Mr. Conductor

"Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!"

- Mr. Conductor, Thomas and the Magic Railroad Mr. Conductor is a major character in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. He is a 20-centimetre tall conductor who narrated the television series episodes that aired on Shining Time Station. He also has a cousin named Junior.

He was portrayed by Ringo Starr on the first series of Shining Time Station, by George Carlin for the rest of the show, including its follow up Mr Conductor's Thomas Tales and by Alec Baldwin in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, each one being a different member of the Conductor family.

Biography
Mr. Conductor traveled to the Island of Sodor to help out while Sir Topham Hatt was on vacation. His journey from Shining Time was getting bumpier and bumpier because he was running out of gold dust. That night, while at Tidmouth Sheds, Diesel 10 came to question him about the lost engine. After scaring Diesel 10 off with some sugar, he had a dream where Shining Time and the Island of Sodor was falling apart. The following day, he searched for the windmill but he got lost. Luckily, he found a note from a rabbit who had left him some carrots and celery because they were good for the brain.

The celery made him think of his cousin, Junior, who was at the beach. After telling Junior to come help and to bring the rest of his gold dust, Mr. Conductor tried to find the windmill. While walking towards the viaduct, Diesel 10 came up from behind him and scooped him up into his claw. Diesel 10 threatened to drop Mr. Conductor into the viaduct, but Mr. Conductor used some pliers to cut the pipes controlling the claw.

Mr. Conductor was flung away from the viaduct all the way to the windmill. When he arrived at the windmill he found the clue to the source of the gold dust. After he read the clue Junior and Lily arrived on Thomas, the reunion was short lived, however, because Junior climbed up to the windmill and was flung onto Diesel 10. Later that night, Mr. Conductor sent Thomas through the magic buffers to bring Lily back to Muffle Mountain where her Grandpa lived.

Mr. Conductor was by the magic buffers when James and Junior arrived. Later that day, Thomas and Lady came through the magic buffers carrying Burnet Stone (Lily's grandfather), Patch, Lily, and Mutt. Diesel 10, Splatter, and Dodge arrived to destroy Lady. Diesel 10 chased Lady and Thomas to destroy them. Diesel 10 fell off the viaduct, and Thomas and Lady arrived safely back to Mr. Conductor where they made him more gold dust.

Appearances
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Thomas & Friends

 * 1989-1995 - Shining Time Station
 * 1996 - Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales

Specials

 * 2000 - Thomas and the Magic Railroad

Music Videos
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 * 2000 - Shining Time

Books

 * 1999 - Annual
 * 2000 - Thomas and the Magic Railroad (manga), Diesels and Engines, Diesel 10 Means Trouble, Thomas and the Magic Railroad (activity book), Thomas and the Magic Railroad (book) and Thomas and the Magic Railroad (sticker book)
 * 2006 - Thomas' Sticker Express
 * 2007 - Thomas' Read-Along Storybook
 * 2013 - Capsule Plarail Thomas Encyclopedia

Miscellaneous
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 * 2000 - Thomas and the Magic Railroad Print Studio, Thomas and the Magic Railroad (board game) and Thomas and the Magic Railroad (soundtrack)
 * 2002 - Trading Cards

Actors

 * Ringo Starr
 * George Carlin
 * Alec Baldwin
 * Masashi Ebara
 * Marc Bellier
 * Thomas Fritsch
 * Dvir Benedek
 * Pedro D'Aguillón Jr.
 * Alejandro Vargas Lugo
 * Salvador Delgado

Trivia

 * Mr. Conductor has also been a regular character at Day Out with Thomas events at the Battlefield Railway in the UK. Sam Wilkinson played him at some of these events, leading Mattel to eventually hire him.
 * Mr. Conductor's height was achieved through blue screening each actor.
 * He is the first character of the franchise to narrate in first-person, a role which would be given to Thomas eighteen years later.
 * On 10 Years of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, the whistle sound used by George Carlin's Mr. Conductor during the second and third seasons of Shining Time Station is heard at the start of each episode.

Merchandise

 * ERTL
 * Wooden Railway
 * Capsule Plarail
 * Trading Cards
 * Bendems