Down the Mine

Down the Mine '''is the twenty-fifth episode of the series. In the US, it aired on the Shining Time Station episodes, Too Many Cooks and Wrong Track. In this episode, Thomas falls down a mine and only a disgraced Gordon can help.'''

Plot
One day while Thomas was waiting at the junction, Gordon, who was in disgrace after causing trouble and falling into a ditch, pulls in with some trucks. As soon as Gordon stops, Thomas cracks a joke about ditch water. Before Gordon can respond, Thomas leaves with his coaches.

Annie and Clarabel are shocked at Thomas' behaviour, and scold him for it. Thomas was pleased with his clever joke though and runs off to go to the lead mine. The mine was made a long time ago by miners who made tunnels under the ground. The roofs of the tunnels are strong enough to hold up trucks but not engines. At the points, there is a board warning engines not to enter the area.

Thomas has often tried to pass the board, but has always failed. This time however, he has made a plan. When Thomas' fireman leaves the cab to change the points, Thomas bumps the trucks hard and knocks his driver off the footplate allowing him to pass the board. Then he moves over the unsafe rails which collapse and leave him teetering into a chasm, and feeling very silly.

Then the Fat Controller arrives, having seen everything. After telling Thomas off for his naughtiness, he begins to think about how to get Thomas out. A crane would be too heavy for the ground to support, so he decides to call in Gordon to pull Thomas out. Thomas feels uneasy about this, thinking that Gordon may still be cross with him.

Shortly afterward with a winch attached to his buffer beam, Gordon heads to the rescue and surprisingly laughing at the situation. Arriving at the mine, Gordon promises to get Thomas out "in a couple of puffs". A long cable fastened between them and after a lot of hard work and pulling, Gordon is able to finally get Thomas out of the mine.

Thomas apologises for his earlier cheekiness, Gordon accepts telling Thomas he found his joke was funny. Now both engines are in disgrace, so they agree to form an alliance and help each other in future. With that, the two engines are coupled together and head back to the shed.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Sir Topham Hatt

Locations

 * Lower Tidmouth
 * Knapford
 * The Lead Mines

Errors

 * When Thomas shunts Annie and Clarabel his eyes look wonky and Annie and Clarabel are missing their names.
 * The sign says: "Danger! Engines must not pass this board!" But when Thomas passes the board it says: "Danger! Engines must not pass this point!"
 * The hole was supposed to be the result of a mine tunnel roof collapsing under Thomas' weight.  However, the hole appears to have been already dug out for Thomas to drop into it.
 * When the Fat Controller says "Let me see", the man to the right was losing his cap's brim.
 * In the close-up of Thomas down the mine, after the Fat Controller suggests that Gordon could pull Thomas out, a hair is stuck on Thomas' side.
 * When Gordon goes under the bridge something blue appears above it.
 * When Gordon and Thomas leave the mine, Thomas' wheels drag along the line for a few seconds before he blows his whistle.
 * Lower Tidmouth isn't on Thomas' Branch Line.
 * The sign was different at one point when Thomas passes it in the Welsh version.
 * Thomas' siderods are in different positions after he is pulled out of the mine and when he and Gordon puff away.

US Home Video Releases

 * Better Late Than Never and Other Stories
 * Thomas and His Friends Help Out
 * Thomas and His Friends Get Along and Other Thomas Adventures
 * Best of Gordon