Gordon Runs Dry

"Um, Gordon. Have you got your, uh, brakes on?" "Maybe." "Well, take them off won't you? How can I push you with your brakes on?"

- Paxton and Gordon

Gordon Runs Dry is the fourth episode of the seventeenth season.

Plot
At Knapford, Gordon is waiting impatiently for Percy to shunt his express coaches. He is only made more upset when Thomas suggests that he should fetch his own coaches. Gordon claims express trains are more important than local trains because local trains stop at every station.

Meanwhile, Paxton is pulling a stone train from Blue Mountain Quarry. Before he reaches the junction to the main line, the signal turns red. He avoids a near collision with Gordon, but one of the rocks from his train bounces off Gordon's boiler. Instead of checking over the damage, Gordon hurries away to stay on time. Gordon's boiler begins to run dry, but instead of filling up on water, he passes by the water tower. However, he cannot help but think about water when he passes a lake and a stream.

Eventually he does stop to fill up, but his passengers complain about being behind schedule. At Wellsworth, Henry makes fun of Gordon for being late. Once again he passes by a water tower instead of filling up, but a little further, he cannot help but stop. On his way with the local, Thomas notices a trail of water on the tracks that lead to Gordon. They conclude that the rock had put a hole in Gordon's boiler.

Thomas takes Gordon's express passengers and Paxton shunts Gordon to the Steamworks. At first Gordon keeps his brakes on, embarrassed that he has to be shunted. After being repaired, the engines still make fun of him for letting his boiler run dry.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Paxton
 * Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
 * Toby (cameo)
 * Victor (cameo)
 * Henrietta (cameo)
 * The Bird Watcher (cameo)
 * Dowager Hatt's Friends (cameo)
 * Sir Topham Hatt (mentioned)

A man's voice is also heard over a station speaker. He is voiced by Keith Wickham in both versions.

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford
 * Kellsthorpe
 * Wellsworth
 * Maron
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * The Fenland Track
 * Blue Mountain Quarry (mentioned)
 * Tidmouth (mentioned)
 * Crosby (mentioned)
 * Cronk (mentioned)

Trivia

 * Some fade effects are missing in both the UK version and the televised US version.
 * Stock footage from Wayward Winston is used.
 * The Spanish title of the episode is "Gordon Runs out of Water". The Japanese title is "Boiler Broken Gordon". The Norwegian title is "Gordon Runs Empty".
 * When Gordon is naming the stations, they are in the order in which they would appear on a map of Sodor.
 * This episodes plot is similar to the magazine story Too Hot.
 * Going by production order, this is the second episode of the seventeenth season.
 * In the Norwegian version, the scene where Gordon admits his mistake to Thomas and Paxton uses a different camera angle, and an extra shot of Paxton trying to push Gordon is added. Gordon's lamp is present in all these shots, while it is not seen in the rest of the episode.

Goofs

 * The Bird Watcher is one of the passengers in Gordon's express, but when Paxton is pushing Gordon to the Sodor Steamworks, the Bird Watcher is standing on the platform at Kellsthorpe. Also, an elderly man who boarded Gordon's train at Wellsworth is standing on the platform at Maron. A young boy can also be seen on the train, but is later seen stood on the platform at Wellsworth.
 * The hole in Gordon's boiler moves throughout the episode.
 * The passengers were upset when Gordon stopped to take on water, but they didn't seem to mind Gordon backing up and stopping to talk to Paxton.
 * It is unlikely that all of Gordon's passengers could fit in Annie and Clarabel.
 * A leak in a boiler is a more serious problem than that presented in the episode. If a boiler were to run completely dry, it could warp due to the high heat.
 * Gordon's bogie wheels should not spark when he was putting his brakes on.
 * After Gordon leaves the first water tower, there is no coal in his tender.
 * Gordon's driver should have checked Gordon when they stopped.
 * Gordon could not put his brakes on himself, only his driver can do that.
 * When James says "Watch out for flying stones", his face slightly moves.
 * Gordon says that big engines do not fetch their own coaches, though he got over this indignance in Trouble in the Shed.
 * It is said that Paxton was coming down from the Blue Mountain Quarry, and that Gordon was coming from Knapford, but this would be impossible, as Gordon would be heading east, and Paxton would be heading south, but with the direction that Gordon was going, Paxton would have to be heading north. Therefore, this scene is vice-versa.

Merchandise

 * Books - Gordon Runs Dry
 * Magazine stories - Gordon Runs Dry