kids encyclopedia robot

Thomas & Friends (series 6) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Thomas & Friends
Thomas and Friends DVD Cover - Series 6.jpg
DVD cover art
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of episodes 26
Release
Original network Nick Jr./CITV
Original release 16 September (2002-09-16) – 21 October 2002 (2002-10-21)
List of Thomas & Friends episodes

Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends is a popular children's television series about engines and other characters who work on the railways of the Island of Sodor. The show is based on The Railway Series books, written by the Reverend W. Awdry.

This article shares details about the 6th series of the show, which first aired in 2002.

For UK audiences, Michael Angelis narrated this series. He also re-recorded two episodes for US audiences. Alec Baldwin narrated the episodes for US audiences, and this was his last series doing so. Six episodes were later re-recorded by Michael Brandon for US audiences.

Most episodes in this series have two titles: a UK title and a US title. The US titles are usually shown below the UK titles in the episode list.

This was the first season produced by The Britt Allcroft Company. It was also exciting because it marked the return of new episodes after four years!

Making the Show: Behind the Scenes

This season saw some changes in who was in charge of making the show. Phil Fehrle took over as producer from David Mitton and Britt Allcroft. Also, Peter Urie and Britt Allcroft became executive producers, taking over from Angus Wright.

This was also the first series to have a team of writers. Before this, many stories came directly from The Railway Series books. But since most of those stories had already been used, new stories needed to be created. This idea of having a writing staff started in Series 5 and has continued ever since.

Abi Grant was the script editor for this series. This means she helped make sure the stories were well-written and ready for filming. The theme music for this season was the same as in Seasons 3, 4, and 5.

While David Mitton directed most of the episodes (24 of them), Steve Asquith directed two episodes in Season 6. Steve Asquith later became the main director for Thomas & Friends after Season 7.

All the Episodes: Season 6 Adventures

No.
overall		 No. in
series		 UK title (top)
Main title (middle)
US title (bottom)		 Directed by Written by Original air date
131 1 "Salty's Secret" David Mitton Robin Kingsland 16 September 2002 (2002-09-16)

A new diesel engine named Salty arrives on Sodor. He is sad about having to work in the quarry instead of by the sea. But Salty discovers he has a special way to handle the Troublesome Trucks: he sings sailor songs! Bill and Ben try it too, but it doesn't work for them. Later, the Fat Controller sends Salty to work at Brendam Docks, which makes Salty very happy.
132 2 "Harvey to the Rescue" David Mitton Jonathan Trueman 17 September 2002 (2002-09-17)
Harvey, a crane engine, comes to Sodor for a trial. The other engines don't like his unusual look, which makes him sad. But when Percy has an accident with the Troublesome Trucks, Harvey saves the day! This earns him respect from all the other engines.
133 3 "No Sleep for Cranky" David Mitton Paul Larson 18 September 2002 (2002-09-18)
Cranky is very tired after a long day at the docks. But he has to stay awake to help Salty, Bill, and Ben. They are stuck at the docks because Cranky accidentally knocked over a shed while trying to drop pipes on Salty.
134 4 "A Bad Day for Harold the Helicopter"
"A Bad Day for Harold"		 David Mitton Simon Nicholson 19 September 2002 (2002-09-19)
Harold the helicopter brags that he can deliver the mail faster than Percy. He gets a chance to prove it when Percy gets stuck. But Harold tries to carry too much mail at once, and his motor breaks. He crash-lands in a haystack! Luckily, Percy comes to rescue him.
135 5 "Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry"
"Elizabeth the Vintage Quarry Truck"		 David Mitton Paul Larson 20 September 2002 (2002-09-20)
Thomas breaks down while carrying a heavy load. His crew finds an old steam quarry truck named Elizabeth. She is quite rude to Thomas but helps him get new parts. Thomas is proud of his new parts and finishes his journey. When he tells Sir Topham Hatt about Elizabeth, she appears! Sir Topham Hatt reveals she was the first truck he ever drove. Elizabeth is fixed up, and even Thomas admits she looks grand.
136 6 "The Fogman" David Mitton Jonathan Trueman 23 September 2002 (2002-09-23)
Every winter, a fogman named Cyril places special warnings on the tracks during fog. But one winter, Sir Topham Hatt decides to replace Cyril with a new railway foghorn. The next day, the foghorn's loud noise causes a landslide, smashing it. Thomas crashes into the landslide. Cyril quickly places a warning for Toby, stopping him from a worse accident. Sir Topham Hatt then says Cyril should keep his job because he is more reliable than the foghorn.
137 7 "Jack Jumps In" Steve Asquith Jonathan Trueman, Phil Fehrle and Abi Grant 24 September 2002 (2002-09-24)
Thomas brings a new front loader, Jack, to a building site. Jack is very eager but tries to do jobs he's not ready for, which leads to him crashing. Miss Jenny, the boss, wonders if Jack is truly ready to join her team.
138 8 "A Friend in Need" Steve Asquith Phil Fehrle, Jonathan Trueman and Abi Grant 25 September 2002 (2002-09-25)
Jack joins Miss Jenny's crew to dig under an old railway bridge. Ned the steam shovel is too clumsy and accidentally knocks loose important stones from the bridge. Jack bravely holds the bridge up as long as he can, but it eventually collapses. Miss Jenny is proud of Jack's bravery and officially makes him a member of her team.
139 9 "It's Only Snow" David Mitton James Mason 26 September 2002 (2002-09-26)
Thomas and Toby get stuck in heavy snow after Thomas breaks his snowplow and knocks over a water tower. Thomas must find a way to reach a village in time for the holidays.
140 10 "Twin Trouble" David Mitton Brian Trueman 27 September 2002 (2002-09-27)
Donald and Douglas crash into a hay cart and then refuse to work together. Donald takes a job helping Duck, leaving Douglas alone. Soon, the twins miss each other. When Donald accidentally backs into a ditch, he realizes how much he needs Douglas. Douglas rescues Donald, and the twins become friends again.
141 11 "The World's Strongest Engine" David Mitton Paul Larson 30 September 2002 (2002-09-30)
Henry goes for repairs, and Diesel comes to the docks to fill in. Thomas, Percy, and Gordon are not happy. The Troublesome Trucks dare Diesel to pull all of them at once to prove he's the strongest engine. Diesel tries to pull 20 trucks but forgets to check their brakes. He accidentally breaks away, falls off the wharf, and lands in a barge. Sir Topham Hatt sends him away, and Henry returns, making Thomas and Percy happy.
142 12 "Scaredy Engines" David Mitton Robin Kingsland 1 October 2002 (2002-10-01)

