I have a very edgy relationship with Thomas ingeneral (gender politics, mostly) but you may not be aware that when the UK scrapped steam trains (a major step in favour of curbing carbon emissions, limiting avoidable lung diseases and preserving some of our great buildings from soot and acidic erosion) the impassioned defence of the steam engines the Rev. Thomas Awdry invoked (which included a very tasteless association on his part between the scrapping sheds near York and the trains to Auschewicz - and I wish I was joking, but I'm not) which led to death threats being sent to people engaged on the steam-to-diesel transfer project.

So I don't find Thomas the Tank Engine Goes to the Scrapyard funny because it's so horribly close to the truth.