Diesel Does it Again

***Diesel Does it Again*** is the eighth episode from season three. It is based on the magazines stories Trouble in the Harbour Yard and Bumps.

## Plot

Duck and Percy enjoy their work at the harbour yards pulling trucks to and from the quay, but the harbour is becoming busier than usual and the engines feel exhausted. The Fat Controller understands this and promises that another engine will come and help out. Percy and Duck are very glad to hear this, but their relief turns to shock when the engine sent to help turns out to be Diesel. The two engines ask him what he is doing at the Docks, to which Diesel tells them that he is to shunt some dreadfully tiresome trucks and to make himself clear, he bumps some trucks hard.

Percy and Duck do not trust Diesel and refuse to work with him, not leaving the harbour shed. The Fat Controller is in his office enjoying his tea and iced bun when he gets a call on the telephone from the harbour master saying that there is trouble at the harbour yard. Diesel is working alone, and as a result, the work starts to pile up as the cargo and passengers are delayed on the quay. People soon start complaining about the railway.

The Fat Controller arrives and demands an explanation from Percy and Duck and they explain that they will not work with Diesel. The Fat Controller tells the two that he has to give Diesel a second chance as he was the only engine available and is trying to help Percy and Duck out by bringing him to the harbour, demanding that the two go back to work. With no choice, Percy and Duck do as they are told.

Next morning, Diesel's driver did not properly put his brakes on the night before and he bumps straight into Percy without apologising. Later, Diesel bumps some trucks so hard that the loads spill. Percy and Duck are worried as to what the Fat Controller will say, but they do not tell him after Diesel calls them "telltales" if they do.

The following day, Diesel - thinking he can get away with anything - becomes increasingly rude while he shunts some China Clay Trucks. He ploughs the trucks through a set of unsecured buffers, sinking them into the sea. That evening, the trucks are recovered, but the clay is lost, and the Fat Controller is furious with Diesel upon hearing the news. He tells Diesel that he will be expelled for good, before he tells Duck and Percy that they will have to handle all the work by themselves again. Knowing that extra work is preferable to working with Diesel, Percy and Duck gladly start their jobs as Diesel slinks away in disgrace.

## Characters

* Percy
* Duck
* Diesel
* Troublesome Trucks
* Sir Topham Hatt
* Thomas (*cameo*)
* James (*cameo*)
* Stephen Hatt (*cameo*)
* Bridget Hatt (*cameo*)
* Sir Topham Hatt's Brown-haired Assistant (*cameo*)
* One Little Boy (*cameo*)
* Big Mickey (*faceless, cameo*)

## Locations

* Brendam Docks
* Sir Topham Hatt's Office

## Trivia

* A CGI Series flashback of the scene where Diesel pushes the trucks into the water was later made for the nineteenth series episode, Diesel's Ghostly Christmas.
* A tractor prop, S.S. Vienna, Big Mickey's models, the steel company, steel rig, the Fuel Depot Manager's office building, the coal hopper, various boats and cranes and the Fire station from TUGS are visible.
* In the restored version, the last few seconds of the scene of Diesel passing Duck and Percy before he bumped the trucks are cut off, the Fat Controller's head is turned different when he said "What's all this?", Percy stops rolling his eyes after Diesel bumps into him and Diesel's eye movement is different when he calls Duck and Percy tattle-tales.
* This episode aired alongside Escape on Storytime with Thomas.
* On the week this episode and Henry's Forest made their television debut, TV Times held a competition with the deadline of 1 May 1992. Fans had to write the correct names of three engines as pictured in a scene from Woolly Bear and send in their answers. Seven winners would receive various assorted Thomas goods as their prize.
* This is one of the two episodes to feature Duck's unused Series 2 tired face with the other being the Series 4 episode, Bowled Out.
* This episode marks the first time Diesel's unused second series shocked face is used.
* In a few promotional images:
	+ When Diesel bumps into Percy, he is wearing his snarling face instead of his usual cross face, thus marking the first time his said face is used.
	+ Percy has his correct tired face in the scene of both him and Duck exhausted from the hard work.
	+ A deleted scene showed Duck and Percy in different spots when the Fat Controller questions their refusal to work with Diesel.
* In the Japanese version, Sir Topham Hatt gains an extra line in the place of the narrator saying "Sir Topham Hatt promised that another engine would be found to help them".
* Though the freight cars that Diesel pushes into the sea are not shown to have faces and were stated to be rescued in the American English and the other International versions.

