| Shining Time Station | |
|---|---|
 TheShining Time Station title screen withUP 844 | |
| Created by | |
| Directed by |
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| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Joe Raposo |
| Opening theme | "Shining Time Station Theme" sung byKevin Roth |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States Canada (seasons 2–3) |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 65 + 5 specials |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 28 minutes 60 minutes (specials) |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | PBS |
| Release | January 29, 1989 (1989-01-29) – November 20, 1995 (1995-11-20) |
| Related | |
Shining Time Station is achildren's television series jointly created by British television producerBritt Allcroft and American television producer Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by Quality Family Entertainment (the American branch ofThe Britt Allcroft Company), in association with Catalyst Entertainment in seasons 2 and 3, for New York City's PBS stationWNET, and was originally taped inNew York City during its first season and inToronto during the rest of its run. It incorporated sequences from the British television showThomas the Tank Engine & Friends, which was in turn based on the books ofThe Railway Series written bythe Reverend Wilbert Awdry.
The series aired onPBS from January 29, 1989, until June 11, 1993, with four hour-long "Family Specials" premiering in primetime throughout 1995. Reruns continued to air on PBS until June 11, 1998.[1][2]Shining Time Station reruns aired onFox Family from 1998 to 1999, and onNick Jr. from June to August 2000 to promote the theatrical release ofThomas and the Magic Railroad. The series also aired on Canadian television networks such asAPTN andSCN. Elements from the show were incorporated into the 2000 filmThomas and the Magic Railroad.
The initial 1989 season featured a cast that includedRingo Starr as Mr. Conductor,Didi Conn as Stacy Jones,Brian O'Connor as Horace Schemer,Leonard Jackson as Harry Cupper,Jason Woliner as Matt Jones andNicole Leach as Tanya Cupper. Following a Christmas special with the original cast, the show was retooled for the second (1991) and third (1993) seasons, with only Conn and O'Connor reprising their prior roles.George Carlin replaced Starr as Mr. Conductor, whileErica Luttrell,Ari Magder, Danielle Marcot, andTom Jackson joined the primary cast in newly created roles. The series concluded with four "Family Specials", aired in 1995. Providing the musical numbers for the show was The Jukebox Band, a group of puppets.
In 1996, Carlin appeared in a spin-off series calledMr. Conductor's Thomas Tales, which featured only six episodes with five Thomas stories and one music video each. The station interior was kept for the spin-off.
After the success ofThomas the Tank Engine & Friends in the United Kingdom, Britt Allcroft and her production company teamed up with PBS station WNET in New York City to produce and distribute the sitcom-esqueShining Time Station, every episode of which would include a couple of episodes ofThomas the Tank Engine & Friends. The series starredRingo Starr,George Carlin,Didi Conn,Brian O'Connor, and the Flexitoon Puppets.[3]Ringo Starr, who had already been providing the narration for the British series, agreed to extend the role to include the on-screen character called Mr. Conductor inShining Time Station. He left the show after its initial season to focus on his musical career and was replaced byGeorge Carlin. Production took place in New York City for the first season and then subsequently in Toronto.[4][5][6][7]
Shining Time Station received critical acclaim. In a review forEntertainment Weekly, Ken Tucker states that, compared to the faster pacedWhere in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, "'Shining Time Station' wants to slow things down. It's an old-fashioned show that creates a gentle, lulling atmosphere to convince children that life is fun and that trains are the way to travel."[8] It was a ratings success as well. In its first season, the show averaged a 0.9 Nielsen rating, translating to about 1.2 million viewers on average. At the peak of its popularity, the show brought in up to 7.5 million viewers per week.[9]
The Shining Time Station is a fictional train station on the Indian Valley Railroad in an unknown part of theUnited States. It is managed by Stacy Jones. Its workshop is run in the first season by Harry Cupper, and thereafter by Billy Twofeathers. A local named Horace Schemer, simply referred to as Schemer, runs the station's arcade and serves as the series' comic relief. He often comes up with tricks and schemes (hence his surname) to get his ways, although they usually backfire on him as a result of his foolishness. The narrative is driven by regular and incidental visitors to the station.
