Mr. Conductor
Encyclopedia
Mr. Conductor was a character in the late-'80s-early-'90s children's TV series Shining Time Station
and in Thomas and the Magic Railroad
. Mr. Conductor was a small man who lived in the signal box in Shining Time's mural. He was played in the first season by Ringo Starr
, in the second and third seasons and in the family specials by George Carlin
, and in the movie by Alec Baldwin
.
In the show, Mr. Conductor was used to introduce the Thomas and Friends stories, which would usually be related to some problem that the other characters were facing.
, appeared as the first Mr. Conductor in the first season of Shining Time Station. He was discovered by Matt when he was cleaning up the station. Stacy knew that he was there, but preferred not to mention him to other people. He was initially afraid of Harry, the station's engineer, but in the end the others convinced him that if he tried to talk to Harry, they could be friends. In the episode "'tis a Gift", Mr. Conductor left for the North Pole
with Mr. Nicholas. J. B. King, Esquire, the head of the Indian Valley Railroad, decided to keep the station open when he learned that Mr. Conductor lived there.
and starring in Shining Time Station seasons two, three, the family specials and Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales
, was the American cousin of the first. When compared to the original, this Mr. Conductor had a more brightly-colored outfit, and more-known sense of humor, as he is occasionally seen playing tricks on Schemer. (This is most likely because Carlin was a comedian of titanic caliber.) In a few cases, after some gold dust landed on a drawing of him, an evil twin was created, who caused trouble at the station, and could only be turned back into a picture by using magic dust or glue. For a brief time after the series ended, Mr. Conductor hosted a series called Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales
.
Unlike the Mr. Conductors (Ringo Starr and Alec Baldwin), he was the only one out of the three who had a deeper-pitched whistle that sounded more like an actual train whistle, which was altered further during the TV Specials, and Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales
.
(the former US season 5-6 narrator of the Thomas series) and starred in the movie Thomas and the Magic Railroad
. No specific relation to his previous counterparts was mentioned, although the "Conductor Family" was mentioned in passing, and that his uniform was similar to the former Mr. Conductor (George Carlin). Mr. Conductor had to watch over the engines on Sodor while Sir Topham Hatt
was away, but he found that his gold dust supply was diminishing, and he might not be able to return to Shining Time Station
. While being pursued by Diesel 10, who wanted to destroy the steam engines, Mr. Conductor had to solve the riddle to create more gold dust. Eventually with the help of C. Junior, Lily, Lady, and Burnett Stone, he found the source of the gold dust.
in the hour-long special "One of the Family". She flew around in a small plane, and enjoyed interacting with the puppets in the jukebox. Mr. Conductor was not too fond of his sister at first, thinking that she was reckless. The two reconciled toward the end of the episode, when the two dropped a toolkit from her plane to repair Kara's soapbox racer.
. Junior was the cousin of Baldwin's Mr. Conductor. He enjoyed relaxing on the beach, but was called by his cousin to bring his gold dust reserve to the Island of Sodor. At the end of the film, Mr. Conductor thought that Junior was worthy enough to take on the business, and he now helps his brother on the Island of Sodor.
Unlike his relatives, who all used whistles, Junior preferred a party horn
, though he also used his cousin's spare whistle.
Shining Time Station
Shining Time Station is an American children's television series co-created by Britt Allcroft and Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by The Britt Allcroft Company and Quality Family Entertainment in New York for New York City PBS Station WNET, and was filmed first in New York and then in Toronto...
and in Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a 2000 British/American film based on the well-known TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends and the United States TV series Shining Time Station. The film was co-produced by Gullane Entertainment and the Isle of Man Film Commission. It was written, produced...
. Mr. Conductor was a small man who lived in the signal box in Shining Time's mural. He was played in the first season by Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, in the second and third seasons and in the family specials by George Carlin
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
, and in the movie by Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
.
In the show, Mr. Conductor was used to introduce the Thomas and Friends stories, which would usually be related to some problem that the other characters were facing.
Magic
Mr. Conductor was able to appear and disappear at will using magic dust. He lived in a signal box in the mural, which seemed like merely a painting to outsiders, but actually seems to have space inside.The Conductors
Throughout the series, there have been three characters with the name Mr. Conductor.Mr. Conductor 1
Played by Ringo StarrRingo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, appeared as the first Mr. Conductor in the first season of Shining Time Station. He was discovered by Matt when he was cleaning up the station. Stacy knew that he was there, but preferred not to mention him to other people. He was initially afraid of Harry, the station's engineer, but in the end the others convinced him that if he tried to talk to Harry, they could be friends. In the episode "'tis a Gift", Mr. Conductor left for the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
with Mr. Nicholas. J. B. King, Esquire, the head of the Indian Valley Railroad, decided to keep the station open when he learned that Mr. Conductor lived there.
