And The Band Played Off

And the Band Played Off
Director(s)	Matthew Diamond
Producer(s)	Britt Allcroft Rick Siggelkow
Writer(s)	Brian McConnachie
Conductor	Ringo Starr
Air date	February 12, 1989
Previous episode	Does it Bite?
Next episode	Pitching In and Helping Out

And the Band Played Off is the third episode of Season 1.

Plot

The phone rings at Shining Time; it's the main office on the Indian Valley Railroad, who tells Stacy that a new train will arrive at the station and to make a new schedule for it. Mr. Conductor asks if she should write it down, but she insists she'll remember it. After a little procrastination, she actually forgets. Mr. Conductor tells everyone that mistakes happen when people are impatient, just like the time Thomas tried to pull his first passenger train. Later she makes the schedule, but made a mistake on it. This causes a train passenger to miss his train and he gets very upset. Harry, Matt, and Tanya try to cheer him up by making instruments to play. Mr. Conductor shows them about real instruments. After that, Matt, Tanya, and Mr. Conductor help Stacy and make her realize that people often make mistakes, but that it can be good as long as they learn from them, as did Thomas when he dealt with some freight cars.. The passenger catches a new train and plays with Matt and Tanya until the new train comes.

Cast and Characters

Main Cast

• Ringo Starr as Mr. Conductor
• Didi Conn as Stacy Jones
• Leonard Jackson as Harry Cupper
• Nicole Leach as Tanya Cupper
• Brian O'Connor as Schemer
• Jason Woliner as Matthew Jones

Flexitoon Puppeteers

• Peter Baird as Grace Bass
• Jonathan Freeman as Tito Swing
• Craig Marin as Rex
• Olga Marin as DiDi
• Alan Semok as Grace Bass
• Vaneese Thomas as Grace Bass
• Wayne White as Tex

Guest Starring

• Russell Brown as One Man Band
• Mart Hulswit as J.B. King (voice only; not named)

Locations

• Shining Time Station
  • The Workshop
  • Schemer's Arcade
• Leaky Park (mentioned)
• Mount Careful (mentioned)

Thomas Stories

• A Big Day for Thomas (Thomas' Train)

Thomas is jealous that the big engines get to leave the yard to go out on journeys, and longs to do the same himself.  His chance comes when Henry takes unwell, and the men cannot fix him in time for the morning train.  As the only engine available, Thomas is chosen to take the train in Henry’s place and becomes eager to start work at once.  However, because they haven’t coupled him to the train or the Driver started by mistake, Thomas manages to leave the station without the coaches and sets off along the Main Line on his own. People wave and shout at him – but he thinks they’re just being friendly and carries on until he reaches a "Danger" signal, and the Signalman explains they have no coaches in tow!  Thomas puffs back feeling very embarrassed, but puts things right when he manages to pull the train second time around. But the other engines think it a great joke, and for a long time afterward say, “Look! There’s Thomas who wanted to pull a train, but forgot about the coaches!”

• Trouble for Thomas (Thomas and the Trucks)

Thomas is tired of pushing coaches in the yard and wants to explore. One night, Edward comes to shed and offers to swap duties with him.  Thomas accepts the offer but it involves taking the freight cars, which he isn’t used to. He’s unaware of the fact that they like playing tricks on engines, especially those who aren’t used to them. After what seems like a pleasant journey for Thomas, the freight cars push him down the hill and almost make him crash into some buffers. In the end, Sir Topham Hatt tells Thomas he has a lot to learn about freight cars, and when he does learn, he’ll be a Really Useful Engine.

Characters

• Thomas
• Edward
• Henry
• Gordon
• Sir Topham Hatt
• James (not named)
• Lady Hatt (cameo)
• Stephen Hatt (cameo)
• Jeremiah Jobling (cameo)
• The Ffarquhar Policeman (cameo)

Jukebox Band Segment Song

• She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain

Cartoons & Songs

• Learn From Your Mistakes
• Cartoons used in the song:
  • Color Classics - The Little Stranger (1936)
  • Color Classics - An Elephant Never Forgets (1935)
  • ComiColor Classics - Happy Days (1936)
  • Color Classics - Christmas Comes But Once a Year (1936)
  • Color Classics - Peeping Penguins (1937)
  • Color Classics - Fleischer Studios - The Fresh Vegetable Mystery (1939)
  • Color Classics - Little Lambkins (1940)
  • Color Classics - Snubbed by a Snob (1940)
  • Screen Songs - The Ski's The Limit (1949)
  • Screen Songs - The Golden State (1948)
  • Screen Songs - The Funshine State (1949)
  • Screen Songs - The Stork Market (1949)

Trivia

• The title of the episode is based on the book "And the Band Played On".
• This episode begins the running theme of the season where Schemer is wanting to turn the station into something that can make him money.

Gallery

• And the Band Played Off/Gallery