Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
FULL EPISODE HERE: youtu.be/DqA_NTqQA_8
After the 1983 "Down the Mine" pilot, I knew I had to do something with it. So I decided to make a custom US version of the pilot with bits from Ringo's US narration in place of some dialogue, particularly removing sentences that had "trucks" or "The Fat Controller" and replacing most of them - keyword being "most" - with lines that said "cars" or "Sir Topham Hatt", respectively. It was a fairly straightforward process for the most part, even with some dialogue missing at places.
Thoughts on the pilot itself? It was great! Some scenes I felt were shot better than in the official episode, such as Annie and Clarabel's closeups and the scene with the mine collapsing. The models for Thomas and Gordon were rather toy-like and simple compared to their official Season 1 counterparts, but considering that this was a test pilot, I can let that slide. Also, for the longest time, I didn't know that the close-up of Thomas's whistle in "Thomas and Gordon" was footage from the test pilot.
All in all, I'm glad the full pilot has finally seen the light of day after 42 years, as it was the stepping stone to the TV series we all know and love today.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy my attempt at featuring the pilot in the Shining Time Station episode, Too Many Cooks.
FULL EPISODE HERE: youtu.be/DqA_NTqQA_8
After the 1983 "Down the Mine" pilot, I knew I had to do something with it. So I decided to make a custom US version of the pilot with bits from Ringo's US narration in place of some dialogue, particularly removing sentences that had "trucks" or "The Fat Controller" and replacing most of them - keyword being "most" - with lines that said "cars" or "Sir Topham Hatt", respectively. It was a fairly straightforward process for the most part, even with some dialogue missing at places.
Thoughts on the pilot itself? It was great! Some scenes I felt were shot better than in the official episode, such as Annie and Clarabel's closeups and the scene with the mine collapsing. The models for Thomas and Gordon were rather toy-like and simple compared to their official Season 1 counterparts, but considering that this was a test pilot, I can let that slide. Also, for the longest time, I didn't know that the close-up of Thomas's whistle in "Thomas and Gordon" was footage from the test pilot.
All in all, I'm glad the full pilot has finally seen the light of day after 42 years, as it was the stepping stone to the TV series we all know and love today.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy my attempt at featuring the pilot in the Shining Time Station episode, Too Many Cooks.
