Thomas & Friends series 6

Thomas & Friends
Series 6
DVD cover art
No. of episodes	26
Release
Original network	Nick Jr. [1]
Original release	16 September (2002-09-16) – 21 October 2002 (2002-10-21)
Series chronology
← Previous Series 5 Next → Series 7
List of episodes

Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends is a children's television series about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series books written by the Reverend W. Awdry.

This article lists and details episodes from the sixth series of the show, which was first broadcast in 2002.

This series was narrated by Michael Angelis for the UK audiences, who also re-dubbed two episodes for US audiences, while Alec Baldwin narrated all of the episodes for the US audiences, in what was also his last series. Six episodes were later re-dubbed for PBS Kids by Michael Brandon.

In the United States, this was the second season of the series that was not aired on PBS Kids, instead being released straight-to-video. ^[1]

Most episodes in this series have one title; the American titles are shown underneath the United Kingdom titles.

Production

Phil Fehrle had taken over as producer from David Mitton and Britt Allcroft, while Angus Wright had been replaced by Allcroft and Peter Urie as executive producers.

This was the first series to oversee an introduction of a writing staff, since the stories from The Railway Series had already been adapted. Staff-written stories had been introduced in Series 5, and this practice remained unchanged. The series was filmed between September 2001 and March 2002, ^[2] and premiered on September 16, 2002.

Abi Grant served as script editor for the series.

Steve Asquith, who would later become the all-out director of Thomas & Friends, directed two series 6 episodes in place of David Mitton. However, David still directed the other 24 episodes and went on until series 7. After that, Steve Asquith took over for good.

