Gordon and the Famous Visitor

**"Gordon and the Famous Visitor"** is the fourth episode from season three.

Gordon is jealous when a famous engine comes to visit the railway. He declares domeless engines to not be respectable, but the tables turn when his dome blows off at the Viaduct.

*“Never trust domeless engines, they're not respectable!”*
―Gordon

## Plot

It is an important day in the yard as a special visitor called The City of Truro has arrived and is now the centre of attention, with many people taking photographs and making notes. Duck explains to Thomas and Percy that he is a celebrity, a very famous engine and they will have the chance to talk to him later, although Thomas believes that the Visitor is too famous to want to talk to them. Thomas, Duck, Percy and the other engines are very pleased about the Visitor, but Gordon is jealous as he thinks it is a lot of fuss about nothing. The other engines are happy to find that, contrary to Thomas's expectations, the Visitor is friendly and he enjoys talking to Sodor's engines well into the night.

The next morning, the visitor heads back to his railway, and Thomas tells Gordon that the engine is famous since he went 100 mph before Gordon was even thought of. Gordon is unamused and tells Thomas that the visitor has no dome and that domeless engines are not respectable or trustworthy as far as he is concerned, and that 100 mph would be easy for him.

Later that day, Duck takes some trucks to Wellsworth and tells Edward what Gordon had said about the visitor. Edward tells Duck not to take any notice, since Gordon thinks that no engine should be famous but him. Moments later, Gordon thunders past the two engines on the main line as his wheels pound the rails. Duck watches and jokingly tells Edward that Gordon will knock himself to bits.

Gordon's driver tells him that he is not running a race, but Gordon takes no notice. Gordon then begins to feel something loose on top of his boiler and decides to slow down, but it is too late. On The Viaduct, he meets a teasing wind which blows in very hard puffs. The wind creeps under Gordon's loose dome, lifts it off and sends it flying away into the valley river below. Gordon is most uncomfortable as he feels silly without his dome, and to make matters worse for him, he is made into a laughing stock at Knapford Station by some trucks.

On the journey home, Gordon asks his driver to find his dome, but he tells Gordon that they will never find it now and Gordon will have to go to the works for a new one. Gordon is most upset and hopes that the sheds are empty tonight, but all the engines are there waiting. As Gordon turns around on the turntable, he hears a voice saying, "Never trust domeless engines. They aren't respectable."

## Characters

* Thomas
* Edward
* Gordon
* Percy
* Duck
* Troublesome Trucks
* City of Truro (*not named; faceless, does not speak*)
* The Railway Society (*do not speak*)
* Henry (*cameo*)
* James (*cameo*)
* Toby (*cameo*)
* Donald and Douglas (*cameos*)
* Bill and Ben (*cameos*)
* Diesel (*cameo*)
* Bertie (*cameo*)
* Trevor (*cameo*)
* Sir Topham Hatt (*cameo*)
* Stephen Hatt (*cameo*)
* Bridget Hatt (*cameo*)
* Mrs. Kyndley (*cameo*)
* Jem Cole (*cameo*)
* The Little Boys (*cameos*)

## Locations

* Tidmouth Sheds
* Henry's Forest
* Knapford
* Knapford Yards
* Wellsworth
* The Viaduct
* Lower Suddery
* The Country Line
* The Country Line Canal
* Hawin Ab
* The Valley Bridge
* The Works (*mentioned*)