Mr. Conductor is a tiny man who lives in a signal house inside the station's mural and tells the stories taken fromThomas the Tank Engine & Friends to the kids. He also introduces songs to the kids in the Anything Tunnel. Sometimes, he may present to the kids a magic bubble that has the song inside as a way of introducing it. On occasion, the kids may look through a film viewer to see the song or film.
The instrumentation of the songs was performed and produced by Steve Horelick, who also arranged the vocals. The music was arranged by Larry Wolf.[10]
The intro to each episode consists of the main theme song of the show, played to footage of theUnion Pacific Steam Locomotive 844 and the credits of the series' characters. Only the first verse is sung for the beginning theme. The closing credits contain more shots of the Union Pacific 844, in addition to the fullShining Time Station theme song. For theChristmas special "'Tis A Gift", the footage used for the opening and closing sequences was filmed at theGrand Canyon Railway inWilliams,Arizona and features their locomotive#18.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 20 | January 29, 1989 (1989-01-29) | June 11, 1989 (1989-06-11) | |
| 2 | 20 | November 18, 1991 (1991-11-18) | December 27, 1991 (1991-12-27) | |
| 3 | 25 | March 22, 1993 (1993-03-22) | June 11, 1993 (1993-06-11) | |
| Specials | 4 | February 28, 1995 (1995-02-28) | November 20, 1995 (1995-11-20) | |
| Thomas Tales | 6 | October 7, 1996 (1996-10-07) | November 11, 1996 (1996-11-11) | |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Thomas stories | Featured song(s) | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Place Unlike Any Other" | Matthew Diamond | Brian McConnachie | "Thomas Gets Tricked" "Edward Helps Out" | "I've Been Working on the Railroad" "Start Where You Are" | January 29, 1989 | |
| 2 | "Does It Bite?" | "Come Out, Henry!" "Henry to the Rescue" | "Camptown Races" "Don't Be Afraid" | February 5, 1989 | |||
| 3 | "And the Band Played Off" | "A Big Day for Thomas" "Trouble for Thomas" | "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" "Learn from Your Mistakes" | February 12, 1989 | |||
| 4 | "Pitching In and Helping Out" | Ellis Weiner | "Thomas Saves the Day" "James Learns a Lesson" | "Railroad Corral" | February 19, 1989 | ||
| 5 | "Show and Yell" | Brian McConnachie | "Foolish Freight Cars" "A Proud Day for James" | "Freight Train" "Bounce Back" | February 26, 1989 | ||
| 6 | "Faith, Hope and Anxiety" | "Thomas and the Conductor" "Thomas Goes Fishing" | "Wabash Cannonball" "The Kite Song" | March 5, 1989 | |||
| 7 | "Agree to Disagree" | Ellis Weiner | "Terence the Tractor" "Thomas and Bertie's Great Race" | "Abilene" "We Do Things Differently" | March 12, 1989 | ||
| 8 | "Whistle While You Work" | "Tenders and Turntables" "Trouble in the Shed" | "Pop Goes the Weasel" "Let's All Work Together" | March 19, 1989 | |||
| 9 | "Two Old Hands" | "Percy Runs Away" "Thomas Comes to Breakfast" | "A Railroader for Me" "Baking a Cake" | March 26, 1989 | |||
| 10 | "Happy Accidents" | Alan Kingsberg | "Henry's Special Coal" "The Flying Kipper" | "Wreck of the Old 97" | April 2, 1989 | ||
| 11 | "Ring in the Old" | "Toby the Tram Engine" "Thomas Breaks the Rules" | "Train Is a Comin'" "Old But Wise" | April 9, 1989 | |||
| 12 | "Impractical Jokes" | Ellis Weiner | "A Cow on the Line" "Old Iron" | "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway" | April 16, 1989 | ||
