Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia
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This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the vinyl record, the Dutch VHS/DVD, the Ladybird book, the Buzz Book, the Pictureback book or the magazine story.
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“Look here, Percy. Whatever is that dirty object?"
"That's James, didn't you know?"
"It's James' shape but James is a splendid red engine and you never see his paint dirty.”
― Toby and Percy teasing James

Dirty Objects, retitled James in a Mess on North American releases, is the twenty-third episode of the first series. It is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book Toby the Tram Engine.

Plot

Toby and Henrietta are enjoying their new lives on the Island of Sodor but, because of their old paintwork and old-fashioned appearances, James often mocks them, calling them "dirty objects". One day, Toby asks why James is red and James says that it is because he is a splendid engine who is ready for anything and boasts that his paint would never be seen dirty. Toby then teases James by reminding him of the time a bootlace was used to mend a hole in his coaches and James leaves the station angry.

Later, at the end of the line, James leaves his coaches behind and stops at several stations to pick up trucks for a slow goods train at each station, which he despises. Although the trucks initially behave well, James is so rough with them that they decide to pay him back. At the top of Gordon's Hill, James should remember to pin his brakes down (given his previous accident with trucks) but he is too busy thinking of what he will say back to Toby. Seizing the opportunity, the trucks push James down the hill. He flies through Maron Station, unable to stop, and derails, crashing into a line of tar tankers. Although James is not badly hurt, he is left completely covered in tar, while the tankers and some of his trucks are destroyed.

As Percy and Toby arrive at the scene, Toby teases James, pretending not to recognise him due to his dirty paint. They take James back to Tidmouth Sheds where the Fat Controller is waiting. He commends Percy and Toby for their hard work and tells James he needs to be cleaned immediately. The Fat Controller rewards Toby with a new coat of paint and accepts his request that Henrietta have one too. Toby happily runs off to tell Henrietta the good news, while James watches in silence, knowing full well that he is now the "dirty object".

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • Extended stock footage from Troublesome Trucks is used.
  • Deleted scenes of James crossing Maron Bridge and crashing into the tar tankers were later used in the song Troublesome Trucks.
  • This is the first time an engine gets covered in tar. It would happen later in the eighth series episode Percy's Big Mistake.
  • During its original broadcast, this episode was paired with Thomas' Christmas Party. However, early VHS releases have it paired with the next episode, as do Norwegian and Swedish broadcasts.
  • When James crashes into the tar wagons in both Ringo Starr's dubs and the Ukrainian voice-over, the crashing sound is much louder than the other ones.
  • Percy's whistling when he and Toby set to work clearing the mess is absent in both Ringo Starr's dubs and the Ukrainian voice-over.
  • This episode marks the last appearance of Maron Station until the sixth series episode It's Only Snow and thus the last appearance of Maron in its original form.
  • This episode also marks the final appearances of the old coaches.
  • The events of this episode were referenced by Douglas in the second series episode Break Van and by Thomas in the twenty-third series episode Chucklesome Trucks. James' crash was also recreated in the latter episode.
  • This episode was paired with Thomas' Christmas Party on its original broadcast at 9.45am after Danger Mouse on Christmas Day 1984. It aired individually the next year. It was paired again with Thomas' Christmas Party on 13 February 1989.
  • The crashing sound of James crashing into the tar wagons was in the 1983 film "The Wind in the Willows".
  • This episode was never released on VHS or DVD in South Korea.

Goofs

  • When James arrives at Elsbridge at the beginning, his eyes jolt up a bit.
  • When Toby asks James why he is red, he is missing his eyebrows.
  • When James leaves Elsbridge, his brake coach is at the back of his train. But when he arrives at Knapford, his brake coach has moved to the middle of his train and his whistle is also crooked.
  • When James says "Dirty trucks from dirty sidings!" his eyes are misaligned.
  • When James sets off with his long train, the chuffing sound can be heard before he starts to move.
  • When James ascends Gordon's Hill with the trucks, a piece of string can be seen pulling him upward.
  • In the Spanish dub, when the narrator says "they run into their buffers and pushed him down off the hill", James is incorrectly referred to as Henry.
  • In the close up of James groaning "I've got to stop! I've got to stop!" paying close attention shows that James is at a stand still for about a second but his wheels are still moving.
  • When James passes the signal, the signal is given the "all clear" position but there are tar wagons in the way.
  • When James races through Maron, his brake van changes from grey to brown.
  • James is nowhere to be seen in the close up of the tar wagons, even though he just passed Maron station.
  • A shovel is visible in James' tender when it should have fallen out.
  • A hand can be seen pushing James as he crashes into the tar wagons.
  • When James runs into the tar wagons, the truck behind him has no buffers.
  • Due to portions of the script being taken verbatim from the original Railway Series story, the narrator says that James ran into two tar wagons but there are four, although only two appear derailed due to the crash.
  • Studio equipment is reflected on James' tender when he crashes into the tar wagons. Also, Blu Tack is visible in James' tender.
  • Percy's position changes when he and Toby come to help James.
  • Percy's eyes slightly jitter a few times and his left eye (viewers' right) also moves on its own for a second when he and Toby tease James.
  • When Toby says "and you never see his paint dirty," the edge of the set is visible.
  • When Percy and Toby arrive at the yards, the man next to the Fat Controller has Blu Tack on his feet.
  • In a close-up of the Fat Controller, he has a hole in his chin.
  • In Ringo Starr's US dub, when the Fat Controller says "Fancy letting your cars run away. I am surprised," the audio from the UK dub can be faintly heard in the background.

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Albanian Sende të pista
Brazilian Portuguese James encrencado
Chinese Mandarin 脏东西
Croatian Prljave predmeti
Czech Špinavé věci
Danish Gamle dårligt
Dutch Een smerig geval
Finnish Sottaiset surkimukset
French Des objets sales
German Dreckige Dinger
Greek Βρόμικα πράγματα
Hebrew חפצים מלוכלכים
Hungarian Piszkos vonatok
Italian Che sporcizia!
Japanese きたないきかんしゃ
Korean 곤경에 빠진 제임스 (DVD Acadamy)
검둥이가 된 제임스 (JEI TV)
Latin American Spanish James en problemas
Norwegian Møkkete saker
Polish Brudne graty (Original)
Brudne pojazdy (Alternate)
Romanian Obiecte murdare
Romansh Objects tschufs
Russian Грязнули
Serbian Prljave lokomotive
Slovak Spinavé predmety
Slovenian Umazančki
Swedish Smutsig last
Ukrainian Брудні предмети
Welsh James a'r Tryciau

Merchandise

Home Video Releases

UK

UK VHS/DVD Boxsets

WAL

US

CAN

  • Thomas Breaks the Rules and Other Stories (Ringo Starr's US dub)
  • Thomas and His Friends Get Along
  • Best of James
  • The Early Years (UK dub)

US/CAN VHS/DVD Packs

AUS

  • Coal and Other Stories
  • Series One

AUS DVD Packs

NZ

ZA

IND

MYS

PHL

ITA

FRA

ROM

ROM DVD Pack

NL

NL DVD Pack

GER

GER DVD Boxset

NOR/ICE

DK

SWE

FIN

SVN

HRV

SRP

GRC

GRC DVD Boxset

TUR

  • Brave Hero (VCD)
  • Brave Hero and Hello Thomas (DVD)

THA

JPN

JPN DVD Boxset

CHN

HK

Episode

References



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