Tenders and Turntables

"Take care. You might stick too!" "No fear! I'm not so fat as you!"

- Gordon and James

Tenders and Turntables is the fifteenth episode of the first season. In the US, this episode aired on the Shining Time Station episodes Whistle While You Work in 1989 and Schemer's Robot in 1993.

Plot
Life has been harder at the yard since Thomas left to run his branch line. With no tank engine to shunt or fetch coaches for them, Henry, James, and Gordon must shunt in the sidings and fetch their own coaches which soon makes them very cross, causing the Fat Controller a great deal of trouble. In addition, while Thomas, being a tank engine, does not need a turntable, the larger tender engines do, as it is dangerous for them to go backwards too fast.

One windy afternoon, Gordon arrives at the other end of the line with his train and heads for the turntable. The turntable is by the sea, so the wind is very strong and unless an engine is perfectly balanced on the turntable, it becomes difficult to turn. Gordon is in a bad mood and is unable to get perfectly balanced, and neither his driver nor fireman can get him to cooperate. After trying again and again, they give up and he is forced to pull his next train tender first.

When Gordon arrives at the junction, a group of boys joke around and taunt him by calling him a tank engine. Thomas, who is waiting at the junction, laughs and suggests that Gordon should "scrap his tender and get a nice bunker." James flies by with his train and laughs as well. Gordon warns James that he may also stick on the turntable, but he claims that he won't because he is "not so fat as him."



When James gets to the sheds; he carefully lines up on the turntable, allowing it to move very easily. But the strong wind has other ideas and begins to spin James around like a top. Gordon arrives just in time to see the whole thing. When the turntable finally stops spinning, James backs into the shed looking rather sick, dizzy and humiliated.

That night, Gordon, James, and Henry hold an indignation meeting. They decide it would be best, after the day's events, to go on strike.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * The Little Boys
 * Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
 * Sir Topham Hatt (does not speak)
 * Bertie (cameo)

Locations

 * Vicarstown Sheds
 * Vicarstown Goods Yard
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Elsbridge

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Troublesome Engines. Much of the exposition at the episode's start is from the story Henry and the Elephant from the same book.
 * James' whistle while puffing onto the turntable and after being spun is absent in both Ringo Starr versions, but can be heard in all other versions.
 * Despite aiming to avoid using this term in the American script, this episode is the first to use the word "fat" in the US.
 * A reference to Thomas and the Breakdown Train and a foreshadow to Trouble in the Shed are made.
 * Two freeze frames are used when Thomas talks to Gordon about pulling his train backwards and when James is in the shed by himself.
 * A behind the scenes photo from this episode shows that the Märklin engine was used.
 * James' mishap with the turntable is based on an event that occurred in 1900 at a railway station in Garsdale Head, Cumbria, England.
 * This episode marks the only appearance of Vicarstown Goods Yard before Journey Beyond Sodor which would air 33 years later.

Goofs

 * When the engines say, "We get no rest! We get no rest!" there are two orange coaches behind Henry, but in the next scene, when the coaches say, "You're lazy and slack! You're lazy and slack!" Henry is coupled up to three coaches. Also, Henry has no crew in his cab.
 * When the narrator says, "The big stations at both ends of the line..." Henry is shunting the same coaches as he was when James came past shunting his and the first coach behind Henry seems to have a dented roof.
 * James' brake coach is backwards when he rushes through Elsbridge.
 * In the close-up of James spinning on the turntable, a crew member's face and arm is reflected in his paintwork and his dome is scratched. Also the wires between James and his tender are visible.
 * When the turntable stops spinning, it connects to the last berth on the right, but when James reverses, the turntable leads to the middle line.
 * When Thomas and Gordon are at Elsbridge, Clarabel is facing forwards, Gordon's left (viewer perspective right) buffer is wonky and both of their puffing noises are heard before they start to move.
 * When James puffs onto the turntable, he is facing towards the sheds, but in the close-up of him as the turntable turns, he is facing away from the sheds.
 * In the close-up of Sir Topham Hatt being confused, his hat's brim has two chips on it.
 * When Gordon backs onto the Tidmouth Sheds' turntable at the beginning, Sir Topham Hatt's blue car is missing some of its paint.
 * In Gordon's close-up, his buffers are crooked.

Merchandise

 * Magazine Stories - Tenders and Turntables

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Further Adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
 * Troublesome Trucks and other stories
 * Troublesome Trucks, Coal and other stories
 * Thomas and Gordon, Troublesome Trucks and other stories
 * Down the Mine and Other Stories (1992)
 * Biggest Party Video Ever!
 * Truck Loads of Fun
 * The Complete Series 1
 * Thomas and Bertie (DVD)

DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection
 * Bumper Party Collection! and Truck Loads of Fun Double Pack

WAL

 * Troublesome Trucks and 8 Other Stories

US

 * Tenders and Turntables and Other Stories (Ringo Starr's narration)
 * Thomas and His Friends Get Along
 * The Early Years (Ringo Starr's UK narration)
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 1

DVD Boxsets

 * Totally Thomas Volume 2

AUS

 * Troublesome Trucks and other stories
 * Truck Loads of Fun
 * The Complete Series 1
 * My First Thomas with James

DVD Boxsets

 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * Trainloads of Thomas Fun
 * Complete Series 1-10 (Boxset)
 * My First Thomas
 * My First Thomas (3 Disc Set)
 * Classic Collection
 * Series One and Series Two Double Pack

NZ

 * Troublesome Trucks and other stories
 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 1

FRA

 * The Magic of Sodor

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 4
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.7
 * Anytime With James!
 * A Lot of Engines!
 * The Complete DVD Box 1

KOR

 * Stories to Raise Cooperation

PHL

 * Thomas and Friends Collection
 * Thomas, Terence and the Snow (DVD)

MYS

 * Tenders and Turntables and Other Adventures
 * Thomas, Terence and the Snow and Other Adventures

SWE

 * Thomas in Trouble (Swedish VHS/DVD)

GR

 * The Adventures of Thomas (VHS)

UKR

 * A Train Thomas and Friends

NL

 * The Great Race! (Dutch DVD)
 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas, James and Henry

HRV

 * Thomas and Brakesman

GER

 * Thomas and His Friends Vol. 2
 * Thomas and the Guard and 4 Other Adventures

IND

 * Thomas and Bertie Adventures

NOR/FIN/ISL

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 2 (Scandinavian VHS/DVD)

DNK

 * Thomas in Trouble and Other Stories (Danish DVD)

ITA

 * Trouble in Store

ROM

 * Thomas and Percy (Romanian DVD)

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 1

SER

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 1

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4 (DVD)

TWN

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 2 (Taiwanese DVD)

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 3 (Thai DVD)
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