Disappearing Diesels

"I'm a truck load of sausages! Ha ha ha!" "Sausages? Diesel, wait! Come back!" "Oh, what do you want to go chasing after him for?" "He's my friend!" "Is he really?"

- Diesel, Paxton and Reg

Disappearing Diesels is the fourth episode of the eighteenth series.

Plot
Some of the diesels on the Island of Sodor can be very troublesome, but not Paxton. He has friends all over the Island, from Brendam Docks to the Blue Mountain Quarry. The engine Paxton has to try his hardest to make friends with is Diesel himself. Diesel is not a very friendly engine at all.

One day, Diesel arrives at the Dieselworks and tells all the other diesels there to hide from Paxton as a joke. Paxton arrives and looks all over the Dieselworks, but he cannot find his friends anywhere. Paxton comes to the conclusion that something is making the diesels on Sodor disappear. Paxton leaves to see if he can find any diesels on Sodor. After he has gone, Sidney, Den and Dart tell Diesel that they think they have all taken the joke too far. Diesel disagrees and insists that jokes are funny.

Paxton does not think the situation is a joke at all. He clatters up to the Blue Mountain Quarry to ask if there are any diesels there. Rusty calls out to him, but Paxton does not hear him as he is already rolling away to try somewhere else. At Knapford Station, Paxton asks if Thomas has seen any diesel engines. Thomas says he can see Paxton, but Paxton tells him it is the other diesels that have disappeared. Paxton leaves Thomas rather confused.

At Brendam Docks, Paxton clatters in and asks if Cranky has seen Salty. Cranky thinks Paxton is talking nonsense and tells him that Salty passed by five minutes ago. Just then, Salty rattles up and Paxton is delighted to see him. Salty thinks Paxton is burning fuel over nothing and assures the worried diesel that his friends will turn up by the end of the day. Just then, Cranky announces that Diesel has arrived with a delivery. Much to Diesel's annoyance, Paxton spots him. Diesel races away with Paxton in hot pursuit.

Diesel pulls into a siding behind some trucks at the scrapyard. Paxton arrives and asks Reg if Diesel is there. Diesel answers, pretending to be Reg, but Paxton does not fall for the trick after Diesel also pretends he's "a truckload of sausages," and Diesel races away once again. Reg is confused as to why Paxton would bother chasing after silly Diesel, but Paxton insists that Diesel is his friend. Reg is not sure if Diesel really is Paxton's friend.

Diesel is having so much fun tricking Paxton that he decides to head to the quarry to hide there. Unfortunately, as soon as Diesel pulls off the main line, his engine starts to cough and splutter. Paxton races up and Diesel admits that he had only been teasing him all along. Paxton is confused; the middle of the line is not a very good place to hide. Diesel says that he is no longer hiding, he has run out of diesel fuel. Paxton starts to help by pushing Diesel to the next refueling station, and Diesel wonders what Paxton is doing.

Diesel is not sure what to make of the situation; why is Paxton being so kind to him? He does not say thank you, but he does ask Paxton why he has helped him. Paxton just smiles and says that is what friends are for.

That evening, Paxton is delighted to see all the diesels back at the Dieselworks. Shortly afterwards, Diesel arrives and pulls into the berth beside Paxton. Diesel still does not manage to say thank you, but he does give Paxton a friendly smile and that is good enough for Paxton.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Diesel
 * Salty
 * Den
 * Dart
 * Sidney
 * Paxton
 * Skarloey
 * Rusty
 * Cranky
 * Reg
 * The Schoolchildren
 * Porter
 * Henry
 * James
 * Stanley
 * Norman
 * Rheneas
 * Sir Handel
 * Peter Sam
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Bertie
 * Owen
 * Big Mickey

Locations

 * Knapford
 * Knapford Yards
 * Blue Mountain Quarry
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * McColl Farm
 * Vicarstown Dieselworks
 * Three-Track Level Crossing
 * Crocks Scrap Yard
 * Killdane North Junction
 * Kellsthorpe Road

UK

 * Ben Small as Thomas
 * Keith Wickham as Percy, Salty, Den and Skarloey
 * Kerry Shale as Diesel
 * Steven Kynman as Paxton and Dart
 * Bob Golding as Sidney
 * Matt Wilkinson as Rusty and Cranky
 * Tim Whitnall as Reg

US

 * Martin Sherman as Thomas, Percy and Diesel
 * Keith Wickham as Salty, Den and Skarloey
 * Steven Kynman as Paxton and Dart
 * Bob Golding as Sidney
 * Matt Wilkinson as Rusty
 * Glenn Wrage as Cranky
 * Tim Whitnall as Reg

Trivia

 * This episode was released in the US early before Tale of the Brave, so early American viewers may not have known who Reg was.
 * This episode marks:
 * Porter's first non-speaking role.
 * Paxton's only speaking role in the eighteenth series.
 * Den, Dart, Norman and Sidney’s only appearances in the eighteenth series.
 * Sidney's last appearance until the special, The Great Race and his last appearance in an episode until the premiere of the twentieth series.
 * Killdane Junction North's only appearance.
 * Wellsworth Scrap Yard's first appearance in an episode since the third series episode, Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party.
 * 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

 * At the end, as Diesel backs into the berth beside Paxton, Sidney is missing his wheels and appears to be floating.
 * In the close up of Paxton on the turntable near the end of the episode, the turntable does not move, only Paxton does.
 * In the first shot of the Blue Mountain Quarry, Rheneas is on standard gauge tracks.
 * When Paxton changes tracks and buffers up behind Diesel, the points on Diesel's side of the junction are set against him.
 * When Paxton first comes into the Dieselworks, one of the cement blocks of the refueling station is missing.
 * When Paxton returns to the Dieselworks, Norman and Sidney's faces are frozen.
 * The Italian title mentions Toby, but there is no Toby in the episode.

Merchandise

 * Magazine Stories - The Kind Diesel

Home Media Releases
{{Scroll box|

UK

 * Trouble on the Tracks
 * The Complete Series 18

DVD Packs

 * 10 DVD Boxset

US

 * Trouble on the Tracks
 * Series 18
 * Disappearing Diesels

AUS

 * Trouble on the Tracks

FRA

 * Series 18

THA

 * Not So Slow Coaches

CHN
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 * Disappearing Diesels

Diesels que Desaparecen קטרי דיזל נעלמים きえたディーゼルきかんしゃたち Znikające Diesle Исчезнувшие дизели