"Locomotive Smurfs" is a Season 7 episode from the Smurfs cartoon show.
Characters[]
- Handy Smurf
- Papa Smurf
- Farmer Smurf
- Sassette Smurfling
- Hefty Smurf
- Gargamel
- Scruple
- Azrael
- Brainy Smurf
- Baby Smurf
- Miner Smurf
- Clumsy Smurf
- Grouchy Smurf
- Harmony Smurf
- Greedy Smurf
- Grandpa Smurf
- Nat Smurfling
- Feathers
- Hedgehog
- Slouchy Smurfling (Cameo)
- Snappy Smurfling (Cameo)
- Homnibus (Mentioned only)
- Unnamed Smurfs
Synopsis[]
Handy creates a train for the Smurfs, which Gargamel tries to use against them.
Plot Summary[]
Out in the Smurf Forest, the Smurfs are busy carrying two cart loads of smurfberries that they have picked back to the village, and Sassette, Handy, and Farmer are complaining about how heavy and strenuous carrying the load is getting, though Hefty shrugs it off as being good exercise, and Greedy is busy helping to "lighten the load" by helping himself to the smurfberries. But soon they have another problem to deal with: Gargamel and Scruple coming out of hiding and chasing after them riding on skis fitted with roller skate wheels. Sassette says that they'll never be able to outrun them, but Hefty sees that they don't have to as they hide behind a rock and watch as the evil wizard and the apprentice ski right past them, unable to turn around as they ski right into the river and then right over into the waterfall.
With Gargamel and Scruple safely gone, the Smurfs use wooden planks to get the carts that have fallen into the river back onto dry ground, with Sassette saying that using wooden planks under the cartwheels makes her feel as strong as Hefty. Farmer just says that it's too bad it isn't always this easy, but then Handy just comes up with a brilliant idea: he creates the Smurf Village's first locomotive steam engine that he calls the railsmurfer. The village builder shows off his invention upon its completion, saying that with it their work will be cut in half. All the Smurfs gathered to see the railsmurfer's demonstration are impressed, with Papa Smurf seconding Baby Smurf's fascination with the new invention.
Soon, Hefty, Farmer, and Miner are laying down tracks throughout the village to important places where the railsmurfer needs to go, with Farmer saying that it's hard work to make life easier, and Grouchy saying that he hates "making life easier". Then Handy pulls up on the end of the completed line with the railsmurfer engine with Papa Smurf and Sassette riding along. Handy tells Papa Smurf that the railsmurfer can do a week's worth of work in one day, to which Papa Smurf says that once the chores are done, he can go visit Homnibus and show him his latest potions. Sassette adds that they can also take a ride through the forest, which Handy says is a great idea, but Papa Smurf advises against it, saying that Gargamel may still be lurking about.
After seeing Papa Smurf fly off on Feathers, Sassette complains about the village leader getting to go anywhere to visit anyone while the other Smurfs have to stay at home. Brainy says that they don't have to stay at home, that with Handy's railsmurfer they can travel anywhere. Handy tries to tell Brainy about Papa Smurf's warning of Gargamel lurking about, but Brainy quashes Handy's attempt by reminding his fellow Smurf about Papa Smurf calling the railsmurfer a great idea. All they need to do is to lay down more tracks through the forest, which some Smurfs are willing to do, and Grandpa Smurf even encourages his little grand-Smurfs to get working on it.
With more tracks that are laid out through the forest, the railsmurfer is ready for its maiden voyage as a group of Smurfs get on board and fill up the passenger cars before it starts off. Brainy tries to show off his skills as the conductor of the railsmurfer, complete with a schedule that he has made up for the trip, while Baby and Harmony take turns blowing the engine's whistle. In the engine's cab, the workers are stoking the coal into the furnace, and blowing the engine's whistle. Unfortunately, Brainy's new self-appointed job is met with some disapproval by Hefty as he and his fellow Smurfs have to deal with handing over tickets, and Clumsy and Grouchy are sent to riding in the caboose because neither of them had tickets.
Soon, the railsmurfer's first passenger trip is interrupted by the presence of a hedgehog sleeping on the tracks. Nat gets off the train engine in order to talk peaceably to the sleeping hedgehog, getting him to wake up and offering him a ride on the railsmurfer. Brainy objects to that, saying that there's no more room and that one of the Smurfs would have to get off. Hefty is all too eager to have Brainy be the "volunteer" and throws poor Brainy thrown off the train, leaving the village intellectual to comment that the hedgehog didn't even have a ticket.
Meanwhile, Gargamel, Azrael, and Scruple are still walking through the forest in search of Smurfs when they hear a whistle blowing which attracts their attention. They head over to where the sound is coming from and see Handy's railsmurfer in action, with Gargamel saying that it's a traveling smorgasbord of Smurfs. As Brainy tries to catch up to the railsmurfer by operating a lever-powered rail car, Clumsy and Grouchy are riding in the caboose taking in the forest scenery when they notice Gargamel peering out of the bushes. The other Smurfs also notice this, and before long Handy has Miner put the railsmurfer in gear as they outrun the evil wizard and his cat chasing after them, eluding them by entering through a tunnel through a big rock that stops their pursuer dead in his tracks. After Scruple pulls Gargamel out of the tunnel, the evil wizard comes up with the idea of sending the traveling Smurfs on a little detour.
Soon, Handy finds that the railsmufer is traveling through a tunnel that he doesn't remember any of the Smurfs building, but at the end they see far too late that it has led them straight into Gargamel's castle, with the evil wizard ready to capture and cook them as they depart from the train. While Gargamel prepares to do a stir-fry dinner with the Smurfs in his possession, Handy escapes to sneak on board the railsmurfer with an idea of how to get his fellow Smurfs off the wizard's menu. By feeding the railsmurfer's engine with more coal, Handy creates thick smoke that blinds the evil wizard and his two companions, allowing him time to free the Smurfs from their cage and have them get back on board the railsmurfer to escape to the village.
On their way going backwards along the same track, Brainy finds himself pedaling his pump trolley to flee from the speeding runaway railsmurfer that Gargamel chases after. Suddenly, the wizard catches the train as it's going over the bridge, thinking that he has the Smurfs, only for the bridge to collapse and send him falling into the water and the Smurfs jumping out of the railsmurfer to escape. Gargamel is left holding up the train, saying that he hates Smurfs and their railsmurfer as the engine blows its whistle into his ear before he just collapses.
Papa Smurf returns from his visit to Homnibus to see that his little Smurfs are safe and sound, though now without Handy's new invention, which Brainy berates by saying it almost have gotten them eaten by Gargamel. Fortunately, Handy has built a brand new railsmurfer, though this time as a toy for the Smurflings and Baby Smurf to play with, which Baby Smurf has the pleasure of being its first passenger.
Trivia[]
- A Smurfs comic book story, "The Smurf Express", also features a similar invention.
- The railsmurfer engine of the train is a 4-2-0 engine or an American Jervis type steam locomotive. These locomotives of this type of wheel arrangement were used most common in the early years on American railroading, especially on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. In the 1830's, these types of engines have six wheels (four leading wheels, two driving wheels, and no trailing wheels).
Videos[]
