James and the Coaches

James and the Coaches, retitled James Learns a Lesson in North American releases, is the eighth episode of the first series. It is based on the stories James and the Top Hat and James and the Bootlace from the Railway Series book James the Red Engine.

Plot
James is settling into his new life on the Island of Sodor quite nicely. The Fat Controller tells him that he can take coaches and trucks easily, but must learn from his mistakes. Remembering a nasty accident with trucks on his first day, James knows just what the Fat Controller means by that.

James' first job of the day is to take a passenger train with Edward, who warns him not to bump the coaches. People have arrived on the platform to admire James, who gets overexcited and lets off steam without warning, causing a shower of water to fall on the Fat Controller's brand new top hat. It is time for the train to leave and James tries to get out as fast as he can, which bothers Edward and the coaches. This causes trouble at the first station stop when James causes two of the coaches to run beyond the platform, forcing the train to reverse to let off passengers. However, it seems that no one knows what happened with the Fat Controller, to James' relief.

Next, James and Edward stop at the Junction on Thomas' new branch line where the tank engine greets them before leaving. The train later passes the field from James' accident which is now cleaned up. Finally, the journey ends and after unloading the passengers the two engines start home, with James still wondering what the Fat Controller will have to say about his top hat.

The next morning, the Fat Controller visits James in the shed and threatens to have him painted blue unless he behaves. Angered at the prospect of losing his red coat, James bumps the coaches while bringing them to the station. He grumbles about having to fetch them on his own, unlike Gordon. To make matters worse for James, nobody dares go near him, making him angrier.

James pulls the coaches very roughly and runs too fast for comfort, and before long, they force him to stop. The driver determines that James' rough treatment has caused a leak in a coach's brake pipe, and his only recommendation is patching the leak with newspaper and a leather bootlace. Since none of the crew have any, the guard proceeds to ask each of the passengers and at last finds a man with a leather bootlace, who refuses to give it up. The guard explains that the train cannot continue without the repair, making the other passengers very cross at both the railway and the man for stranding them. Under pressure, the man relents and hands over his bootlaces. The damage is temporarily repaired, and James, knowing that he is going to be in big trouble with the Fat Controller, carefully proceeds on his way and makes sure to never bump coaches again.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * James
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Green Express Coaches
 * Orange Coaches
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Jeremiah Jobling
 * Troublesome Trucks
 * Märklin Engine
 * Stephen Hatt
 * The Little Boys
 * Lady Hatt
 * Gordon

Locations

 * Rail Under Road Bridge and Stone Wall
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Bus Yard
 * Dryaw
 * Airfield
 * Elsbridge
 * The Cow Field
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Maron
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * The Works
 * The Goat's Field
 * Henry's Tunnel

Trivia

 * George Carlin's dub was not available on home video until 2002, when it was released on Best of James for VHS and DVD.
 * This is the last episode with a few things:
 * The last appearance of Henry's Tunnel until the fourth series episode, Henry and the Elephant, excluding a deleted scene from Bowled Out.
 * The last episode in Japan to feature Edward's original nameboard at the end.
 * The last episode in which The Terrahawks introduced for the series. Bonnie Langford then took over on 5th November 1984 before introducing all constituent programs, starting with Troublesome Trucks and James and the Express on 6th November.
 * After the narrator says "James was still wondering what the Fat Controller would have to say about his top hat," the sound of James' whistle is the same as used in Thomas and the Trucks when the Fat Controller asks Thomas what he is doing at Maron Station.
 * The events of this episode were referenced in the twenty-second series episode, An Engine of Many Colours.
 * The unspecified Märklin engine can be seen at the start of the episode behind Edward at Knapford Station.
 * The guard in this episode has a beard that strongly resembles Ringo Starr's.
 * This episode marks first time appearances of James' smiling and angry faces.
 * This is the first episode in which Henry and Gordon do not appear, although Gordon is mentioned by James at one point.
 * On the DVD release of James Learns a Lesson and Other Stories, the last few seconds of the episode are cut.
 * Edited and alternate stock footage from the previous episode as well as a deleted scene from Thomas and the Guard is used.