| 13 | "Finders Keepers" | Gregory Lehane | Brian McConnachie | "Double Trouble" "James in a Mess" | "The Desperado" "Tubby the Tuba" (excerpt) | April 23, 1989 | |
| 14 | "Just Wild About Harry's Workshop" | Ellis Weiner | "Duck Takes Charge" "Percy Proves a Point" | "Union Train" "What Goes Around Comes Around" | April 30, 1989 | ||
| 15 | "Promises, Promises" | "Better Late Than Never" "Pop Goes the Diesel" | "Oh! Susanna" | May 7, 1989 | |||
| 16 | "Word's Out" | Brian McConnachie | "Diesel's Devious Deed" "A Close Shave for Duck" | "Jesse James" "Be Good to Yourself" | May 14, 1989 | ||
| 17 | "Too Many Cooks" | Ellis Weiner | "Gordon Takes a Dip" "Down the Mine" | "The Ballad of Casey Jones" | May 21, 1989 | ||
| 18 | "Mapping It Out" | "The Runaway" "Percy Takes the Plunge" | "Red River Valley" "Follow Directions" | May 28, 1989 | |||
| 19 | "Things That Go Ga-Hooga in the Night" | Brian McConnachie | "Percy's Ghostly Trick" "Woolly Bear" | "Oh My Darling, Clementine" | June 4, 1989 | ||
| 20 | "Is This the End?" | "Saved from Scrap" "A New Friend for Thomas" | "Little Black Train" | June 11, 1989 | |||
| 21 | Special | "'Tis a Gift" | TV: "Terence the Tractor" "Thomas' Christmas Party" VHS: "Thomas' Christmas Party" "Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree" | "Over the River and Through the Wood" "Jingle Bells" "It's Christmastime at the Railway Station" "The Hobo Song" "Simple Gifts" | November 25, 1990 | ||
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Thomas story(s) | Featured song(s) | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 1 | "Scare Dares" | Stan Swan | Ellis Weiner | "Percy's Ghostly Trick" "Thomas, Percy and the Dragon" | "Midnight Special" "What Am I Afraid Of?" | November 18, 1991 |
| 23 | 2 | "Oh, What a Tangled Web" | Sean Kelly | "Diesel's Devious Deed" "No Joke for James" | "Mama Don't Allow" | November 19, 1991 | |
| 24 | 3 | "The Magic is Believing" | Brian McConnachie | "Old Iron" "Edward's Exploit" | "Nine Hundred Miles" | November 20, 1991 | |
| 25 | 4 | "Win, Lose or Draw" | Jill Golick | "Double Trouble" "Gordon and the Famous Visitor" | "Arkansas Traveler" | November 21, 1991 | |
| 26 | 5 | "Sweet and Sour" | Gregory Lehane | Wilson Coneybeare | "Donald and Douglas" "The Deputation" | "Erie Canal" | November 22, 1991 |
| 27 | 6 | "Achoo" | Stan Swan | Brian McConnachie | "Trust Thomas" "Whistles and Sneezes" | "Cosher Bailey's Engine" "Caring" | November 25, 1991 |
| 28 | 7 | "A Dog's Life" | Gregory Lehane | Wilson Coneybeare | "James in a Mess" "The Trouble with Mud" | "Home on the Range" | November 26, 1991 |
| 29 | 8 | "Field Day" | Sean Kelly | "Percy Proves a Point" "Thomas and Bertie's Great Race" | "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" "Everyone's a Winner" | November 27, 1991 | |
| 30 | 9 | "Wrong Track" | Wilson Coneybeare | "Thomas Saves the Day" "Down the Mine" | "Sweet Betsy from Pike" | November 28, 1991 | |
| 31 | 10 | "Washout" | Jill Golick | "Bertie's Chase" "Percy's Promise" | "Cumberland Gap" | November 29, 1991 | |
| 32 | 11 | "Crackpot" | Stan Swan | Jill Golick | "Woolly Bear" "Henry's Forest" | "John Henry" | December 16, 1991 |
| 33 | 12 | "Yabba, Yabba, Yabba" | Ellis Weiner | "Pop Goes the Diesel" "Diesel Does It Again" | "Old Dan Tucker" | December 17, 1991 | |
| 34 | 13 | "Nickel in a Pickle" | Gregory Lehane | Wilson Coneybeare | "Thomas Comes to Breakfast" "Thomas Gets Bumped" | "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean" | December 18, 1991 |