It's Halloween, and Edward tells a spooky story about a ghost engine. Sir Topham Hatt sends Thomas, Duck, and Percy to pick up scrap from the smelters yard. Thomas teases Percy for being scared. Duck volunteers Thomas to get the last load. Thomas gets scared by the sounds at the smelters and runs away after accidentally setting off an old steam whistle. Percy finds Thomas and they watch fireworks together.

Note: This episode is part of Troublesome Trucks.
143 13 "Percy and the Haunted Mine" David Mitton Robyn Charteris 2 October 2002 (2002-10-02)
Percy gets scared when he passes an old mine at night and sees a chimney and shed sink into the ground. Donald and Douglas tell him about "naughty gnomes," making him even more afraid. But the Fat Controller explains that the "gnomes" are just garden gnomes, and the buildings are sinking into empty mine shafts.
144 14 "Middle Engine" David Mitton Brian Trueman 3 October 2002 (2002-10-03)
When Percy goes to get coal, Arry and Bert play a trick on him by putting him in the middle of the train. This accidentally pushes Percy onto a loading ramp, and Sir Topham Hatt scolds Percy, not believing what Arry and Bert did. James thinks he can outsmart the diesels and does Percy's run, but Arry and Bert make him a middle engine too. Sir Topham Hatt sends Percy to pick up James, much to James's annoyance.
145 15 "James and the Red Balloon" David Mitton Jenny McDade 4 October 2002 (2002-10-04)
Thomas delivers a hot air balloon to the airfield. He and James worry it will take away their passengers. At a crossing, the balloon runs out of hot air and lands on James. James panics and lets off steam, accidentally re-inflating the balloon. His driver praises him, but the engines still worry. Sir Topham Hatt explains the balloon will actually bring more passengers to the trains, making the engines happy.
146 16 "Jack Frost" David Mitton Paul Larson 7 October 2002 (2002-10-07)
James and Percy deliver coal around the Island for a big freeze. Thomas jokes about "Scary Jack Frost," which frightens Percy. James insists Jack Frost isn't scary. That night, Percy gives all his coal to a stationmaster who needs more. Percy has to stay in a siding overnight, and icicles form on him. James sees Percy and rushes home. The next morning, Elizabeth brings Percy more coal and says Jack Frost got him, making Percy realize Jack Frost is just frost. Percy jokes that Jack Frost knows James ran away.
147 17 "Gordon Takes a Tumble" David Mitton Robin Kingsland 8 October 2002 (2002-10-08)
Gordon believes pulling goods trains is not proper for an express engine. Salty teases him, and Gordon is assigned a goods train. Gordon decides to show Salty how an express engine pulls trucks. A signalman accidentally sends Gordon onto Thomas' branch line. Gordon ignores "Go slow" signs and derails, getting into a bad accident.
148 18 "Percy's Chocolate Crunch" David Mitton Brian Trueman 9 October 2002 (2002-10-09)
Percy is upset about always having dirty jobs. Due to a water shortage, he can only get one wash-down a day. He tries hard to stay clean but keeps getting dirtier, which frustrates him. Percy's driver suggests delivering sugar to the chocolate factory, a job Percy eagerly accepts, thinking he won't get dirty. But he skids on oil, crashes through the factory, and gets covered in chocolate! However, Sir Topham Hatt tells him he'll get a wash-down and a repaint for showing that being useful is more important than being clean.
149 19 "Buffer Bother" David Mitton Ross Hastings 10 October 2002 (2002-10-10)
