Shining Time Station
Shining Time Station is a children's television series jointly created by British television producer Britt Allcroft and American television producer Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by Quality Family Entertainment, in association with Catalyst Entertainment in seasons 2 and 3, for New York City's PBS station WNET, and was originally taped in New York City during its first season and in Toronto during the rest of its run. It incorporated sequences from the British television show Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, which was in turn based on the books of The Railway Series written by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry.
The series aired on PBS 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. Shining Time Station reruns aired on Fox Family from 1998 to 1999, and on Nick Jr. from June to August 2000 to promote the theatrical release of Thomas and the Magic Railroad. The series also aired on Canadian television networks such as APTN and SCN. Elements from the show were incorporated into the 2000 film Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
The initial 1989 season featured a cast that included Ringo 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 and Nicole Leach as Tanya Cupper. Following a Christmas special with the original cast, the show was retooled for the second and third seasons, with only Conn and O'Connor reprising their prior roles. George Carlin replaced Starr as Mr. Conductor, while Erica Luttrell, Ari Magder, Danielle Marcot, and Tom 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 called Mr. 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.
Background
After the success of Thomas 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-esque Shining Time Station, every episode of which would include a couple of episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. The series starred Ringo Starr, George Carlin, Didi Conn, Brian O'Connor, and the Flexitoon Puppets. 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 in Shining Time Station. He left the show after its initial season to focus on his musical career and was replaced by George Carlin. Production took place in New York City for the first season and then subsequently in Toronto.Shining Time Station received critical acclaim. In a review for Entertainment Weekly, Ken Tucker states that, compared to the faster paced Where 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." 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.
Overview
The Shining Time Station is a fictional train station on the Indian Valley Railroad in an unknown part of the United 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 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 from Thomas 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.
Cast
Main
- Didi Conn as Stacy Jones, the kindhearted station master and aunt to Matt and Dan
- Brian O'Connor as Horace Schemer, the proprietor of the station's arcade
- Ringo Starr as Mr. Conductor, a 20-centimetre tall conductor with a magic whistle that helps him teleport away
- George Carlin as Mr. Conductor, the first Mr. Conductor's cousin
- Leonard Jackson as Henry "Harry" Cupper, an engineer and grandfather of Tanya and Kara
- Nicole Leach as Tanya Cupper, Harry's granddaughter and Kara's cousin
- Jason Woliner as Matthew "Matt" Jones, Stacy's nephew who visits the station
- Tom Jackson as Billy Twofeathers, the engineer who replaced Harry after he left and Kit's uncle
- Erica Luttrell as Kara Cupper, Harry's granddaughter and Tanya's cousin
- Ari Magder as Daniel "Dan" Jones, Stacy's nephew and Matt's cousin
- Danielle Marcot – Becky, a local girl who is friends with Dan and Kara
Recurring
- Jerome Dempsey as Osgood Bob Flopdinger, the mayor of the town of Shining Time
- Mart Hulswit as J.B. King, Esq., the superintendent of the Indian Valley Railroad
- Bobo Lewis as Midge Smoot, the town gossip
- Jonathan Shapiro as Schemee, Schemer's nephew
- Gerard Parkes as Barton Winslow, the proprietor of the town's general store
- Barbara Hamilton as Ginny Johnson, a farmer
- Aurelio Padrón as Felix Perez, a bus driver
- Bucky Hill as Kit Twofeathers, Billy's nephew
Notable guest stars
- Ardon Bess as Tucker Cooper, Harry's cousin
- Lloyd Bridges as Mr. Nicholas
- Rachel Miner as Vickie
- Ed Begley Jr. as Ned Kincaid and his great-grandson
- Jack Klugman as Max Okowsky
- Teri Garr as Sister Conductor
- Jeannette Charles as the Queen
The Jukebox Band
- Jonathan Freeman as Tito Swing, the pianist
- Olga Marin as Didi, the drummer
- Wayne White and Alan Semok as Tex, a guitarist
- Craig Marin as Rex, a guitarist
- Peter Baird, Alan Semok, and Kenny Miele puppeteering Grace, the bass guitarist
- Emily Bindinger as the singing voice of Didi
- Rory Dodd as the singing voice of Tex and Rex
- Vaneese Thomas as the speaking voice and singing voice of Grace
- Beverly Glenn-Copeland as the speaking voice of Grace
Segments
The intro to each episode consists of the main theme song of the show, played to footage of the Union 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 full Shining Time Station theme song. For the Christmas special "'Tis A Gift", the footage used for the opening and closing sequences was filmed at the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Arizona and features their locomotive #18.- Flexitoons Puppets & Marionettes – The Jukebox Band – the show's station band that performs a song inside the jukebox. They consist of pianist Tito Swing, drummer Didi, guitarists Tex and Rex, and bass guitarist Grace Bass. JJ Silvers is the manager of The Jukebox Band.Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends – Storytellers, Ringo Starr and George Carlin.
