The first season of Shining Time Station aired in 1989, bringing Thomas the Tank Engine to the United States of America.
Episodes
| Screenshot | Title | Written by | Episode number # | Thomas Stories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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A Place Unlike Any Other | Brian McConnachie | #01 | Thomas and Gordon Edward and Gordon |
| The viewers are introduced to the main characters and inhabitants of Shining Time Station. Stacy Jones (the new station manager) arrives at Shining Time Station with her nephew (Matt) and shows him around the charming old station. Matt meets the magical Mr. Conductor and Harry Cupper (the new engineer) and his granddaughter (Tanya) are also introduced. | ||||
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Does it Bite? | Brian McConnachie | #02 | The Sad Story of Henry Edward, Gordon and Henry |
| Tanya meets Mr. Conductor for the first time and become friends with him. Matt learns to overcome his fear and realizes that he shouldn't be afraid of Harry. A local man named Horace Schemer is revealed to be the new owner of the station's arcade. | ||||
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And The Band Played Off | Brian McConnachie | #03 | Thomas' Train Thomas and the Trucks |
| Stacy made a mistake on the train schedule. This causes a train passenger to miss his train, and he gets very upset. Matt, Tanya and Mr. Conductor helped Stacy and made her realize that people often make mistakes, as long as they learn from them. | ||||
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Pitching In and Helping Out | Ellis Weiner | #04 | Thomas and the Breakdown Train James and the Coaches |
| Mr. Conductor shows the kids that a lot of nice things can be made with a ball of string. The kids use it to make decorations and help Schemer tie his shoes. | ||||
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Show and Yell | Brian McConnachie | #05 | Troublesome Trucks James and the Express |
| Matt and Tanya do a puppet show. It was unsuccessful at first, but with the help of Harry, Stacy and Mr. Conductor, the kids learn that they should always try their best and never give up. | ||||
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Faith, Hope and Anxiety | Brian McConnachie | #06 | Thomas and the Guard Thomas Goes Fishing |
| The kids are disappointed because Harry couldn't take them fishing. Stacy cheers them up and told them not to let this disappointment ruin their day. | ||||
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Agree to Disagree | Ellis Weiner | #07 | Thomas, Terence and the Snow Thomas and Bertie |
| Matt wants to read a book, but Tanya wants him to play. They get into an argument. They learn that they can do different things and still be friends. | ||||
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Whistle While You Work | Ellis Weiner | #08 | Tenders and Turntables Trouble in the Shed |
| Schemer thinks that little jobs aren't important. This causes him to have some problems and he later learns to take more responsibility. | ||||
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Two Old Hands | Ellis Weiner | #09 | Percy Runs Away Thomas Comes to Breakfast |
| Mr. Conductor doesn't want to talk to Harry because he is afraid that Harry will not like him. Matt and Tanya encouraged Mr. Conductor to prepare a surprise birthday party for Harry. | ||||
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Happy Accidents | Alan Kingsberg | #10 | Coal The Flying Kipper |
| Matt and Tanya learn the importance of being careful to avoid accidents. | ||||
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Ring in the Old | Alan Kingsberg | #11 | Toby and the Stout Gentleman Thomas in Trouble |
| Matt and Tanya learn to appreciate old people and realize that old people have a lot to share with young people. | ||||
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Impractical Jokes | Alan Kingsberg | #12 | Cows Old Iron |
| Schemer likes to play jokes on people. When one of his jokes backfires, he learns that some times are better than others to play jokes. | ||||
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Finders Keepers | Brian McConnachie | #13 | Thomas, Percy and the Coal Dirty Objects |
| Matt and Tanya find a saxophone in the "lost and found". When its concerned owner comes looking for it, they learn that it is wrong to take something that belongs to someone else. | ||||
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Just Wild About Harry's Workshop | Ellis Weiner | #14 | Duck Takes Charge Percy and Harold |
| Schemer wants to turn Harry's workshop into a snack bar. When his arcade broke down, he learns how important the workshop is. He realizes that without the workshop, Harry can't fix his arcade. | ||||
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Promises, Promises | Ellis Weiner | #15 | Better Late than Never Pop Goes the Diesel |
| The train schedule is a mess, so Stacy and Harry work out a solution to present to J.B. King (Superintendent of the Indian Valley Railroad) at his office. Stacy reluctantly leaves Schemer in charge of the station and to take care of Matt and Tanya. As soon as they leave, Schemer breaks his promises and attempts to turn the entire station into an amusement park, resulting in Harry and Stacy into getting into serious trouble with Mr. King. | ||||