Sir Topham Hatt visits the China Quarry and finds Ben's buffers are broken. Ben happily goes to get new ones, and Mavis fills in for him. Bill is jealous that his twin is getting new buffers, even though he is working fine. The Troublesome Trucks tease Bill about his jealousy. Bill tries to bump a truck but can't stop and falls into a ditch, breaking his own buffers. Ben comes to help. Sir Topham Hatt scolds Bill and tells him to learn about responsibility before getting new buffers. Bill then compliments Ben's new buffers, and the twins make up.
150 20 "Toby Had a Little Lamb" David Mitton Jenny McDade 11 October 2002 (2002-10-11)
In winter, a farmer stops Toby. The farmer needs a vet for his lambs on the other side of the hill. Duck tries to clear the snow, but it's too deep for his plow.
151 21 "Thomas, Percy and the Squeak" David Mitton Jenny McDade 14 October 2002 (2002-10-14)
Sir Topham Hatt chooses Thomas to pick up famous Italian singer Alicia Botti from the docks. This means Thomas gets cleaned before Percy, who is annoyed. Thomas feels very important after being cleaned, but then he hears a squeak. His driver can't find where it's coming from. When Thomas arrives to pick up Alicia Botti, she screams when she sees a mouse on Clarabel! Gordon finds this very funny. Sir Topham Hatt is embarrassed, and Thomas no longer feels important. Percy gladly takes over and picks up Alicia Botti, who likes him because he's dirty. Later, Thomas apologizes to Percy and lets him be cleaned first. They become friends again and make a home for the mouse in the sheds.
152 22 "Thomas the Jet Engine"
"Thomas and the Jet Engine"		 David Mitton Ross Hastings 15 October 2002 (2002-10-15)
Gordon brags about how fast he is. Thomas wishes he could show Gordon up as he goes to collect a jet engine from the docks. When he arrives, Cranky carelessly switches the jet engine on with his hook. The jet engine makes Thomas rocket along the main line, surprising all the other engines!
153 23 "Edward the Very Useful Engine"
"Edward the Really Useful Engine"		 David Mitton David Mitton 16 October 2002 (2002-10-16)
Gordon thinks Edward is too old. But when Duck gets stuck on Gordon's Hill with a train, and Gordon is stuck behind him, Edward proves Gordon wrong. Edward pushes the long line of trains back to the station.
154 24 "Dunkin' Duncan" David Mitton Jenny McDade 17 October 2002 (2002-10-17)
Impatient Duncan wants the other engines at the incline to work faster, but they follow the railway rules. Rusty warns him that the slate trucks will get back at him. Duncan doesn't listen and gets pulled up the incline, then plunges into a muddy ditch. Sir Topham Hatt tells Duncan that as punishment, he will work at the incline by himself until he learns to be patient and careful.
155 25 "Rusty Saves the Day" David Mitton Paul Larson 18 October 2002 (2002-10-18)
Rheneas and Skarloey's old line is too damaged to use. Rusty works hard to clear their line, but falls behind on his quarry work. Sir Topham Hatt has to close the line, forcing Rheneas and Skarloey to join Rusty at the quarry. When the quarry closes temporarily for rock-blasting, Rusty gathers Rheneas, Skarloey, and Elizabeth to help repair the line. Sir Topham Hatt is very happy and announces the line will reopen right away!
156 26 "Faulty Whistles" David Mitton Ross Hastings 21 October 2002 (2002-10-21)
Peter Sam accidentally knocks off his whistle and can't work until he gets a new one. Duncan teases him, saying a proper engine always has a whistle. To prove his point, Duncan whistles very loudly, annoying everyone. Duncan's whistle eventually comes loose while he's delivering a headmaster and an organ. He accidentally blows his whistle off! The headmaster's organ becomes Duncan's temporary whistle. At first, Duncan isn't happy, but when the other engines tell him he did well without his whistle, he feels better.

Characters You'll Meet

Other Main Characters