- Gordon scorns Henry for the accident that wasn't his fault, but Henry still gets to pull the Express, to his jealousy. Gordon doesn't want to pull freight-cars, so tries to jam the turntable, and sinks himself.
- One morning, Gordon's resting on a siding while noting to himself that being an important engine can sometimes be very tiring. Henry suddenly pulls up and wakes Gordon rudely with a whistle. Gordon is very cross, believing that an engine that has never had an accident should be respected. Percy arrives next and asks if jammed whistles and burst safety valves count as accidents. Gordon denies it, saying that those things could happen to any engine, unlike Henry who came off the rails.
It's Henry's day to take the Express. As he prepares to leave, Gordon warns him not to come off the rails, much to his annoyance. After Henry leaves, Gordon tries to go back to sleep, but is soon awakened by his driver who tells him that they have been asked to pull a special train. Gordon asks if it's coaches or trucks and when he learns it's a goods train, he becomes angry.
Gordon's fire is unable to burn right away, so Edward comes to push him to the turntable to be turned around. Gordon complains the whole way and Edward rebukes him as they reach the turntable. By now, the movement has gotten Gordon's fire burning nicely and making steam. As the turntable turns, Gordon is so angry that he's willing to do anything to get out of taking the special goods train, regardless of the consequences. When the table gets halfway round, he moves forward in an attempt to jam it, but is unable to stop and slides down some old rails into a muddy ditch. Gordon is horrified and shouts for someone to get him out, but his crew refuse, telling him that he's stuck.
In his office, the Fat Controller receives a phone call from Gordon's crew who tells him about what has happened. Seeing Gordon from his window, he decides to have Edward take the special train instead and leave Gordon where he is as they haven't time to bother with him now. Meanwhile, some little boys come by, see Gordon's predicament and tease him with a rhyme, leaving him humiliated.
Gordon stays in the ditch for hours and it's not until late at night that a rescue team finally comes. After extensive work removing his tender and preparing a road of sleepers to keep his wheels out of the mud, cables are hooked behind him and then he's pulled out by James and Henry. Afterwards, a filthy and disgraced Gordon crawls back to the shed, much sadder and wiser for his experience.
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