"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Gordon bellowed and raced away from Tidmouth Sheds. When he heard that Henry would be moving to Vicarstown, he was very upset, but now, Nia had mentioned another engine would be joining them at Tidmough Sheds soon.

Thomas and Nia looked on from the turntable. "Oh dear," chuckled Thomas. "What ever happened to 'express coming through?!'" Nia couldn't help smiling, but inside, she was worried about Gordon.

When Nia arrived at Knapford Station, she collected Gordon's coaches and shunted them to the platform, then rolled alongside Gordon. The big engine was quiet, and he looked very sad. "Gordon, are you alright?" she asked.

"…No," said Gordon quietly.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No. I'm sorry, Nia, but I want to be alone."

"Alright, Gordon. If you say so." But Nia wished she could help. She didn't like seeing one of her new friends so sad.

Soon, Gordon was out on the Main Line. He loved pulling the Express, but that day, he didn't feel like himself at all. He was lost in his thoughts and wasn't going as fast as he usually did.

"Come along, Gordon," urged his Driver. "We're going to be late."

Gordon picked up speed, but his fire was still sulky. Not even the sight of Edward at Wellsworth could bring a smile to his face. In fact, it only made him feel worse.

"Hullo, Gordon!" Edward called, but Gordon didn't seem to hear him. "…Gordon?...Gordon!"

Gordon jumped. "Oh! hullo, Edward."

"What's the matter?"

"Please leave me alone," Gordon muttered. The Guard blew his whistle, and the Express was off once more. Edward looked on, very concerned.

Gordon managed to arrive at every station on time, but he hadn't been going that fast at all. When he arrived at Vicarstown with his evening train, Rosie was waiting to take his coaches away.

As he waited to be uncoupled, Henry steamed by with some trucks. "Hullo, Gordon!" he whistled, but Gordon didn't answer and just puffed feebly away. Henry was starting to feel very worried for his friend.

On his way back to Tidmouth, Gordon saw Edward at Wellsworth again; he was already settling down for the night. "Evening, Gordon," he said.

At first, Gordon didn't say anything. Then, he noticed Edward was alone. "Where's Philip?" he asked.

Edward was surprised. "I don't know. It was very busy at Knapford today, so he might be working late. Most likely, he'll be staying with Stafford tonight." Once more, Edward saw how sad his friend was and that gave him an idea. "Gordon, why don't you stay here tonight? I can see you've had a long day, and I could use the company?"

"Thank you, Edward," sighed Gordon. He turned around in the yard and backed down next to his old friend.

"Gordon, I can see you've been troubled lately," said Edward. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen."

Gordon took a deep breath and let out a sad wheesh of steam. "So much has changed around here," he said. "First, you left Tidmouth Sheds, then a new engine took you're berth, Henry is going to say at Vicarstown and now, another new engine will be moving into our sheds." Gordon's voice became louder as he went on. "I don't like any of it; it doesn't feel right! The three of us have slept at Tidmouth for years! You and Henry are some of my oldest friends! Why would you leave after so long?!"

Edward knew Gordon had been upset by all the changes, but now, he could see friend was very miserable. "Yes, Nia told me what had happened," he sighed. "I know you don't like changes, Gordon, but every change happens for a reason. My Branch Line starts from here, so it's easier for me to start work here than when I left Tidmouth before. I like my new shed and I'm very happy here.

"Also, more goods have been traveling to and from Sodor by rail these days and the Fat Controller needs strong engines like Murdoch, Hank, and Hiro for the job. Henry's been helping them too and it's easier for him to start from Vicarstown sometimes. To add to that, he can now rest sooner after pulling the Flying Kipper." Gordon didn't say anything, so Edward continued. "Besides, changes have been happening all around us for years, even after we came here. The railway was smaller when we first arrived, and then we built the Branch Lines to Arlesburgh and Peel Godred. Great Waterton was abandoned before Thomas rediscovered it and now, passengers can travel there again. Not long ago, the Branch Line beyond Arlesburgh didn't exist. Now, passengers can travel all the way up to Harwick." Now, Gordon was looking thoughtful. "Gordon, I know you miss Henry and I being with you at night, but we're still on the Sodor. Our jobs take us to Tidmouth and Knapford quite often, so you still see us."

After a minute of silence, Gordon spoke. "I know changes have happened over the years, but everything I've done has usually remained the same, including sleeping with you and Henry at Tidmouth. I felt we weren't as close as we used to be anymore." He paused for a moment. "Thank you, Edward. I needed to hear that."

Edward smiled. "You're welcome, Gordon, anytime. That's what friends are for. Now, whoever joins you at Tidmouth next, will you give the new engine a fair chance?"

"Yes, Edawrd. I will."

"That's all I ask, and who knows, maybe the new engine will be someone you know, but no matter who it is, I'm sure you will both become good friends."

Gordon hoped Edward was right, and as he went to sleep, he dreamed about grand memories from the past and happy days in the future.