## Trivia

* In a picture of a deleted scene, Thomas, Percy and Duck were at the other end of Tidmouth Sheds.
* In a picture of a deleted scene, City of Truro's tender can be seen at the left of Gordon (viewer's right).
* In a photo, Gordon is pulling red express coaches instead of green ones.
* In a photo, Edward and Duck are at the station instead of the yard and Gordon races through the station on the left track rather than the middle.
* In the US and the International versions, when the narrator said "Gordon was most uncomfortable," the music is used.
* In the Japanese version, when Gordon arrived back at Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas can be heard laughing and said "Never trust domeless engines." along with Percy saying "They aren't respectable," instead of presumably Duck.
* In a picture of a deleted scene, Gordon is seen crossing the viaduct in the opposite direction without his dome. Another photo features him on the viaduct with his dome, smiling.
* This is the first time a real life engine appears in the television series.
* There is a bulldozer from TUGS next to Gordon when he arrives at Tidmouth Sheds.
* Although City of Truro's name is never mentioned, it is seen on the banner at Tidmouth Sheds and his nameplate.
* When first repeated on CITV in 1993, Duck's conversation with Edward at Wellsworth was cut out to fit the time slot.
* Henry is the only steam engine not present at the sheds during the City of Truro's visit. Minus Gordon, who passed by the sheds a few seconds later at the beginning of the episode.
* This is the only episode until the twentieth season episode, Toby's New Friend, where Donald and Douglas make a cameo together.

## Goofs

* In the close-up on Thomas and Duck at the sheds, Duck is derailed.
* In one shot of Gordon talking to Thomas and Duck, he does not have any eyebrows.
* In the first scene, Toby's front window is shattered.
* Because of stock footage, Gordon seems to pass through Wellsworth twice.
* After Gordon loses his dome, his coaches disappear.
* When Gordon goes through Knapford, he is tilted to the right. In the same scene, the coach to the far left is seen with exposed wires around its buffers.
* When Gordon races through the station, only one distant signal on its own can be seen, which is incorrect. Distant signals without home signals are only ever seen out on the open line.
* When Thomas asks Duck, "Who's that?" Duck's right wheel is derailed.
* When Duck talks to Edward, the latter's whistle is a bit crooked.
* When Henry passes Edward and Duck at Wellsworth, his eyes are misaligned.
* In the last shot of the episode, Gordon's eyes are misaligned and his buffers are slightly crooked.

## Home Media Releases

UK
* Time for Trouble and other stories (*Direct-to-Home Video*)
* Ghost Train and other stories/Time for Trouble and other stories
* Chases, Races and Runaways
* My Little Thomas and the Royal Visitor
* The Complete Series 3

DVD Boxsets
* Classic Collection

WAL
* Thomas the Tank Engine: Bumper Special 1

US
* Thomas Gets Bumped and Other Stories
* Thomas Gets Tricked and Other Stories (*1992 release*)
* Best of Gordon
* Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 3

DVD Boxsets
* Totally Thomas Volume 8
* Best Tales on the Tracks
* Ultimate Thomas Collection
* Best of Collection

AUS
* Time for Trouble and other stories
* The Complete Series 3
* My First Thomas with Henry and Gordon

DVD Boxsets
* Complete Series 1-10
* Classic Collection
* Series Three and Series Four **Double Pack**

NZ
* Time for Trouble and other stories
* Bumper Video Collection Volume 4

JPN
* Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 12
* Best of Gordon
* The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.7
* Gordon and Henry the Large Engines
* The Complete DVD Box 1

PHL
* Time for Trouble

NL
* The Ghost Train
* The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Edward, Toby and the Diesels

SER
* Thomas the Tank Engine 5

UKR
* A Train Thomas and Friends

IN
* Ghost Train and Other Stories

ITA
* On Christmas Eve

GER
* Thomas and His Friends Vol. 6
* It's Great to be a Locomotive!

DVD Boxsets
* Thomas and His Friends Box Set 1

NOR/FIN
* Thomas, Percy and the Post Train

DK
* Now There Will Be Trouble and Other Stories

MYS
* Diesel Does it Again and Other Thomas Adventures
* The Deputation and Other Adventures

CHN
* Thomas and Friends Season 1-4

THA
* Thomas and Friends - Volume 8

HK
* Thomas and Friends Volume 6
* Thomas and Friends Volume 5 (DVD)