Dirty Work, retitled Diesel's Devious Deed or Diesel's Devilish Deed on North American releases, is the thirteenth episode of the second series. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book Duck and the Diesel Engine.

Plot

The trucks continue to laugh and sing degrading songs about Diesel. A horrified Duck firmly bumps the trucks to shut them up and apologises for them, but Diesel furiously blames their behaviour on Duck's actions. Henry, supported by James and Gordon, objects to the idea that Duck would make the trucks laugh at someone and adds that while the engines have their differences, they would never tell the trucks about them.

By now, Diesel's anger toward Duck has grown to such a point that he wants to find a way to get him sent away. Inspired by Henry's words about trucks, he makes a plan to tell lies about Duck to get revenge on him. Going into the yard the next day, Diesel tells the trucks that he laughed at their joke about him and tells them one about Gordon and claims that he heard it from Duck. Before leaving, he warns them not to say anything, and then repeats this with jokes about Henry and James. The trucks find these jokes hilarious and laugh at the bigger engines and tell them that they came from Duck to get even with him for forcing them to behave.

Believing that Duck is responsible for the trucks' ridicule, the big engines hold a meeting and agree that Duck needs to be taught a lesson. They decide that since Duck once prevented them from entering the sheds, they will do it to him and see how he likes it. Later, Duck returns to the shed exhausted after a long hard day's work. However, when he tries to get back inside for a rest, the bigger engines stand close together and hiss steam at him. They tell him that because he tells tales about them to the trucks, they no longer like him and want Diesel to replace him. Duck starts to argue with them, but the Fat Controller arrives to break them up and see what the noise is. He hears the bigger engines' accusations against Duck: Gordon goes first by saying Duck called him a Galloping Sausage, "Rusty Red Scrap Iron" for James, while Henry, who appears to be the most hurt, is "Old Square Wheels". While trying not to laugh, the Fat Controller gives Duck a chance to explain himself. Duck protests and intervenes that he wishes he thought of those names himself and no steam engine would be as mean as that. Diesel then comes forward and the Fat Controller asks him what he knows. Diesel feigns shock at Duck's "actions", but claims ignorance otherwise.

The Fat Controller apologises to Duck for the inconvenience, saying that until he gets to the bottom of the incident, he must go to work at Wellsworth for a while and kindly reassures him that Edward will be happy to see him. Believing that the Fat Controller has turned against him too, Duck sadly obliges with tears in his eyes and Diesel gives a satisfied and triumphant smirk as he watches Duck puff away.

Characters

• Henry
• Gordon
• James
• Duck
• Diesel
• Troublesome Trucks
• Troublesome Vans
• Sir Topham Hatt
• Edward (mentioned)

Locations

• Tidmouth Sheds
  • Tidmouth Goods Station
• Knapford Yards
• Brendam Warehouse
• Wellsworth (mentioned)

