Pop Goes the Diesel

**Pop Goes the Diesel** is the thirteenth episode of the second season and the 43rd episode overall. It is based on the story of the same name from the thirteenth Railway Series book, Duck and the Diesel Engine.

## Plot

Duck the Great Western engine works very hard on the Island of Sodor and everything goes smoothly when he is around. He can keep the coaches quiet, the trucks behaving, and the passengers happy. He is also very proud of his Great Western heritage and talks endlessly about it, which irritates the larger engines, who quickly grow tired of hearing about "the Great Western way".

One day, a visitor arrives in the shed. The Fat Director introduces the new engine as Diesel, stating that he has agreed to give him a trial, and charges Duck with showing him around and teaching him what to do. Diesel introduces himself before heaping compliments on Gordon, James, and Henry, who are in awe by his flattery. Duck, however, takes a dislike to Diesel's oily nature and shows him to the yard, where it becomes apparent that Duck's dislike of Diesel is mutual as Duck orders Diesel to refer to the Fat Director as "Sir Topham Hatt" before Diesel smugly tells Duck that he does not have to be taught what to do, saying Diesels know everything and come to a yard to improve it, dubbing himself as "revolutionary". Duck is not impressed with Diesel's boasting and orders him to arrange the trucks while he leaves to take Gordon's coaches to the station. Eager for the chance to show off, Diesel quickly gets to work.

When Duck returns, he finds Diesel trying to move some very old, near-derelict trucks with stiff joints and brakes from a siding. Duck decides to let the events play out, and watches with interest. Diesel struggles to move the trucks and gets so forceful with them that some of their brakes snap and the gear jams in the sleepers, causing several of the trucks to derail and overturn in the process. Diesel tries to push the remaining trucks back, but he still cannot move them and is forced to give up.

As Duck finally comes around carrying some other trucks, Diesel asks Duck why he did not tell him about this when he had gone through so much trouble. Duck replies that Diesel never asked him, as he was having fun being "revolutionary". Duck leaves happily, while Diesel fumes angrily.

Diesel is later forced to help the workmen clear the mess, a job that he hates, especially as the trucks have started laughing and singing a degrading song at him. When the clean-up is over, Diesel, now cross with the trucks and with Duck, storms off back to the shed to sulk.

## Characters

* Henry
* Gordon
* James
* Duck
* Diesel
* Troublesome Trucks
* The Fat Director

## Locations

* Tidmouth Sheds
	+ Tidmouth Goods Station
* Knapford Station
	+ Knapford Yards

## Trivia

* The title (as well as the song featured) is a pun on the nursery rhyme, Pop Goes the Weasel.
* This is the first episode for a few things:
	+ The first episode where vans have faces.
	+ The first episode to introduce Diesel engines into the series.
	+ The first time Diesel tried to pull a line of trucks with the brakes on. He would eventually do it again in the sixth season episode, The World's Strongest Engine.