Trust Thomas

"We couldn't pay James back for bumping us, so we'll play tricks on Thomas instead. One engine is as good as another."

- The troublesome trucks discussing their plan on Thomas

Trust Thomas is the thirteenth episode of the third series. It is loosely based on the magazine story Bertie's Bumpy Road.

Plot
It is a beautiful day and Thomas is puffing along his branch line with Annie and Clarabel, enjoying himself enormously. He soon meets Bertie, who is having a most unpleasant journey driving over the bumpy roads. At the station, Thomas finds out that Bertie has lost his trust in the railway's service after it failed to deliver tar to mend the roads two weeks earlier, and resolves to find the source of the problem.

Meanwhile, James is complaining about having to do Percy's work while the green saddletank engine is at the harbour, and takes his anger out by bumping his trucks, who vow to pay him out. Gordon advises James that if he pretended to be sick, he would not have to shunt trucks or go to the quarry, and James happily decides to try it. When Thomas arrives, James pretends to be ill, and Thomas offers to take James' trucks for him to the Quarry. The Troublesome Trucks, who are still cross at James for bumping them, decide to take their anger out on Thomas, deciding that one engine is as good as another. But Thomas does not hear them. On the way back from the quarry, the trucks push Thomas over some points and onto a jetty, which floats across a muddy pond and sinks. Thomas finds the unexpected incident humiliating, especially since the day started so well too.

Duck handles the trucks, and Edward brings Thomas home on a flatbed. On the way, Thomas then remembers about the missing tar and informs Edward about it; he recalls a tar tanker was left at Wellsworth and offers to collect it to ensure it reaches Bertie's road. James and Gordon apologise for the trick, and Bertie arrives saying the road is being mended and he has regained his trust in the railway. Gordon and James slowly leave for the shed, but Thomas is still not alone, for it so happens that a toad from the pond has stowed away on his valence for company, and is looking forward to a ride home.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Troublesome Trucks
 * Bertie
 * Percy
 * Duck
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Sir Topham Hatt

Locations

 * Hackenbeck
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Yards
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Knapford Harbour
 * The Quarry Tramroad
 * New Quarry
 * Ffarquhar River Bridge
 * Callan Pond
 * Black Loch
 * Wellsworth
 * Brendam Docks
 * Tidmouth Sheds

Trivia

 * James' subplot of pretending to be ill as suggested by Gordon is loosely adapted from Sir Handel's subplot in Trucks!. The story of origin would be adapted in the following series.
 * This episode was probably filmed alongside No Joke for James, as the train of tankers seen coupled to Gordon are the same ones that Thomas gives to him in that episode.
 * B-Roll footage of Thomas running on Toby's Branch Line from the first series is used at the beginning of this episode.
 * A deleted scene shows Gordon and James smiling after Thomas has his accident.
 * This marks the last appearance of the red lining on the back of Thomas' coal bunker until The Adventure Begins and the red lining's last appearance in an episode until the nineteenth series episode, Who's Geoffrey?
 * In most releases of the US dub, as well as the Ukrainian dub and the New Zealand release of Trust Thomas and Other Stories, the trucks laughing is omitted after Thomas had his accident. The echoed version of the US dub does include the trucks laughing, which is heard on the 1995 version of Trust Thomas and Other Stories, as do both UK dubs and other international dubs.
 * In the original UK dub, the music is omitted when James snorting about in the yard.
 * The music heard when Thomas crashes onto the jetty which is Thomas' danger theme used in the third and fourth series would later be reused for the fourth series episode, Thomas and the Special Letter. Also, this episode marks the only appearance of Thomas' wincing face, the next time it would appear in the said episode, and lastly in the fifth series episode, Bye George!
 * The steel rig from the TUGS episode High Tide can be seen at Knapford Yard.
 * A scene from this episode (the original UK dub) is shown in the 2006 British Drama film, After Thomas.
 * After this episode was repeated on 2nd April 1993, the series went on hiatus for two weeks for Easter 1993 and returned on 23rd April 1993 with the next episode.
 * The JEI TV version of the Korean dub added subtitles to inform viewers what tar is.
 * This episode marks the last appearance of Gordon's depressed face mask until the fifth series episode, Thomas and the Rumours.
 * This episode marks the first appearance of Bertie's angry face.
 * When Thomas is seen derailed on the jetty, his eyebrows on his sad face are placed at farther angles than where they usually used to be.