Trivia

• A reference to Duck Takes Charge is made by the big engines.
• The events were later mentioned (and embellished) by James in the fourth series episode, Rock 'n' Roll.
• On the Thomas' Halloween Adventures DVD, this episode's title card reads Diesel's Devilish Deed but is still referred to by its original name on the back cover.
• In the Welsh dub:
  • The trucks singing Pop Goes the Diesel at the beginning of the episode is omitted.
  • When Duck apologises to Diesel about the trucks being rude to him, the music cue when the narrator says, "Diesel lurked up" is used.
• In this episode, Diesel is seen squirming while he is eavesdropping on the argument at the shed. But in a few photos from this episode, he is smirking instead. This is most likely because these photos were taken after Diesel got Duck sent away and the former rolled back in to his shed.
• This is the first episode of a few things for the trucks and some new faces for Duck:
  • The first episode to feature Lynton and Barnstaple Railway and GWR Ventilated Vans with faces.
  • The first and one of the only two times Duck's tearful face is used.
  • The first episode to feature Duck's angry and distressed faces.
• This is the last appearance of three things:
  • The last appearance of Henry's depressed face until the fourth series episode Granpuff.
  • The last episode where an engine cries until the twelfth series episode, Excellent Emily (although there are no tears coming out of the engine's eyes).
  • Diesel's last speaking role in the Clearwater Features era.
• When the Fat Controller tells Duck that he must go to Edward's station and as Duck leaves, Henry's sad theme music is heard playing. This marks the only time when Henry's sad theme is played for another engine as well as the only episode to play that theme in the second series.
• In Ringo Starr's US dub, during the shed scenes, an odd hissing and squeaking sound can be heard. This can only be heard in the Shining Time Station episode, Word's Out and the DVD The Greatest Stories. However, the hissing was absent on the Better Late than Never and Other Stories VHS and the Diesel's Devious Deed and Other Thomas the Tank Engine Stories audio tape and CD, respectively.
• The three lines "Disgraceful," "Disgusting" and "Despicable" were later said again in the fourth series episode, Bowled Out. The line "Despicable!" was also said by James in the fifth series episode, Horrid Lorry, as well as the lines "Despicable!" and "Disgusting!" by Gordon and Henry in the fifth series episode, Thomas and the Rumours and "Disgraceful!" was said by Gordon in the sixth series episode, Percy's Chocolate Crunch, having previously said it in the first series episodes, Tenders and Turntables and Whistles and Sneezes and it was also said by Thomas and Percy in Thomas, Percy and the Coal.
• The outro music can be heard very faintly as Diesel smirks with triumph as Duck leaves for Edward's station.
• This episode was never released on home video in South Korea.

Goofs

• Gordon, Henry and James' eyes are misaligned for most of the episode.
• At the very start, Diesel's eyes are misaligned.
• Throughout the Brendam Warehouse scene, Diesel is missing his eyebrows.
• When the narrator says, "Duck was horrified!" two goofs occur:
  • Duck's face is loose and a piece of sticky tack can also be seen above his face.
  • He appears to be next to Gordon but in the next scene, he is steaming towards him due the shot being filmed after Diesel pulled up next to him.
• The truck Duck bumps is being pulled by fishing wire.
• In the close-up of Henry at the yard:
  • His coupling hook chain is upside down.
  • His depressed face has a crack in the left eye socket.
  • A brown object can be seen on his running board near his wheel arches.
• In a close-up of James at the yard, a gap is visible behind his face and eyes.
• When Diesel speaks to the trucks, none of them have faces but when Diesel sniggers away they do.
• The lines at the large yard with the trucks all lead to the brick wall in the background meaning the trucks are trapped in there.
• When the trucks laugh after Diesel rolled away, the van's face furthest to the right of the screen is crooked.
• When Gordon, Henry and James pass the trucks, Gordon's and Henry's tenders fade away while Henry and James fade in.
• Henry has a high pitched whistle sound when he passes the trucks.
• In the scene after Gordon, Henry and James passing the trucks, the truck next to the two laughing trucks is gone due of reusing the first shot of the trucks laughing.
• At Tidmouth Sheds:
  • Both James and his brake pipe are titled.
  • James' face is off-centre from his smokebox.
  • Some small spots of red paint can be seen on Gordon's face.
  • Ringo Starr's voice can be faintly heard in the Welsh dub.
  • In the close-ups of Gordon, James and Henry:
    • All three are missing their tenders.
    • Henry's eyes jitter for a moment.
• When the engines blow steam at Duck, a green pipe can be seen between James and Henry's wheels producing the steam.
• Diesel's face is crooked when the narrator says, "Diesel squirmed and hoped he didn't."
• When this episode was originally released on the Thomas Comes to Breakfast 1998 VHS in Canada, it had no narration and only included the music and sound effects. This was later corrected on the 2000 VHS tape release in Canada.
• When the Fat Controller was talking to Diesel about what Duck said, he's still talking from behind the shed roofs as another take was used before transitioning to Diesel speaking in his defense about Duck's "actions."

Quotes

In Other Languages

Merchandise

• Ladybird book - Pop Goes the Diesel and Dirty Work and A Close Shave
• Random House Pictureback Book - Diesel's Devious Deed and Other Thomas the Tank Engine Stories

Home Video Releases

Episode

Dirty Work - UK

UK Narration

Diesel's Devious Deed - US (George Carlin)

US Re-dub

References