Duncan the Humbug

"Merry Christmas to you, Duncan!" "Merry Christmas to one and all!" "Bah humbug!"

- Mr. Percival, Luke and Duncan

Duncan the Humbug is the nineteenth episode of the eighteenth series.

Plot
It is Christmas on the Island of Sodor. It is a busy time, but the engines love this time of year. All the engines that is except for Duncan who complains even more than usual.

During the day, Duncan complains to Rheneas about the cold weather. He then complains to Rusty about the apparent lack of sand. Later, he complains about the extra passengers slowing him down to Skarloey, causing the engine to start losing his Christmas spirit.

By the time Skarloey returns to the depot, he is not feeling very festive at all. Neither are Rheneas and Rusty, as the former believes that Duncan may turn Christmas into a big chore. Thomas arrives and tells them that even Duncan will be impressed by the brightly lit depot. But sure enough, Duncan arrives and starts complaining. Thomas tells his narrow gauge friends that the Fat Controller is giving all of the standard gauge engines a new coat of paint. Duncan thinks this is unfair, but Rusty informs him that the Thin Controller is planning a similar treat for his narrow gauge engines. Duncan is pleased, but goes off grumbling as usual. Skarloey and Rheneas have just about had enough of Duncan’s complaining and begin to wish that there was a way to stop him from it, even just for one day. Rusty then decides to talk to the Thin Controller about it.

The next day, Duncan travels to the Steamworks for his fresh coat of paint where he finds the Thin Controller talking to Victor. The Thin Controller tells Duncan that he is upsetting the other engines with his constant complaining and that he will only get his coat of paint if he is cheerful for the rest of the day. Duncan accepts the challenge and sets off to work.

On his way, Duncan meets Rheneas at a junction. Rheneas reminds Duncan to go slow on the icy rails. Duncan thanks Rheneas for the reminder. At Crovan's Gate, Duncan has to wait while all the passengers climb aboard his carriages with their extra luggage. Skarloey arrives and notices that Duncan's attitude has completely changed since yesterday. Shortly, Duncan gets held up at a frozen level crossing. To pass the time, the passengers start to hum a Christmas tune. Duncan does not like the humming at all, but when he hears Rusty coming down the line, he grins and bears at the passengers humming.

Later, Duncan gets stuck behind Luke on a slippery hill. Try as he might, Luke cannot reach the summit; his wheels will not grip the rails. Duncan is very impatient with Luke and upsets him. Unfortunately, Rusty is watching Duncan with interest. Duncan realises that he has upset Luke and decides to help his friend. As Luke's sandbox is empty, Duncan drops some sand on the line himself. He then buffers up to Luke and gives him a push to the top of the hill. Rusty has seen everything. Duncan feels sad; he knows that he lost his temper and that means no new coat of paint for him.

The next morning, Duncan heads to the Steamworks anyway to apologise for his behaviour. As Duncan begins to explain to the Thin Controller he is cut off mid-sentence. The Thin Controller explains that Duncan had done a very kind thing in helping Luke and such usefulness should be rewarded with a new coat of paint. The Thin Controller also says that he had been wrong to make Duncan be cheerful all day. Rusty goes on to say that he is just that sort of engine and, as Luke points out, it does not make him any less useful.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Skarloey
 * Rheneas
 * Rusty
 * Duncan
 * Luke
 * Mr. Percival
 * Victor
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Emily
 * Paxton
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Sir Topham Hatt's Brown-haired Assistant
 * The Blond-haired Boy
 * The Ginger haired Boy
 * The Bird Watcher
 * Sir Robert Norramby
 * Dowager Hatt's Friends
 * The Grumpy Passenger
 * The Welsh Bird Watcher
 * The Lady with the Big Hat
 * The Great Railway Show Judge
 * The Female Puppet Show Entertainer
 * A Schoolboy
 * Sir Topham Hatt

Locations

 * Town Square
 * Knapford
 * Crovan's Gate
 * Skarloey Engine Sheds
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Victor's Shed
 * Rheneas Viaduct
 * Glennock
 * The Depot

UK

 * Ben Small as Thomas and Rheneas
 * Keith Wickham as Skarloey and Mr. Percival
 * Tom Stourton as Duncan
 * Matt Wilkinson as Rusty
 * Michael Legge as Luke

