Salty's Secret

***Salty's Secret*** is the first episode of the sixth season.

## Plot

Salty is a new diesel who enjoys working near the sea. It is his first day working on Sodor and as the island is surrounded by the sea, he is hopeful he will be working near it. Naturally, he is disappointed when he is sent to work at the quarry to help Mavis, Bill and Ben with an important job for the Fat Controller. Bill and Ben think that they do not need help, or that Salty will be able to manage all of the trucks. However, when they see that Salty manages to win the trucks over with his tales and songs of the sea, the twins were surprised and rather jealous. But Salty still longs for the sea.

One night, Mavis, Bill and Ben see him alone outside. Bill and Ben call him names and express boredom from his stories, but Mavis tries to comfort him. Salty wants to be near the sea again, but he knows that the quarry work is important. The next day, Salty tries to show Bill and Ben his secret with the trucks, which is singing a tune for the trucks to sing along with. Bill and Ben try singing a rhythm to get the trucks moving, but they cannot make them move the way Salty could.

Later, the Fat Controller arrives at the quarry, and is surprised to see that the job has been completed. Mavis tells him that they could not have done it without Salty. Luckily for him, there is no further need for him at the quarry, and he is finally transferred to Brendam Docks, which is his dream place to work. It is where he feels really useful, and he sorts out the trucks better than any other engine.

## Characters

* Bill and Ben
* Mavis
* Salty
* Troublesome Trucks
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Thomas Template:Cameo
* Edward Template:Cameo
* Henry Template:Cameo
* Gordon Template:Cameo
* James Template:Cameo
* Percy Template:Cameo
* Sir Topham Hatt's Brown-haired Assistant Template:Cameo
* Ffarquhar Quarry Manager Template:Cameo
* Big Mickey Template:Note

## Locations

* Jem Cole's Yard
* Brendam Docks
* Knapford Beach
* Tidmouth Sheds
* Knapford Church
* Bulgy's Bridge
* Centre Island Quarry
	+ Mavis' Shed

## Trivia

* Going by production order, this is the second episode of the sixth series.
* This was the first episode of many things:
	+ Salty's first appearance.
	+ The first episode produced by Gullane Entertainment under its current name.
	+ Phil Fehrle's first episode as producer.
	+ Britt Allcroft's first episode as executive producer since the second season episode, Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree.
	+ Peter Urie's first episode as executive producer.
	+ The first episode to have its own writer, rather than David Mitton or Britt Allcroft.
	+ The first episode narrated by Blanche Ravalec in France, Terje Strømdahl in Norway and Giorgio Bonino in Italy.
	+ The first episode (as well as the first Thomas production) made in the 21st century.
	+ The first episode to feature the Season 6 - 7 intro.
	+ The first episode filmed in 16:9 widescreen, although the majority of the episode was filmed in 4:3 fullscreen and later cropped to widescreen.
	+ The first episode to air after the release of Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
* This is the only series premiere where Thomas does not speak in the main series; if A Visit from Thomas counts, then this is the first one.
* Some scenes were recreated in the CGI Series for the seventeenth season episode, Away From the Sea.
* The end of the scene where Salty says “The tiller spins...” is sped up.
* Toad's scrap model from Escape can be seen in the first scene of this episode.

## Goofs

* When Mavis first meets Salty, her happy face mask is missing its eyebrows.
* When Salty sings the line "The tiller spins..." He can be seen rolling off the end of the set and studio equipment can be seen in the top left corner.
* When Salty sings "Yo ho ho and a bucket of prawns," he is rolling towards one of the twins and there are three trucks behind him, but in the next shot, he is in a different part of the quarry, both twins appear behind him, he gains several more trucks, and the trucks in front of him disappear.
* When the trucks sing "And the captain yawns!" all but one of them has wonky eyes, and the trucks are suddenly facing forwards.Salty's Secret Title Card