## Goofs

* In the first shot, steam can be seen emitting from the track before Percy runs over it.
* When Percy and Duck are pulling trucks in the first shot, the steam under Percy goes off too late.
* Percy has Thomas' tired face in one scene.
* When Thomas is seen leaving the station, he blows off steam, but it suddenly disappears as another train comes in, thus indicating a film cut.
* Diesel's wheels do not stop moving after he spills the loads. This is because the trucks he shoved actually hit the end of the set.
* Diesel's eyes are misaligned when he bumps into Percy.
* When Percy leaves at the end, steam can be seen coming from the track after he has gone.
* In the early UK narration, Angelis mispronounces "arrive" when Duck and Percy are waiting for the new engine.
* The Fat Controller is missing his eyebrows when he scolds Diesel.
* Percy's piston appears to be broken right before he gets bumped by Diesel.
	+ When Diesel says "Wake up there Percy!".
	+ When Percy says, "What will the Fat Controller?!".

## Quotes

* **Diesel**: *[approaches the shed]* Good morning.
* **Duck**: What are *you* doing here?!
* **Diesel**: You're worthy Top - uh, Sir Topham Hatt sent me. I hope you are pleased to see me again. I am to shunt some dreadfully tiresome cars.
* **Percy**: Shunt where?
* **Diesel**: Where? Why from here to there. And then again, from there to here. Easy, isn't it?

*(he punctuates his point by bumping some trucks hard)*
* **Trucks:** OOH!!!
* **Diesel:** Grrrr!!!

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

* **Percy**: What will Sir Topham Hatt say?
* **Duck**: He won't like it.
* **Diesel**: So who's going to tell him I wonder? Two little goody-goody telltales like you, I suppose?

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* **The Fat Controller**: *[to Diesel, after his mishap with the trucks earlier]* The harbor master has told me everything. Things worked much better here before you arrived. I shall not be inviting you back! Now, Duck and Percy, I hope you won't mind having to handle the work by yourselves again.
* **Percy**: Oh, no, Sir.
* **Duck**: Yes, please, Sir.

## Home Media Releases

UK
* Time for Trouble and other stories (*Direct-to-Home Video*)
* Thomas Gets Bumped and 17 Other Stories
* Ghost Train and other stories/Time for Trouble and other stories
* The Complete Series 3

DVD Boxsets
* Classic Collection

WAL
* Thomas the Tank Engine: Bumper Special 1

US
* Thomas Gets Bumped and Other Stories
* Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 3

DVD Packs
* Totally Thomas Volume 8

AUS
* Time of Trouble and Other Stories
* The Complete Series 3
* My First Thomas with Diesel

DVD Boxsets
* Complete Series 1-10
* My First Thomas
* Classic Collection
* Series Three and Series Four **Double Pack**

NZ
* Time for Trouble and other stories
* Bumper Video Collection Volume 4
* Thomas Train Set Compilation Video Volume 2

KOR
* Stories to Raise Cooperation

JPN
* Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.13
* I Will Not Loose to the Diesel
* The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.4
* The Complete DVD Box 1

PHL
* Time for Trouble

NL
* The Ghost Train
* The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Edward, Toby and the Diesels

UKR
* A Train Thomas and Friends

GER
* A World-Famous Locomotive and 4 Other Adventures
* Thomas and His Friends Vol. 6
* Rail Free for Steam and Diesel!

NOR
* Anniversary
* Thomas, Percy and the Post Train

FIN
* Thomas, Percy and the Post Train

DK
* Now There Will Be Trouble and Other Stories

MYS
* Diesel Does it Again and Other Thomas Adventures
* Donald's Duck and Other Adventures

IND
* Ghost Train and Other Stories

ITA
* On Christmas Eve

SER
* Thomas the Tank Engine 6

GRC
* A Lively Companionship

CHN
* Thomas and Friends Season 1-4

THA
* Thomas and Friends - Volume 9

HK
* Thomas and Friends Volume 6 (*VCD*)
* Thomas and Friends Volume 10 (*DVD*)