So I contacted Rick Siggelkow, co-creator of Shining Time Station, about an "early cut" of Thomas the Tank Engine he had, and this is what he had to say:

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When Rick was working at PBS in the late 1980´s, he was given the Down the Mine "pilot" from the head of the station who had returned from England, and asked to see what could be done with it. He showed it to his wife and a preschool, and they loved it. Thus STS was born.

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In terms of what Rick saw on that tape, he vaguely remembers that "Thomas and Gordon were in it, there was no Ringo." So I guess this means Ringo Starr didn't narrate the "Pilot"! Who did, Rick doesn't know.

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This could explain why in some SiF interviews crew members of the Series weren't sure where the "Pilot" was: it was because it was with Rick Siggelkow in New York, far away from the Britt Allcroft' Company's archives.

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So where is the Down the Mine "Pilot"? That I'm not sure. However, I have two theories: 1. The "Pilot" is in Rick's storage as he's kept a lot of stuff from his television days. 2. The "Pilot" is with Mattel as Rick sent most of his Thomas related master tapes to them.

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I want to thank those that are helping to solve this mystery. We may not have the "Pilot" (yet) but we at least know more of it's story.

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