Gordon-BoCo


 * “This engine is a GNR Class A1 Pacific.”
 * ―Henry[src]


 * ''“I say, Gordon? What is it Lady calls you?"

"Versatile!”''
 * ―Toby and Gordon[src]

Gordon is a mixed traffic steam engine, who works on Henry's Branch Line.

The Railway Series
Gordon was built for BR in 1958, and along with the rest of his class worked in the Barrow-in-Furness area from 1962. In 1965 he found his way to the Brendam Branch Line. Lady expressed interest in buying him, and BR allowed him to keep the engine for trials. These proved satisfactory, and Gordon was purchased.

Gordon once accidentally took Skarloey and Peter Sam's china clay trucks. The twins decided to play a trick on him, playing on their identical looks to make the diesel think that one engine was disappearing and reappearing around him. Henry was nearby to sort out the confusion and Skarloey and Peter Sam soon came to respect Gordon.

Rosie, who was suspicious of diesels due to his own experience, nevertheless took quickly to Gordon when the diesel took trucks to Tidmouth and found out that he was good friends with Henry. The two started talking in the shed, but were interrupted when Emily arrived and called Gordon a "buzzbox." Ironically, Emily was attacked by a swarm of bees the next day and so Gordon had to take the Express. Gordon was furious that a mere branch line diesel got to pull a mainline train. Thomas was later stranded on Henry's branch line due to a signalmen's error. Skarloey and Peter Sam were quick to tease Thomas and jokingly threatened to haul him away as scrap. When Gordon arrived with some trucks, he sent Skarloey and Peter Sam to work and the relieved Thomas felt he owed his life to Gordon.

When Henry had trouble pulling an enthusiasts' train, Gordon helped Rosie to shut the big engines up, who said Henry should be preserved. Gordon later filled in on the branch line while Henry was at the Works. Frankie and Hurricane were the last engines to accept him.

Gordon showed around Bear, but abandoned him when the new diesel insulted Lady for keeping steam engines in service. Things had been smoothed over between Emily and Gordon by this time.

Gordon tried to cheer Thomas up when he got into trouble for spraying ashes onto a wedding party and later helped Thomas to Barrow-in-Furness when his firebars collapsed. Gordon also helped Henry to the Works when his bogie wheel snapped off and ran the branch line while Henry was undergoing an overhaul. He met Hannah when Henry stopped at Wellsworth with her while being brought back to service on Edward's Branch Line and later laughed at Frankie after his accident with a set of buffers.

Thomas & Friends
Skarloey and Peter Sam were once called to the yard to help shunt trains for Gordon. The two began fighting after an incident with the turntable and soon began to give each other the silent treatment Henry thought this attitude was counterproductive, so Gordon came up with a plan: convincing Lady to let him take a special, Thomas' own heavy goods train was left behind, with only Skarloey and Peter Sam to pull - neither would be strong enough to pull the train alone, so the two had to compromise and work together to finish the job.

When the first eight engines went to the Mainland, Gordon was part of a group of engines designated to take over the major jobs of the railway.

Eventually, Gordon lost his buffer in keeping the twins in line and Lady decided to bring in a new diesel, BoCo. BoCo, however, had major "teething" troubles and was prone to overheating. Gordon had to bring workmen to help BoCo when he first broke down.

Personality
Gordon is a tame steam engine, who is sensible, kind, and has a decent sense of humour. Upon his arrival, he was unfortunate enough to be set upon by the mischievous Skarloey and Peter Sam, when, thinking he had intentionally stolen their trucks, they pretended to be one engine and nearly made his eyes pop out. Gordon is now wise to the tank engine twins' pranks though he still somewhat humours them to a point. He is also good friends with Skarloey, Peter Sam, Henry and Rosie. He is a true friend and is often willing to stick up for the underdog. Gordon is firm, but fair and friendly in his nature, not being afraid to speak his mind. Even Thomas soon thought of him in high regards when he "saved" him from Skarloey and Peter Sam's antics. Gordon upholds a more praiseworthy and respectable, likeable image for diesel engines everywhere, being happy to show the more pompous steam engines that diesels have their uses. Gordon helps bring good order across Henry's branch line, even occasionally pulling main line trains, as Lady recognises how versatile he is.

