U.S. Title: Henry to the Rescue
Air date: October 16th, 1984
Adapted from: The Three Railway Engines, "Edward, Gordon, and Henry"
Gordon always pulls the big Express, and is proud of being the only engine on Sodor strong enough to do the job. The Express has many important passengers on board, including the Fat Controller, the superintendent of the Northwestern Railway.
One day, Gordon decides to see just how fast he can go. He soon comes to the tunnel where Henry is bricked-up and lonely. Henry regrets ever having worried about the rain spoiling his lovely coat of paint, and wonders if the Fat Controller will ever forgive him and let him out so he can be useful again.
As Gordon approaches Henry's Tunnel, he decides to whistle rudely at Henry. Unfortunately, as he nears the tunnel, he suddenly starts slowing down in a cloud of steam. His driver stops the train just outside the neighboring tunnel.
Gordon asks his driver what happened to him, as he now feels so weak. His driver informs him that he burst his safety valve and now he can't pull the Express anymore. Gordon is humiliated, as he was going so nicely, and now Henry is laughing at him from inside his tunnel.
The Fat Controller gets out of the train and tells Gordon's driver that big engines like Gordon have always caused him trouble. He orders him to find another engine at once. While the Guard goes to find one, Gordon's crew uncouples Gordon from the train. Gordon now only has enough strength to move onto the siding outside Henry's Tunnel.
The only engine available is Edward, who is eager to try. He rushes to Henry's Tunnel at once. When he arrives, Gordon tells the Fat Controller that Edward isn't going to be much help, since he isn't strong enough to push the train. Edward pushes as hard as he can, but is unable to move the heavy coaches, proving Gordon's point. Gordon then asks the Fat Controller why Henry can't pull the train. The Fat Controller likes this idea and decides to go with it. He comes to the tunnel and asks Henry if he will help pull the train. Henry is more then happy to, and Gordon's crew light his fire.
When Henry gets enough steam, he puffs out of the tunnel, dirty and covered in cobwebs. He complains about how stiff he is, and the Fat Controller tells him to have a run to ease his joints and find a turntable.
Henry returns a short time later, feeling much better, and Gordon's crew couples him up to the coaches. Edward tells Henry that he's ready, and Henry tells him that he is, too. They then say that they can do it if they work together. Edward pushes and Henry pulls, and together, the two engines are able to move the coaches smoothly down the line. The coaches cheer them on and everyone is excited. The Fat Controller looks out the window to wave at Edward and Henry, but the train goes so fast that the Fat Controller's hat blows off his head and lands in a field, where a goat eats it for lunch.
Edward and Henry don't stop until they get to the station at the end of the line. The passengers thank Henry for a wonderful ride, and the Fat Controller promises Henry a new coat of paint.
On their way back to Tidmouth Sheds, Edward and Henry help push Gordon since he is unable to move by himself. All three engines are now great friends, and Henry doesn't mind the rain anymore, for he has learned that the best way to keep his paint nice isn't to run into tunnels, but rather to ask his driver to rub him down after a hard day's work.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Achilles in His Tent: Reconstructed. Henry comes out of the tunnel to help Edward take the heavy Express.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Inverted. In The Three Railway Engines, Henry asked to be painted blue like Edward (only reverting to his normal green in Troublesome Engines). Here he is just given a recoat of his usual color.
- Artifact Title: This is the first episode where Thomas doesn't appear.
- Bowdlerise:
- In the UK narration, while Henry is bricked up in the tunnel, he wonders if The Fat Controller will ever forgive him and let him out again. Both US narrations say that Henry would like to come out of the tunnel, but he didn't know how to ask.
- In the UK version after Gordon bursts his safety valve, the Fat Controller states that he never liked the big engines and that they were always going wrong. In both US versions, he complains that the big engines were always causing him trouble.
- Break the Haughty: Gordon's bragging led him to burst his safety valve. Even Henry laughed at him for it.
- Character Development: Henry overcoming his fear of the rain.
- Cobweb of Disuse: When Henry comes out of the tunnel to help Edward, the narrator mentions that he’s dirty and covered in cobwebs.
- Early-Bird Cameo: The Storyteller from the Season 11 episode "Thomas and the Storyteller" makes her first cameo appearance.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: For Henry - not only does he redeem himself by pulling the heavy Express, but he’s also rewarded with a new coat of paint. Best of all, he’s overcome his fear of the rain and doesn't have to worry about running into a tunnel to keep his paint dry.
- Extreme Omni-Goat: The Fat Controller leans out of the window to wave at Edward and Henry, only for the train to move so fast that his hat blows into a field where a goat eats it for tea.
- The Freelance Shame Squad: Henry laughs at Gordon for bursting his safety valve, after the latter had previously laughed at him for getting bricked up in the tunnel.
- Hat Damage: When the Fat Controller loses his hat out of a coach window, it lands in a field and is quickly eaten by a goat.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Gordon is quick to point out Edward is too small to push the Express on his own.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Gordon sulks pompously throughout the whole ordeal, but it's him that convinces the Fat Controller to release Henry.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Henry has realised his error in staying in the tunnel and worrying about his paint more than the passengers, and hopes The Fat Controller will forgive him for his misbehavior.
- Nice, Mean, and In-Between: Edward, Gordon, and Henry, in that respective order. Edward maintains a cheerful attitude as he tries his best to push the express even though he isn't strong enough to do so, Gordon prepares to tease Henry when he comes to Henry's Tunnel (and ends up bursting his safety valve as a result) and doubts Edward's attempt to push the express, and although Henry was vain and selfish in the previous episode when he refused to come out of his tunnel because he thought the rain would spoil his paint, in this episode, he sees the error of his ways after getting bricked up and is ready to come out and be useful again, proving his worth when he helps Edward pull the express.
- No One Gets Left Behind: Heartwarmingly, Edward and Henry both rescue the now-stranded Gordon later in the day and bring him back home.
- The Power of Friendship:Henry & Edward: We've done it together! We've done it together!
Express Coaches: You've done it, hooray! You've done it, hooray! - Stock Footage: Alternate shot of Gordon filmed for the previous episode.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Gordon complains that Edward can't push the Express. He turns out to be stating a simple fact; Edward isn't big enough to handle the large train by himself. Thus, he needs Henry to pull the heavy coaches.