Episodes

Main article: List of Thomas & Friends episodes

No. overall	No. in series	UK title (top) Main title (middle) US title (bottom)	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
131	1	"Salty's Secret"	David Mitton	Robin Kingsland	16 September 2002 (2002-09-16)
A diesel shunter called Salty comes to work on Sodor, but is disappointed that he has to complete an important job in the centre Island Quarry. Bill, Ben, and Mavis soon find out that Salty has absolutely no trouble moving the Troublesome Trucks. One night, Salty goes to get some sea air and Mavis asks him if he really misses the sea. Salty admits that he does. The next day, Salty explains to Bill and Ben that he has no trouble with the trucks, because they like his sailor songs. He encourages them to try it themselves. They do so, but have no success. Later, the Fat Controller visits Salty and sends him to work at Brendam Docks, much to Salty's delight. The episode's events were recreated in "Away from the Sea".
132	2	"Harvey to the Rescue"	David Mitton	Jonathan Trueman	17 September 2002 (2002-09-17)
A new crane tank engine called Harvey comes to Sodor on trial, but he is shunned by the other engines due to his unusual appearance, making him upset. But when Percy has an accident with the Troublesome Trucks, Harvey comes to his rescue, earning respect from the rest of the engines.
133	3	"No Sleep for Cranky"	David Mitton	Paul Larson	18 September 2002 (2002-09-18)
Cranky is tired after a hard day's work at the docks, but he must give up a nap to help Salty, Bill, and Ben when they get stranded at the docks due to a shed that he knocked over while trying to drop a set of pipes on Salty for annoying Cranky with his stories.
134	4	"A Bad Day for Harold the Helicopter"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Simon Nicholson Story by : David Mitton	19 September 2002 (2002-09-19)
		"A Bad Day for Harold"
Harold is boasting that he can take the mail much faster than Percy, and he has a chance to prove himself when Percy gets stuck at a broken signal. However, Harold ends up crash-landing in a nearby haystack after his motor malfunctions, as a result of his insistence that he take the entire mail load in one trip, which is too heavy for him to handle. Fortunately, Percy has him rescued from the haystack.
135	5	"Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry"	David Mitton	Paul Larson	20 September 2002 (2002-09-20)
		"Elizabeth the Vintage Quarry Truck"
While taking a heavy special, Thomas breaks his coupling rods. His crew journeys to a nearby old shed looking for a telephone, but instead they find Elizabeth, a vintage Sentinel lorry. Elizabeth acts very rude to Thomas, and after she brings him his replacement coupling rods, she reminds him not to be so careless. Thomas is offended by Elizabeth's rudeness, but he is still very proud of his new coupling rods and is able to resume his journey. Thomas arrives at the docks with his special just in time. When he is about to tell the Fat Controller about Elizabeth, she suddenly arrives. The Fat Controller then reveals that Elizabeth is the first lorry he has ever driven. Elizabeth is restored to her former glory, and even Thomas admits that Elizabeth looks grand.
136	6	"The Fogman"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Jonathan Trueman Story by : David Mitton	23 September 2002 (2002-09-23)
Every winter, a fogman called Cyril puts detonators on the track to warn engines of fog, but one winter, the Fat Controller announces that Cyril is to be replaced by a newly invented railway foghorn so that Cyril can have a rest from his job. However, the next day, when the foghorn alerts Percy, its loud noise triggers a landslide the moment Percy disappears, smashing the foghorn in the process. As a result, Thomas crashes into the landslide and hears Toby coming, but Cyril comes and puts down a detonator to alert Toby and keep him from having a worse accident. The Fat Controller then declares that Cyril deserves to keep his job, as he is more reliable than the foghorn, much to Thomas, Toby and Percy's delight.
137	7	"Jack Jumps In"	Steve Asquith	Jonathan Trueman, Phil Fehrle and Abi Grant	24 September 2002 (2002-09-24)
Thomas delivers a friendly, enthusiastic new front loader called Jack to an excavation site. However, Jack has a tendency to try jobs that he is not suited to, which leads to him crashing. Annoyed, Miss Jenny begins to question if Jack is really ready for the pack. Note: This was the first part of a setup to a planned spin-off.
138	8	"A Friend in Need"	Steve Asquith	Phil Fehrle, Jonathan Trueman and Abi Grant	25 September 2002 (2002-09-25)
Jack joins Miss Jenny's crew in excavating the land under an old railway bridge, but a steam shovel called Ned is too clumsy to lower his arm enough while passing under the bridge, and by accident, he knocks the important keystones loose. Quickly, Jack holds the bridge up as much as he can, but eventually is unable to hold it any longer, and the entire bridge collapses. However, Miss Jenny is pleased with Jack for his bravery and finally makes him an official member of the pack. Note: This was the second part of a setup to a planned spin-off.
139	9	"It's Only Snow"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : James Mason Story by : David Mitton	26 September 2002 (2002-09-26)
Thomas must find a way to get to a village in time for the holidays when he gets stranded in the snow with Toby after breaking his snowplough, which strikes and demolishes a water tower.
140	10	"Twin Trouble"	David Mitton	Brian Trueman	27 September 2002 (2002-09-27)
