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 and Schemer's Robot.

Plot
Life is 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 cross. 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, 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 Gordon by calling him a tank engine. Thomas, who is waiting at the junction, laughs and suggests that Gordon "scrap his tender and get a nice bunker". James flies by with his train and laughs at Gordon. Gordon warns James that he may stick as well, but James claims that he won't stick because he is "not as fat as him".

When James gets to the sheds, he carefully lines up on the turntable and his crew slowly rotates the turntable. But the strong wind has other ideas and begins to spin James around uncontrollably. Gordon arrives just in time to see the whole thing. When the turntable finally stops, 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
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Elsbridge

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Troublesome Engines.
 * James' whistle after being spun on the turntable is absent in both Ringo Starr versions, but can be heard in all other versions.
 * 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 reference to Trouble in the Shed is made.
 * A behind the scenes photo from this episode shows that the Marklin engine was used.

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.
 * 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. Also, the first coach behind Henry seems to have a destroyed roof.
 * James' brake coach is backwards when he rushes through Elsbridge.
 * In the close-up of James spinning on the turntable a crewmember's face is reflected in his paintwork.
 * When the turntable stops spinning it connects 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.
 * When James spins on the turntable, the trees in the background are not blowing even when the narrator says there is wind.

UK

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

US

 * Tenders and Turntables and Other Stories
 * Thomas and His Friends Get Along and Other Thomas Adventures