Whistles and Sneezes

"It isn't wrong, but we just don't do it!"

- Gordon commenting on Henry's whistling

Whistles and Sneezes is the twentieth episode of the first season. It first aired in the US on the Shining Time Station episode Achoo and Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales.

Plot
One morning soon after Henry returned from Crewe in his new shape, Gordon, who is jealous that Henry now gets to pull the express, starts to complain and asks why Henry got to have time off and be sent away while the other engines had to do his work. He then starts to bitterly moan that Henry whistles too loudly at stations, saying that "it isn't wrong, but we just don't do it!" For the first time since he got back, Henry stops feeling happy and is hurt at these words. But Percy reassures him that he likes his whistling. Gordon leaves to pull the express, but not before self-importantly telling Henry to think about what he said.

Henry arrives at Wellsworth where Edward is waiting. Edward tells Henry that he was glad to hear his whistle, cheering Henry up. Suddenly, the sound of a far-off and continuous whistle can be heard much to the engines' joint confusion. Edward notes that it sounds like Gordon's whistle, but Gordon never whistles like that.

Edward is right. It is Gordon, who flies down the hill as fast as he can. He does not stop, speak, or even look at Henry and Edward as he screams straight through the station. Edward is surprised, while Henry tells him what Gordon had said about whistling.

Gordon tears down the line, with the awful noise from his whistle continuing until he reaches the station. Everyone holds their ears, and the Fat Controller screams to take Gordon away and have the noise stopped. Gordon leaves the express behind, and is taken to some fitters who stop the whistling by knocking his whistle back into place.

Gordon sneaks home that night to the empty shed, much to his relief. As the other engines arrive back, Henry quietly murmurs that "It isn't wrong, but we just don't do it." Whistles, however, are never mentioned.

The next day, Henry takes a train feeling as well as ever and enjoying the run. The coaches run behind happily, and Henry soon approaches a bridge where three boys are waiting. Henry whistles in greeting, but suddenly feels pain as the boys, rather than waving or taking his number, instead drop stones on him which break the glass of the coaches' windows.

Nobody is hurt, but Henry and the passengers are furious and want the police called. Henry's driver, however, has a plan to get their own back. After getting everyone to promise to keep the plan a secret, the driver tells everyone that Henry is going to "sneeze" at the boys. Henry and the passengers are satisfied, and proceed to the station.

Lots of people wait at the station before the bridge, eager to see what will happen. The driver warns everyone to keep their windows shut until they are past the bridge. The plan is to have Henry release the ashes that are built up in his smokebox by sneezing.

Soon, Henry approaches the bridge where the boys are waiting with stones. Judging the moment, Henry's driver has him sneeze at exactly the right time and cover the boys from head to toe in soot.

Henry goes home that night feeling very happy knowing that, thanks to a whistle and a sneeze, he was able to teach Gordon and some boys a lesson they will not quickly forget.

Characters

 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * Percy
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Thomas (cameo)
 * James (cameo)

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Wellsworth
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Knapford
 * Vicarstown Sheds
 * Lower Tidmouth
 * Crewe (mentioned in UK version)

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the stories Gordon's Whistle and Henry's Sneeze from The Railway Series book Henry the Green Engine.
 * Stock footage from Coal and The Flying Kipper is used.
 * In Germany, this episode is named "Pipes and Sneezing". The Welsh title is "Loosing Steam". In Japan, this episode is called "Sneeze have To Come or When Sneezing has Come". The French title is "Wheezing and Sneezing".
 * This is the only episode of Season 1 never to be renarrated by Ringo Starr in the US.

Goofs

 * Edward was in the shed when Gordon criticised Henry, so why would Henry need to explain it to Edward?
 * Because stock footage is used, Henry is in his old shape in a close-up of himself before reaching the bridge.
 * The boys were already covered in ash before Henry sneezed at them.
 * The UK narration says that Henry taught Gordon a lesson with a whistle and a sneeze, but Henry did not necessarily teach him a lesson. Gordon rather really learned it for himself.
 * Gordon passes through Wellsworth, then goes over his hill and ends up at Knapford. He would not have to go over his hill to get from Wellsworth to Knapford.
 * In the wide shot of Henry puffing towards the bridge the second time, he's not moving for the first couple of seconds.