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- “That's what I need! Now, if I had two tenders, I wouldn't need to stop so often and I wouldn't have to listen to silly little engines!"
"Those tenders belong to a visitor.” - ― Gordon and his driver about the visiting engine
Tender Engines is the twentieth episode of the third series. It is based on Tenders for Henry from The Railway Series book Enterprising Engines.
Plot
Gordon grows agitated when he is criticised by James for taking on too much coal and from Duck for taking on water from a temporary standpipe. He claims that big engines have big needs and little engines are just annoying. Later, Gordon is impressed when he sees a visitor with two tenders and wishes he had the same but he becomes depressed when Diesel arrives and gloats about the diesels' victory over steam engines on the Mainland.
Gordon's mood worsens when Duck and Henry tease him about boiler-ache the next day but he perks up when the Fat Controller assures him that steam engines will never become obsolete on his railway. The Fat Controller also mentions that the visitor had two tenders due to the long distances between coaling depots on the Mainland.
While Gordon feels much better, Henry is cross and says that he deserves two tenders for his hard work. Duck decides to play a trick on Henry with Donald's help and offers Henry his own six tenders. Henry is initially delighted but, when he comes to claim them at the end of the day, he finds out that they are old, dirty and filled with boiler sludge. As the other engines watch Henry grudgingly pull his tenders through the station, Gordon teases him with the same joke Henry used earlier.
Characters
- Henry
- Gordon
- James
- Duck
- Donald
- Diesel
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Flying Scotsman (tenders only, not named, does not speak, full role cut)
- Thomas (cameo)
- Edward (cameo)
- Percy (cameo)
- Annie and Clarabel (cameos)
- Bertie (cameo)
- Jem Cole (cameo)
- Big Mickey (faceless, cameo)
Locations
- Island of Sodor
- Tidmouth
- Yards
- Tidmouth Tunnel (deleted scene)
- Tidmouth Sheds (mistakenly mentioned)
- Upper Brendam
- The Three Way Road
- Brendam Docks (mistakenly referred to as "the yard at the big station and the sheds")
- Knapford (mistakenly mentioned)
- Knapford Yards (mistakenly mentioned)
- Tidmouth
- The Mainland (indirectly mentioned)
Trivia
- In the United Kingdom, a photograph from this episode was released as a Royal Mail stamp in 2011 to mark the Reverend W. Awdry's centenary.
- Flying Scotsman was originally intended to have a much larger role in this episode but, due to budgetary constraints, the entire locomotive model could not be constructed and never appears. As a result, Flying Scotsman was rewritten oddly as a stranger to Gordon rather than his brother. Flying Scotsman would later appear in the 2016 special The Great Race, in which he is properly established as Gordon's brother. This episode marks his only appearance until the said special, his only appearance in the model series and his only appearance in an episode until the twenty-second series episode Confusion Without Delay.
- This episode marks Diesel's last individual speaking role until the sixth series episode The World's Strongest Engine, though he speaks among the diesels in the fourth series episode Rusty to the Rescue.
- This is the first episode where Donald appears without Douglas and well as the first episode where either of the Scottish twins appears without the other.
- Most of Henry's old tenders have "NE" on the sides, indicating that they are North Eastern Railway 4,200 gallon tenders.
- Big Mickey, the fire station, a grey building, a large brown building, the steel company and steel rig from Tugs appear in the episode.
- This episode was shown alongside Buzz, Buzz in an airing of Storytime with Thomas.
- The JEI TV version of the Korean dub added subtitles to inform viewers what tenders are.
Goofs
- Gordon's buffer and lamp irons are crooked and Duck's face is loose in some scenes.
- When James first arrives at the coal chute to speak with Gordon, his pony truck is derailed. Later, when James leaves, his face and eyes are both misaligned.
- When Gordon talks to Duck at the standpipe, Gordon's eyes jolt, Duck's eyes are misaligned and Duck's bunker handrail is loose.
- The scene in which Gordon spots the Flying Scotsman and is demoralised by Diesel takes place at Brendam Docks but the narrator states that "Gordon steamed into the yard at the big station."
- Flying Scotsman's second tender is a standard LNER corridor tender when it should be an auxiliary water tender.
- In the Hungarian and Polish dubs, Duck is mistakenly referred to as Diesel when he says, "I know. It's boiler-ache."
- In the restored version, a tripod camera is seen when Gordon says, "Don't be vulgar!"
- Studio equipment can be seen as Gordon leaves Tidmouth.
- When Henry bumps the trucks, one truck bounces upwards and Henry's face is loose.
- Henry's left eye (viewers' right) moves on its own a couple times when he apologises to Duck about being rude.
- As Henry makes his entrance with the old tenders, James' first wheel is crooked.
- Henry passes Thomas twice while pulling the old tenders.
Quotes
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In Other Languages
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Merchandise
Tender Engines (1995 Buzz Book)
Miscellaneous
- Gordon (2011 Royal Mail stamp)
Home Video Releases
Episode
Other Languages
Tender Engines - RUS
Russian dubReferences
| #01 A Scarf for Percy | #10 The Trouble with Mud | #19 One Good Turn |
| #02 Percy's Promise | #11 No Joke for James | #20 Tender Engines |
| #03 Time for Trouble | #12 Thomas, Percy and the Post Train | #21 Escape |
| #04 Gordon and the Famous Visitor | #13 Trust Thomas | #22 Oliver Owns Up |
| #05 Donald's Duck | #14 Mavis | #23 Bulgy |
| #06 Thomas Gets Bumped | #15 Toby's Tightrope | #24 Heroes |
| #07 Thomas, Percy and the Dragon | #16 Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party | #25 Percy, James and the Fruitful Day |
| #08 Diesel Does It Again | #17 Buzz, Buzz | #26 Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure |
| #09 Henry's Forest | #18 All at Sea | |