Rusty to the Rescue meaning the British audience may not know who Stepney is.

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 wonky and the guard figure in Stepney's brake van appears to have fallen backwards.
 * When Stepney arrives at the harbour, watch Thomas carefully; his 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 wonky.
 * 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.
 * Percy: You're welcome to take some of mine. But you better ask driver first.
 * [Both drivers agree, and the two engines leave]




 * [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 push twice her usual speed] I shouldn't be treated like this! This pace is too hot for system. It'll fuse all my circuits! [later finds Stepney has disappeared into a tunnel] Hurrah!/Yahoo! That silly train has run into a hole so we can't catch it. I can go home now.
 * Narrator: But she couldn't.




 * Stepney: [about Caroline] She doesn't think trains silly now.
 * Caroline: [about steam engines] They have their uses. They can save the wear (and tear) on a poor car's wheels!

Merchandise

 * Magazine stories - Train Stops Play
 * My Thomas Story Library - Caroline

Home Media Releases
{{Scroll box|

UK

 * Thomas' Train and 17 other stories
 * Chases, Races and Runaways
 * The Complete Series 4
 * Sporty Children's Favourites

DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection

WAL

 * Thomas the Tank Engine: Bumper Special 2

US

 * Thomas Meets the Queen and Other Stories
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 4

CAN

 * Thomas Meets the Queen and Other Stories

AUS

 * Thomas and the Special Letter and other stories
 * The Complete Series 4

DVD Packs

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * Classic Collection
 * Series Three and Series Four Double Pack

JPN

 * New Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.4
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 2 Vol.1
 * A Nice Little Story of Thomas the Tank Engine

PHL

 * Paint Pots and Queens

DK

 * The Brave Engine and Other Stories

GER

 * No Game Without A Ball and 4 Other Adventures
 * Thomas and His Friends Vol. 8
 * Full Steam Ahead!

DVD Boxsets

 * Thomas and His Friends Box Set 2

NOR

 * On New Adventures

ITA

 * Here Comes the Queen

GRC

 * A Day at the Station

DVD Boxsets

 * 3 DVD Boxset 2

MYS

 * Passengers and Polish and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady and Other Adventures

NL

 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas, Percy and Gordon
 * Thomas and the Special Letter

UKR

 * A Train Thomas and Friends
 * Thomas and Friends - Series 4

IN

 * Trucks and Other Stories

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4

KOR

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 5
 * Stories That Fosters Responsibility

HK

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 10
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 3

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 14

TWN
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 12

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