A Place Unlike Any Other is the series premiere of Shining Time Station and the first episode of the first season.
Plot
Mr. Conductor is admiring the old station when he hears voices and disappears. The voices are Stacy and Matt, who are walking into the station. Stacy is showing Matt around the old station, including the arcade and ticket desk. Stacy dreams of having the place as good as new with passengers bustling about. Mr. Conductor appears when Matt begins to dust around his house in the mural. Mr. Conductor tells Matt about Thomas. Later, Harry arrives and Stacy shows him the new workshop. Harry is impressed as he's never had his own workshop before. Matt tries to help Harry out, but Harry sends him off. Mr. Conductor tells Matt about Edward, who reminds him that small jobs are important. Later, Harry decides to stay at Shining Time and Tanya is happy as she can play with Matt. Harry then asks Matt to get his toolbox, making him happy. After Stacy asks him why he decided to stay, Harry replies that there's just something about the place.
Characters
- Mr. Conductor
- Stacy Jones
- Harry Cupper
- Matthew Jones
- Tanya Cupper
- Gracie Jones (mentioned)
- Thomas (mentioned)
- Edward (mentioned)
- Gordon (mentioned)
Thomas Stories
Thomas the Tank Engine is a cheeky little shunting engine who works at a Big Station on the Island of Sodor. Thomas thinks that no engine works as hard as he does, and loves playing tricks on the other engines, particularly Gordon the Big Engine. But when Thomas’s jokes go too far one day, Gordon decides it’s time to get back at him. Gordon seizes the opportunity when Thomas is late to arrange the Express, and makes a mad dash out of the station before Thomas can be uncoupled! Poor Thomas is taken for a very long and very fast journey along the main line, after which, Gordon is confident that he has learned his lesson.
Edward is sad because he hasn’t been out for a long time. The other engines are all bigger and stronger, and favoured over him, until one day, the Driver notices how sad he is and decides to take him out for a run. But Gordon still thinks he’s superior to Edward, and boasts about how grand he’ll look when he rushes through the yard with the Express, only to appear later with a freight train of very dirty cars! Later still, Gordon stalls on a hill and Edward has to push him and his train over the top, with very little thanks as Gordon goes speeding off on his own, leaving Edward far behind. Despite feeling unappreciated, Edward gets his reward when his Driver promises him a smart new coat of paint!
Jukebox Band Segment Song
Cartoons and Songs
Trivia
- Richard Stillman guest stars as the banjo player.
- Schemer does not appear in this episode, yet Brian O'Connor is credited.
- This episode features one of the few times the waiting area beyond Harry's workshop door is seen.
- The shot of Matt being surprised by Mr. Conductor while dusting the mural wall was used for Matt's character oval in the original Season 1 "clip show" opening sequence.
- The first Picture Machine video is an excerpt from the 1939 George Pall Puppetoon "Phillip's Calvalcade."
- Scenes from the second featured Picture Machine music video "Start Where You Are" were recorded at Keansburg Amusement Park in New Jersey.
- The banjo-playing passenger asks Stacy for a ticket to "Leaping Log, Alabama". It's not known if Richard Stillman ad-libbed identifying the state, or if it was part of his script.
- Both "Thomas Gets Tricked" and "Edward Helps Out" are referred to by their UK titles ("Thomas and Gordon" and "Edward and Gordon" respectively) in the end credits.
Goofs
- The cobwebs on the bench beneath the window at the station exit appear and disappear between shots. It is particularly noticed it during the scene were Stacy and Matt play make-believe at the ticket counter.
- Schemer is credited at the end of this episode, although he didn't make an appearence yet until the next episode.
- Stacy goes beneath the ticket counter to get the tap dancer's ticket. However, when the dancer starts singing, Stacy is back with Matt, Tanya, and Harry.
Gallery
Episode
