| 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-fourth 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, fat face!"
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.
"Not a hope. You're stuck, you silly great engine. Don't you understand that?"
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 is halfway round, he moves forward in an attempt to jam it but he cannot stop himself without his driver and slides down some old and unused rails and slithers into a marshy ditch. Gordon is horrified and shouts for someone to get him out but his crew sternly refuse, telling him that he is stuck and pointing out to him what he has gotten himself into.
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 arranges for Edward to take the special train instead and tells the crew to leave Gordon where he is and have him rescued later. Meanwhile, a group of schoolboys notice Gordon's predicament and sing about it, leaving him humiliated.
Gordon remains in the ditch until a rescue team arrives late at night. After getting his tender out of the way 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 this experience.
Characters
- Edward
- Henry
- Gordon
- Percy
- Sir Topham Hatt
- The Little Boys
- The Dark Uniformed Children
- James (does not speak)
- Green Express Coaches (do not speak)
- Troublesome Trucks (do not speak)
- Märklin Engine (cameo)
- Stephen Hatt (cameo)
Locations
Trivia
- During the scene where the Fat Controller is talking on the phone, the phone chatter heard on the other end is actually sped-up dialogue from Thomas in Trouble.
- According to the boys' song, the events of this episode take place on a Monday.
- The events of Edward, Gordon and Henry and Whistles and Sneezes are mentioned by Percy.
- The events of the episode were later mentioned by Thomas in the next episode and the narrator in the fourth series episode, Paints, Pots and Queens.
- 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, along with the Lower Tidmouth set seen in this episode, were originally made for that test.
- 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.
- 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.
- In the US, this episode aired before Whistles and Sneezes, so American viewers would not understand the "jammed whistles" line until the aforementioned episode's premiere in 1991.
- On its original 1985 UK broadcast, this episode was paired up with Down the Mine. However, UK VHS releases had it paired up with the previous episode, as do the original Norwegian and Swedish broadcasts.
- This episode marks the last appearance of three things:
- 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 Gordon's original sleeping face. He would later get a new sleeping face mask in future seasons.
- The last appearance of the Marklïn Engine before it was scrapped.
- The last appearance of the dark uniformed children until the twelfth series episode Thomas and the Billboard and their last speaking roles until the fourteenth series episode Diesel's Special Delivery.
Goofs
- In the opening scene, Gordon's front bogie wheels are misaligned, his buffers are crooked and a thread is also visible beneath on the tracks.
- Throughout the episode Gordon has several problems with his eyes:
- They are very 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.
- 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, Gordon's right trailing wheel is derailed.
- Henry's top feed is in the wrong place.
- When Percy puffed up next to Gordon, the former's face is rather misaligned and the latter's tender is also derailed.
- When Henry is getting ready to take the Express, Gordon's driver has Blu Tack on his feet.
- 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.
- His whistle is heard several times throughout the episode.
- When Henry leaves with the express, there is a random piece of track that leads to nowhere.
- When Gordon says "Trucks? Puh!", a piece of hair is visible by his right eye.
- 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.
- 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 book, 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".
- When this episode was originally released on the Thomas Comes to Breakfast 1998 VHS in Canada, it had no narration and only included the music and sound effects. This was later corrected on the 2000 VHS release in Canada.
Quotes
- Gordon: Sometimes, it's really tiring to be such a large and splendid engine. One does have to keep up appearances so.
- (Henry approaches)
- Henry: Peep! Peep! Peep! Peep! Hello, fat face!
- Gordon: What cheek! That Henry is too big for his wheels, fancy speaking to me like that! Me, who has never had an accident!
- (Percy approaches)
- Percy: Aren't jammed whistles and burst safety valves accidents?
- Gordon: 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?
- (It is Henry's turn to take the express and Gordon watches him getting ready)
- Gordon: Be careful, Henry. You're not pulling the Flying Kipper now. Mind you keep on the rails today.
- (Henry puffs away in a huff and Gordon tries to get some sleep but not for long)
- Gordon's Driver: Wake up, Gordon! A special train's coming and we're to pull it.
- Gordon: Is it coaches or trucks?
- Gordon's Driver: Trucks.
- Gordon: Trucks?! Puh!
In Other Languages
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Merchandise
- Ladybird book - Edward, Gordon and Henry and Gordon Off the Rails
- Buzz Book - Gordon Off the Rails
- Magazine story - Gordon Off the Rails
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 | |