- "Those are mighty tall tales for such short people."
- — Mr. Conductor.
Word's Out is the sixteenth episode of Shining Time Station.
Plot
In the aftermath of Promises, Promises, the station is receiving almost no business. Stacy hears word from headquarters that no trains will be stopping at the station that day, this leads to rumors and fears of Shining Time Station being closed down and Schemer turning it into a health club, rather than the fun house he earlier proposed.
After being introduced to Midge Smoot, Matt and Tanya, not wanting to upset Midge, tell her a lie that Stacy Jones is going to be the new head of the railroad. Mr. Conductor saws this and scolded the two kids for lying to Midge. Later, they tell Midge what they said was not true in which Stacy confirms. Midge suddenly gets a tooth ache and with Harry's help she gets to her dentist in Doodle Haven by making a train stop at the station.
Soon, Stacy gets another phone call from headquarters relaying a message saying everyone in Doodle Haven is praising the station and its staff thanks to Midge. Impressed with their quick actions, J.B. is prepared to give them some of their operations back, thus Shining Time Station will remain in business!
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
Mentioned Characters
- J.B. King (mentioned)
Thomas Stories
Jukebox Band Segment Song
Cartoons and Song
- Be Good To Yourself
- Cartoons in the song:
- Chicken A La King (1937)
- Bunny Mooning (1937)
- Little Lambkin (1940)
- Small Fry (1939)
- Hawaiian Birds (1936)
- All's Fair At The Fair (1938)
Trivia
- This is the first appearance of Midge Smoot.
- Though not explicitly stated, this episode is a follow-up to the previous episode "Promises, Promises". Besides resolving the issue of Shining Time Station losing its trains, it also features the second and third stories in the Duck and Diesel trilogy of Thomas & Friends.
- The song "Be Good to Yourself" was released on video as part of "Shining Time Station Singsongs Vol. 1".
- The person heard on the other side of Stacy's telephone conversation in this episode are actually sped-up versions of T.S. Elliot reading a few lines from his poems "The Naming of Cats" and "Growltiger's Last Stand".
- Bobo Lewis joins the cast.
| #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 | |