Goofs

 * Clarabel is facing the wrong way when Thomas leaves the junction.
 * When James is getting his branch line coaches ready, the brake one is the second in the train. When James gets the fifth coach, the brake one is in the middle and has been turned around. When James leaves Knapford, the brake coach is again the second one in the train and has been turned around.
 * The goods shed side of Knapford is incorrectly assembled during the shot of the coaches at the platform; the two M-shaped concrete pillar sections are directly up against each other without the intermediate horizontal member.
 * James' fireman is blond in the beginning, but when his crew wonder how to fix the leak in the pipe, they all have dark hair.
 * In the first close-up of the Fat Controller, ink is visible on his right hand.
 * When James leaves after the leather bootlace incident, James' puffing sounds are exactly the same, but James' speed changes.
 * In the close-up of James' driver and fireman inside his cab, the hill beside James is nowhere to be seen.
 * The last two coaches in line on James' train are Annie and Clarabel.
 * When James and Edward finish their journey their their tenders are crooked a bit.
 * Edward's eyes jolt a bit when James assembles the train.
 * James's left eye jolts forward a bit after his driver states to ask the passengers for a bootlace.
 * Some small scale figurines have sticky tac under their feet.
 * When the passengers argue, some of the coaches roofs are damaged.
 * Jeremiah Joblings's hat has chips, on the crown shape and the brim. It also changes from tan to dark brown between large scale and small scale model.
 * When James and Edward overshoot the first station the first coach moves back a bit after they stop.

Magazine stories

 * 1987 - James and the Coaches

Home Media Releases
{{Scroll box|

UK

 * Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends Cassette 1
 * Thomas and Gordon and other stories
 * Thomas and the Breakdown Train and Other Stories
 * Bumper Special
 * Thomas and Gordon, Troublesome Trucks and other stories
 * My Little Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends Video
 * The Complete Series 1
 * The Very Best of Thomas and Friends
 * The Best of James
 * Thomas and the Breakdown Train

DVD Packs

 * Classic Collection
 * The Best of Friends
 * The Fogman and The Very Best of Thomas and Friends Double Pack

US

 * James Learns a Lesson and Other Stories
 * Best of James
 * Thomas' Fan Favorite Adventures
 * The Early Years
 * Thomas and Friends Classic Volume 1

CAN

 * James Learns a Lesson and Other Stories
 * Best of James
 * The Early Years

VHS/DVD Boxsets

 * Special Video Collector's Set
 * Best Tales on the Tracks
 * Best of James/Best of Thomas Double Feature
 * Totally Thomas Volume 9
 * Best of Collection
 * Best of Thomas, Percy and James Platinum Edition

AUS

 * Thomas and Gordon and other stories
 * The Very Best of Thomas and Friends
 * The Complete Series 1
 * The Best of Thomas and Friends - Volume 1
 * My First Thomas with James
 * My First Thomas with The Fat Controller

DVD Boxsets

 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * Essential Collection
 * Complete Series 1-10
 * My First Thomas
 * My First Thomas
 * Classic Collection
 * Series One and Series Two Double Pack

NZ

 * Thomas and Gordon and other stories
 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 1
 * Thomas Train Set Compilation Video Volume 3

PHL

 * Thomas and Friends Collection

MYS

 * Thomas and the Breakdown Train and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Thomas and Gordon and Other Adventures

ZA

 * Volume 1

WAL

 * Thomas and Gordon and other Stories

ITA

 * A Freight Train Troublemaker

FRA

 * The Adventures of Thomas

ROM

 * Thomas and the Trucks

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 1

NL

 * ...Taken by the Nose!
 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas, James and Henry

GER

 * The Freight Wagons and 4 Other Adventures
 * Thomas and His Friends Vol. 1
 * All Beginnings Are Difficult

NOR/FIN/ISL

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 1

SWE

 * Thomas and the Guard

DNK

 * Thomas and the Trucks
 * Thomas and Gordon and Other Stories

HRV

 * Thomas and Gordon

SER

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 1

ISR

 * Welcome Thomas!

IND

 * Thomas and Gordon and Other Stories

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 2

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 2
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.2
 * Anytime With James!
 * The Complete DVD Box 1
 * Don't Be Defeated by Thomas and Friends!!

KOR

 * Best of James

CHN

 * Thomas & Friends Season 1-4

HK
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 1
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 8

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