James and the Queen of Sodor

"That (slimy) old tub?! Gordon tricked me, he wants me to get dirty! I'll show him! A shiny engine like me never gets dirty!"

- James finding out that the Queen of Sodor is actually an old barge

James and the Queen of Sodor is the seventh episode of the seventh series.

Plot
James is very proud of his bright red paint and thinks his work is very important. One day, he is at the wash down when Percy arrives from the quarry. His whistle is clogged with quarry dust, so he blows hard to clean it. But he lets off steam accidentally blowing mud from the ground all over Gordon, making the latter cross. James brags that he is collecting the mayor today, which Gordon thinks should be his job. But James laughs and tells him that he needs a wash first. James collects the mayor and puffs on his way.

Later at Tidmouth Sheds, the Fat Controller asks for a volunteer to collect the Queen of Sodor, a leaky old barge. James pulls into the sheds, which gives Gordon an idea; as James was not there to hear the entire conversation, Gordon loudly asks the Fat Controller if collecting the Queen of Sodor is important, which it is. James loudly announces that he will collect her and sets off happily while Gordon sees that his plan is working.

James arrives at Brendam Canal and is angry to see that the Queen of Sodor is a rusty, grimy old barge. He realises that Gordon tricked him, and James is determined to prove that a shiny engine never gets dirty, so he sets off with the Queen of Sodor.

Throughout his very long journey, James tries his hardest not to get dirty. He does not notice a pipe stretched across in front of the boat. The Queen of Sodor crashes through the pipe, pouring sludge all over the boat and the tracks. However, James stops in time and manages to stay clean and shiny. After the mess is cleared up and the barge's wheelhouse and funnel are cut down, James puffs on his way, finally reaching the smelter's shed clean and shiny.

When James returns to the sheds, Gordon is surprised to see him still clean. Then Percy arrives back from the quarry and moans that his whistle is clogged with dust again. He warns James to watch out and blows hard, spraying dust from the ground all over James. Thomas teases him by telling him that now he is the one who needs a wash, but James insists that he is still a splendid engine.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Duck
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Dockyard Manager
 * Henry
 * Mavis
 * 'Arry and Bert
 * Salty
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Butch
 * The Smelter's Yard Manager
 * Oliver
 * Skarloey
 * Toad
 * Red Narrow Gauge Coaches
 * Donald or Douglas
 * City of Truro
 * The Mayor of Sodor

Locations

 * Tower Windmill
 * The Mountain Village
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * The Works
 * Tidmouth Goods Station
 * Suddery Castle
 * Brendam Docks
 * Brendam Canal
 * Sodor Ironworks
 * Heavy Industrial Area
 * Tidmouth Tunnel
 * Crovan's Gate
 * Dryaw
 * Ffarquhar Quarry

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the sixth episode of the seventh series.
 * Stock footage from Oliver Owns Up, extended stock footage from Four Little Engines, and mirrored stock footage from James and the Red Balloon is used.
 * Toad's scrap model from Escape can be seen when James enters the smelter's yard as well as City of Truro and Donald and Douglas' scrap models.
 * In a rare still, James is in Duck's place at Tidmouth Sheds at the end.
 * In contrary to Duck's speaking role, he doesn't have any line of dialogue other than a simple groan with the other engines.
 * This episode marks the only appearance of The Queen of Sodor.
 * This episode marks the last with three things:
 * The last appearance of the Smelter's Yard Manager.
 * Duck's last speaking role until the twelfth series episode, Excellent Emily, along with his only speaking role in the seventh series despite him groaning with Thomas, Gordon, and Percy in that episode.
 * The last episode to use James' ending ditty from the fifth series, as well as the only seventh series episode to use said ditty.
 * The LT warehouse from TUGS makes an appearance.
 * Toad's faceless model can be seen near Tidmouth Sheds at the end.
 * This episode marks the first of three things:
 * The first mention of the Mayor of Sodor in the television series.
 * The Dockyard Manager's first speaking role.
 * The first episode with "Sodor" in the title.
 * This episode marks the first appearance of Brendam Canal since Heroes.