Donald and Douglas have an accident by crashing into a large cartload of hay, and afterwards they refuse to work with each other anymore. Donald is offered a job helping Duck, leaving Douglas to work on his own. But soon, the twins start to miss one another. And when Donald inadvertently backs into a ditch due to Duck failing to give him a heads-up in time, Donald realizes how much he and Douglas need each other. Duck alerts Douglas, and after Douglas rescues Donald, the twins reconcile.
141	11	"The World's Strongest Engine"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Paul Larson Story by : David Mitton	30 September 2002 (2002-09-30)
Henry is sent for repairs after an accident, and the Fat Controller brings Diesel to the docks to fill in for Henry, much to the displeasure of Thomas, Percy, and Gordon. The Troublesome Trucks encourage Diesel to take them all at the same time and prove himself to be the world's strongest engine, and Diesel smugly decides to do so. He then lines up 20 trucks, but forgets to check them to make sure that their brakes are off, and as Diesel pulls on the trucks, he accidentally breaks away, plunges off the Wharf, and falls into a barge on the canal. The Fat Controller later sends him away again, while Henry returns to take the trucks, and Thomas and Percy are happy to have Henry back.
142	12	"Scaredy Engines"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Robin Kingsland Story by : David Mitton	1 October 2002 (2002-10-01)
It is Halloween, and Edward is telling a scary story about a ghost engine. The Fat Controller assigns Thomas, Duck and Percy to pick up a scrap delivery from the smelter's yard and bring it to the docks. Thomas humorously teases Percy for being scared, and when an engine is needed to collect the final load, Duck volunteers Thomas to get back at him. However, as soon as Duck and Percy exit, Thomas gets spooked by the sights and sounds of the smelters, and eventually flees after accidentally setting off an old steam whistle. Percy finds Thomas and forgives him for his teasing and the two friends begin to happily watch the fireworks together.
143	13	"Percy and the Haunted Mine"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Robyn Charteris Story by : David Mitton	2 October 2002 (2002-10-02)
Percy gets spooked when he passes an abandoned mine at night and sees a chimney and a shed sink into the ground. He is even more scared when Donald and Douglas tell him about the "naughty gnomes". However, the Fat Controller reveals that the gnomes are simply garden gnomes, and the buildings are just sinking into empty mine shafts.
144	14	"Middle Engine"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Brian Trueman Story by : David Mitton	3 October 2002 (2002-10-03)
When Percy goes to the smelters to pick up coal to take to the coaling plant, 'Arry and Bert play a trick on him by putting him in the middle of the train. This leads to Henry inadvertently and unknowingly pushing Percy onto the loading ramp, and the Fat Controller scolds Percy for this, not believing what 'Arry and Bert did to him. James is convinced that he can outsmart the diesels, so he does Percy's run to the smelters the next morning, but gets made a middle engine by 'Arry and Bert as well. The Fat Controller sends Percy to pick up James and bring him and his goods train to the docks, much to James' annoyance.
145	15	"James and the Red Balloon"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Jenny McDade Story by : David Mitton	4 October 2002 (2002-10-04)
When Thomas delivers a hot air balloon to the airfield, he and James become worried that it could take away their passengers. And at the level crossing, when the balloon crash-lands on James after running out of hot air, he panics and lets off steam, accidentally re-inflating the balloon. His driver praises him, but now James and Thomas are even more worried that the balloon will take their passengers for sure. However, the Fat Controller reveals that the balloon will simply increase the trains' passenger flow, much to the engines' delight.
146	16	"Jack Frost"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Paul Larson Story by : David Mitton	7 October 2002 (2002-10-07)
James and Percy have to deliver coal around the Island to prepare for a big freeze. However, when Thomas jokes about "Scary Jack Frost", Percy becomes frightened by the thought of this, but James insists that Jack Frost is not scary. That night, on Percy's last stop, the stationmaster says he needs twice as much coal, and Percy eagerly gives up all of his. Unfortunately, Percy has to stay in a nearby siding overnight, and eventually, icicles form on his face. On his way home, James passes Percy, and panics and hurries back to the shed. The next morning, Elizabeth brings Percy more coal, and she comments that Jack Frost really got him, causing Percy to realise that Jack Frost is only frost. When Percy arrives back at the shed, he finds James bragging about seeing Jack Frost. Percy then jokes that Jack Frost knows that James ran away.
147	17	"Gordon Takes a Tumble"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Robin Kingsland Story by : David Mitton	8 October 2002 (2002-10-08) [nb 1]
Gordon does not feel that it would be dignified for an express engine to pull goods trains, but when Salty teases him and Gordon is assigned to deliver a goods train, Gordon is determined to show Salty how an express engine pulls trucks. When a signalman inadvertently diverts Gordon onto Thomas' branch line, Gordon begins seeing "Go slow" signs, which he ignores. As a result, he derails and gets into a severe accident.
148	18	"Percy's Chocolate Crunch"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Brian Trueman Story by : David Mitton	9 October 2002 (2002-10-09)
