With the increasing dieselisation on British Railways, several units arrive on Sodor with incredibly mixed results.
Tropes:
- Adaptation Amalgamation: Elements and lines from Daisy, Bullseye, and Percy's Predicament are used.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Bruce asks Daisy if she supports Francis calling Derek a failure. She says she doesn't in a rather hesitant tone.
- Big "NO!": Gordon, James, and Henry give one that turns into an Oh, Crap! moment when the recipient turns out to be Sir Topham.
- Brick Joke: In the beginning of the episode, Francis Tempts Fate by claiming to Gordon that he would never roll into a ditch to avoid pulling trucks. Then later in the episode, that very thing happens, but by accident and not to get out of pulling a goods train.
- Salty's comment about a captain never being tolerant of having a drunken sailor on his crew also counts as this as Francis' accident was partly caused by a drunk turntable operater who Sir Topham sacks.
- Exact Words: Masterfully used by Sir Topham. First, he tells Sheffield and Oliver that he will talk to them 'later' for giving Derek grief. Then, when Duck leaves to tow Derek to Tidmouth, he turns on the two again:Topham: As for you two...Oliver: But you said-Topham: It's 'later' now.
- Mythology Gag:
- The use of the word "Spamcan" is frequent, and aimed at more than just Francis.
- To the story "Super Rescue:"
- James quotes Duck's words about how the steam engines bring in a train on a single cylinder while the diesel engines moan for a fitter.
- Gordon suffers the same reversing problem as Henry did in the story.
- Francis rolls into a ditch just like Gordon did in Off The Rails. The two even foreshadow it earlier in the episode.
- Named by the Adaptation: Diesel 199, who was given the unflattering nickname of Spamcan in the original books, is named Francis.
- Shout-Out: My name is Francis. Not Frank. Not Frankie. Francis.
- Doubles as Insistent Terminology since he says it twice.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Sir Topham dishes these out like a cordon bleu:
- He gives an offscreen one to Oliver and Sheffield for giving Derek a hard time;
- While it's debatable in Francis' case and mild in Daisy's case, Sir Topham calls out the mainline engines for letting the rivalry get out of hand.
- Toxic Friend Influence: Francis becomes this to Daisy, until Bruce gives Daisy a talking-to.