Goofs

 * Since stock footage is used:
 * Skarloey has his brass ring around his funnel, and he looks cross when the narrator says: "They are happiest when the Fat Controller gives them important work to do."
 * Annie and Clarabel are in their old orange-brown liveries and the former is facing the wrong way.
 * Tidmouth Tunnel appears in its original design and the lake next to the tunnel is bigger.
 * As the stock footage from James and the Red Balloon is mirrored, James' number 5 looks like it has been flipped over.
 * When James leaves Gordon and Percy, his eyes are wonky.
 * When James passes Suddery Castle, his face is missing.
 * When Gordon passes under the bridge and says "Show off," the first coach in his train slightly shakes.
 * The Queen of Sodor is said to be going to the workshops, but she is really going to the Smelter's.
 * When James arrives to collect the Queen of Sodor, Salty can be seen shunting trucks. But in James' close-ups, Salty is already round the bend and appears to have stopped.
 * The first close-up shot of the Queen of Sodor is mirrored as the dockside and ships are on her left side, instead of her right.
 * Starting from when James leaves the clean-up site all the way until he comes to a stop in the Smelter’s shed, the Queen of Sodor loses her tall funnel.
 * Throughout the scene of James arriving to collect the Queen of Sodor, a three-roofed building (seen across the canal) appears to change position in separate shots.
 * When the barge crashes through the pipe, during the facial shots of James, he appears to be beside a cement base supporting the pipes. But in back-end shots, he is several centimetres from the base. Then, as James says "Shiny and clean, shiny and clean!", he is beside the cement base again.
 * In the far shot of the sludge flowing all over the barge, the end of the set can be seen on James' track. In the top-left corner of the same shot, a building can be seen placed upon two tracks.
 * When the narrator says; "It was a long journey to the workshops," James appears to be on the other side of the set where the barge's funnel smashes the pipe, as the cement bases for the pipe can be seen in the top-right corner of the screen.
 * When James returns to the sheds, his front pony truck is too high up and is not touching the rails.
 * When James returns to the sheds, Henry can be seen next to Gordon, but in the shot of Gordon when he asks James how he managed to stay so clean, Henry disappears for the rest of the episode.
 * When James returns to the sheds, Mavis can be seen shunting trucks and a line of trucks (containing an open wagon truck, a salt wagon and a cattle truck) is one the siding next to her. But when Percy arrives, Mavis can be seen reversing that very line of trucks back into the siding.
 * When Percy arrives from the quarry, Henry can be seen rotating on the turntable, but in the close-up of mud splattering Gordon, Henry has stopped midway on the turntable. Then, in the two close-ups of Gordon looking cross, Henry has now fully turned round.
 * In the final scene, both Thomas' and Duck's eyes are misaligned.

Quotes
________________________________________________________
 * James: Keep your dirt away from me! I'm collecting the mayor today!
 * Gordon: I should do that.
 * James: Really? You need a washdown first!
 * Gordon: Pah!
 * Gordon: Is collecting the Queen of Sodor important work, too?
 * The Fat Controller: Very important work. Do I have a volunteer?
 * James: Very important work? I'll do it!
 * The Fat Controller: Then it's settled. She's waiting at the canal.
 * James: Thank you, sir!

Merchandise

 * Books - James and the Queen of Sodor

Home Media Releases
{{Scroll box|

UK

 * Happy Little Helpers
 * The Complete Series 7
 * The Best of James

DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection
 * The Best of Friends

WAL

 * Hip Hip Hooray for Thomas

US

 * Thomas and the Really Brave Engines and Other Adventures
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 7

CAN

 * Thomas and the Really Brave Engines and Other Adventures

DVD Boxsets

 * Totally Thomas Volume 4
 * Discovery on the Rails
 * Thomas and the Toy Workshop/Thomas and the Really Brave Engines and Other Adventures Double Feature
 * Play Date Pack

AUS

 * The Complete Series 7

DVD Boxsets

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * Series Seven and Series Eight Double Pack

MYS

 * Emily's New Coaches and Other Adventures
 * Magical Collection

ZA

 * Hide and Peep

DVD Boxsets

 * 5 DVD Boxset

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Series 7 Vol.4
 * Operation Mischief!!

KOR

 * Character Special Edition Series Vol. 2
 * A Story That Builds Confidence

ITA

 * The Queen of Sodor

SWE

 * Hooray for Thomas!

DK

 * Hip Hooray for Thomas and Other Stories

DVD Boxsets

 * Danish DVD Boxset

HK

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 16
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 12

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 24

TWN
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 * Thomas and Friends Volume 16

James y la Reina de Sodor ג'יימס ומלכת סודור ジェームスとソドーとうのじょおう Kuba i Królowa Sodor Джеймс и королева Содора