U.S. Title: A Cow on the Line
Air date: September 24th, 1986
Adapted from: Edward the Blue Engine, "Cows"
Edward is getting old and has some worn-out parts which cause him to clank as he runs along the line. One day, Edward is taking some cattle trucks to a nearby market town. The trucks are making a lot of noise just as Edward is. Ahead of the line is a field where some cows are grazing. The noise and smoke produced by Edward and the trucks disturbs the animals, and as Edward passes them by, a number of cows break through a fence, run across the line, and break through a coupling, leaving the last truck, the brake van, and the guard behind. Continuing on his journey, Edward felt the coupling jerk but is unaware it broke and believes that it was due to the trucks misbehaving. This isn't until he reaches the station when he and his driver realise what happened.
When Gordon and Henry hear about the accident, they both laugh at Edward, making him very cross. Toby, who is also cross with the big engines' teasing, soothes Edward and says the two engines never encountered cows, but he does and knows how much trouble they are.
Days pass by and Edward is waiting at Wellsworth station with his passenger train as Gordon rushes by with the Express, still teasing him. Gordon continues down the line when he and his driver think they see something on the upcoming bridge. The driver shuts off steam and applies the brakes and as Gordon gets closer, he now sees that it's a cow blocking the way. Gordon tries to shoo the cow away, but she doesn't because her calf was taken away and feels distressed. Gordon's crew and the passengers try to get the cow to move, but it doesn't work.
Henry soon comes by with his passenger train and also thinks that the cow can simply be ordered away. It doesn't work either, and now Henry becomes nervous and backs off. Henry reverses his train to a station and the guard tells the stationmaster and signalman about the cow blocking the line. The porter realises it's Bluebell and that her calf is at the station. The men decide to send the calf in a truck which Percy will take to the bridge. Once they arrive there, the calf finally reunites with its mother and they're led away by the porter. As they leave, Gordon and Henry make an agreement not to tell anyone about the incident.
That night in the sheds, the other engines learn about the story and Edward teases Gordon and Henry. Gordon claims that they simply didn't want Bluebell to hurt herself by running up against them. Edward tells Gordon that he understands and Gordon knows that Edward knows all too well.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Blatant Lies: Henry and Gordon's excuses about why they kept their distance from Bluebell.
- Bowdlerise: In the UK narration, the porter notes that Bluebell's calf is at the station and ready to go to market, whereas in the US, he said the calf is looking for her mother. It's possible the reference to cow slaughter may have been removed due to censorship issues.
- Break the Haughty: Gordon and Henry's teasing to Edward resulted them in being afraid of cows.
- Bully Hunter: Toby was quick to defend Edward against Gordon and Henry for teasing him about the accident with the cows.
- Feeling Their Age: The episode starts with the narrator stating that because Edward is getting old, his bearings are worn, causing him to clank. Keep in mind that worn bearings can be seen as the train equivalent to arthritis.
- Miles Gloriosus: Gordon and Henry brag about how they wouldn't let cows stop them, but they're proven wrong as they meet Bluebell.
- Rail-Car Separation: A train Edward is pulling gets uncoupled when a group of cows, disturbed by the noise he's making, break the fence separating them from the railway tracks and run across the line. In the process, the last truck and the brake van on Edward's train get uncoupled.
