Best Dressed Engine

"Decorations are undignified. Huh! Who cares about the competition anyway?"

- Gordon

Best Dressed Engine is the twenty-second episode of the seventh season.

Plot
The Engines were celebrating May Day. Knapford Station was being decorated & Sir Topham Hatt agreed to let the engines be decorated, but Gordon states that decoration are dignified for an important engine like him & puffs away.

At Tidmouth Sheds, everyone was being decorated. Percy had flags & streamers, Thomas had big red banners & Murdoch was decorated, even though he was shy. James gets the idea of having a competition for the "Best Dressed Engine". When Gordon arrived & heard about a competition, he wanted to join in, but James tells him that he needs to be decorated & that it's a Best dressed engine contest. Gordon rejects the competition after hearing everything.

Later, Gordon is crossing a bridge when a banner is blown onto his front. Since Gordon is pulling the express, he can't stop and so remains "dressed up". Trevor was pulling a cart of apples for the children's apple bobbing. When Trevor heard Gordon's whistle, he tried to go as fast as he could, but it was no use & Gordon smashed all the apples. James was the last to reach the station for the contest, until Gordon arrived. Everyone wasn't expecting Gordon to be decorated, but Gordon said he didn't, but James says that he's defiantly the Best Dressed Engine, everyone agreed & Gordon was announced the winner of the "best dressed" competition.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Murdoch
 * Trevor (does not speak)
 * Salty (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * Harold (cameo)
 * Lady Hatt (cameo)
 * Bridget Hatt (cameo)
 * Jem Cole (cameo)
 * Farmer Trotter (cameo)
 * The Tailor (cameo)
 * Henry (stock footage cameo)
 * Oliver (stock footage cameo)
 * Bulgy (stock footage cameo)
 * The Vicar of Wellsworth (stock footage cameo)
 * The Refreshment Lady (stock footage cameo)
 * The Crovan's Gate Policeman (stock footage cameo)
 * The Dryaw Policeman (stock footage cameo)
 * Sir Topham Hatt (mentioned)

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford
 * Maron
 * Henry's Tunnel
 * Three Tier Bridge
 * Rolf's Castle
 * The Works
 * The Seaside Village (stock footage)
 * Tidmouth Tunnel
 * Tidmouth Bay
 * Balladrine

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the seventeenth episode of the seventh season.
 * Stock footage from Special Attraction, Percy's Chocolate Crunch, and Bulgy Rides Again is used, as well as mirrored stock footage from Thomas and the Breakdown Train and a deleted scene from Thomas and Stepney.
 * It is currently unknown why the competition is referred to as a contest in the US narrations.
 * The Headmaster Hasting's pipe organ from the sixth season episode, Faulty Whistles, is visible at the beginning of the episode; Thomas was pulling it when the narrator says "They knew there'll be music and lots of fun".
 * This episode marks Murdoch's last speaking role until the twelfth season.
 * Bulgy's cameo and Trevor's cart of hey suggest that this event takes place simultaneously with Bulgy Rides Again.

Goofs

 * It is said that the banner wraps around Gordon's firebox, but it actually does so on his smokebox.
 * When Trevor is chuffing along, studio equipment is reflected in his paintwork.
 * When Gordon breaks through the crossing gates, Trevor's cart isn't hit, but in the next scene the cart is smashed.
 * Gordon goes under the same bridge twice. However, an effort: the removal of the upper part of the bridge, is made to disguise it the second time.
 * After Gordon collides with the cart, his left (viewer's right) buffer becomes severely damaged, but later at Knapford, it's still intact.
 * When Trevor passes the farm, the shot is mirrored.
 * Because stock footage is used, Bulgy is in his red livery. Additionally, when Gordon leaves Knapford, he's pulling four coaches, but in the next scene, he's pulling three.
 * Because the stock footage from Thomas and the Breakdown Train is mirrored, Thomas' number 1 is flipped.
 * When Murdoch asks Gordon "What decorations will you have Gordon?" his left eyebrow (viewer' perspective right) is scratched.
 * In the shot of Trevor chuffing along before Gordon hits the crossing gates, Gordon cannot be seen behind him puffing.
 * If you look closely and slowed the episode in the part where Gordon collided with the banner, you can see the banner actually rolled up in Gordon' funnel like when he was at Knapford by the end.
 * In the close-up of Murdoch before Gordon was shown with his proud face by the end, the banner wasn't on Gordon as you can tell due to one of the cords of the banner being missing.

Merchandise

 * Books - Gordon and the Competition

UK

 * Pulling Together!
 * The Complete Seventh Series

DVD Packs

 * Classic Collection
 * Pulling Together!/The Chocolate Crunch Double Pack

WAL

 * Machines Co-Extract

US

 * Hooray for Thomas and Other Adventures
 * Season 7 (Digital Download)

DVD Boxsets

 * On-the-Go Pack
 * Totally Thomas Volume 5

AUS

 * The Complete Seventh Series

DVD Packs

 * Complete Series 1-10

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Series 7 Vol.4

DK

 * Snow Engine and Other Stories

DVD Boxsets

 * Danish DVD Boxset (2008)

SWE

 * The Snow Engine

MYS

 * Something Fishy and Other Adventures
 * Fergus Breaks the Rules and Other Adventures

TWN

 * Confident Brave Little Engine
 * Thomas and Friends Volume 18 (Taiwanese DVD)

ITA
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 * Hooray for Thomas (Italian DVD)