Gordon

"You're a big blue boastful bossy boiler!"

- Percy, "Respect for Gordon", ninth season

    Gordon the Big Engine 
 * Class: LNER Gresley A1 4-6-2, rebuilt with Stanier parts and Fowler tender
 * Primary Function: Express passenger service
 * Designer: Nigel Gresley
 * Builder: Doncaster Works
 * Build date: April 1922
 * Configuration: 4-6-2
 * Gauge: 4' 8½"
 * Maximum Speed: Approx. 90 mp/h
 * Length: 70 ft 5 in
 * Weight:
 * Total: 153 tons 2 cwt (originally 150 tons 7 cwt)
 * Engine: 96 tons 9 cwt (originally 92 tons 9 cwt)
 * Tender: 41 tons 4 cwt (originally 57 tons 18 cwt)
 * Leading Wheel: 3' 2"
 * Driving Wheel: 6' 8" (originally 6' 8")
 * Trailing Wheel: 3' 8"
 * Tender Wheel: 4' 2"
 * Wheelbase: 50' 10.6"
 * Axle Load: 22.05 long tons (originally 20 long tons)
 * Fuel Capacity: 8 tons
 * Water Capacity: 3,500 imp gal (originally 5,000 imp gals)
 * Boil press: 220 psi (originally 180 psi)
 * Fire great area: 41.25 sq ft
 * 'Heating surface:
 * Tubes: 504 sq ft (originally 1,880 sq ft)
 * Flues: 2,159 sq ft (originally 835 sq ft)
 * Firebox: 2165 sq ft
 * Cylinders: Two 18" x 28" (outside) (originally Three 20" x 26")
 * Valve Gear: Walschaerts (piston valve) (originally Outside Walschaerts and Inside Gresley)
 * TE: 32,910lb (originally 29,835lb)
 * Power Classification: A3/7P/6F
 * Long Run: 18'81

Gordon is a blue express engine.

Bio
Gordon was built by Sir Nigel Gresley at Doncaster Works in April 1922 as an A1 with a GNR eight-wheeled tender and green livery on the Other Railway, but when he arrived on Sodor with a spare boiler and firebox later that year he was painted in the North Western Railway's blue livery.

Gordon is mainly used for passenger duties, pulling the North Western Railway's express, the "Wild Nor' Wester", but has occasionally pulled goods trains: he has been known to run into ditches and stop on hills to get out of doing these jobs, as he believes that these are below him.

Gordon had been teased by Thomas until he took him with the Express, and once stalled on the large hill in the middle of the line, and hence its name.

In 1939, Gordon went to Crovan's Gate for a rebuild, where his conjugated valve gear was playing up as it did on alot of A1' during that period, was replaced by a 2 cylinder design, and he recieved a smoother running plate the Fat Controller designed himself, Stanier underframes, Black-5 wheels, cylinders and valve gear (Gordon could have had cylinders cast to specifications slightly larger than those of the Black 5s, however this is less likely, but not impossible), squared-off side windows, rectangular buffers and a Fowler-style tender (probably flush-riveted 3500 Gallon type with horizontal strip removed). Gordon's original pony and bogey were retained. He appears to have an A3-style cab, but he still has his A1 boiler with the super heater on the smoke box side replaced by another one-off design, mounted on the interior as had been done with other locomotives, and his running plate is curved flowing front after going straight then drops down at the back and at the front.

Gordon has become famous after his adventures: in 1953 he pulled Queen Elizabeth II's royal train and in 1956 he travelled to London, where he was lauded by a large crowd. Gordon did not like the visit, however, as he discovered that London's big station was St. Pancras. Poor Gordon didn't know that London had more than one large railway station.

In 1986, Gordon got to visit Carlisle when a diesel taking a Railtour failed.

Of Gordon's brothers, only one remains in existence: Flying Scotsman, who visited Sodor during 1967-68.

Persona
Gordon's important position as the engine who usually pulls the Express has made him proud, pompous and arrogant, with good reason, too; he is the strongest engine on Sodor after all. Gordon's philosophy "tender engines don't shunt" meant that he looked down on tank engines and tender engines who do shunt, but after being locked in the Shed with Henry and James after going on strike he seems to have abandoned this philosophy.