| 35 | 14 | "Stop the Press" | Stan Swan | Sean Kelly | "Percy and the Signal" "A Big Day for Thomas" | "Tennessee Central (Number 9)" | December 19, 1991 |
| 36 | 15 | "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" | Gregory Lehane | Sean Kelly | "Thomas, Percy and the Mail Train" | "I Dream of Jeanie" "Would He Ever" | December 20, 1991 |
| 37 | 16 | "Double Trouble" | Don Arioli | "The Diseasel" "Donald's Duck" | "This Train" | December 23, 1991 | |
| 38 | 17 | "Is Anybody There?" | Peter Wildman | "Thomas Goes Fishing" "A Scarf for Percy" | "Chattanooga Choo Choo" | December 24, 1991 | |
| 39 | 18 | "Do I Hear?" | Wilson Coneybeare | "Mavis" "Toby's Tightrope" | "The Riddle Song" "Better When He Grows Up" | December 25, 1991 | |
| 40 | 19 | "Jingle, Jingle, Jingle" | Stan Swan | Brian McConnachie | "Time for Trouble" "Trouble for Thomas" | "City of New Orleans" | December 26, 1991 |
| 41 | 20 | "All's Fair" | Ellis Weiner | "Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party" | "The Railroad Cars Are Coming" "Home" | December 27, 1991 |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Thomas story(s) | Featured song(s) | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 1 | "Becky Makes a Wish" | Wayne Moss | Sean Kelly | "All at Sea" | "Cielito Lindo" "Help Your Wish Along" | March 22, 1993 |
| 43 | 2 | "Schemer's Alone" | John Ferraro | Wilson Coneybeare | "Percy, James and the Fruitful Day" | "Polly Wolly Doodle" "I Can Do It" | March 23, 1993 |
| 44 | 3 | "Bully for Mr. Conductor" | Wayne Moss | Brian McConnachie | "Bulgy" | "Jamaica Farewell" "Bad Guy" | March 24, 1993 |
| 45 | 4 | "Stacy Cleans Up" | "James Goes Buzz Buzz" | "Five Hundred Miles" "If Everyone Did a Little" | March 25, 1993 | ||
| 46 | 5 | "Schemer's Robot" | John Ferraro | Wilson Coneybeare | "Tenders and Turntables" "Trouble in the Shed" | "Strolling in the Park One Day" | April 19, 1993 |
| 47 | 6 | "Billy Saves the Day" | Wayne Moss | Jill Golick | "A New Friend for Thomas" | "Get On Board, Little Children" | April 20, 1993 |
| 48 | 7 | "Billy's Party" | Brian McConnachie | "Thomas and Percy's Mountain Adventure" | "We Gather Together"[a] "Thanksgiving" | April 21, 1993 | |
| 49 | 8 | "Fortune Teller Schemer" | Ellis Weiner | "Thomas and the Conductor" "A Cow on the Line" | "Turkey in the Straw" | April 22, 1993 | |
| 50 | 9 | "Billy's Runaway Train" | John Ferraro | Sean Kelly | "A Close Shave for Duck" | "Freight Train Blues" | May 3, 1993 |
| 51 | 10 | "Schemer Goes Camping" | Wilson Coneybeare | "Percy Takes the Plunge" | "Crawdad" "Team" | May 4, 1993 | |
| 52 | 11 | "Mr. Conductor's Evil Twin" | Don Arioli | "Heroes" | "Danny Boy" | May 5, 1993 | |
| 53 | 12 | "Bad Luck Day at Shining Time Station" | Wilson Coneybeare | "Gordon Takes a Dip" | "Engine 143" | May 6, 1993 | |
| 54 | 13 | "Mr. Conductor's Fourth of July" | Sean Kelly | "Escape" | "New River Train" "Patriotic Medley"[b] | May 17, 1993 | |
| 55 | 14 | "Stacy Forgets Her Name" | Wayne Moss | Sean Kelly | "Thomas Gets Tricked" | "Lullaby Medley"[c] | May 18, 1993 |
| 56 | 15 | "Schemer's Special Club" | Ellis Weiner | "Oliver Owns Up" | "Old Joe Clark" | May 19, 1993 | |
| 57 | 16 | "Mr. Conductor's Movie" | Marie Therese Squerciati | "Tender Engines" | "There's No Business Like Show Business" | May 20, 1993 | |
| 58 | 17 | "The Joke's on Schemer" | Ellis Weiner | "Wrong Road" | "This Old Man" "Laugh and a Half" | May 31, 1993 | |
| 59 | 18 | "Dance Crazy" | John Ferraro | Jill Golick | "Percy Runs Away" | "Orange Blossom Special" "Dancin' Maître D'" | June 1, 1993 |
