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- “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 boys singing rudely at Gordon.
Off the Rails, retitled Gordon Takes a Dip in American releases, is the twenty-fourth episode of the first series.
Plot
One morning, Gordon is resting on a siding while noting to himself that being an important engine can sometimes be very tiring. Henry suddenly pulls up and wakes Gordon rudely with a whistle. Gordon is very cross, believing that an engine that has never had an accident should be respected. Percy arrives next and asks if jammed whistles and burst safety valves count as accidents. Gordon denies it, saying that those things could happen to any engine, unlike Henry who came off the rails.
It is Henry's day to take the Express. As he prepares to leave, Gordon reminds him not to come off the rails, much to his annoyance. When Henry leaves, Gordon tries to go back to sleep, but then his driver wakes him telling him that they have been asked to pull a special train. Upon learning the special is a goods train, Gordon is cross as he would rather take coaches.
Gordon's fire is unable to burn right away, so Edward comes to push him to the turntable to be turned around. Gordon complains the whole way and Edward rebukes him as they reach the turntable. By now, the movement has gotten Gordon's fire burning nicely and making steam. As the turntable turns, 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 gets halfway round, he moves forward in an attempt to jam it, but is unable to stop and slides down some old rails into a marshy ditch. Gordon is horrified and shouts for someone to get him out, but his crew sternly refuse and rebuke him, telling him that he is stuck.
You're stuck, you silly great engine. Don't you understand that?
In his office, the Fat Controller receives a phone call from Gordon's crew and is told all that has happened. Seeing Gordon from his window, he orders to have Edward take the special train and to leave Gordon where he is for now. Meanwhile, some little boys come by, see Gordon's predicament and tease him with a rhyme, leaving him humiliated.
Gordon stays in the ditch for hours and it is not until late at night that a rescue team comes. After extensive work removing Gordon's tender and preparing a road of sleepers to keep his wheels out of the mud, cables are hooked behind him and then he is pulled out by James and Henry. Afterwards, a filthy and disgraced Gordon crawls back to the shed, much sadder and wiser for his experience.
Characters
- Edward
- Henry
- Gordon
- Percy
- Sir Topham Hatt
- The Little Boys
- James (does not speak)
- Troublesome Trucks (do not speak)
- Märklin Engine (cameo)
Locations
Trivia
- This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Gordon the Big Engine.
- The telephone conversation is a sped up version of the conversation between the policeman and the Fat Controller in Thomas in Trouble.
- According to the boys' song, the events of this episode take place on a Monday.
- In the US, this episode aired before Whistles and Sneezes, so early American viewers would not understand the "jammed whistles" line.
- A scrap model of Thomas can be seen beside the ditch.
- When Gordon is shown being lifted from the ditch, an engine's lights can be seen passing on the left. This is believed to be the Märklin engine.
- The boys' song "Silly Old Gordon Fell in the Ditch" has the same tune as the Mother Goose rhyme: Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.
- In its original broadcast, this episode was paired with Down the Mine with the latter being shown first. However, early VHS releases have it paired with Dirty Objects, as do Norwegian and Swedish broadcasts.
- This is the only Series 1 episode in which Henry doesn't appear in his old shape, even through stock footage.
- This episode marks the last appearance of Vicarstown Sheds until the fourth series episode, Rusty to the Rescue .
Goofs
- In the opening scene, Gordon's front bogie wheels are slightly derailed and his buffers are crooked.
- In a close-up of Percy, his coupling chain is up, but in the next shot it is suddenly dangling downward.
- Gordon's tender is derailed when Percy puffs up.
- When Henry is getting ready to take the express, Gordon's driver has blu-tak under his feet.
- When Gordon snaps "Trucks?! Pah!" 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 the boys sing the camera shakes.
- When Gordon is getting pulled out of the ditch, his bufferbeam hits is wooden post.
- In a rare picture, several workmen have blu-tak on their feet.
- James' drive wheels move slightly then stop when he pulls Gordon out of the ditch.
- The narrator states Henry and James rescued Gordon: however James is the only one seen.
- Due to portions of the script being taken word for word from the original book, the narrator says Gordon had strong ropes fastened to his back end, but the close up of James reveals it to be a chain.
- In the long shots of James during Gordon's rescue, he has the rescue cable Gordon used in Percy Runs Away and later in 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. However, when Gordon is on the turntable, James has the rescue cable on him again.
- When Gordon says "I won't go, I won't go," there is steam coming from his funnel, even though it was said that his fire would not burn right away.
- In Ringo Starr's US narration, when Gordon and his driver are talking about the special train, there is an echo in the background. This is audio from the UK version.
- Throughout the episode, Henry's top feed is positioned between his first and second boiler bands, instead of his second and third.
Merchandise
- Buzz Books - Gordon Off the Rails
- Ladybird Books - Edward, Gordon and Henry and Gordon Off the Rails
In Other Languages
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Home Media Releases
| #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 | |