Promises, Promises is the fifteenth episode of Shining Time Station.
Plot
Stacy is concerned about the repairs on the railway taking longer than planned, as it's causing continuous delays in train arrivals and departures. Harry has a solution to re-route all the trains to ensure they'll arrive and depart as planned, and he and Stacy prepare to meet with J.B. King, the superintendent of the railroad to discuss it.
Stacy reluctantly places Schemer in charge of the station, giving him instructions to help passengers, keep an eye on Matt and Tanya, and most importantly, notify the train dispatcher about a faulty signal, and Schemer seemingly promises to do so.
Once Stacy and Harry have departed, it becomes obvious that Schemer has no intention of doing anything asked of him, and he soon departs to buy a heap of arcade rides and turn the station into an amusement park, in hopes of bringing in more business.
Stacy and Harry soon return, with J.B. King, who is angered about being stuck on a siding for an extended period of time because the train dispatcher was not informed about the train signal. Further angered when he sees the arcade rides, and Matt and Tanya alone in the station, Mr. King proposes to reduce the station's operations severely.
Stacy confronts Schemer about his failure to make good with his promises, and how it's highly possible that Shining Time Station will now be shut down, as a result. Despite the major setback, Harry and Stacy vow to prove to J.B. that they can still be depended on, and maybe he'll eventually increase their business again. Although Schemer's mechanic, Tony plans on relocating the rides the next day, Harry, Stacy, Matt and Tanya, start to move the arcade rides out of the station as "To be continued..." appears on the screen.
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
- Craig Marin as Rex
- Olga Marin as DiDi
- Alan Semok as Grace Bass
- Vaneese Thomas as Grace Bass
- Wayne White as Tex
Guest Starring
- Mart Hulswit as J.B. King
- Robert Hill as Tony the Mover
Thomas stories
Jukebox Band Song Segment
- Oh Susannah
Trivia
- This is the first time J.B. King is seen in person and the only episode in the series to use a To Be Continued cliffhanger.
- The audio from the scene where Stacy and Harry are talking about how railroad timetables are promises has been reused in many subsequent episode as sped-up telephone conversations.
Quotes
- Schemer: (after finding out who J.B. King is) Yikes, open foot, insert mouth.
- Stacy: I'm very worried, Harry. The railroad told us the repairs will be done in three days. It's already been 6 days and it's still not finished.
- Harry: Well, the repair crew is doing the best they can. People have to travel in safety.
- Stacy: I know, but the main office sends us a new schedule impractically every day. The Indian Valley Railroad has to understand that a train schedule is like a promise and a promise has to be kept whether it's made by a person or a railroad. We've got to come up with something to help our passengers.
- So, you see, the bad news is that when one train is late, it could throw everybody off, but the good news is that Bertie kept his promise and things return back to normal again
| #01 A Place Unlike Any Other | #10 Happy Accidents | #19 Things that Go Ga-Hooga in the Night |
| #02 Does it Bite? | #11 Ring in the Old | #20 Is This the End? |
| #03 And The Band Played Off | #12 Impractical Jokes | |
| #04 Pitching In and Helping Out | #13 Finders Keepers | |
| #05 Show and Yell | #14 Just Wild About Harry's Workshop | |
| #06 Faith, Hope and Anxiety | #15 Promises, Promises | |
| #07 Agree to Disagree | #16 Word's Out | |
| #08 Whistle While You Work | #17 Too Many Cooks | |
| #09 Two Old Hands | #18 Mapping It Out | |