James and the Trouble with the Trees

James and the Trouble with the Trees is the 5th episode of the 5th season.

Plot
Thomas has been working at the coaling plant all day. He is disappointed when he cannot receive a washdown due to a hosepipe malfunction and is afraid that the other engines will make fun of him. However, when Thomas returns to the shed, he finds James bragging to the other engines. He believes he deserves a new coat of paint, as Sir Topham Hatt has told him that he is the pride of the line. Henry contradicts James by saying they are actually all pride of the line, but James ignores him.

The next morning, while James is being repainting, Henry has a accident while shunting James says to him he should go talk to the trees instead. Henry tells James that Sir Topham Hatt is working on removing trees that are too close to the line. Later, James meets Thomas, Percy and Terence while in the forest removing the trees. James thinks that trees are silly, so the others try to warn him, but the red engine just ignores them.

James then arrives at the station to collect the express. Sir Topham Hatt instead re-assigns him to an important goods train, making James very cross. The freight cars tease James about shunting and he sets off with the train. They soon reach a hill and begin to climb. An old tree by the side of the line was being blown by the wind. Rain had softened the soil and the tree slowly slid onto the tracks infront of James. He tries to reverse, but the train is too heavy. Luckily, Thomas came to James' aid. At first, James was afraid Thomas would tease him. He actually comes to help James move out of the way just before causing a potential accident.

Back at the yard, James thanked Thomas. Edward comes in to congratulate them and tells Thomas that he will get a re-paint, while James will pull the Express.

Characters

 * Thomas (Voiced by Alec Baldwin in the US)
 * Edward (Voiced by Alec Baldwin in the US)
 * Henry (Voiced by Alec Baldwin in the US)
 * James (Voiced by Alec Baldwin in the US)
 * Percy (Voiced by Alec Baldwin in the US)
 * Terence (Voiced by Alec Baldwin in the US)
 * Sir Topham Hatt (Voiced by Alec Baldwin with an Yorkshire English accent in the US)

Locations

 * Kirk Ronan
 * Wellsworth
 * Brendam
 * The Coaling Plant
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Henry's Forest
 * Shunting Yards

Trivia

 * This episode was likely written to amend the 3rd season episode Henry's Forest, which caused great anger on the Reverend W. Awdry's part.
 * The scene of the tree sliding down the embankment is similar to the scene in the film version of "The Railway Children", when the 3 children see trees sliding down a cutting, causing rocks to fall onto the rails.
 * When James puffs away with the freight cars, a freight car beside him has "N. E." written on it.
 * In the US version, when Terence warns James about how the trees are just as powerful as engines, James shouts "Oh please!
 * In the US version, the line "Your color is nice, James, it is a pity about your face through!
 * Alec Baldwin says the line, They were just in time.
 * In the Denmark this episode is named "James and His Meeting with the Tree". In Germany it is called "James and the Story of the Tree". The Italian title is "Time for James". In Japan, this episode is called "James is Dangerous". The Swedish title is "The Tree Trouble for James".

Goofs

 * After James leaves Brendam Docks, the freight cars lose their faces.
 * When James brakes to prevent hitting the tree his front bogie is derailed and barely visible.
 * James says he is to pull the express, but he is actually coupled up to branch line coaches.
 * At the shunting yard, the 2 freight cars to James' right move positions between the wide and close-up shots.
 * When Thomas and James start to back away from the tree Thomas' driver's head looks up, possibly coming off its joints.
 * When James and Thomas back away from the tree, the tree is standing up again.
 * In the final shot of James, his face is not fitted properly as the gap between his face and eyes is exposed.
 * James has a different whistle sound when he leaves the forest, Kirk Ronan and Brendam Docks.
 * James has pulled more than 6 freight cars before, so he should have backed up without much trouble.
 * Thomas is covered in coal dust at the beginning of the episode, but when James is warned about the trees and when Thomas rescues James, Thomas is clean. Then, when James apologises to Thomas, he is covered in coal dust again.