Air date: September 26th, 2005 (UK), September 25th, 2005 (US)
Whenever Rusty journeys near the lake, he likes to toot his horn there as it echoes and has high and low notes, like a tuneful toot. Unfortunately, the other engines think it is the worst noise they have ever heard, making Rusty sad.
One morning, the Thin Controller announces that the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt are visiting the Skarloey Railway and the Sodor Brass Band has been invited to play. Skarloey and Rheneas are delivering tables and chairs, Duncan and Peter Sam are delivering apples and pears, and Rusty is to take the Brass Band on a tour of the Skarloey Railway. Thomas arrives with the bandstand and hears Rusty's horn thinking it is very special. After Rusty leaves, the Thin Controller tells him not to return late, but Rusty is busy tooting his horn and does not hear him, soon forgetting all about returning on time to the concert. Rusty decides to take them to the lake, but when he gets there, he runs out of fuel on the causeway.
Thomas arrives with the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt, but they see that everyone is worried about the fact that Rusty has not returned. The Brass Band is worried that no one will find them, but Rusty has an idea; if the Brass Band plays their instruments loudly while he toots his horn, someone will know where to find them. They start to play, and everyone hears Rusty and the Brass Band and comes to their rescue. Rusty is surprised that no one is telling him to stop tooting his horn, but the engines think that Rusty's horn is very special sounding. The concert begins with all the engines blowing their whistles and Rusty tooting his horn.
This episode contains examples of:
- An Aesop: Always listen to instructions.
- All of the Other Reindeer: The other engines put Rusty down as they don't like the way his horn sounds.
- Alliterative Title: "Tuneful Toots".
- A Day in the Limelight: For Rusty, who feels let down when the others don't like his two-toned horn.
- Dub-Induced Plot Hole: In the Japanese dub, this episode was aired before "Mighty Mac", meaning that Mighty Mac is present on Sodor before their introduction. Additionally, the episode's title was changed to "Tuneful Whistle" even though Rusty is a diesel and lacks a whistle; this was corrected when the episode was retitled "Tuneful Horn" on the DVD release.
- She's a Man in Japan: The episode's initial US airing had Rusty referred to as a female. This would be changed back in later episodes of the dub, while the episode itself was redubbed for the DVD releases with Rusty's correct gender.
