| For other uses, see Off the Rails (disambiguation). |
- "Aren't jammed whistles and burst safety valves accidents?"
"No, indeed. High spirits, might happen to any engine. But to come off the rails like Henry did, well, I ask you, is it right? Is it decent?" - ― Percy and Gordon
Off the Rails, retitled Gordon Takes a Dip on some American releases, is the twenty-fifth episode of the first series. It is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book Gordon the Big Engine.
Plot
"Peep! Peep! Peep! Peep! Hello, fatface!"
One Monday morning, Gordon is resting in a siding while noting to himself that being an important engine can sometimes be very tiring. Henry suddenly pulls up, rudely waking Gordon with his whistle and calling him names. Gordon is very cross, believing that an engine like him, who has never had an accident, should be respected. Percy comes and asks Gordon if jammed whistles and burst safety valves count as accidents. Gordon replies that those things could happen to any engine, unlike Henry who came off the rails.
It is Henry's turn to take the Express and, as he prepares to leave, Gordon reminds him about his accident with the Flying Kipper and to keep on the rails, to Henry's annoyance. After Henry leaves, Gordon tries to go back to sleep but his driver wakes him up and informs him that they are to pull a special train but, to his anger, he learns it is trucks.
Gordon's fire is slow to burn at first, so Edward pushes him to the turntable to be turned around. Gordon complains the whole way while Edward firmly rebukes him. The movement shakes Gordon's fire, causing it to burn nicely and make steam. As the turntable rotates, Gordon is so cross that he is willing to do anything to get out of taking the special, regardless of the consequences. When the table pauses while halfway round, he moves forward in an attempt to jam it but he cannot stop without his driver and slides down some old, unused rails into a marshy ditch. Gordon is horrified and shouts for someone to get him out but they refuse and point out to him what he has gotten himself into.
"Silly old Gordon fell in a ditch, fell in a ditch, fell in a ditch. Silly old Gordon fell in a ditch all on a Monday morning."
The Fat Controller receives a phone call from Gordon's crew, who tell him all that has happened. Seeing Gordon from his office window, he orders to have Edward to take the special train instead and tells the crew to leave Gordon where he is for now. Meanwhile, a group of schoolboys notice Gordon's predicament and sing about it, leaving him humiliated.
Gordon remains in the ditch for hours until a rescue team arrives late at night. After having his tender removed and preparing a road of sleepers to keep his wheels out of the mud, strong cables are hooked up to his back end and he is pulled back onto the rails by James. Afterwards, a filthy and disgraced Gordon crawls back into the shed, sadder yet now wiser after his experience.
Characters
- Edward
- Henry
- Gordon
- Percy
- Sir Topham Hatt
- The Little Boys
- James (does not speak)
- Green Express Coaches (do not speak)
- Troublesome Trucks (do not speak)
- Märklin Engine (cameo)
- Stephen Hatt (cameo)
Locations
Trivia
- On its original 1985 UK broadcast, this episode was paired up with Down the Mine. However, VHS releases later paired it up with Dirty Objects.
- This episode marks the last appearances of several things:
- The last appearance of Gordon's original sleeping face. He would later get a new sleeping face mask in future seasons.
- Knapford Sheds' last appearance until the seventh series episode Something Fishy, not counting the stock footage appearance in the fourth series episode Paint Pots and Queens.
- Knapford Sheds' last appearance in its original roundhouse design.
- The last appearance of the Marklïn Engine before it was scrapped.
- The events of Edward, Gordon and Henry and Whistles and Sneezes are mentioned by Percy.
- In North America, this episode aired before Whistles and Sneezes, so American and Canadian viewers may not have understood the significance of the "jammed whistles" line until the aforementioned episode's premiere in 1991.
- The events of The Flying Kipper are mentioned by Gordon.
- A scrap model of Thomas can be seen beside the ditch. According to Twitter user ThomasFan100, when the series was originally planned, early test shoots used O Gauge models with PECO tracks. It is highly likely that the scrapped model of Thomas was originally made for that test.
- During the scene when the Fat Controller is talking on the telephone, the phone chatter heard on the other end is actually sped-up dialogue from Thomas in Trouble.
- In George Carlin's dub, the boys' song "Silly Old Gordon Fell in a Ditch" has the same tune as the Nursery rhyme "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush". The song is sung in the same way in The Railway Stories audio version of the original book, which was narrated by Johnny Morris.
- According to the boys' song, the events of this episode take place on a Monday.
- When Gordon is shown being lifted from the ditch, an engine's lights can be seen passing to the left; this is the unspecified Märklin engine.
- The events of the episode were later mentioned by Thomas in the next episode and by the narrator in the fourth series episode Paint Pots and Queens.
- This story was read by Sharon Miller on the Thomas & Friends Storytime Podcast, with Chris Renshaw as the composer for the background music.
Goofs
- In the opening scene, Gordon's front bogie wheels are misaligned, his buffers are crooked and a thread is also visible on the tracks.
- Throughout the episode, Gordon has several problems with his eyes:
- They are misaligned.
- They jolt several times when he talks to his driver about the special train.
- His right eye (viewers' left) slightly pops out of his face before he starts moving on the turntable.
- His left eye (viewers' right) has a little divot.
- When Percy puffs up next to Gordon, Percy's face is misaligned and Gordon's tender is also derailed.
- In the close-up of Percy, his coupling chain is up but, in the next shot, it is suddenly dangling downwards.
- When Henry pulls up to Gordon with his goods train, the latter's trailing wheel is derailed.
- Henry's top feed is in the wrong place.
- When Henry is getting ready to take the Express, Gordon's driver has blu tack on his feet.
- When Henry leaves with the Express, there is a random piece of track that leads to nowhere.
- Despite being stated that Gordon was out of steam:
- He somehow changes position from his siding to the Knapford goods platform before Henry leaves with the Express.
- When Edward is pushing Gordon to the turntable, there is steam coming out of his funnel, even though it is said that his fire was slow to start.
- His whistle is heard several times throughout the episode.
- When Gordon says, "Trucks? Puh!" a piece of hair is visible by his right eye.
- In the close-up of Gordon on the turntable, a large gap is visible through his left eye.
- When Gordon falls into the ditch, wires connecting his tender to his cab are visible.
- Due to portions of the script being taken verbatim from the original Railway Series story, the narrator says that James and Henry pulled Gordon out of the ditch but only James can be seen.
- In the long shots of James during Gordon's rescue, he has the rescue cable that Gordon uses in Percy Runs Away and Down the Mine attached to his middle lamp iron but, in the close-up, he has a chain attached to his front coupling hook instead.
- In the close-up shot of James pulling Gordon out of the ditch, his driving wheels are not moving.
- When Gordon is being pulled out of the ditch, his buffer beam hits a wooden post.
- In George Carlin's dub, Percy mistakenly says "burnt safety valves" instead of "burst safety valves".
- On some copies of the 1998 Thomas Comes to Breakfast VHS released in Canada, this episode has no narration and only includes the music and sound effects. Other 1998-2001 Canadian copies of the VHS include the narration with an echoed soundtrack.
In Other Languages
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Merchandise
Edward, Gordon and Henry and Gordon Off the Rails (1985 Ladybird book)- Gordon Off the Rails (1990 Buzz Book)
Home Video Releases
Episode
UK narration
US narration (George Carlin)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 Thomas' Christmas Party |
| #07 Thomas and the Breakdown Train | #16 Trouble in the Shed | #25 Off the Rails |
| #08 James and the Coaches | #17 Percy Runs Away | #26 Down the Mine |
| #09 Troublesome Trucks | #18 Coal | |