Railroad Station

Railroad Station was an Americanised version of the British television series Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, seen on the PBS network. The show consisted of a plot line, with an "episode" of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.

The show introduced Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends to the US however, none of the original series' plotlines were used; the new stories were rewritten and edited as moral based stories, rather than action based.

Another significant change is the characters featured in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends segments: Toby was renamed Tobold and Troublesome Trucks were called Foolish Freight Cars. Also, The characters' genders were changed, such as the case with Thomas' major characters, Edward, Duck, Peter Sam, Bertie, Rusty and Stepney who were now all females, instead of male.

Comparisons with Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends

 * Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends never had a cartoon plotline.
 * None of the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends' used plotlines from the original 26 episodes; instead, various scenes were cut up into new episodes.
 * The stories were now set in the modern day.
 * Edward, Duck, Peter Sam, Bertie, Rusty and Stepney were all female instead of male. Also, Edward was refered to as Thomas's sister.
 * The engines voices had all been changed to Bronx, New Jersey, and Brooklyn accents rather than the original Glaswegian, Cockney, and Liverpudlian accents.
 * The Diesel was renamed Weasel.
 * Derek's name was revealed for the first time.
 * Skarloey was called Stanley, and Rheneas was called Chooch. However, their nameplates "Skarloey" and "Rheneas" painted on them.
 * Troublesome Trucks became Foolish Freight Cars.
 * Scruffey became Hopper though his original name were painted on his side.
 * Mavis was renamed Dulcy.
 * Duke had two episodes, one in which he remains a engine and successfully guides the platform to rail, and one in a flashback told by Thomas to Stanley, in which Duke has trouble with it and becomes a 'stationary engine'.
 * Stanley from 'Railway Series' was renamed Smudger.
 * Bulstrode was renamed Whitelocke though his original name were painted on his hull.
 * Bulgy was renamed 'London Bulk'.
 * Oliver from the Pack was renamed Eddie.
 * Kelly was renamed Kenny (possibly to avoid confusion with girl's names).
 * Boco was called CoBo.
 * The Foreign Engine from 'Railway Series' is renamed Spencer.
 * Sodor Railroad had six seasons; similar to Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. However, as the original series' episodes were edited and integrated into the new series, the new version had 60, instead of 26.
 * Arthur is evil instead of good.
 * Spamcan from 'Railway Series' is renamed Slim and is shy and bashful.

Trivia

 * Unlike Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, the characters were voiced by individual actors.
 * Garten spoke with a Bronx accent, Bill and Ben had high voices and Sir Handel spoke with an Upper Class Accent.
 * Bill and Ben sounded like Chip and Dale from Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers, while Dulcy sounded like Misty from Pokemon.
 * Ringo Starr voices Thomas and Michael Donovan voices Henry that sounded like Lister and Rimmer respectively, from Red Dwarf.
 * There's a slight goof, with Dulcy (Mavis)' voice in season 3. Dulcy's voice has a higher pitch, but in previous seasons, she had a distinctly lower pitch.
 * The Fat Controller was renamed Sir Tophamm Hatt.
 * Railroad Station Series is highly unpopular among Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends fans, who believe it to be a crude and diluted adaptation of the original show. Many of the changes made to the show are regarded as highly implausible. For example, though many of the engines had undergone name changes, their names were painted on the side of their cabs, while their original names could still clearly be seen painted on some engine's sides. Special venom is aimed at the fact that the footage had been spliced together with seemingly little regard for continuity; there are numerous scenes where the engine's coaches and trucks loads or the settings around them change from shot to shot, and in one episode the locomotive pulling the train also change.
 * There was supposed to an actual USA version of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends nothing at all like Salty's Lighthouse.
 * Sir Handel and Peter Sam remain their RWS red liveries and Donald and Douglas are painted blue, as in the Railway Series. Garten had a blue bufferbeam, black wheels and a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement instead of 4-6-2, Bill and Ben had reversed letters (CCS instead of SCC), Duck had green wheels and James had his tender connected to his rear valence. Cobo was a Co-Co diesel engine instead of Co-Bo because he has 6 wheels at the back, not 4, like CoBos.
 * The breakdown train had three (or four) speaking roles.
 * Throughout Railroad Station Series, Henry appears in his old shape.
 * This is the first cartoon to feature Racheal Lillis, rather than Anime.

Theme Song
The theme song is rather Childish unlike the Thomas and Friends theme and is sung by Children. The shows theme is more musical and uses a railway tune which Thomas and Friends uses though.

Episode List
Main:List of Railroad Station episodes

Cast

 * Ringo Starr as Thomas and Sir Tophamm Hatt
 * Ian James Corlett as Tobold, Foolish Freight Cars and Toad
 * Scott McNeil as Oliver
 * Paul Dobson as Henry, Diesel and Cobo
 * Venus Terzo as Annie and Clarabel
 * Long John Baldry as Gordon, Terence, Express Coaches, Firemen, Railway Inspectors, Stanley, Chooch and Slim.
 * Terry Klassen as Sir Handel
 * Andrea Libman as Edward, Duck and Stepney
 * Phil Hayes as Trevor
 * Bradley Pearce as Bill and Ben
 * Rachael Lillis as Daisy, Caroline, Dulcy, Henrietta and Lady Hatt
 * Gary Chalk as London Bulk, George, Arthur and Spencer.
 * Michael Donovan as Harold, Duncan, Station masters, Whitelocke, Mr. Movie Hider and the Breakdown Train
 * Lenore Zann as Peter Sam, Bertie, Rusty and Kelly
 * French Tickner as Duke, Hopper, Smudger, the Spiteful Breakvan, Drivers and Vicars
 * Richard Newman as Donald and Douglas

Parodies

 * Railroad Station/TUGS
 * Railroad Station/Theodore Tugboat
 * Railroad Station/Sonic
 * Railroad Station/Garfield
 * Railroad Station/The Simpsons
 * Railroad Station/Scooby Doo
 * Railroad Station/Alvin and the Chipmunks
 * Railroad Station/Ernest the Engine and others
 * Railroad Station/Noddy's Toyland Adventures