This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the vinyl record, the Japanese VHS, the Ladybird book, the Buzz Book or the magazine story. |
- “Pull hard. We'll do it. Pull hard. We'll do it.”
- ― Edward and Henry
Edward, Gordon and Henry, retitled Henry to the Rescue on some North American releases, is the fourth episode of the first series. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book The Three Railway Engines.
Plot
Gordon always pulls the big express and is proud to be the only engine strong enough to do it. One day, he heads down the line with the Fat Controller on board the train when he sees the tunnel that Henry has been left bricked up in and abandoned for refusing to come out. Henry feels sorry for himself and wonders if he will ever be forgiven and let out.
Gordon plans to whistle rudely at Henry, only to burst his safety valve and he slows to a stop just in front of the tunnel. Upon being told by his driver what has happened and that he can no longer pull the train, Gordon is most upset as they were having a nice run, while Henry, who has seen everything, is laughing at him. The passengers come out to see Gordon, including the Fat Controller, who promptly orders for another engine to come to take the Express, while Gordon is uncoupled and moved onto a siding with the small amount of steam he has left. The only engine left in the yard is Edward and he offers to take the train but, when he tries to push the coaches, he finds that he is simply not strong enough. Gordon suggests that Henry should be allowed to try and the Fat Controller agrees, as does Henry upon being asked.
Soon workmen break down the wall and replace the rails, then Henry comes out of the tunnel. His paint is very dirty and he feels stiff but, after having a quick run to loosen his joints and being turned on a turntable, he feels a lot better and he is coupled to the coaches. With Henry pulling and Edward pushing, the two engines manage to move the long train. The Fat Controller leans out the window to wave to them but the speed of the train causes his top hat to blow off and land in a field where it is eaten by a goat. The two keep running until they reach Wellsworth, where the passengers cheer and, on the way home, they help Gordon back to the Sheds.
Henry is rewarded with a new coat of paint and no longer minds the rain, as he now knows that the best way to keep his paint nice is to never hide in tunnels but to ask his driver to wash him down after the day's work is done.
Characters
- Edward
- Henry
- Gordon
- Green Express Coaches
- Sir Topham Hatt
- James (cameo)
- Troublesome Trucks (cameos)
- One stone-dropping boy (cameo)
Locations
- Knapford
- Three-Track Bend and Signalbox
- Henry's Tunnel
- The Pond Runby
- The Goat Field
- Wellsworth
- Tidmouth Sheds
- The Wide-Arched Bridge (deleted scene)
Trivia
- Some of this episode's events were mentioned by Edward in the 2015 special, The Adventure Begins.
- The events were later mentioned by Percy in Off the Rails.
- This is the first episode of three things:
- The first episode in which Thomas does not physically appear.
- The first appearance of Gordon's sad and neutral faces.
- The first time that a spare engine (in this case two engines) had been sent to take a train while the other was incapacitated. In this case, Henry and Edward had to take Gordon's express to the top station.
- Stock footage from the previous episode is used.
- When George Carlin's dub aired on the Shining Time Station episode Mysterious Stranger, the first few seconds of the opening were cut.
- On the US digital release, the episode is shown with its UK title.
Goofs
- Ringo Starr's US narration is slightly out of sync from the point when Henry leaves the tunnel to when he arrives at Wellsworth. This is caused due to a brief pause in the soundtrack after Sir Topham Hatt says "And find a turntable."
- In the shot when Ringo Starr starts to say "In a minute…", Gordon's funnel seems to be expelling no smoke at all while he puffs along.
- When Gordon says he will "poop, poop" at Henry, studio equipment is visible in the top right corner and his driving wheels are also going backwards. The same errors also occur as he slows down.
- When Gordon comes to a complete stop, he overshoots the small vent in the track that shoots steam upwards, making it look like the first passenger coach is letting off steam.
- After being uncoupled from his coaches, as Gordon passes over the points, his trailing wheels jam as he moves offscreen.
- Gordon rolls over the points incorrectly; he should have gone over the crossover but he instead goes straight ahead.
- When Gordon moves to the siding, the coaches have moved back without explanation.
- The express has two brake coaches.
- While Henry is in the tunnel, his face is covered with black soot but, in the close up of Henry going backwards from the tunnel, he is spotless because it is footage from earlier episodes. The same thing also happens after Henry has pulled the express through the tunnel and when he arrives at the station, he is spotless again.
- When Gordon says "Huh! That's no use. Edward can't push the train," his eyes shift very quickly, indicating a scene cut.
- In the closeup of Edward's wheels slipping, there is a tint of red paint on one of the spokes.
- In the closeup of Edward looking sad, the hill next to him is nowhere to be seen.
- Henry is smiling after he says "Ooh, I'm stiff! I'm stiff!"
- Because stock footage is used, the scene where the Fat Controller tells Henry to turn around is darker and blue ink can also be seen smeared on his hand.
- When Edward and Henry set off, the last coach is passing Gordon as the scene ends. But in the next scene, the coach can be seen passing him again. Also, in that same scene, Gordon is derailed.
- When Henry passes the goat, Edward is not behind the train.
- In the close-up of Henry when he is coming out of the tunnel, his cylinder red stripe is sticking out.
- When the Fat Controller asks Henry to pull the train, Gordon is not seen in front of the buffers.
- Blu-tack is visible under some of the people's feet.
- When Edward says he is "ready" to push, he already starts to move because stock footage from earlier in the episode is used.
- The narrator says that they never stop until they came to the station at the end of the line but Wellsworth is not on the end of the line. This is because the narration was taken from the original book.
In Other Languages
View content | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Merchandise
View content | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Magazine Story
|
Home Video Releases
Episode
References
#01 Thomas and Gordon | #10 James and the Express | #19 The Flying Kipper |
#02 Edward and Gordon | #11 Thomas and the Guard | #20 Whistles and Sneezes |
#03 The Sad Story of Henry | #12 Thomas Goes Fishing | #21 Toby and the Stout Gentleman |
#04 Edward, Gordon and Henry | #13 Thomas, Terence and the Snow | #22 Thomas in Trouble |
#05 Thomas' Train | #14 Thomas and Bertie | #23 Dirty Objects |
#06 Thomas and the Trucks | #15 Tenders and Turntables | #24 Off the Rails |
#07 Thomas and the Breakdown Train | #16 Trouble in the Shed | #25 Down the Mine |
#08 James and the Coaches | #17 Percy Runs Away | #26 Thomas' Christmas Party |
#09 Troublesome Trucks | #18 Coal | |