Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia
Register
Advertisement
This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the Ladybird book, the Buzz Book or the magazine story.
Main Page

“Coughs and sneezles spread diseasels."
"You had a cough in your smokebox yesterday. It's your fault the diseasel came."
"It isn't!"
"It is!”
― Bill and Ben

The Diseasel is the twenty-first episode of the second series. It is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book Main Line Engines.

Plot

Bill and Ben are tank engine twins who each have four wheels, a short funnel, a tiny dome and a small cab. They work at a china clay quarry and their jobs are to take it in trucks along the Main Line for the engines and the harbour ships. The clay is used to make many things, such as pottery, paper and paint.

The twins arrange some trucks one morning and leave to pick up more, but they are surprised to find they have disappeared when they return. Their drivers notice an oil patch on the tracks and suspect that a diesel is responsible for taking the trucks. Mishearing this as "diseasel", the twins remember a notice in their shed saying "coughs and sneezles spread diseasels" and they argue over who is responsible. Their drivers intervene and make a plan to get the trucks back which involves removing the twins' nameplates to make them appear perfectly identical since the diesel is unaware that they are twins.

The twins find the trucks in a yard, with a large green diesel at the front. Ben hides behind while Bill goes forward and demands the diesel give his trucks back. The diesel claims the trucks are his and tries to shoo Bill away, who reverses behind the trucks. Ben then rides forward on the other side, surprising the diesel (who thinks it is the same engine). This pattern continues for a while, causing the diesel to get dizzy. At last, the two of them come along the diesel at the same time, making his eyes nearly pop out. He then realises there are two engines.

Edward arrives at the scene and asks Bill and Ben what they are doing there. They claim that the diesel stole their trucks, but Edward scolds them for their rudeness. The twins apologise and the diesel forgives them. He introduces himself as "BoCo" and explains that he got his trucks mixed up with the twins'. Edward then sends the twins to take their lot back once they have picked up BoCo's goods train in exchange for theirs. After they leave, Edward tells BoCo that they do not mean any harm but can be maddening at times, a statement BoCo wholeheartedly agrees with.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • The title is a portmanteau of the words disease and diesel. In some foreign dubs, the portmanteau was not able to be properly translated and the title was simply translated as "Diesel."
  • One barge has "Steve" written on it and a boat is labelled "Terrey." This could be a reference to crew members Stephen Asquith and Terence Permane.
  • The events of this episode were later mentioned by BoCo in the third series episode Buzz, Buzz.
  • This episode marks a few things:
  • This episode is one of the few instances in which every character who appears speaks.
  • In the restored version's long distance shot of the twins at the harbour, the track that sunk into the sea can still be seen facing downward.
  • This episode is titled "The Diseasal" on the Shining Time Station airing of Double Trouble and it is also titled "The Diesels" on the Roku Channel.
  • This episode was never released on home video in the Netherlands, Finland or South Korea. For unknown reasons, it is the only episode from the first four series which was not released on DVD in the Netherlands.

Goofs

  • For most of the episode, studio equipment can be seen:
    • On the top of the screen, where a crew member's hand tries to catch Bill and Ben's models from falling off the edge of the set in the restored version with the scene of Bill and Ben puffing away to fetch more China Clay.
    • At the top of the screen when Bill and Ben puff through the level crossing and Wellsworth Station.
    • On the right when Bill comes up next to BoCo.
    • Reflecting on BoCo's windows.
  • In the shot showing Bill and Ben's cabs, a camera shadow is visible on one of them.
  • The twins' drivers said they will take away the names and numbers but the twins were not given numbers in the television series. This is due to the script for the episode being taken verbatim from the original story. Additionally, production images from Series 2 reveal that Bill and Ben originally had numbers above their faces, so it is possible that the script was written before their numbers were removed and never changed.
  • In the close-ups of BoCo looking cross in the restored version, there is greenery behind him rather than the yard.
  • In the US dub, George Carlin mistakenly says that Bill pretended not to be frightened.
  • During the twins' trick:
    • BoCo's eyebrows are missing.
    • The track Bill is on also bounces up.
    • BoCo always looks at Ben whenever he comes and just stares ahead whenever Bill comes.
  • When Edward arrives, his bogie is derailed and steam is also still coming out of his funnel.
  • In the UK and Ukrainian dubs when Ringo Starr says, "The twins were abashed", it shows Ben smiling, even though the word "abashed" means "embarrassed" or "ashamed".
  • When the twins apologised to BoCo, Edward disappears, indicating that the footage from where Bill was accusing BoCo of being a bully was used at that point.
  • In the final shot, Edward's whistle is bent.

