Railroad Station Series
From Scratchpad
| Railroad Station Series | |
| Genre | Children's |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Creator(s) | Sunbow Entertainment |
| Starring | Bernard Breslaw Ian James Corlett Terry Klassen Lenore Zann Andrea Libman Michael Donovan Phil Hayes Scott McNeil Long John Baldry Rachael Lillis |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original network/channel | Sunbow Entertainment |
| Origional run | May 1988- June 1992 |
| No. of episodes | 40 |
Railroad Station Series was an Americanised version of the British television series Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, seen on the PBS network. The show consisted of a plot line, with an "episode" of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends (mostly stock footage was cartoon-animated instead of live action animated).
The show introduced Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends to the US however, none of the original series' plotlines were used; the new stories were rewritten and edited as morale based stories, rather than action based.
Another significant change is the characters featured in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends segments: Gordon was renamed to Garten; Duck were changed to Doug; Troublesome Trucks as Foolish Freight Cars; and Toby as Tobold. Also, Sodor became Sodall Island. In some cases, even the characters' genders were changed, such as the case with Thomas' major characters, Bertie, Peter Sam, Percy and Rusty, who were now all females, instead of male.
Contents |
[edit] Comparisons with Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
- Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends never had a cartoon plotline.
- None of the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends' used plotlines from the original 26 episodes; instead, various scenes were cut up into new episodes.
- The stories were now set in the modern day.
- Percy, Bertie, Rusty and Peter Sam were all female instead of male. Percy was also referred to as Thomas' sister.
- The engines voices had all been changed to Bronx, New Jersey, and Brooklyn accents rather than the original Glaswegian, Cockney, and Liverpudlian accents.
- Gordon was called Garten, and Toby was called Tobold. However, in the original series, the engine's numbers were painted on their tender sides. Unlike Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, censor bars were used to cover their names printed on the side of their cabs.
- Duck was called Doug, and Ben was called Berry. However, in the original series, their names were painted on them.
- The Diesel became a movie producer and a rolling stock hider, and was changed to Mr. Move Hider.
- Diesel became a cargo stealer instead of trickster.
- Skarloey was called Stanley, and Rheneas was called Chooch. However, their nameplates "Skarloey" and "Rheneas" painted on them, and not censored as with Gordon, Toby, Duck and Ben.
- Troublesome Trucks became Foolish Freight Cars.
- Donald and Douglas were changed to Police Engines and were named Mr. Doctor and Mr. Fellow though their nameplates are still shown and they are still spoken with Scottish accent.
- Scruffey became Hopper though his original name were painted on his side.
- Annie and Clarabel were named Mrs. Bonnie and Mrs. Pendragon though Annie and Clarabel were still on their sides.
- Mavis was renamed Dulcy.
- Duke had two episodes, one in which he remains a engine and successfully guides the platform to rail, and one in a flashback told by Thomas to Stanley, in which Duke has trouble with it and becomes a 'stationary engine'.
- Stanley from 'Railway Series' was renamed Smudger.
- Bulstrode was renamed Whitelocke though his original name were painted on his hull.
- Bulgy was renamed 'London Bulk'.
- The breakdown train became a large portable crane instead of being two cranes, two flatbeds and a workmen's carriage.
- Boco was called CoBo.
- Sodor became Sodall Island.
- Railroad Station Series had four season; similar to Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. However, as the original series' episodes were edited and integrated into the new series, the new version had 40, instead of 26.
- Arthur is evil instead of good.
- Spamcan from 'Railway Series' is renamed Slim and is shy and bashful.
[edit] Trivia
- Unlike Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, the characters were voiced by individual actors and had moving mouths.
- Garten spoke with a Bronx accent, Bill and Ben had high voices and Oliver had a raspy voice. They all sounded like George Carlin.
- Bill and Berry sounded like Scratch from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, while Dulcy sounded like Misty from Pokemon.
- Ian James Corlett gave Thomas and Michael Donovan Henry voices that sounded like Lister and Rimmer respectively, from Red Dwarf.
- There's a slight goof, with Dulcy (Mavis)' voice in season 3. Dulcy's voice has a higher pitch, but in previous seasons, she had a distinctly lower pitch.
- The Fat Controller became a more aggressive character, remisent of many a police cheif of the small and silver screen. His new personality and voice were based upon Bernard Breslaw's character in Carry On Dick.
- Railroad Station Series is highly unpopular among Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends fans, who believe it to be a crude and diluted adaptation of the original show. Many of the changes made to the show are regarded as highly implausible. For example, though many of the engines had undergone name changes, their names were painted on the side of their cabs, while their original names could still clearly be seen painted on some engine's sides. Special venom is aimed at the fact that the footage had been spliced together with seemingly little regard for continuity; there are numerous scenes where the engine's coaches and trucks loads or the settings around them change from shot to shot, and in one episode the locomotive pulling the train also change.
- There was supposed to an actual USA version of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends nothing at all like Salty's Lighthouse.
- Skarloey Railway engines remain their RWS red liveries, Thomas' front footplate is flat and Donald and Douglas are painted blue, as in the Railway Series. Garten had a blue bufferbeam, black wheels and a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement instead of 4-6-2, Bill and Berry had reversed letters (CCS instead of SCC), Doug had green wheels and James had his tender connected to his rear valence. Cobo was a Co-Co diesel engine instead of Co-Bo because he has 6 wheels at the back, not 4, like CoBos.
- The breakdown train had three (or four) speaking roles.
- Throughout Railroad Station Series, Henry appears in his old shape. Oliver was painted red rather than his normal green livery.
- This is the first cartoon to feature Rachael Lillis, rather than Anime.
[edit] Theme Song
The theme song is rather Childish unlike the Thomas and Friends theme and is sung by Children. The shows theme is more musical and uses a railway tune which Thomas and Friends uses though.
[edit] Episode List
Main:List of Railroad Station Series episodes
[edit] Cast
- Ian James Corlett as Thomas, Tobold, Foolish Freight Cars and Toad
- Bernard Breslaw as the Fat Controller
- Scott McNeil as Oliver
- Paul Dobson as Garten, Diesel and Cobo
- Venus Terzo as Mrs. Bonnie and Mrs. Pendragon
- Long John Baldry as Edward, James, Terence, Express Coaches, Firemen, Railway Inspectors, Stanley, Chooch and Slim.
- Terry Klassen as Sir Handel
- Andrea Libman as Percy and Peter Sam
- Phil Hayes as Doug, Bill, Berry and Trevor
- Rachael Lillis as Daisy, Caroline, Dulcy and Henrietta
- Gary Chalk as London Bulk, George and Arthur.
- Michael Donovan as Henry, Harold, Duncan, Station masters, Whitelocke, Mr. Movie Hider and the Breakdown Train
- Lenore Zann as Bertie and Rusty
- French Tickner as Duke, Hopper, Smudger, the Spiteful Breakvan, Drivers and Vicars
- Richard Newman as Mr. Doctor and Mr. Fellow
- Brad Swaile as Stepney
