Thomas & Friends: Tales from the Tracks

*This Article Is About The Alternative Universe Version Of This Release. To See The Real World Version, **Click Here**.*

## Tales from the Tracks/Little Engines Big Days Out

### Starring

Michael Brandon (*US/CAN/BRAD*)
Michael Angelis (*UK/IRL/AUS/ZA*)
Kalle Øby (*NOR*)
Povl Dissing (*DK*)
Salomé Larrucea (*SPN*)
Bohuslav Kalva (*CZE*)

### Music by

Robert Hartshorne
Ed Welch

### Distributor

HiT Entertainment
20th Century Fox
Anchor Bay Entertainment (*US (2009 Blu-Ray Release)*)
Lionsgate (*US*)
Maple Pictures
Alliance Films

2Entertain (*UK/IRL*)

ABC for Kids (*AUS*)

Next Video (*ZA*)

Big Picture (*SPN*)

### Released

22 May 2006 (*UK/IRL*)
2008 (*UK/IRL re-release*)

May 23, 2006 (*US*)
2007
2008
2009 (*US Blu-Ray Release*)
2012

1 August 2007 (*AUS*)
10 September 2012 (*AUS; iTunes*)

5 August 2008 (*DK*)

1 December 2008 (*ZA*)

21 January 2009 (*NOR*)

 6 February 2009 (*SWE*)

13 June 2009 (*FIN*)

2010 (*SPN*)

### Runtime

50 mins (*US*)
56 mins (*UK/IRL/AUS*)
60 mins (*DK/SPN*)
31 mins (*ZA*)
71 mins (*Czech*)

### Preceded by

*Tales from the Tracks (*UK/IRL*)*

*Track Stars (*US*)* *Rusty Saves the Day (*AUS*)*

*Thomas and the Golden Eagle (*ZA*)*

*Thomas and Friends - Volume 6 (*SPN*)*

### Followed by

*On Site with Thomas and Other Adventures (*US*)*

*Thomas' Trusty Friends (*UK/IRL*)*

*Together on the Tracks (*AUS*)*

*Thomas Tries His Best (*ZA*)*

*Thomas and Friends - Volume 8 (*SPN*)*

**Tales from the Tracks** (also known as **Volume 14** in South Africa) is a US/CAN/BRAD VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray featuring six ninth series episodes and two songs (three on the US DVD and Blu-Ray). The DVD was released as **Little Engines Big Days Out** in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, WallaceandGromitland and South Africa. The South African release features three ninth series episodes. It was released under the title **The Magic Lamp** for Danish audiences, **Little Trains on a Day Out** for Norwegian and Swedish audiences, and **The Little Locomotive Excursion** for the Finnish audiences. It was released under the title **Thomas and Friends - Volume 7** for Spanish audiences. It was released under the title, **Thomas the Rescuer** for Czech audiences which features two eighth series episodes and five ninth series episodes.

## Description

### US/CAN/BRAD

Ride the rails to fun and adventure as Thomas™ and his friends steam through Sodor in Tales from the Tracks.

Join Thomas for a birthday picnic, discover a ghost engine that's not what it seems and learn the legend of a very special lamp with Peter Sam! Then try and keep up with James, listen to Rusty's beautiful music and make tracks as Thomas tries his best.

There's excitement around every bend in these six stories from the Number 1 Engine.

### UK/IRL 2006/AUS/NZ/W&GL

It's a fun day out with Thomas & Friends. With over 50 minutes of brand new stories from famous Sodor sights.

### UK/IRL 2008

It's a fun day out with Thomas & Friends. With over 50 minutes of thrilling stories from famous Sodor sights.

### DK/NOR/SWE/FIN

Join Thomas and his friends ﻿on new adventures on Sodor. This time we get to join in on a birthday picnic. Thomas knows about a good place to have it, but what shall they do when it starts to rain?

## Episodes

### US/UK/IRL/AUS

1. Thomas and the Birthday Picnic \* - The Fat Controller has arranged a special birthday picnic for his mother's birthday. Thomas thinks he knows just the spot – beautiful Shen Valley. When a terrible storm appears, Thomas desperately tries to think of another location for the birthday picnic, but none of them are right. Will Thomas find the perfect place?
2. Flour Power \* - It's Halloween night and Diesel and Thomas are working at the flourmill. Diesel scares Thomas, pointing out all the spooky things on the way to the mill. Thomas gets his own back by covering himself with flour and pretending to be a ghost. Diesel is terrified!
3. The Magic Lamp \*\*\* - Rusty tells the narrow gauge engines all about the legend of “Proteus” - an old engine with a magic lamp. Whoever finds the lamp will have their wish come true! Peter Sam thinks this is nonsense. Later that night, some mysterious goings-on start to make him think otherwise...
4. Keeping Up with James \* - It's winter and Edward and James have important work to do. The track is icy and Edward warns James to go slow. James is determined to finish his work before any of the other engines and he doesn't listen. When disaster strikes, James realises that there are more important things than being first.
5. Tuneful Toots]] - Rusty loves the sound of his horn, but not everyone feels the same! When Rusty is asked to take a brass band on a tour of the hills, he loses track of time and runs out of fuel. Everyone is worried about Rusty and the band until they hear a familiar sound echoing through the valley!
6. Thomas Tries His Best \*\* - It's fair time! Thomas has to deliver a load of chickens and is worried that he'll miss the fun. James and Gordon suggest ways to get his work done faster, but Thomas doesn't want to let the Fat Controller down. Will he deliver his load and get to the fair?

