Shining Time Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shining Time Station |
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The Shining Time Station title screen with UP 844
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| Created by | Britt Allcroft Rick Siggelkow |
| Directed by | Matthew Diamond Gregory Lehane Stan Swan Wayne Moss John Ferraro Steve Wright |
| Starring | Ringo Starr (1989–1990) George Carlin (1991–1995) Didi Conn Leonard Jackson (1989) Tom Jackson (1991–1995) Nicole Leach (1989–1991) Jason Woliner (1989–1991) Erica Luttrell (1991–1995) Ari Magder (1991–1995) Danielle Marcot (1991–1995) Brian O'Connor Jonathan Freeman |
| Theme music composer | Joe Raposo |
| Opening theme | "Shining Time Station Theme" sung by Kevin Roth |
| Composer(s) | Joe Raposo Paul Derrick Mason (season 1) Stacey Hersh (seasons 2 & 3) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 70 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Donald Johnson (1989) Angus Wright (1989) Britt Allcroft (1991-1995) Rick Siggelkow (1991-1995) Jerry Hamza (1995) |
| Producer(s) | Britt Allcroft (1989-1990) Rick Siggelkow (1989-1990) Nancy Chapelle (1991-1995) Jim Corston (1995) |
| Running time | 28 minutes 60 minutes (1995 specials) |
| Production company(s) | The Britt Allcroft Company Quality Family Entertainment Fuji Television Network (Some Thomas Stories from Seasons 2 and 3) |
| Release | |
| Original network | PBS |
| Original release | January 29, 1989 – June 11, 1993 (regular series) January 4 – December 18, 1995 (1995 specials) |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Thomas & Friends Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales Storytime with Thomas Noddy |
Shining Time Station was a popular American children's television series. It was created by Britt Allcroft from Britain and Rick Siggelkow from the United States. The show first aired on PBS on January 29, 1989. It ran until June 11, 1993, with special hour-long episodes in 1995.
The series was filmed in New York City for its first season. Later episodes were taped in Toronto, Canada. A big part of the show included stories from the British series Thomas & Friends. These stories were based on The Railway Series books by Reverend Wilbert Awdry.
Contents
About Shining Time Station
After Thomas & Friends became a hit in the United Kingdom, Britt Allcroft worked with PBS to create Shining Time Station. This new show was like a sitcom. Each episode included a few stories from Thomas & Friends.
The show featured famous people like Ringo Starr and George Carlin. It also starred Didi Conn and Brian O'Connor. The Flexitoon Puppets were also a big part of the show.
Mr. Conductor's Role
Ringo Starr was already the storyteller for the British Thomas series. He agreed to play the character Mr. Conductor on Shining Time Station. Mr. Conductor was a tiny man who lived in a signal house. He told the Thomas & Friends stories to the kids.
After the first season, Ringo Starr left the show. George Carlin then took over the role of Mr. Conductor.
Show's Success
Shining Time Station was very well-liked by critics. Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly said the show was "old-fashioned." He noted it created a "gentle, lulling atmosphere" to teach children that "life is fun and that trains are the way to travel."
The show was also very popular with viewers. In its first season, about 1.2 million people watched it on average. At its most popular, up to 7.5 million viewers watched the show each week.
Exploring the Station
Shining Time Station is a train station on the Indian Valley Railroad. Its exact location in the United States is unknown. Stacy Jones manages the station. Harry Cupper ran the workshop in the first season. Later, Billy Twofeathers took over.
Horace Schemer, known as Schemer, runs the station's arcade. He often provides funny moments in the series. The stories in the show come from the different people who visit the station.
The Anything Tunnel
Mr. Conductor often introduces songs to the kids in The Anything Tunnel. This tunnel is part of a mural inside the station. Sometimes, he shows a magic bubble with a song inside. Other times, the kids might use a film viewer to watch a song or a short film.
Characters of Shining Time Station
Many actors played different characters throughout the show's run.
Main Characters (1989–1995)
- Didi Conn as Stacy Jones
- Brian O'Connor as Horace Schemer
Season 1 Characters (1989)
- Ringo Starr as Mr. Conductor
- Leonard Jackson as Henry "Harry" Cupper
- Jason Woliner as Matthew "Matt" Jones
- Nicole Leach as Tanya Cupper
Christmas Special Characters (1990)
- Ringo Starr as Mr. Conductor
- Didi Conn as Stacy Jones
- Brian O'Connor as Horace Schemer
- Jason Woliner as Matthew "Matt" Jones
- Nicole Leach as Tanya Cupper
- Lloyd Bridges as Mr. Nicholas
Seasons 2 & 3 Characters (1991–1993)
- George Carlin as Mr. Conductor
- Erica Luttrell as Kara Cupper
- Ari Magder as Daniel "Dan" Jones
- Tom Jackson as Billy Twofeathers
The Jukebox Band
The Jukebox Band was the station's own band. They performed songs inside the jukebox.
- Jonathan Freeman as Tito Swing (The Piano Man)
- Olga Marin as Didi (The Drummer)
- Wayne White as Tex (The Guitarist, 1989)
- Alan Semok as Tex (The Guitarist, 1990–1995)
- Craig Marin as Rex (The Guitarist)
- Peter Baird/Alan Semok/Vaneese Thomas as Grace (The Bass Player, 1989)
- Peter Baird/Kenny Miele as Grace (The Bass Player, 1990–1995)
Show Segments
Each episode began with the main theme song. This was played over videos of the Union Pacific Steam Locomotive 844. The closing credits also showed more shots of this train. For the Christmas special, "'Tis A Gift," footage was filmed at the Grand Canyon Railway.
- Flexitoons Puppets & Marionettes - The Jukebox Band: This was the station's band. They played songs inside the jukebox. The band included Tito Swing on piano, Didi on drums, Tex and Rex on guitars, and Grace on bass. JJ Silvers managed the band.
- Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends: These were the stories told by Mr. Conductor. Ringo Starr and George Carlin were the storytellers.
- The Anything Tunnel: Inside the Anything Tunnel, there was a song with a cartoon, a stop-motion clip, or a live-action video. Sometimes, Mr. Conductor would show a magic bubble or a film viewer instead.
Shining Time Merchandise
Fans of Shining Time Station could find different items related to the show.
VHS Tapes
Many episodes were released on VHS tapes. Most of these tapes started with a fun segment called the "Shining Time Drive-In Movie Theater." This showed a model of a 1950s drive-in theater with funny commercials. After the episode, a short segment called "Schemer Presents!" was shown. In these, Schemer taught viewers how to do something, often with help from another character.
Some of the VHS releases included:
- Tis a Gift
- Sweet and Sour
- Stacy Cleans Up
- Schemer Alone
- Bully for Mr. Conductor
- Becky Makes a Wish
- Billy's Party
- Schemer's Special Club
- Mr. Conductor's Evil Twin
Books
A book called This Old Band was written by Britt Allcroft and Rick Siggelkow. It featured The Jukebox Band. Quality Family Entertainment published it in 1994.
See also
In Spanish: Shining Time Station para niños