Because of his rank in the social order of the North Western Railway, Gordon expects to get the important jobs and either sulks when he doesn't, or gets jealous of those who do. Sometimes, Gordon acts as a bully, particularly towards Edward, but following mis-adventures where Edward had to help him, Gordon had to acknowledge that despite being old, Edward is still a very useful engine. Sometimes Gordon shows a kinder side and gives the younger engines advice, usually after he has had some mishap as a result of his foolhardiness. Some of his advice isn't exactly honest, though, as James and Sir Handel have discovered!

Appearances
Gordon's appearances in the Railway Series are listed in chronological order:
 * "The Three Railway Engines"
 * "Thomas the Tank Engine"
 * "James the Red Engine"
 * "Troublesome Engines"
 * "Henry the Green Engine"
 * "Gordon the Big Engine"
 * "Edward the Blue Engine"
 * "Four Little Engines"
 * "Percy the Small Engine"
 * "The Eight Famous Engines"
 * "Duck and the Diesel Engine"
 * "The Little Old Engine"
 * "The Twin Engines"
 * "Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine"
 * "Main Line Engines"
 * "Small Railway Engines" (not seen)
 * "Enterprising Engines"
 * "Oliver the Western Engine"
 * "Really Useful Engines"
 * "James and the Diesel Engines"
 * "Great Little Engines"
 * "More About Thomas the Tank Engine" (cameo)
 * "Gordon the High-Speed Engine"
 * "Thomas and the Twins" (mentioned)
 * "Thomas and the Great Railway Show"
 * "Thomas Comes Home"
 * "Henry and the Express" (non-speaking role)
 * "Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines"

Gordon has also appeared in every series of the television series.

"Drawn and Thought of"
Gordon, according to Sodor "Historian" Martin Clutterbuck, is supposed to be an experimental prototype for Sir Nigel Gresley's A1 "Pacific" design for the GNR. Gordon was then "concieved" and built at Doncaster Works, Yorkshire. He was then tested against a similar NER Pacific in 1923, and helped make the A3 "Pacifics" the top passenger engine for LNER for the next decade. Gordon, being an experimental engine, never recieved a number, and was later rebuilt at Crewe with LMS underparts and a tender, owning to various problems. Gordon has since been rebuilt below the footplate according to Stanier designs, his running plate being Sir Topham Hatt's own design.

Basis
Gordon is based on an LNER Class A1/A3. He has an LMS curving footplate, square buffers, Stanier two-cylinder motion and Walschaerts valve gear, and an six-wheeled LMS-style Fowler tender. His boiler is easily distinguished by the rear curve of the footplate, with the firebox sides extended below the driving wheels in a smooth, angled line. On his running plate, it goes from the rear to the front straight then drops down at the front footplate. Before his 1939 rebuild, he had LNER curving footplate, round buffers, Gresley three-cylinder motion and Walschaerts valve gear on the outside, but Gresley conjugated valve gear on the inside and an eight-wheeled GNR-styled tender.

Livery
Gordon is painted NWR blue with NWR red-and-yellow lining and a number 4 painted on his tender sides in bright yellow with a red border. He carries a plaque on his cab that reads "NWR No. 4 Rebuilt 1939 Crovans Gate Works". Before arriving on Sodor, he was painted Doncaster dark green with white and black lining.

Merchandising

 * My Thomas Story Library 'Gordon'
 * 'My First' Gordon *
 * Brio Wooden Gordon
 * Learning Curve Wooden Railway Gordon
 * Learning Curve Wooden Railway "Talking Railway Series" Gordon
 * Learning Curve Take-Along Gordon
 * Bandai Tecs Gordon
 * ERTL Gordon (discontinued)
 * ERTL Gold Rail Gordon (discontinued)
 * ERTL Miniatures Gordon (discontinued)
 * TOMY/Trackmaster Gordon
 * TOMY/Wind Up Thomas
 * Hornby HO\OO scale Gordon model
 * Bachmann HO\OO scale Gordon model