(\*Followed by a Learning Segment)

(\*\*Followed by a song)

(\*\*\*Followed by both)

### ZA

1. Thomas and the Birthday Picnic
2. Tuneful Toots
3. Flour Power

### DK/NOR/SWE/FIN/SPN

1. Thomas and the Birthday Picnic
2. Tuneful Toots
3. Flour Power
4. The Magic Lamp
5. Thomas Tries His Best
6. Keeping Up with James

### Czech

1. Thomas the Rescuer
2. Birthday Picnic
3. Haunted Flour
4. Thomas Tries
5. How to Catch James
6. Whistling to the Rhythm
7. Henry and the Tree Wishes (*Bonus Episode*)

## Learning Segments

1. What Does Toby See?
2. Cool Down Delivery
3. What Goes Where? \*\*
4. Dot to Dot - James

(\*\*Followed by a song)

## Songs

1. Every Day's a Special Day on Sodor
2. Day and Night (*US DVD and Blu-Ray and Bonus feature only*)
3. Engine Roll Call

## Bonus Features

### US

* Arthur's Tricky Travels game
* Spot the Difference game
* Getting Up Gordon's Hill game
* Percy and the Oil Painting read-along
* HiT Extras:
	+ Toddworld: Worm's Eye View (only on 2006 release and the Blu-Ray release)
	+ Bob the Builder: Roley to the Rescue (only on 2009 re-release and Blu-Ray release)

### UK/IRL/AUS

* Arthur's Tricky Travels game
* Spot the Difference game

## Trivia/Fun Facts

* This is the final US VHS release.
* Michael Brandon narrates the US DVD menus.
* This is the first US release to be distributed by 20th Century Fox.
* Henry is mirrored on the front cover of the US release.
* This is the first Thomas US DVD and only UK and Irish DVD to feature specially shot live action interactive DVD games.
* This is the last episodic UK and Irish DVD to feature a DVD game.
* On the back cover, one of the pictures shows Thomas with a Day Out with Thomas face.
* In the US DVD, the bonus features and Day and Night music video are in the original 16:9 widescreen format.
* In the 2006 UK and Irish DVD menu, promotional images from Saving Edward, Rheneas and the Dinosaur, Thomas' Milkshake Muddle, Bold and Brave, Henry and the Flagpole, and Thomas and the Statue are used in one of the selections.
* In the 2006 UK and Irish menu selections, music from the episodes is played in every selection with the sounds being heard:
	+ In the Select-a-Scene Menu, music from Thomas and the Birthday Picnic when Thomas arrived at Knapford.
	+ In the episode selections, music from the beginning of Flower Power.
	+ In the songs selection, music from Thomas and the Birthday Picnic when Thomas started his journey heading to Shen Valley.
	+ In the Learn with Thomas and Games selection, music from Keeping Up with James when James and Edward were clearing snow off the tracks.
	+ In the subtitles selection, music from the beginning of The Magic Lamp.
* The British DVD was criticised in 2011 over the episodes and learning segments calling Christmas "winter holidays" and "trees with decorations" instead of Christmas trees. HiT Entertainment responded saying it was not a seasonal release, but the issue caused them to push back the latest DVD, Merry Winter Wish, for release in October 2012 so that they could re-dub the audio to mention Christmas.
* This is the only Series 9 episodic compilation released on VHS in the US.
* This is the only US DVD release to feature The Magic Lamp and Thomas tries His Best.
* In another Swedish version of the DVD, *Little Engines on a Day Out*, Keeping Up with James was renamed, Hurry, Hurry!
* Anchor Bay Entertainment Only Distributed The Blu-Ray Release Of This DVD. Even Know They Lost All Of Their Rights To Release Thomas Home Media To Lionsgate.

## Goofs/Mistakes/Errors

* The following features in the DVD menu:
	+ James' tender is missing.
	+ Thomas' rear wheels sometimes derail when he turns around sharp bends.
* In Arthur's Tricky Travels, Arthur has Edward's whistle sound.
* On the back cover of the British/Irish DVD on the description of The Magic Lamp, it says that Rusty told the story about Proteus, but it was actually Skarloey who told the story. The episode is also titled "Peter Sam and the Magic Lamp."
* The UK title card has a comma close to "Engines".
* On the VHS label, the DVD logo is present.
* On the 2006 US disc, the globe on the HiT entertainment globe is not colored in. This was fixed in the 2009 US disc.
* ﻿ The description in the Danish release says that it rains in Thomas and the Birthday Picnic, but it does not, although in a deleted scene of said episode, it was raining at Bluffs Cove.
* On the Norwegian back cover, Rheneas is misspelled as "Reneas." Peter Sam is also misnamed as "Sir Peter."
* Michael Angelis is credited in the opening in the Norwegian release.
* The 2006 Wooden Railway yearbook lists that Molly, Neville and Dennis appear in the DVD, although they were not seen in any of the episodes of the release.