Off the Rails

"Silly old Gordon fell in a ditch, fell in a ditch, fell in a ditch. Silly old Gordon fell in a ditch. All on a Monday morning."

- The boys singing rudely at Gordon.

Off the Rails, retitled Gordon Takes a Dip in American releases, is the twenty-fourth episode of the first series.

Plot
One morning, Gordon is resting at the station. Henry suddenly pulls up and wakes Gordon rudely. Gordon is very cross, believing that an engine who has never had an accident should be respected. Percy arrives next and innocently asks if jammed whistles and burst safety valves count as accidents. Gordon denies it, saying that they might happen to any engine which is much different from when Henry came off the rails.

It is Henry's day to take the Express. As he prepares to leave, Gordon reminds him keep on the rails, much to his annoyance. When Henry leaves, Gordon tries to go back to sleep, but is awakened by his driver, who tells him that they have been asked to pull a special train. Gordon asks if the special is coaches or trucks. When the driver tells him it is trucks, Gordon becomes angry at the idea.

Gordon's fire is slow to start, so Edward comes to push him to the turntable to be turned around. Gordon complains the whole way and Edward rebukes him as they reach the turntable. By now, the movement has gotten Gordon's fire burning nicely and making steam. By now Gordon is so cross that he is willing to do anything to get out of taking the special regardless of the consequences. When the table is halfway round, Gordon moves forward in an attempt to jam it as he has done before, but is unable to stop and slides down some old unused rails into a marshy ditch. Gordon shouts for someone to get him out, but his crew sternly rebuke him and tell him that he is stuck.



In his office, the Fat Controller receives a phone call from Gordon's crew who tell him all about what happened. Upon seeing Gordon from his window, he orders to have Edward take the special train and leave Gordon where he is for now. Meanwhile, some little boys come by, see Gordon's predicament and tease him with a rhyme, leaving him humiliated.

Gordon stays in the ditch all day and the rescue team does not come until late at night. The work crews remove his tender, lift him up with the Breakdown Train and make a road of sleepers under his wheels to keep him from the mud. Strong cables are fastened to his tender hitch and he is pulled out from the ditch by James and Henry. Afterwards, a filthy and disgraced Gordon crawls back to the shed, much sadder and wiser for his experience.

Characters

 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * Percy
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Little Boys
 * James
 * Troublesome Trucks
 * Märklin Engine

Locations

 * Vicarstown Sheds
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford
 * Sir Topham Hatt's Office

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Gordon the Big Engine.
 * The telephone conversation is a sped up version of the conversation between the policeman and the Fat Controller in Thomas in Trouble.
 * According to the boys' song, the events of this episode take place on a Monday.
 * In the US, this episode aired before Whistles and Sneezes, so early American viewers would not understand the "jammed whistles" line.
 * A scrap model of Thomas can be seen beside the ditch.
 * When Gordon is shown being lifted from the ditch, an engine's lights can be seen passing on the left. This is believed to be the Märklin engine.
 * The boys' song "Silly Old Gordon Fell in the Ditch" has the same tune as the Mother Goose rhyme: Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.
 * In its original broadcast, this episode was paired with Down the Mine with the latter being shown first. However, early VHS releases have it paired with Dirty Objects, as do Norwegian and Swedish broadcasts.
 * This is the only Series 1 episode in which Henry doesn't appear in his old shape, even through stock footage.

Goofs

 * In the opening scene, Gordon's front bogie wheels are slightly derailed and his buffers are crooked.
 * In a close-up of Percy, his coupling chain is up, but in the next shot it is suddenly dangling downward.
 * Gordon's tender is derailed when Percy puffs up.
 * When Henry is getting ready to take the express, Gordon's driver has blu-tak under his feet.
 * When Gordon snaps "Trucks?! Pah!" a piece of hair is visible by his right eye.
 * In the close-up of Gordon on the turntable, a large gap is visible through his left eye.
 * When the boys sing the camera shakes.
 * When Gordon is getting pulled out of the ditch, his bufferbeam hits is wooden post.
 * In a rare picture, several workmen have blu-tak on their feet.
 * James' drive wheels move slightly then stop when he pulls Gordon out of the ditch.
 * The narrator states Henry and James rescued Gordon: however James is the only one seen.
 * Due to portions of the script being taken word for word from the original book, the narrator says Gordon had strong ropes fastened to his back end, but the close up of James reveals it to be a chain.
 * In the long shots of James during Gordon's rescue, he has the rescue cable Gordon used in Percy Runs Away and later in Down the Mine attached to his middle lamp iron, but in the close-up, he has a chain attached to his front coupling hook instead. However, when Gordon is on the turntable, James has the rescue cable on him again.
 * When Gordon says "I won't go, I won't go," there is steam coming from his funnel, even though it was said that his fire would not burn right away.
 * In Ringo Starr's US narration, when Gordon and his driver are talking about the special train, there is an echo in the background. This is audio from the UK version.
 * Throughout the episode, Henry's top feed is positioned between his first and second boiler bands, instead of his second and third.

Merchandise

 * Buzz Books - Gordon Off the Rails
 * Ladybird Books - Edward, Gordon and Henry and Gordon Off the Rails

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Further Adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
 * Coal and other stories
 * Thomas the Tank Engine
 * Playtime
 * The Complete Series 1
 * Truck Loads of Fun
 * Thomas in Trouble

VHS/DVD Packs

 * Classic Collection
 * Troublesome Trucks, Coal and other stories
 * Bumper Party Collection! and Truck Loads of Fun Double Pack

US

 * Better Late Than Never and Other Stories
 * Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Best of Gordon
 * The Early Years
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 1

VHS/DVD Packs

 * Totally Thomas Volume 9
 * Thomas' Useful Stories
 * Adventure On the Tracks
 * Best Tales on the Tracks
 * Ultimate Thomas Collection
 * Best of Collection

AUS

 * Coal and other stories
 * Playtime
 * Truck Loads of Fun
 * The Complete Series 1
 * My First Thomas with Henry and Gordon

DVD Boxsets

 * 60th Anniversary - Limited Edition Boxset
 * Trainloads of Thomas Fun
 * Complete Series 1-10
 * Classic Collection
 * Series One and Series Two Double Pack

NZ

 * Coal and other stories
 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 2
 * Percy Runs Away and Other Stories
 * Thomas Train Set Compilation Video Volume 2

FRA

 * The Talkative Trains

IND

 * Thomas and Bertie Adventures

Latin America

 * The Visit of Thomas

DVD Boxsets

 * The Adventures of Thomas

MYS

 * Toby and the Stout Gentleman and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Tenders and Turntables and Other Adventures

NL

 * A Nasty Case
 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas, Percy and Gordon

UKR

 * A Train Thomas and Friends

GER

 * Thomas and His Friends Vol. 3
 * Toby and the Elegant Men and 4 Other Adventures

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 6
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.2
 * Gordon and Henry the Large Engines
 * Startled in Spite of Oneself
 * Best of Gordon
 * The Complete DVD Box 1

PHL

 * The Flying Kipper

SVN

 * Bertie's Race

NOR

 * Favourites From Thomas and Friends
 * Thomas the Tank Engine 3

BRA

 * The Earliest Adventures of Thomas

FIN/ISL

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 3

ITA

 * The Grumpy Locomotive

ROM

 * Thomas and Percy

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 1

SER

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 2

HRV

 * Thomas in Trouble

WAL

 * Letting Off Steam and 8 Other Stories

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4

HK

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 3 (VCD)
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 12 (DVD)

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 4

DNK
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 * Thomas in Trouble and Other Stories
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