Goofs

 * Percy is said to be at the harbour, but he is actually seen shunting trucks in the background when Gordon advises James to be ill.
 * While Thomas passes the camera while taking the trucks to the quarry, the last truck's face is falling off.
 * When Thomas leaves the quarry and when Thomas crosses the bridge, his trucks have no faces, even though they had them before and after.
 * Thomas passes the points leading to the muddy pond before the narrator has time to say so.
 * While Thomas was being pushed by the troublesome trucks into the pond, Thomas' weight moved the track slightly.
 * At the pond, the front truck's right eye is covered in white residue.
 * The narrator said that Thomas' driver applied the brakes, but his wheels are still moving.
 * In the close-up of Thomas after he floats across the pond, the jetty has already sunk into the pond, but in the next shot of his wheels, it has not sunk yet.
 * Edward says a truck of tar was left at his station, but two appear in the flashback.
 * The toad on Thomas' front at the end has adhesive underneath its feet.
 * In the restored version, James goes past the camera completely when pushing the trucks, resulting in the sound being heard later after James hits the trucks and James' actions being repeated when he meets Gordon in the next scene.
 * In the first scene, Clarabel is facing the wrong way.
 * In the first shot of the yard, Edward is seen pulling express coaches and there is a goods train passing through next to him, but in the next shot, both trains have disappeared.
 * During the exchange between Gordon, James and Thomas, Edward and Duck's whistle sounds and a guard's whistle are heard many times.
 * When Bertie arrives at the yard to thank Thomas for helping to find the tar, some stone trucks are in the siding to Bertie's right. However, when the shot switches to a close-up of Bertie, the trucks have disappeared.

Quotes

 * Thomas: Bad luck Bertie. Now if you were a steam engine, you would run on a pair of reliable rails.
 * Bertie: Hmmph! The railway was supposed to deliver tar to mend the road two weeks ago! You can't trust a thing that runs on rails!
 * Thomas: I run on rails. You can trust me, Bertie. I'll see if I can find out what's happened.




 * [Thomas sees James and Gordon looking miserable]


 * Thomas: Cheer up. It's a beautiful day.
 * Gordon: Yes, but not for James.
 * Thomas: What's the matter?
 * Gordon: He's sick!
 * James: Yes, he is. I mean, I am! I don't feel well at all.
 * Thomas: Don't worry. I'll help out if you're ill.




 * Edward: [having been informed by Thomas about the missing tar] That's strange. A truck/car full of tar has been left in my station. That must be it. Driver will make sure it gets to Bertie now.




 * James: I'm sorry about your accident. And so is Gordon. We didn't mean to get you into trouble.
 * Gordon: No, indeed! A mere misunderstanding, Thomas. All's well that ends well.

Merchandise

 * Buzz Books - Trust Thomas
 * Magazine Stories - Thank You, Thomas!

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Trust Thomas and Other Stories
 * Children's Pre-School Compilation
 * The Biggest Ever Christmas Collection
 * The Complete Series 3
 * My Little Thomas and Bertie Adventures
 * The Very Best of Thomas and Friends
 * The Best of Thomas

DVD Packs

 * Classic Collection
 * 10 DVD Boxset
 * The Best of Friends
 * The Fogman and Other Stories and The Very Best of Thomas and Friends Double Pack

WAL

 * Thomas the Tank Engine: Bumper Special 1

US

 * Trust Thomas and Other Stories
 * Thomas and His Friends Get Along
 * Thomas' Trainyard Adventures
 * The Greatest Stories
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 3

CAN

 * Trust Thomas and Other Stories
 * Thomas and His Friends Get Along
 * The Greatest Stories

VHS/DVD Packs

 * Special Video Collector's Set
 * Trust Thomas and Other Stories/A Big Day for Thomas Double Feature
 * On-the-Go Pack
 * Totally Thomas Volume 2
 * Totally Thomas Volume 6

AUS

 * Trust Thomas and Other Stories
 * The Biggest Ever Christmas Collection
 * The Very Best of Thomas and Friends
 * The Complete Series 3
 * The Best of Thomas and Friends - Volume 1
 * My First Thomas with Bertie and Harold

DVD Boxsets

 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * [Essential Collection
 * Complete Series 1-10
 * Classic Collection
 * Series Three and Series Four Double Pack

NZ

 * Trust Thomas and Other Stories
 * The Biggest Ever Christmas Collection
 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 4
 * Thomas Train Set Compilation Video Volume 6

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 15
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.5
 * Bertie and Harold Fellow Friends
 * The Best Collection
 * Thomas and his Lovely Friends

DVD Boxsets

 * The Complete DVD Box 1

KOR

 * For the Story of Determination

ITA

 * On Christmas Eve

GRC

 * The Twin Engines Were Confused!

DVD Boxsets

 * 3 DVD Boxset 2

DK

 * Now There Will Be Trouble and Other Stories

IN

 * The Trouble with Mud and Other Stories

MYS

 * Thomas' Christmas Party and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Donald's Duck and Other Adventures

NOR

 * Thomas, Percy and the Post Train
 * Thomas-Festival

FIN

 * Thomas, Percy and the Post Train

UKR

 * A Train Thomas and Friends

GER

 * Henry's Forest and 4 Other Adventures
 * Rail Free for Steam and Diesel!

NL

 * Rely on Thomas
 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas

SER

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 6

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 10

HK
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 7
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 1