- The Anything Tunnel – Inside the tunnel on the station's mural is a song with a cartoon, a stop motion clip, or a live action one. Sometimes instead of the Anything Tunnel, Mr. Conductor would show a magic bubble or one of the kids would look through a film viewer.
Episodes
Season 3 (1993)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Thomas story | Featured song | 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" | Wayne Moss | Brian McConnachie | "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" | Wayne Moss | Brian McConnachie | "Thomas and Percy's Mountain Adventure" | "We Gather Together" "Thanksgiving" | April 21, 1993 |
| 49 | 8 | "Fortune Teller Schemer" | Wayne Moss | 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" | John Ferraro | Wilson Coneybeare | "Percy Takes the Plunge" | "Crawdad" "Team" | May 4, 1993 |
| 52 | 11 | "Mr. Conductor's Evil Twin" | John Ferraro | Don Arioli | "Heroes" | "Danny Boy" | May 5, 1993 |
| 53 | 12 | "Bad Luck Day at Shining Time Station" | John Ferraro | Wilson Coneybeare | "Gordon Takes a Dip" | "Engine 143" | May 6, 1993 |
| 54 | 13 | "Mr. Conductor's Fourth of July" | John Ferraro | Sean Kelly | "Escape" | "New River Train" "Patriotic Medley" | May 17, 1993 |
| 55 | 14 | "Stacy Forgets Her Name" | Wayne Moss | Sean Kelly | "Thomas Gets Tricked" | "Lullaby Medley" | May 18, 1993 |
| 56 | 15 | "Schemer's Special Club" | Wayne Moss | Ellis Weiner | "Oliver Owns Up" | "Old Joe Clark" | May 19, 1993 |
| 57 | 16 | "Mr. Conductor's Movie" | Wayne Moss | Marie Therese Squerciati | "Tender Engines" | "There's No Business Like Show Business" | May 20, 1993 |
| 58 | 17 | "The Joke's on Schemer" | Wayne Moss | 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" "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" | John Ferraro | Jill Golick | "Toby the Tram Engine" "Thomas Breaks the Rules" | "Cowboy Medley" | June 11, 1993 |
''Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales'' (1996)
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 |
Merchandise and home media
VHS
Most VHS releases 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 film Easy Living by Chip Lord and Mickey McGowan.- Tis a Gift"
- "Sweet and Sour"
- "Stacy Cleans Up"
- "Schemer Alone"
- "Bully for Mr. Conductor"
- "Becky Makes a Wish"
- "Billy's Party"
- "Schemer's Special Club"
- "Mr. Conductor's Evil Twin"
- "Shining Time Station Singsongs"
- "Schemer Presents: The World According to Me"
- "The Jukebox Band: A Day in the Life"
- "The Jukebox Band: Lullaby"
Book
- A book, titled This Old Band, was written by Britt Allcroft and Rick Siggelkow. It featured the Jukebox Band and was published by Quality Family Entertainment in 1994.
Music
Four cassettes were released featuring music from the series performed by the Jukebox Band:Sleepytime Singsongs Rainy Day Singsongs Rise and Shine Singsongs Birthday Party SingsongsAll 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.