| 60 | 19 | "Mysterious Stranger" | Wayne Moss | Marie Therese Squerciati | "Come Out, Henry!" "Henry to the Rescue" | "Waltzing Matilda" "Everyone's Afraid of Something" | June 2, 1993 |
| 61 | 20 | "Dan's Big Race" | John Ferraro | Wilson Coneybeare | "Henry's Special Coal" "The Flying Kipper" | "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore"[d] "Start All Over Again" | June 3, 1993 |
| 62 | 21 | "Mr. Conductor Gets Left Out" | Wayne Moss | Brian McConnachie | "One Good Turn" | "New River Train" | June 7, 1993 |
| 63 | 22 | "Mr. Conductor's Big Sleepwalk" | John Ferraro | Don Arioli | "Better Late Than Never" | "Beautiful Dreamer" "Dreamland" | June 8, 1993 |
| 64 | 23 | "The Mayor Runs for Re-Election" | Wayne Moss | Ellis Weiner | "James Learns a Lesson" "Foolish Freight Cars" | "Hurray for the Railway" | June 9, 1993 |
| 65 | 24 | "Stacy Says No" | John Ferraro | Jill Golick | "Duck Takes Charge" | "Cannonball Blues" | June 10, 1993 |
| 66 | 25 | "How the Station Got Its Name" | "Toby the Tram Engine" "Thomas Breaks the Rules" | "Cowboy Medley"[e] | June 11, 1993 |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Thomas story(s) | Featured song(s) | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 1 | "Once Upon a Time" | Wayne Moss Frank Vitale[f] | Sean Kelly | "Rusty to the Rescue" "Thomas and Stepney" | "Lone Star Trail" "Buffalo Gals Medley"[g] "What's New Pussycat?" | February 28, 1995 |
| 68 | 2 | "Second Chances" | Brian McConnachie | "Granpuff" "Sleeping Beauty" | "Down in the Valley" "Skip to My Lou Medley"[h] "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" | September 25, 1995 | |
| 69 | 3 | "One of the Family" | Brian McConnachie | "Toad Stands By" "Thomas and the Special Letter" | "If My Friends Could See Me Now" "Long, Long Ago" "This Land Is My Land" | October 23, 1995 | |
| 70 | 4 | "Queen for a Day" | Sean Kelly | "Thomas Meets the Queen" "Special Attraction" | "The Lovely Ohio" "Greensleeves" / "Scarborough Fair" "Mrs. Murphy's Chowder" | November 20, 1995 |
All episodes directed by Steve Wright and written by Sean Kelly.
| No. | Title | Stories | Song | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Missing Whistles" |
| "Really Useful Engine" | October 7, 1996 |
| 2 | "Wild Life" |
| "Toby" | October 14, 1996 |
| 3 | "Wish You Were Here" |
| "Island Song" | October 21, 1996 |
| 4 | "For the Birds" |
| "Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover" | October 28, 1996 |
| 5 | "Splish, Splash, Splosh" |
| "Gone Fishing" | November 4, 1996 |
| 6 | "Paint the Town Red" |
| "Let's Have a Race" | November 11, 1996 |
Most VHS releases (the exceptions being"'Tis a Gift", "Shining Time Station Singsongs", "Schemer Presents: The World According to Me", and the two Jukebox Band videos) featured new wraparounds, presenting the episode as the main feature at the "Shining Time Drive-In Movie Theater", complete with in-universe commercials. These videos also featured "Schemer Presents!", bonus educational sketches starring Schemer, following the episode. The model drive-in scenes are sampled from the art filmEasy Living byChip Lord and Mickey McGowan.[11]
Four cassettes were released featuring music from the series performed by the Jukebox Band:[12]
All four featured dialogue linking the songs, including in-universe ads.
Australian label Silbert Records released four soundtracks to the series, compiling all of the songs, between May 2023 and February 2024.[10]
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