Mr. Conductor 2
The second Mr. Conductor, played by George CarlinGeorge Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
and starring in Shining Time Station seasons two, three, the family specials and Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales
Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales
Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales was a spin-off series of Shining Time Station. The plotlines, secondary to the five stories told by George Carlin in each episode, focused solely on Mr. Conductor; no other characters from Shining Time Station appear...
, was the American cousin of the first. When compared to the original, this Mr. Conductor had a more brightly-colored outfit, and more-known sense of humor, as he is occasionally seen playing tricks on Schemer. (This is most likely because Carlin was a comedian of titanic caliber.) In a few cases, after some gold dust landed on a drawing of him, an evil twin was created, who caused trouble at the station, and could only be turned back into a picture by using magic dust or glue. For a brief time after the series ended, Mr. Conductor hosted a series called Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales
Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales
Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales was a spin-off series of Shining Time Station. The plotlines, secondary to the five stories told by George Carlin in each episode, focused solely on Mr. Conductor; no other characters from Shining Time Station appear...
.
Unlike the Mr. Conductors (Ringo Starr and Alec Baldwin), he was the only one out of the three who had a deeper-pitched whistle that sounded more like an actual train whistle, which was altered further during the TV Specials, and Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales
Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales
Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales was a spin-off series of Shining Time Station. The plotlines, secondary to the five stories told by George Carlin in each episode, focused solely on Mr. Conductor; no other characters from Shining Time Station appear...
.
Mr. Conductor 3
The third Mr. Conductor was played by Alec BaldwinAlec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
(the former US season 5-6 narrator of the Thomas series) and starred in the movie Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a 2000 British/American film based on the well-known TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends and the United States TV series Shining Time Station. The film was co-produced by Gullane Entertainment and the Isle of Man Film Commission. It was written, produced...
. No specific relation to his previous counterparts was mentioned, although the "Conductor Family" was mentioned in passing, and that his uniform was similar to the former Mr. Conductor (George Carlin). Mr. Conductor had to watch over the engines on Sodor while Sir Topham Hatt
The Fat Controller
The Fat Controller is the head of the railway in The Railway Series of books written by the Rev. W. V. Awdry. In the first two books in the series he is known as The Fat Director...
was away, but he found that his gold dust supply was diminishing, and he might not be able to return to Shining Time Station
Shining Time Station
Shining Time Station is an American children's television series co-created by Britt Allcroft and Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by The Britt Allcroft Company and Quality Family Entertainment in New York for New York City PBS Station WNET, and was filmed first in New York and then in Toronto...
. While being pursued by Diesel 10, who wanted to destroy the steam engines, Mr. Conductor had to solve the riddle to create more gold dust. Eventually with the help of C. Junior, Lily, Lady, and Burnett Stone, he found the source of the gold dust.
Sister C.
Sister Conductor was Mr. Conductor's (played by George Carlin) sister, played by Teri GarrTeri Garr
-Early life:Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. Her father, Eddie Garr , was a vaudeville performer, comedian and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road...
in the hour-long special "One of the Family". She flew around in a small plane, and enjoyed interacting with the puppets in the jukebox. Mr. Conductor was not too fond of his sister at first, thinking that she was reckless. The two reconciled toward the end of the episode, when the two dropped a toolkit from her plane to repair Kara's soapbox racer.
C. Junior
Mr. Conductor, Junior was a character in Thomas and the Magic Railroad and was played by Michael E. RodgersMichael E. Rodgers
Michael E. Rodgers is a Scottish film, television and theater actor.He began his film career with a role in Gia with Angelina Jolie. Shortly thereafter, he went to work with Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Minnie Driver in feature film Uncorked and renowned director Allison Anders in Sugar Town...
. Junior was the cousin of Baldwin's Mr. Conductor. He enjoyed relaxing on the beach, but was called by his cousin to bring his gold dust reserve to the Island of Sodor. At the end of the film, Mr. Conductor thought that Junior was worthy enough to take on the business, and he now helps his brother on the Island of Sodor.
Unlike his relatives, who all used whistles, Junior preferred a party horn
Party horn
A party horn, also known as a blow-out, blower, noisemaker or a squeaker, is a horn formed from a paper tube, often one that is flattened and rolled into a coil, and which unrolls when blown into, producing a horn-like noise. Modern variations have a plastic mouthpiece, which prevents the swift...
, though he also used his cousin's spare whistle.