The Three Railway Engines Come Home

*The Three Railway Engines Come Home* is the third spin-off episode of *Sodor*, released under the *Sodor Presents* banner. It was released on October 7, 2023. The episode takes place during and immediately after "Edward, Gordon and Henry" from the Rev. W. Awdry's *The Three Railway Engines.* It is the earliest chronological episode, taking place several generations before *Sodor I*.

## Plot

Prior to the events of the episode, Henry hides in a tunnel and refuses to leave, fearing that the rain will spoil his paint, so the Fat Director has him bricked up inside the tunnel and left there. Some time later, Gordon breaks down near the tunnel while pulling the Express; after Edward unsuccessfully tries moving the coaches, Henry is brought out of the tunnel, and he and Edward take the Express to the station.

The Fat Director congratulates Henry and allows him to work on the railway again, promising a new coat of paint. A grateful Henry asks him whether he'd have been let out had Gordon not broken down near the tunnel; the Fat Director assures him that he would have, as they would not have wasted a perfectly good engine. Henry and Edward then go back for Gordon.

Back at Tidmouth Sheds, Gordon expresses his disapproval of the Fat Director's treatment of the engines, and tells Henry he should start standing up for himself. Henry tells Gordon off for teasing him while he was still bricked up in the tunnel. He announces he will stay somewhere else for the night, but Gordon pleads for him not to go. Henry and Edward question Gordon's decision to stay at the sheds instead of the works, where he would be mended sooner; Gordon states, in a very obfuscating and roundabout way, that he hasn't seen either of them in a while, and that for the sake of his recovery, his night would be better spent in their presence.

Upon realising that Gordon has missed them, which he denies, Henry jokingly accuses him of going soft. Edward chastises Henry for mocking Gordon while he's opening up to them, and reassures Gordon that they are happy to have him there. Gordon then reluctantly apologises for teasing Henry. After Henry falls asleep, Gordon praises Edward's increased work around the yard as "sufficient". Edward tells him not to be ashamed of liking someone, and says he would be honoured to call him a friend. Gordon is too proud to admit his own feelings, but he returns the sentiment with a smile.

## Cast and Characters

The episode is told by CyberRusty99.

* Henry
* Edward
* American passenger
* The Fat Director
* Gordon
* Elizabeth (*cameo*)

## Trivia

* The Fat Director is depicted here using a LEGO minifigure, in contrast to the Tomica World figure used in other episodes. Due to the episode being set several generations before *Sodor I*, it can be assumed that the Fat Director shown in this episode is the ancestor of the Fat Controller seen in the main series.
* The crash zoom into the Fat Director's face, accompanied by Quincy Jones' *Ironside* theme, is a direct reference to the *Kill Bill* films.
* This is the first episode to use actual footage from *Thomas & Friends*. The clip of the goat eating the Fat Director's hat is taken from the "Sir Topham Hatt" music video, while the closing shot reuses the sunset from the final shot of "All at Sea".