Percy and the Signal

**"Percy and the Signal"** is the seventh episode from season two.

Percy enjoys playing tricks on the big engines, but Gordon and James make a plan to pay him back.

*“We had spoken of backing signals. They need extra special care, you know. Would you like me to explain?"
"No thank you, James. I know all about signals.”*
―James and Percy

## Plot

Percy works in the yard and although he works hard, he can also be very cheeky and often plays jokes. One day, Percy is feeling particularly cheeky, and startles Gordon by telling him his train is ready. Gordon immediately thinks he is running late, only for Percy to reveal a line of dirty trucks. Gordon is cross and tries to think of a way to get back at him.

Percy then goes to James, and tells him that the Fat Controller has sent a message for James to not leave the shed until he comes to see him. James is delighted, thinking the Fat Controller wants him to pull a special and refuses to leave when his driver and fireman try to take him out. As a result, the other engines have to do James' work as well as their own. Finally, an engine inspector arrives and tells James to move. James tells him about the message the Fat Controller sent. The inspector points out the Fat Controller could not have sent a message as he is away. James is furious and quickly leaves to find Percy, but Percy has decided to make himself scarce. When the Fat Controller returns, he tells both engines off for causing trouble.

Sometime later, Percy boasts to Gordon and James that the Fat Controller has sent him to take trucks to Thomas' junction, thinking he was chosen because he is a really useful engine. James, however, thinks it was probably just to keep him out of the way. The big engines then realise that they have a chance to give Percy a dose of his own medicine and claim they were talking about being careful with the signals at the junction, especially "backing signals". Percy, keen to show off, claims that he knows all about signals, but worries as he has never heard of backing signals before.

Soon, Percy arrives at a signal set to "danger". However, when its arm moves to "line clear", it goes up instead of down. Percy, having never seen anything like it before, guesses that it is a backing signal, and begins reversing. Percy's driver is shocked and quickly stops him, but Percy insists that it is a backing signal, and tells him what Gordon and James had said. After the driver tells him the truth, Percy is eager to leave before he is seen, but before he can, Gordon goes past and sees that Percy fell for the trick. Humiliated, Percy quickly and quietly finishes his work.

That night in the sheds, Gordon and James talk about signals; while they think it is funny, Percy thinks they are being very silly.

## Characters

* Gordon
* James
* Percy
* Engine Inspector
* Thomas (*does not speak*)
* Sir Topham Hatt (*does not speak*)
* Henry (*cameo*)
* One Little Boy (*cameo*)
* One Naughty Boy (*cameo*)
* Annie and Clarabel (*deleted scene cameos*)

## Locations

* Tidmouth Sheds
* Knapford
* Knapford Yards
* Ffarquhar Sheds
* The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's House
* Elsbridge
* Suddery Castle
* The Carriage Shed
* The Works

## Trivia

* This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Percy the Small Engine.
* In the restored version, in the scene when Sir Topham Hatt was cross with James and Percy, the close-up of Percy looking sad is cut off.
* Stock footage from Coal is used.
* In a deleted scene, it is shown that Thomas also had to do James' work as well as his own branch line when Percy told him to stay in the shed.
* In the International versions (excluding the Japanese version), George Carlin can be heard when the other engines are laughing.
* This episode marks the first appearance for the exterior of Ffarquhar Sheds in the televison series, as the interior was first shown in Thomas, Percy and the Coal.

## Goofs

* When Percy creeps up on Gordon, the red coach's windows and roof is crooked.
* Percy's left cylinder is hanging off throughout most of the episode.
* When Gordon says "James and I were just speaking about signals at the junction," to Percy, James' face is loose.
* In the close-up of Percy's wheels when he reverses from the signal, a wire is visible.
* When Percy goes under the pedestrian bridge at Elsbridge, the reflection of a studio member or camera is visible in the shiny part.
* The "lower" quadrant semaphore signal which Percy stops at is not the sort that is meant to point upwards; it's suppose to an "upper" quadrant semaphore signal instead.
* The wire used to change the signal is visible.
* The signal shown in its closeup is different from the signal in the shot where Percy stops at.
* Because stock footage is used, the driver is in Henry's cab.
* Gordon's eyes are wonky throughout the episode.
* When Percy pulls away from Gordon at the beginning, the coal in his second truck is lifted, as is the roof on his brake van.
* In the Japanese dub, as Gordon, Henry and Edward passed James, George Carlin's voice can be faintly heard in the background.
* In the early Swedish dub, James is referred to as Gordon at one point.
* When Percy tells James to stay in the shed, steam can be heard, but no steam shoots out, but in the next shot, there is a lot of steam.
* When James leaves the sheds, the track rocks back and forth.
* When Percy is backing up to the sheds, no workmen are seen operating the turntable.

## Home Media Releases

UK
* Thomas, Percy and the Coal and Other Stories
* The Best of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
* Biggest Party Video Ever!
* The Complete Series 2
* The Best of Percy
* Percy Takes the Plunge

DVD Boxsets
* Classic Collection
* The Best of Friends

US
* Thomas Gets Bumped and Other Stories
* Thomas and His Friends Get Along
* Best of Percy
* Thomas' Fan Favorite Adventures
* Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 2

DVD Boxsets
* Best Tales on the Tracks
* Totally Thomas Volume 2
* Totally Thomas Volume 8
* Best of Collection
* Best of Thomas, Percy and James Platinum Edition
* 3 DVD Lunchbox Set

AUS
* Thomas, Percy and the Coal and Other Stories
* The Complete Second Series
* The Best of Thomas and Friends - Volume 1 (*restored*)
* My First Thomas with Percy

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

NZ
* Thomas, Percy and the Coal and Other Stories
* Bumper Video Collection Volume 2
* Thomas Train Set Compilation Video Volume 3

HRV
* Duck Takes Over

JPN
* Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.8
* The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.3
* Thomas the Tank Engine in Two Languages Vol.8
* Anytime With Percy!
* I Love Thomas DVD Collection
* The Complete DVD Box 1

FRA
* Saved from Scrap

GER
* Old Iron and 4 Other Adventures
* Thomas and His Friends Vol. 4

DNK
* The Runaway Train and Other Stories

NL
* A Nasty Case
* The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas, Percy and Gordon

NOR/FIN/ISL
* Thomas the Tank Engine

SER
* Thomas the Tank Engine 3

IN
* Down the Mine and Other Stories

ITA
* A Daring Rescue

PHL
* Old Iron

MYS
* Percy and Harold and Other Thomas Adventures
* Bertie’s Chase and Other Adventures

UKR
* A Train Thomas and Friends

ROM
* Thomas and the Great Runaway

DVD Packs
* Triple Pack 1

CHN
* Thomas and Friends Season 1-4

THA
* Thomas and Friends - Volume 5

HK
* Thomas and Friends Volume 4 (VCD)