Mike's Whistle

"If engines can't whistle properly, they shouldn't try!"

- Mike indirectly complaining about Duck to Rex, Bert and Thomas.

Mike's Whistle is the nineteenth episode of the twentieth series. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Small Railway Engines.

Plot
One day, Thomas arrives at Arlesburgh Junction to pick up some ballast for his branch line. He is laughing to himself and explains to the miniature engines that Duck's driver boiled an egg on his whistle and some of the egg got stuck, resulting in Duck's whistle making high-pitched raspberry noises. He tells the engines not to laugh, but cannot hold in his laughter as Duck arrives. As Duck and Thomas leave, Mike tells the others that if an engine cannot whistle properly, they are not a proper engine. Rex teases him, causing Mike to get cross, and his steam pressure goes so high that his safety valve blows off. The Small Controller finds out that Mike is overheating and puts him on passenger duties and Bert on goods duty, much to Mike's annoyance, as he hates passenger trains.

As Mike is pulling his passenger train, he becomes convinced that Rex and Bert are making fun of his whistle because they are jealous. To reassure himself, he begins whistling at everything in sight, even though he is only required to do so at certain points on the line that are indicated by boards.

Mike's driver checks him over and cannot figure out what is wrong. On the return journey, his driver hears something rattling, but Mike objects to have it checked until they get back to Arlesburgh. However, the line is blocked by a cow, and Mike attempts to shoo it off with his whistle. He blows it so hard and so loud that the cap shoots off and lands in a field. His driver and guard look for it without success. The passengers are getting impatient, and Mike's driver and guard cannot search anymore. Instead, the passengers volunteer to whistle for him by making noise whenever they pass the boards where he is required to whistle.

Mike is late returning to Arlesburgh, where he finds Duck, whose whistle has been fixed. Duck sympathises with Mike, but has to leave as Thomas arrives. Rex calls Mike an "improper engine," prompting Bert and Thomas to join in on the teasing. Mike regrets getting annoyed so easily, but is finally able to have a laugh at his expense.

Characters
Some passengers also speak.
 * Thomas
 * Duck
 * Bert
 * Rex
 * Mike
 * Fergus Duncan
 * Duck's Driver
 * Mike's Driver
 * The Welsh Bird Watcher
 * The Great Railway Show Judge
 * Slip Coaches
 * Willie
 * The Teacher
 * Dowager Hatt's Friends
 * The Lady with the Big Hat
 * Albert's Wife
 * Thomas the Baby
 * The Film Crew Leader

Locations

 * Arlesburgh West
 * Arlesburgh West Shed
 * Marthwaite Woods
 * Arlesdale Green
 * Arlesdale
 * Arlesdale Mountainside
 * Thomas' Branch Line

UK

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Steven Kynman as Duck, Mike's Driver and some Passengers
 * Tom Stourton as Rex and Duck's Driver
 * Tim Whitnall as Mike
 * Keith Wickham as Bert and some Passengers
 * Rob Rackstraw as Fergus Duncan
 * Teresa Gallagher as some Passengers

US

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * Steven Kynman as Duck, Mike's Driver and some Passengers
 * Tom Stourton as Rex and Duck's Driver
 * Tim Whitnall as Mike
 * Keith Wickham as Bert and some Passengers
 * Rob Rackstraw as Fergus Duncan
 * Teresa Gallagher as some Passengers

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the twenty-seventh episode of the twentieth series, finishing the series as a trilogy with Tit for Tat and Useful Railway.
 * This marks the second time that a whistle blew off of an engine, the first time being in Faulty Whistles when Duncan did the same.
 * There’s a running joke in the episode where a man’s false teeth keeps falling out, only for another to catch them with his bowler hat.
 * This marks the first time Mr. Fergus Duncan is mentioned by name in either the Railway Series or the television series. However, he was named in the book The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways.
 * This was one of five episodes that were incomplete at the time Arc Productions went bankrupt, and were completed by Jam Filled Toronto after Jam Filled Entertainment bought the aforementioned studio. The other four being Cautious Connor, All in Vain, Tit for Tat and Useful Railway.
 * On the Season 20 (Digital Download), the episode paired with Blown Away, while on the Nick Jr. airing, it is paired with Useful Railway.

Goofs

 * In the opening shot, Rex's wheels and siderods are frozen.
 * Rex and Bert can be heard whistling a bit early in the opening shot.
 * When Duck's whistle is heard for the first time, Thomas' US voice can be heard laughing in the UK dub.
 * Throughout the episode, the steel ballast ramp at Arlesburgh West is silver instead of green. Parts of it also alternate between green and silver between some scenes.
 * After the episode title is said, Rex and Bert whistle, but their whistles were not animated to go off until several seconds after the sounds were heard.
 * In the Japanese dub, Mike talks about James, when he was actually talking about Duck.
 * When Mike is complaining about Duck's whistle, he appears to be rotated on the turntable twice.
 * When Mike returns to Arlesburgh West, the narrator says that Duck is waiting for Mike's passengers, but Duck leaves before the passengers had left Mike's train.
 * When Mike yells "Shoo, Shoo, Shoo!" to the cow, the cow's tail clips through its body.
 * At the beginning of the episode, Duck appears to leave the station only a few seconds after he has stopped, with no time for passengers to board or disembark his coaches.
 * When Mike returns to Arlesburgh, his whistle cap has somehow returned.
 * At the end of the episode, Mike is not on the right track for his passengers to disembark, but they are seen walking along the platform anyway.

UK

 * Team Up With Thomas
 * The Complete Series 20

AUS

 * Team Up with Thomas

US

 * Season 20 (Digital Download)

IDN

 * Useful Railway (DVD)