Thomas and Gordon

"Well, little Thomas. Now you know what hard work means, don't you?"

- Gordon

Thomas and Gordon, retitled Thomas Gets Tricked in American releases, is the very first episode of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. It first aired on Shining Time Station in the episode A Place Unlike Any Other in 1989 and re-aired in Stacy Forgets Her Name in 1993.

Plot
Thomas is a blue tank engine who acts as a station pilot for the bigger engines. His job is to fetch coaches for the other engines and then take them away when the engines need to go to the sheds and rest. Thomas thinks no engine works as hard as he does and is often very cheeky to the bigger engines.

One day, a big blue express locomotive named Gordon returns from a long journey and wants a rest, so he finds a siding to sleep in. Then Thomas comes up in his cheeky way, telling Gordon to wake up and work harder. This wakes the big engine up, but instead of falling back asleep, he plots revenge on Thomas to show him what hard work is.

The next morning, Thomas' crew is unable to make him start. Gordon impatiently waits outside the station for Thomas to bring him his coaches. Finally, Thomas starts. He hurrys to get the express coaches and brings them to the station platform behind Gordon. Gordon then enacts his plan and quickly backs down and couples to his train. Thomas usually pushes from behind to help the trains get a good start, but they always uncouple him from the train first. This time, however, Gordon has rushed him so much, Thomas' crew forgot to uncouple him and Gordon quickly starts off, with little Thomas behind. Gordon races through the Sudrian countryside as fast as he could to show Thomas how hard it is to pull the express. It's not long before Thomas is quite out of breath.

After a while, the two blue engines come to a stop at a station. Thomas had never gone that fast before and is very tired and feels very silly. He has a nice long drink from the water tower and puffs wearily home. Thomas learned to never be cheeky to Gordon again.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * Henry (cameo)
 * James (cameo)
 * Clarabel (cameo)
 * Sir Topham Hatt (cameo)
 * Stephen Hatt (cameo)

Locations

 * Wellsworth
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford
 * The Bus Yard
 * The Viaduct
 * Henry's Tunnel
 * The Main Line

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Thomas the Tank Engine.
 * The events of this episode were remade in CGI for the 2015 special, The Adventure Begins.
 * Gordon is seen backing down to his train at the beginning of the restored version.
 * When Thomas pulls into Knapford at the beginning, a poster for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus can be seen on the wall.
 * The title card was used on the first five seasons as well as the eighth season in the Greek dub.

Goofs

 * In the very first shot of Thomas, studio equipment is reflected off of his smokebox and the edge of his boiler is chipped. In the same shot when he starts rolling his eyes, his face moves just a little bit.
 * In the first shot of Thomas' wheels, the paint on his middle wheel is chipped and his smokebox is scratched.
 * When Thomas pulls the coaches into Knapford, Henry clearly has no coaches but seconds later he has two Express Coaches, a van and a break van.
 * The top of the set can be seen over the church, when James and Henry pass by.
 * Studio equipment in the reflection in the river as Gordon passes by.
 * When Thomas pulls up next to Gordon, Thomas' smoke vanishes as Gordon wakes up; this is due to a cut in the film.
 * When the narrator says "It was nearly time for the Express" there are no coaches on the track next to Gordon. When Thomas puffs in, they suddenly appear.
 * Gordon was waiting outside platform 2 for his coaches, but when Thomas puffs in, Gordon and his coaches are outside platform 3 and 4.
 * In one scene, there is a set of points leading from the track outside platform 5 to the track outside platform 4. In the next scene, it disappears.
 * In the restored version, studio equipment can be seen as Gordon pulls Thomas around the bend.
 * The express leaves from Knapford, but first goes through Henry's Tunnel before arriving at Wellsworth, which is at the opposite end of the railway line.
 * When Gordon comes out of Henry's Tunnel, the track bounces up and down.
 * In the close-ups of Thomas and Gordon on their journey, the train is missing.
 * In the restored version, when the train crosses the viaduct, the edge of the set is visible.
 * When Thomas goes on the turntable a camera stand is visible, and a small white mark is visible on his tank (please note that the former part of this was listed three times by mistake).
 * Just before Thomas reaches the water tower, the background shows trees and bushes instead of Wellsworth station.
 * At the end, Thomas is puffing rather fast when the narrator says, "Poor Thomas couldn't answer".
 * James appears briefly, but he is not introduced until Thomas and the Breakdown Train.
 * When Gordon backs down on his train and yells, "Get in quickly please!", something can be seen moving behind the station.
 * In the shot of Thomas puffing into Knapford, Henry does not have a train. But a few seconds later, he has coaches, a van, and a brakevan.
 * Also when Henry is pulling out, the edge of the set is visible if you look through Knapford station.
 * When Gordon is sleeping in the siding, his buffers are crooked.
 * In the shot of Thomas stopping inside Knapford with his coaches, Henry is in his new shape.
 * In the close-up of Gordon's whistle, Knapford is missing from the background.
 * In the scene when Henry and James puff out of Knapford, two of Henry's wheelarches are missing and his train has no brake coach.
 * When Gordon says, "Well little Thomas!" Wellsworth station and the bushes beside him are missing.
 * When Thomas is taking on water at the end, Gordon and his train are missing.
 * Knapford station is missing from the background in the close-up of Thomas' whistle.