Best Dressed Engine is the twenty-second episode of the seventh series.

Plot

The engines are celebrating May Day. Knapford Station is being decorated and the Fat Controller agrees to let the engines be decorated, but Gordon states that decorations are undignified for an important engine like him and puffs away.

At Tidmouth Sheds, everyone is being decorated; Percy has flags and streamers, Thomas has big red banners and even Murdoch is being decorated, despite feeling shy. James gets the idea of having a competition for the "Best Dressed Engine". When Gordon arrives and overhears about a competition, he wants to join in, but James tells him that he needs to be decorated since it is a "Best Dressed Engine" contest, but Gordon is dismissive about it and leaves immediately.

Later, Gordon is crossing a bridge when a banner is blown onto his front, preventing him from seeing the line ahead. Since Gordon is pulling the express, he cannot stop and so remains running blind. Trevor is pulling a cart of apples for the children's apple bobbing over a crossing. When he hears Gordon's whistle, he tries to get off the crossing as fast as he can, but it is no use, and Gordon bursts through the gates, smashing the cart and the apples inside in the process. James is the last to reach the station for the contest until Gordon arrives. Everyone is surprised that Gordon is "decorated", but James says that he is definitely the Best Dressed Engine. Everyone agrees, and Gordon is announced the winner of the competition. Although Gordon does not want to admit it, he is pleased about it.

Characters

• Thomas
• Gordon
• James
• Percy
• Murdoch
• Trevor (does not speak)
• Farmer Collett (not named; does not speak)
• Salty (cameo)
• Annie and Clarabel (cameos)
• Harold (cameo)
• Lady Hatt (cameo)
• Bridget Hatt (cameo)
• Mrs. Kyndley (cameo)
• Jem Cole (cameo)
• Farmer Trotter (cameo)
• The Tailor (cameo)
• The Important Passenger (cameo)
• A Wedding Guest (cameo)
• Mrs. Collett (cameo)
• Henry (stock footage cameo)
• Oliver (stock footage cameo)
• Bulgy (stock footage cameo)
• The Vicar of Wellsworth (stock footage cameo)
• Refreshment Lady (stock footage cameo)
• The Crovan's Gate Policeman (stock footage cameo)
• Sir Topham Hatt (mentioned)

Locations

• Knapford
• Tidmouth Sheds
  • The Works
• The Mountain Village
• Maron
• Tidmouth Tunnel
• The First Three-Track Station
• The Runby Bridge
• Suddery Castle
• Wellsworth Crossing
• Henry's Tunnel (stock footage)
• Tidmouth Bay (stock footage)
• The Seaside Village (stock footage)

Trivia

• Going by production order, this is the seventeenth episode of the seventh series.
• Stock footage from Special Attraction and Bulgy Rides Again, extended stock footage from Percy's Chocolate Crunch, mirrored stock footage from Thomas and the Breakdown Train, and a deleted scene from Thomas and Stepney are used.
  • This and the other episode of this series, Bulgy Rides Again, share the same opening shot with both episodes using the extended stock footage from Percy's Chocolate Crunch, which is also an opening shot from that episode.
• Headmaster Hastings' pipe organ from the sixth series episode Faulty Whistles is visible at the beginning of the episode. Thomas is pulling it when the narrator says "They knew there'll be music and lots of fun."
• Footage from this episode is seen briefly in a 2004 episode of Rikon Bengoshi (離婚弁護士). In the same series, Wooden Railway toys of Henry, Gordon, Donald and Douglas are seen.
• This episode marks last of a few things:
  • Murdoch's last speaking role until the twelfth series episode Excellent Emily and his last speaking role in the Classic Series.
  • Murdoch and Bulgy (if stock footage counts)'s last appearances in the Classic Series.
  • The last appearance of Wellsworth Crossing until the twenty-first series episode A Shed for Edward.
  • The last episode written by Polly Churchill, fifteen years before her death in June 2018.

Goofs

• The organ Thomas is pulling at the start of the episode is out of scale do it being reused from Faulty Whistles as mentioned above.
• When Murdoch knows what decorations will Gordon have, his left eyebrow (viewers' right) is scratched.
• Murdoch appears to be more happy than "very shy" about being decorated, despite the narrator mentioning shy feelings.
• The stock footage from Bulgy Rides Again causes a few inconsistencies:
  • When Gordon leaves Knapford, he is pulling four coaches, but in the next scene, he is only pulling three.
  • Bulgy is in his original scarlet livery instead of his green livery.
  • Gordon goes under the same bridge twice. However, the removal of the upper part of the bridge is made to disguise it the second time.
• Because the stock footage from Thomas and the Breakdown Train is mirrored, Thomas' number is reversed and his lamp is on the wrong side of his running board.
• In the shot of Gordon colliding with the banner:
  • He is not moving for a split second, as he jerks forward towards the banner.
  • The banner seems to rolls up into Gordon's funnel instead around his smokebox.
  • It is said that the banner wraps around Gordon's firebox, but it actually wraps around his smokebox.
• When Trevor is chuffing along, studio equipment is reflected in his paintwork and the shot is mirrored, as his flywheel is on his right side instead on his left side.
• In the shot of Trevor chuffing along before Gordon hits the crossing gates, Gordon cannot be seen behind him puffing.
• When Gordon breaks through the crossing gates:
  • Trevor's cart is not hit, but in the next scene, the cart is smashed.
  • His left (viewers' right) buffer becomes severely damaged, but later at Knapford, it is still intact.
• Gordon's close-up model did not have red lining on the firebox.
• On the official YouTube channel, this episode was mistakenly added to the playlist of episodes from the sixth series.

Merchandise

• Books - Gordon and the Competition

In Other Languages

Home Media Releases

Episode

Best Dressed Engine - US

US Narration