Percy is upset that he has all the dirty jobs, and due to a water shortage, he is restricted one washdown per day. He desperately tries to stay clean, but he gets dirtier everywhere he goes, frustrating him even more. Percy's driver suggests delivering sugar to the chocolate factory, a job that Percy eagerly accepts as he is sure he will not get dirty from it, but when he arrives, he skids on the tracks due to an oil spill, then accidentally crashes through the factory and gets covered in chocolate. However, Percy is delighted when the Fat Controller tells him he will be granted a washdown and a repaint as a reward for showing that usefulness comes before cleanliness.
149	19	"Buffer Bother"	David Mitton	Ross Hastings	10 October 2002 (2002-10-10)
When the Fat Controller visits the China Quarry one day, he finds that Ben is sporting damaged buffers. Ben happily goes to the works for new buffers, while Mavis fills in for him. Bill is jealous that his twin is getting new buffers, but no matter what Mavis tells him, Bill is still ungrateful that he is in fine, working order and wants new buffers, as well. After the Troublesome Trucks mock Bill over his jealousy, Bill loses his patience and tries to biff a truck, but is unable to stop himself in time and inadvertently backs into a ditch, breaking his buffers. Ben comes to help, and the Fat Controller scolds Bill for misbehaving and tells him to learn the importance of responsibility and reliability before he gets new buffers. Afterwards, Bill compliments Ben on his new buffers, and the twins reconcile.
150	20	"Toby Had a Little Lamb"	David Mitton	Jenny McDade	11 October 2002 (2002-10-11)
During the winter, Toby is flagged down by a farmer who needs a vet to examine his lambs on the other side of the hill. Duck tries to clear away the snow, but it becomes too thick for him to plough.
151	21	"Thomas, Percy and the Squeak"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Jenny McDade Story by : David Mitton	14 October 2002 (2002-10-14)
Thomas is chosen by the Fat Controller to collect the famous Italian opera singer Allicia Botti from the docks, meaning that he gets to be cleaned ahead of Percy, who is indignant at this, as he is a guaranteed connection. Once clean, Thomas feels very important, but then hears a squeak, and his driver cannot figure out where it is coming from. However, when he arrives to collect Allicia Botti, she screams loudly at the sight of a mouse aboard Clarabel, much to Gordon's amusement. The Fat Controller is very embarrassed, and Thomas does not feel important anymore. Percy gladly takes over and collects Allicia Botti instead, as she considers him a proper engine for his dirtiness, despite Gordon disapproving of this. At the washdown later, Thomas apologises to Percy for acting inconsiderate, and allows him to be cleaned first. The two friends reconcile and make a home for the mouse in the sheds.
152	22	"Thomas the Jet Engine"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Ross Hastings Story by : David Mitton	15 October 2002 (2002-10-15)
		"Thomas and the Jet Engine"
Gordon boasts how much faster he is than the other engines, and Thomas wishes that he could show Gordon up as he goes to collect a jet engine from the docks. When he arrives to pick up the jet engine, Cranky carelessly switches it on with his hook, resulting in the jet engine rocketing Thomas along the main line, surprising the other engines.
153	23	"Edward the Very Useful Engine"	David Mitton	David Mitton	16 October 2002 (2002-10-16)
		"Edward the Really Useful Engine"
Gordon believes that Edward is too old, but when Duck gets stuck on Gordon's Hill while pulling a train, and Gordon is stalled behind him, Edward proves Gordon wrong by pushing the long line back to the station.
154	24	"Dunkin' Duncan"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Jenny McDade Story by : David Mitton	17 October 2002 (2002-10-17)
Impatient Duncan wants the other engines at the incline to work faster, but they instead stick to the railway rules. After being warned by Rusty that the slate trucks will pay him back, Duncan does not listen and gets pulled up the incline, resulting in him plunging into a muddy ditch. The Fat Controller tells Duncan that, as punishment, he will work at the incline by himself until he learns to be patient and careful.
155	25	"Rusty Saves the Day"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Paul Larson Story by : David Mitton	18 October 2002 (2002-10-18)
Rheneas and Skarloey's old line is too battered for them to run on. Rusty works hard to clear their line, but as a result, he falls behind on his quarry work, leaving the Fat Controller with no choice but to shut down the line altogether, and Rheneas and Skarloey are forced to join Rusty at the quarry. However, when the quarry is temporarily closed down for rock-blasting, Rusty takes the time to gather Rheneas, Skarloey, and Elizabeth to help repair the line. The Fat Controller is delighted, and announces that the line shall be reopened immediately.
156	26	"Faulty Whistles"	David Mitton	Teleplay by : Ross Hastings Story by : David Mitton	21 October 2002 (2002-10-21)
When Peter Sam accidentally gets his whistle knocked off by a branch and is barred from working until he gets a new one, Duncan teases him and boasts that any proper engine has a whistle. To prove his point, Duncan starts whistling loudly, annoying the other engines and Elizabeth. Duncan's whistle eventually comes loose while he is delivering a headmaster and an organ, and soon, while trying to whistle loudly once again, Duncan blows his whistle off by accident. The headmaster's organ becomes Duncan's temporary whistle until he gets a new one. At first, Duncan is not pleased with this, but when the other engines inform Duncan that he did well without his whistle, Duncan feels better.