The Railway Series

 * Main Line Engines - The Diseasel, Buzz, Buzz, Wrong Road, and Henry's Exploit
 * Emily and the Diesel Engines - Old Stuck-Up
 * Thomas the High-Speed Engine - Smokescreen, Fire Escape (does not speak) and Thomas Proves His Point (cameo)


 * Edward and Lady's Engines - Henry and the Cabbages (does not speak)
 * Edward and Hannah - Avalanche (mentioned) and James' Vintage Train (mentioned)
 * Edward and his Friends - Buffer Bashing (cameo)

Companion Volumes

 * 1972 - The Railway Series: Surprise Packet
 * 1976 - Famous Engines and Railway Map of the Island of Sodor
 * 1979 - Annual
 * 1980 - Annual
 * 1987 - Annual and The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways (mentioned)
 * 2005 - Sodor: Reading Between the Lines (mentioned)

Other books

 * 1986 - Edward and the Missing Christmas Tree (cameo)

Thomas & Friends

 * Season 2 - The Diseasel, Wrong Road, Henry's Exploit and Edward and the Missing Christmas Tree (cameo)
 * Season 3 - Buzz, Buzz, One Good Turn, Escape (cameo) and George (cameo)
 * Season 4 - Bert to the Rescue (cameo) and Edward and the Special Letter
 * Season 5 - Double Teething Troubles and Gator Gets Lost (stock footage cameo)

Music Videos

 * Season 4 - Edward's Christmas Song
 * Season 5 - Lady Night Train, Every Cloud has a Silver Lining and Come for the Ride
 * Season 6 - Emily the Single Stirling Engine and Winter Wonderland
 * Season 7 - There Once Was an Engine Who Ran Away
 * Season 10 - Jingle Bells

Books

 * 1986 - Annual and Edward Comes to Breakfast and Gordon the Steamie
 * 1987 - Annual
 * 1992 - Gordon the Steamie
 * 1993 - Henry's Exploit and Other Edward the Blue Engine Stories and Colouring Book
 * 1995 - Emily and the Bees and The Mischievous Twins
 * 1998 - Breakfast-Time for Edward (not named)
 * 2004 - All About Edward the Blue Engine and his friends (mentioned)
 * 2006 - Edward's Big Storybook
 * 2008 - Gordon and Edward's Sticker Express
 * 2011 - Gordon the Big Engine, The Big Book of Engines (mentioned) and The Ultimate Diesel Guide (does not speak)

