- “Poor old engine! It's no good Stuart, you can't win.”
- ―Duke embarrassing Stuart
You Can't Win is the fourth episode of the fourth series. It is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book Duke the Lost Engine.
Plot[]
Duke is feeling unwell, so he rests while his crew cleans his tubes. Stuart arrives and jokes that Duke is short of puff, but Duke says it is routine maintenance. But Stuart suggests that he and Falcon keep him in working order in case of any breakdowns. Duke pays no attention and begins to leave.
That evening, Duke begins taking his passengers home. The journey starts out all smoothly until they come to a hill where he starts wheezing with his valves leaking steam. Duke finds it difficult, so Falcon and Stuart come to help him. The three engines then split up at the next station so Falcon can take Duke's train to the docks, whilst Duke and Stuart can take Falcon's train home.
Stuart is delighted, bragging about rescuing Duke from any trouble, but the latter is not quite out of steam and makes a grand effort to pull the train despite the nasty sound of his valves. Duke and his driver start puffing as soon as they reach the hill. After arriving at the top station, a boy thinks that two engines are not needed for the train but his father tells his son that Duke had to help Stuart as a result of a breakdown. Stuart becomes furious and he vanishes in a cloud of steam. Duke pulls up beside him and jokes that he cannot win.
Characters[]
- Duke
- Falcon / Sir Handel
- Stuart / Peter Sam
- The Boy with His Father
- Lily (cameo)
- Bertie (cameo)
- Refreshment Lady (cameo)
- One Little Boy (cameo)
- One member of the Railway Society (cameo)
- The Ffarquhar Stationmaster's Wife (cameo)
- The Injured Sailor (cameo)
- Fly (mentioned; deleted scene)
Locations[]
- Ffarquhar Sheds
- The Mountain Line
- Forest Runby
- Hawin Doorey
- Glennock
- Mountainside Runby
- Valley View
- Cros-ny-Cuirn
- Skarloey
- Rheneas
- Crovan's Gate Template:Replaces Arlesdale
- The Mainland (mentioned)
- Arlesburgh Harbour (mentioned; deleted scene)
Trivia[]
- This is the last episode of a couple of things:
- Peter Sam and Sir Handel's last appearances under their names "Stuart" and "Falcon." These names would be mentioned in passing one more time in Four Little Engines.
- This is the only episode based on a story from Duke the Lost Engine not told by Thomas to the other standard gauge engines. However, like the other three episodes, it is presented as a flashback.
- This episode marks the first of a couple of things:
- The first appearance of Falcon/Sir Handel's main whistle sound.
- The first episode without the standard gauge engines' appearances or speaking role, although Thomas is seen in a deleted scene of this episode in the song Little Engines.
- The first episode to feature only one standard gauge engine.
- Stuart exclaims "FIDDLESTICKS!!" towards the end of this episode, instead of "Well for crying out loud!" in the original book.
| << Series 3 | Series 4 | Series 5 >> |
| #01 Granpuff | #11 Little Old Twins | #21 A True Diesel! | #31 Patience is a Virtue | #41 Mind that Bike |
| #02 Sleeping Beauty | #12 Special Funnel | #22 Old Stuck Up | #32 Pop Special | #42 Triple Header |
| #03 Bulldog | #13 Steam Roller | #23 Duck Comes Around | #33 Peter Sam and the Prickly Problem | #43 Down the Hill |
| #04 You Can't Win | #14 Passengers and Polish | #24 Rusty to the Rescue | #34 Sir Handel Comes Home | #44 Through The Fog, It Creeps |
| #05 Four Little Engines | #15 Gallant Old Engine | #25 Thomas and Stepney | #35 Mavis and the Lorry | #45 The Secret Benefactor |
| #06 A Bad Day for Sir Handel | #16 Drip Tank | #26 Up and Adams | #36 Toby's Seaside Holiday | #46 Emily's Army |
| #07 Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady | #17 Emily's New Coaches | #27 Train Stops Play | #37 Bulstrode | #47 Carol of the Bus |
| #08 Trucks | #18 Emily's New Route | #28 Bowled Out | #38 Toby Takes the Road | |
| #09 Home at Last | #19 The Spiteful Brake Van | #29 Toad Stands By | #39 Stop Thief! | |
| #10 Rock 'n' Roll | #20 Writings on the Wall | #30 Bulls Eyes | #40 Fish |