Gordon Takes a Shortcut

"Are you lost?""Would you like some help?""No, thank you. I'm not lost."

- Oliver, Toad, and Gordon

Gordon Takes a Shortcut is the fifteenth episode of the twelfth season.

Plot
Some workmen and a group of VIP's are waiting at Great Waterton. Gordon tries to take a shortcut to beat Stanley there, but when he ignores advice from Duck, Oliver, and Toad he ends up getting lost. After banging into Ben's log truck, spilling logs onto Stanley's line, he realises that trying to take a shortcut hadn't been such a good idea after all. Gordon knows he must stop Stanley from hitting the logs, so he asks for advice from the other engines on how to get down to Stanley's line. He manages to stop Stanley just in time. The two go to Great Waterton, and as a sign of friendship, Gordon allows Stanley to take the VIP's.

Characters

 * Gordon
 * Duck
 * Oliver
 * Ben
 * Stanley
 * Toad
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Rocky (does not speak)
 * 'Arry and Bert (cameo)

Locations

 * Great Waterton
 * Knapford
 * Brendam Docks
 * The Lumber Mill
 * Cabalnoo

Trivia

 * A sampled recording of the story with Pierce Brosnan's original narration is featured on Dino Athanassiou's website.
 * Stock footage from Gordon and the Engineer is used.
 * Oliver and Toad speak for the first time since the seventh season episode, Snow Engine; although Oliver previously made a non-speaking role in Steady Eddie.
 * Going by production order, this is the tenth episode of the twelfth season.
 * This episode aired before The Great Discovery premiered in the UK, meaning the audience may have not known about Stanley or Great Waterton.
 * Harvey appears in the annual story of this episode, which means he may have originally played a role in this episode.
 * This episode marks the last of several things:
 * Ben's last appearance until the seventeenth season episode, Percy's Lucky Day.
 * The last episode until Luke's New Friend that Thomas does not appear at all.
 * Oliver's last appearance until Tale of the Brave and Toad's last appearance until the eighteenth season episode, Signals Crossed and their last speaking roles until Toad's Adventure.
 * The last time Duck and Oliver are seen in the same episode until Tale of the Brave.
 * This was Duck's last speaking role until the seventeenth season episode Henry's Hero.

Goofs

 * Duck's face is smaller than usual.
 * Toad's face is bigger than usual in some scenes.
 * Stanley's whistle sound has changed since The Great Discovery.
 * Gordon's tender shakes when he arrives at the Logging Station.
 * One of the trucks in the siding with 'Arry and Bert is derailed.
 * When the narrator says, "But Gordon didn't know which track to take to find Stanley," Ben's eyes are wonky.
 * Throughout the episode, Gordon's driver and fireman cannot be seen in his cab.

UK

 * The Complete Twelfth Series

AUS

 * The Complete Twelfth Series

DVD Boxsets

 * The Essential Collection (5 DVD Boxset)

US/Latin America

 * Railway Friends

DVD Boxsets

 * Adventure Pack
 * Full Steam Ahead

FRA

 * Best Friends (French DVD)

MYS

 * Thomas Puts the Brakes On and Other Adventures

TWN

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 44 (Taiwanese DVD)

THA

 * Tram Trouble (Thai DVD)