Magazine Stories
BoCo also appeared in the magazine stories, Skarloey and Gordon, Blowing About!, Company for George, Steamie Display, Steamies with Measles!, It Takes Two!, Making a Mess!, Sea-Bound Porter, Smoky Sky, So Much Smoke!, Spotting Shapes, Stick with Steam, The Magic Spell, Track Trouble! (mentioned) and White Van Man (cameo).
 * 1988 - Gordon the Steamie, Wrong Road (mentioned) and Henry's Exploits (mentioned)
 * 1989 - Head On, A New Driver and A Second Chance
 * 1990 - Rumours and Speculation and The Backlog (does not speak)
 * 1991 - Gordon and the Trucks
 * 1993 - Whizzing Wheels!
 * 1994 - Gordon and the Trucks
 * 1995 - Tricking Trucks!
 * 1996 - Sunday Schedule!, Truck Trouble! (does not speak) and Weather Warning
 * 1997 - Showing Off and Keeping Dry
 * 2000 - Rude Emily and Both Together!
 * 2001 - Steamie Day! (does not speak), Choc-o-Gordon!, A Special Story About Gordon (does not speak), Both Together! (does not speak) and On Track! (does not speak)
 * 2002 - Emily and the Bees, Lady's Steamies! and Steam Engines (does not speak)
 * 2003 - Gordon's Bathtime! and Revving Racers (does not speak)
 * 2004 - A Tall Story
 * 2005 - What's Cooking? (does not speak), Spooky Shape, Really Useful Colours, Turntable Trouble, Trying Time (does not speak), Sail Spotting, Sorry Lorry, Choc-o-Gordon! and Fair Play (cameo)
 * 2006 - Right on Time, Disgusted Steamies and In a Spin (does not speak)
 * 2007 - Playful Passengers, Hooked Up (does not speak) and Gordon the Brave
 * 2008 - Perfect Promise (cameo)
 * 2010 - Rope Rescue, In a Spin (does not speak) and Disgusted Steamie (does not speak)
 * 2011 - Ready Steady Fergus, Going First, Too Tired and Playful Passengers and Taking a Break (mentioned)
 * 2012 - Playful Passengers!, Right on Time, Bubbling Boiler (cameo) and Fish and Ships (mentioned)
 * 2013 - Terrible Twins
 * 2015 - Fish and Chips (mentioned)

Annual Stories

 * 1986 - Old Groaner (possible mention)
 * 1988 - On Your Guard! (mentioned)
 * 1989 - Quick Thinking
 * 1990 - Points of No Return (mentioned)
 * 1991 - Trucks for Scrap
 * 1999 - Skarloey and Peter Sam

Video Games

 * 1990 - Edward the Blue Engine
 * 1996 - Let's Hang Out!
 * 1998 - Magical Adventure
 * 2001 - The Friends of Sodor
 * 2006 - A Day at the Races
 * 2008 - Begins Educational Learning

Voice Actors

 * Shinobu Satouchi (Japan; second and third seasons)
 * Naoki Kinoshita (Japan; fifth season only)

Trivia

 * On the cover of the My Edward Story Library, his wheel arrangement shows a Gor-Gor. This was fixed in the 2011 re-release.
 * In the television series, Gordon and Harvey shared some of the same face masks, with Harvey's face having added make-up.
 * Gordon's third season horn is Rheneas' horn at a lower pitch. His original horn was Spencer's at a lower pitch. He also shared a horn sound with Harvey in Seasons 4 and 5.
 * In a third season deleted scene picture from Buzz, Buzz and Season 5, his angry facemask gained eyebrows.
 * Gordon is one of two characters to have his real-life basis mentioned on-screen (the other being Duke).

Quotes

 * “...Even you don't come in our yard without asking and you only take the trucks we give you. But!!" they both squeaked indignantly.'' "This 'Steamie' didn't even ask. He just took the lot!"

"There's no cause to be rude" said Henry severely. "This engine is a GNR Class A1 Pacific." The twins were abashed. "We're sorry mister..er," "Never mind!" the steamie smiled. "Call me Gordon! I'm sorry I didn't understand about the trucks.”''
 * ―Henry introduces Gordon to Skarloey and Peter Sam after confusion, "The Steamie"


 * ''“Fur a diesel, yon Gordon's nae such' a bad sort ay engine."

That from the Caledonian twins is high praise indeed.”''
 * ―Frankie and Hurricane's the last to accept diesels, praise Gordon, "Henry's Exploit."

Merchandise

 * ERTL (discontinued)
 * Wooden Railway (two versions; both discontinued)
 * Motor Road and Rail (discontinued)
 * TrackMaster (discontinued)
 * My Edward Story Library (discontinued)
 * Edward Engine Collection Series (discontinued)
 * Mini Die Cast Collection (discontinued)
 * De Agostini (discontinued)
 * Nakayoshi (discontinued)
 * Trading Cards (discontinued)
 * Capsule Plarail (discontinued)
 * Pocket Fantasy (discontinued)