Characters

Main article: List of Thomas & Friends characters

Introduced

• Harvey
• Salty
• Elizabeth
• Jack
• Alfie
• Oliver the Excavator
• Max
• Kelly
• Byron
• Ned
• Isobella
• Cyril the Fogman
• Jenny Packard
• The Foreman
• Allicia Botti
• Farmer McColl (not named in original versions)

Recurring cast

• Thomas
• Edward
• Henry
• Gordon
• James
• Percy
• Toby
• Duck
• Donald and Douglas
• Bill and Ben
• Diesel
• Mavis
• 'Arry and Bert
• Skarloey
• Rheneas
• Peter Sam
• Duncan
• Rusty
• Troublesome Trucks
• Bertie
• Trevor
• Harold
• Cranky
• The Fat Controller
• Stephen Hatt
• Stepney (does not speak)
• Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
• Henrietta (does not speak)
• Terence (does not speak)
• Jem Cole (does not speak)
• Farmer Finney (not named; does not speak)
• Oliver (cameo)
• George (cameo)
• Butch (cameo)
• Tiger Moth (cameo)
• Bridget Hatt (cameo)
• Mrs. Kyndley (cameo)
• Farmer Trotter (cameo)
• The Refreshment Lady (cameo)
• Nancy (cameo)
• Tom Tipper (cameo)
• Dowager Hatt (cameo)
• Bulgy (mentioned)

Home Video Releases

United Kingdom

Series 6 was released on VHS and DVD in the UK by Video Collection International in three volumes. They were released in their original widescreen ratio on DVD, however, The Chocolate Crunch was released in fullscreen on both formats.

DVD Title	Release Date	Included Episodes
The Fogman and Other Stories	7 October 2002	"The Fogman" "No Sleep for Cranky" "Salty's Secret" "Harvey to the Rescue" "A Bad Day for Harold the Helicopter" "Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry" "Twin Trouble" "Gordon Takes a Tumble"
The Chocolate Crunch and Other Stories	24 March 2003	"Percy's Chocolate Crunch" "Jack Jumps In" "The World's Strongest Engine" "Middle Engine" "Buffer Bother" "Thomas the Jet Engine" "Dunkin Duncan" "Faulty Whistles"
Brave Little Engines	16 June 2003	"A Friend in Need" "Scaredy Engines" "Percy and the Haunted Mine" "James and the Red Balloon" "Toby Had a Little Lamb" "Thomas, Percy and the Squeak" "Edward the Very Useful Engine" "Rusty Saves the Day"

The only two episodes not released in these volumes are "It's Only Snow" and "Jack Frost", the former of which was included in the Series 7 release Engines to the Rescue.

2 Entertain released a complete series DVD volume in 2007.

Episodes from the series have also made it to various compilation releases with other series.

Note

1. This episode was first released on The Fogman and other Stories VHS/DVD on 7 October 2002.

References

1. "New Thomas & Friends Episodes to Air on Nick Jr. In the UK".
2. Katherine Griffiths (19 December 2001). "Gullane to pay £1.6m for half the rights to 'Fireman Sam'". The Independent . Independent Digital News & Media Ltd.