Quotes

[Bill and Ben's drivers examine oil left at the scene of the crime]
Drivers: That's diesel.
Bill: It's a what'll?
Ben: A diseasel, I think. There's a notice about them in our shed.
Bill: Coughs and sneezles spread diseasels.
Ben: You had a cough in your smokebox yesterday. It's your fault that the Diseasel came.
Bill: It isn't!
Ben: It is!
Drivers: Stop arguing, you two. Let's go and rescue our trucks.
Narrator: Bill and Ben were horrified!
Bill and Ben: But the Diseasel will magic us away like the trucks!
Drivers: He won't magic us. We'll more likely magic him! [later, about the diesel] Listen, he doesn't know you're twins. So we'll take away your names and numbers and then this is what we'll do.

BoCo: [looks up at Bill] Do you mind?
Bill: Yes, I do. I want my trucks, please.
BoCo: These are mine. Go away!
Narrator: Bill pretended to be frightened.
Bill: You're a big bully! You'll be sorry!
Narrator: He ran back and hid behind the trucks on the other side. Ben now came forward.
Ben: Truck stealer!
Narrator: He ran away too. Bill took his place. (Bill and Ben proceed to taunt BoCo several times) This went on and on 'till the diesel's eyes nearly popped out.
BoCo: STOP! You're making me giddy! [Bill and Ben gaze at him] Are there two of you?
Bill and Ben: Yes, we're twins.
BoCo: I might have known it.

Edward: Bill and Ben, why are you playing here?
Bill: We're not playing.
Ben: We're rescuing our trucks. Even you don't take our trucks without asking but this diseasel did.
Edward: There's no cause to be rude. This engine is a Metropolitan Vickers diesel-electric type 2.
Narrator: The twins were abashed.
Bill and Ben: We're sorry, mister, uh...
BoCo: Never mind. Call me BoCo. I'm sorry I didn't understand about the trucks.
Edward: That's alright, then. Now off you go, Bill and Ben. Fetch BoCo's trucks, then, you can take this lot. [to BoCo] There's no real harm in them but they're maddening at times.
BoCo: [chuckles] Maddening... is the word.

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Brazilian Portuguese Edward, o pacificador
Chinese Mandarin 生病了
Croatian Dizel dolesti
Czech Diesel
Danish Bill og Ben og vogntyven
Dutch De viesel
Finnish Tautinen
French La Diesel grippé
German Dieselitis
Greek Τα βαγόνια χάθηκαν
Hungarian A dízelmozdony
Italian Solo un equivoco
Japanese ふたごのビルとベン
Korean 빌과 벤
Latin American Spanish Problemas de mellizos
Norwegian Tvillinglokomotivene
Polish Choroba diesel (Original)
Chorobowóz (Alternate)
Romanian Dieselul
Russian Простудизель
Serbian Dizizel
Slovenian Dizelska lokomotiva
Swedish Disielen
Turkish Dieselteri
Ukrainian Дизентиризиль
Welsh Bil a Ben

Merchandise

Home Video Releases

UK

UK DVD Boxset

US

CAN

  • Thomas, Percy and the Dragon and Other Stories

US/CAN DVD Packs

AUS

AUS DVD Packs

NZ

ZA

IND

MYS

PHL

ITA

FRA

ROM

ROM DVD Pack

GER

NOR

DK

SWE

SVN

SRP

HRV

GRC

GRC DVD Boxset

TUR

THA

JPN

JPN DVD Boxset

CHN

HK

Episode

References



Advertisement