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Word's Out | Brian McConnachie | #16 | Dirty Work A Close Shave |
| When the railroad reduces the train schedule, everyone fears the station will be closed. Then the town gossip (Midge Smoot) comes to the rescue. Midge praises Shining Time Station for coming to her aid, forcing the railroad to change their mind and return the station to being a train stop on the line's timetable. | ||||
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Too Many Cooks | Ellis Weiner | #17 | Off the Rails Down the Mine |
| Schemer uses the wrong ingredients to make a sandwich spread for the mayor's party. The mayor got mad at Schemer, so Stacy and the kids help Schemer prepare a new sandwich spread. | ||||
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Mapping it Out | Ellis Weiner | #18 | The Runaway Percy Takes the Plunge |
| Matt and Tanya go on a train ride without telling anyone. This causes Harry and Stacy to worry a lot. The kids learn that they must always tell an adult where they are going. | ||||
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Things that Go Ga-Hooga in the Night | Brian McConnachie | #19 | Ghost Train Woolly Bear |
| At night, everyone camps out at the station. Schemer's plan to scare everyone is about to backfire, but he has another trick up his sleeve. | ||||
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Is This the End? | Brian McConnachie | #20 | Saved From Scrap Thomas and Trevor |
| A new big station has been built in Snarleyville. Before it, our friends at Shining Time Station are jealous when they learn of the decision by the Indian Valley Railroad to close the station. Stacy, Harry and the kids try to cope with the bad news while Schemer decides to fight back. J.B. King hopefully realizes before it's too late just how special Shining Time Station is to everyone. Note: This is the first season finale. | ||||
Characters
Characters Introduced
- Mr. Conductor
- Stacy Jones
- Horace Schemer
- Harry Cupper
- Matthew Jones
- Tanya Cupper
- J.B. King
- Midge Smoot
- Mayor Osgood Bob Flopdinger
- One Man Band
- Schemer's Mother (mentioned)
- Gracie Jones (mentioned)
The Jukebox Band
Cast
Main Cast
- Ringo Starr as Mr. Conductor
- Didi Conn as Stacy Jones
- Leonard Jackson as Harry Cupper
- Brian O'Connor as Horace Schemer (19/20)
- Jason Woliner as Matthew "Matt" Jones
- Nicole Leach as Tanya Cupper
Recurring Cast
- Mart Hulswit as J.B. King (3/20)
- Bobo Lewis as Midge Smoot (1/20)
- Jerome Dempsey as Mayor Osgood Bob Flopdinger (1/20)
Guest Cast
- Richard Stillman as a Passenger
- Michael Bongar as the Clown
- Russell Brown as the One Man Band
- Annette Holloway as the Scuba Woman
- Alan Semok as himself
- Allyn Gooen as Balloon Man
- Clinton Smith as Ed the Stilt Man
- Karen Gersch and Barbara Rhind as the Acrobats
- Susan Greenhill as a Passenger
- Nathaniel Kaz as himself
- Gordon Gould as a Passenger
- Tom Callinan as himself
- Amani A.W. Murray as the Saxophonist
- Susan Terry as a Passenger
- William Duell as Inspector Flanagan
- Robert Hill as Tony the Mover
- Juan "Pepe" Santana as himself
- Wendy Brackman as herself
- Gabriel Barre as Jerry the Juggler
The Jukebox Band
- Craig Marin as Rex
- Olga Marin as DiDi
- Wayne White as Tex (1989)
- Jonathan Freeman as Tito Swing
- Alan Semok as Grace Bass (puppet; 1989) and Tex (1990)
- Peter Baird as Grace Bass (puppet)
- Kenny Miele as Grace Bass (puppet; 1990)
- Vaneese Thomas as Grace Bass (voice; uncredited)
Trivia
- This is the only season of several things:
- The only season where Matt, Tanya, and Harry Cupper appear as main characters.
- The only season not to be used for re-airings on Fox Family Channel or Nick Jr., possibly due to George Carlin's narration being the most common at the time since both channels played the stories by their individual selves in some points. However, 'Tis A Gift did air on Fox Family, albeit heavily edited.
- The first Mr. Conductor (played by Ringo Starr) only appears in this season.
- Most of the Thomas stories were given their UK titles in the credits, possibly due to the episodes not being given their proper US titles yet at the time.
- The first five VHS releases of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends featured stories from the first few episodes from A Place Unlike Any Other to Mapping it Out with The Runaway being the last story on the VHS Better Late than Never. The rest of the stories told by Ringo Starr would not be released for a long time.
- The episodes were likely filmed in the summer of 1988.
- Matt had a twin sister who would act in his place while he went to a class near by the production and vice versa.
- This is the first season to use the 1987 WNET “space” logo seen at the beginning of each episode.
- This is the only season to use the 1984 PBS logo seen at the end of each episode.
- This is the first and only season to be filmed at Metropolis Studios in New York City, New York.
| #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 | |