US

 * Martin Sherman as Thomas
 * Kerry Shale as Mr. Percival
 * Keith Wickham as Skarloey
 * Matt Wilkinson as Rusty
 * Ben Small as Rheneas
 * Tom Stourton as Duncan
 * Michael Legge as Luke

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the eleventh episode of the eighteenth series.
 * The tunes of the Christmas carols, Once in Royal David City, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, I Saw Three Ships, We Three Kings, God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen and 12 Days of Christmas can be heard occasionally throughout the episode. This is also the first episode since the third series' UK version of Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure, to include Christmas carols of any kind.
 * In Australia, this episode was first available to view on the ABC iView online service on 21st December before its television broadcast.
 * This episode marks the firsts of a few things:
 * The first and only appearance of the Rheneas Viaduct in CGI, marking its first appearance since the tenth series episode, Missing Trucks and its final appearance.
 * The first episode where Crovan's Gate is referred to by name.
 * The first episode where Luke is not seen working at the Blue Mountain Quarry.
 * Duncan's quote, "Bah humbug!", is a reference to the Charles Dickens novel, A Christmas Carol.
 * A fade effect is missing in the UK version.
 * The first Latin American Spanish title names this episode as "Duncan the Peppermint," which might have been a working title.
 * Some shots of Duncan and Rheneas at Glennock are reused from Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger, but with snow rendered into the scene.
 * This episode marks the last of a few things for the Skarloey Railway:
 * The last appearance of Glennock.
 * The last episode to feature a Skarloey Railway engine as the main character.
 * Duncan's last starring role.
 * Luke's last speaking role until the twenty-first series episode, Runaway Engine.
 * Rusty's last appearance overall until Journey Beyond Sodor, as well as his last speaking role and appearance in an episode until the twenty-fourth series episode, The Great Little Railway Show.
 * In the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Baltic Russian and Vietnamese dubs, the UK dub can be heard in the background as a dubbing track was not used.

Goofs

 * As Annie is blinking while Thomas stops at Knapford, her eyes can be seen cliping through her eyelashes for a second.
 * When Rheneas arrives at Glennock, there is slate in his trucks. But in his close ups, the trucks are empty.
 * Duncan arrives at and departs from the Steamworks from the front, but he should be doing so at the back; there are only standard gauge tracks going to the front. As a result, both times that Duncan goes to the Steamworks, the line that he uses to get onto the transfer table is standard gauge. And when Duncan leaves the Steamworks, he starts backing up towards Victor's Shed, which not only no longer has tracks as of King of the Railway, but was a dead end when it did have tracks.
 * When Skarloey arrives at the Depot, there are no trucks in front of him or Rusty, but in the next scene, some trucks appear in front of them. Similarly, when Duncan shows up at the Depot, he has no coaches, but gains them when he leaves.
 * Duncan skids to a halt due to a sudden signal change. After chatting with Rusty, he sets off again before Rusty, and therefore ran a red signal.
 * When Rusty is talking to Duncan at the signal, compared to the first close up of Duncan, the background appears to be set much further back in the second one.
 * Throughout the episode, rust stains disappear and reappear on Duncan's front buffers.
 * Rusty's driver is actually a Dieselworks workman.
 * When Duncan comes up behind Luke, the tree is hanging off the flatbed, but when Duncan buffers up to the flatbed, the tree has moved up.
 * When Duncan stops at the junction by Rheneas his face is not animated as it is frozen. Also in the aerial shot he stops, in the next shot he stops again.
 * Thomas' snowplough disappears when he arrives at Knapford.
 * In the last scene at the steamworks, Rusty's final chain link clips through the ground.

Merchandise

 * Magazine Stories - Duncan the Humbug

Home Media Releases
{{Scroll box|

UK

 * The Christmas Engines
 * The Complete Series 18

DVD Boxsets

 * Festive Favourites

US

 * The Christmas Engines
 * Season 18

DVD Boxsets

 * The Christmas Engines and Hero of the Rails Double Pack

AUS

 * The Christmas Engines

FRA

 * Series 18

THA

 * Last Train for Christmas

CHN
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 * Marion and the Pipe

Duncan el Gruñón דאנקן הרמאי Damian Maruda Ворчливый Дункан