(upbeat ragtime
orchestral music)
- Sir Topham Hatt's
engines are proud
of how useful they are.
It makes them feel important,
but none of them feels
more important than Gordon.
"Watch out!" Gordon wheeshed,
"You'll get my paint all sooty!"
"Pulling freight cars is a
sooty job," teased Salty,
"but then, you wouldn't know."
"Of course not!" Gordon
huffed importantly.
"Express engines don't
pull freight cars.
It wouldn't be dignified!"
"Dingy-fried?" puzzled Percy,
"What's that?"
"Dignified," Gordon corrected.
"It means--
"It means that someone is
too big for his buffers,"
teased Salty.
"Pah!" said Gordon
and he puffed away.
That evening, fog covered
the Island of Sodor.
Everything slowed down,
and soon, the docks were
packed with waiting
freight cars.
This caused confusion and delay.
Sir Topham Hatt
came to the sheds.
He was in a great hurry.
"Henry, Thomas, and
Percy," he said,
"you must go to the
docks immediately."
"Yes, sir," they whistled.
(trains whistle and chug)
Then, sir Topham Hatt turned
to the big blue engine.
"You too Gordon," he said,
"I need a big engine to
take the freight cars
where they won't be in the way."
"Freight cars?" huffed Gordon.
He could not believe
what he heard.
Gordon wasn't happy to
be pulling freight cars.
He waited impatiently while
they were shunted into place.
"Hurry up, hurry up!,"
chuffed Gordon crossly.
"Why the rush,
Gordon?" asked Thomas.
"If I must pull freight
cars, then I'll show Salty
how an express engine pulls
freight cars," Gordon huffed.
"Careful Captain," Salty tooted,
"You don't want to get
too big for your buffers."
But Gordon ignored Salty.
(inspiring orchestral music)
The next morning,
Gordon raced along
with his heavy load.
"Now this is how you pull
freight cars," he puffed.
But the signalman had
accidentally had left
the point switched
to the branchline.
Gordon rattled
through the junction,
"That's strange, I'm
on the branchline!"
"Oh no!" The signalman cried,
"Express trains aren't
supposed to go that way!"
It was too late,
Gordon had already
raced into the distance.
The old branchline
was weak and rusty.
There were signs warning
all the trains to 'Go Slow',
but Gordon ignored the signs.
"I'm an express engine, I
don't go slow!" he said,
and he went even faster.
The branchline couldn't
take his weight,
and the rails buckled.
"Oh help!" Gordon cried as
he slid off the tracks...
(train cars crash)
and into a field.
(rumbling)
(suspenseful orchestral music)
(crash)
(hiss)
No one was hurt, but poor
Gordon felt very undignified.
"What will Sir Topham
Hatt say?" he groaned.
He found out, soon enough.
"Well Gordon," said Sir
Topham Hatt, "you wanted
to show Salty a thing or
two, and you've certainly
done that. You've shown
him how silly it is
to ignore 'Go Slow' signs."
"Sorry, sir", said
Gordon, and he let out
a sad wheesh of steam.
Gordon was soon repaired
and back at the docks,
ready for work, but he was
very unhappy with himself.
"Everyone makes
mistakes," said Thomas,
"even you."
"Salty is sorry he teased
you," puffed James.
"And I'm sorry I was
too big for my buffers,"
chuffed Gordon.
And all of the engines
gave a jolly toot,
even Gordon.
(train whistle)
(upbeat ragtime
orchestral music)
06x17 - Gordon Takes a Tumble
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British series Based on The Railway Series books that follows the adventures of Thomas, an anthropomorphised blue steam locomotive on the fictional North Western Railway on the Island of Sodor, and several other friends Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, and Toby.
British series Based on The Railway Series books that follows the adventures of Thomas, an anthropomorphised blue steam locomotive on the fictional North Western Railway on the Island of Sodor, and several other friends Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, and Toby.