Ringo: Shame for Henry there.
Britt: Lucky enough, he's getting out of that tunnel!
Ringo: Nice, let's see how this goes.
CUE THEME!
As Number 5 passed by pulling some trucks, Gordon had readied himself and left Knapford while pulling the express.
Gordon always pulls the express, aside from Henry having done so twice, once offscreen, and again onscreen the previous episode.
The express was particularly full of important people like STH.
"Trickety Trock, trickety trock, trickety trock!" hummed the coaches.
Also don't mind the fact that Gordon had two brake coaches at the end of his train. Thomas had decided to shunt in a second brake coach because why not.
Anyway, in a minute, Gordon would see the tunnel where Henry was bricked up and lonely.
Henry groaned miserably. "Oh my god... I've been here for 2 weeks... Will STH ever forgive me and let me out again?"
Henry soon saw Gordon rushing towards the tunnel.
"I'm going to boop boop at Henry." said Gordon smugly.
He was almost there when steam billowed out from his cab, and his safety valve had burst.
Gordon soon felt himself going slower and slower.
He then came to a complete stop.
"What's happened to me?!" said Gordon. "Suddenly I feel so weak!"
"YOU FRIGGIN IDIOT! YOU'VE BURST YOUR SAFETY VALVE!" said the driver bluntly.
"WHAT?!" shrieked Gordon.
Henry burst out laughing at Gordon's misfortune.
"That means you're not pulling this train anymore." the driver said to Gordon.
"And we were going so nicely too!" whined Gordon. "Look, there's Henry laughing at me."
Henry continued to laugh himself silly, even if it hurt his throat for a moment.
As everyone came to see Gordon, Number 5 puffed past while pulling a goods train, and he promptly laughed at Gordon's misfortune.
STH walked up and groaned.
"These big engines are always causing me trouble, now send for another engine at once." said STH.
While the guard went to find an engine, Gordon (having been uncoupled) conveniently had enough puff to slink onto a siding.
"Ain't that ironic?" remarked Henry. "Fastest and best, becoming slowest and feeble."
"Oh shut up!" replied Gordon. "At least I didn't get shut up in a tunnel!"
Edward was the only engine available. Eagle was on slow goods, 87546 was pulling a passenger train, Number 5 was pulling a mixed passenger goods train, and Thomas was too busy shunting other trains with Marklin.
"Would you do it?" asked the guard.
"I'll try!" replied Edward.
And he puffed off.
Edward then came behind the train.
"huh! That's no use. Edward can't push the train." said Gordon as his eyes shifted very quickly for no apparent reason.
"How do you do on hills, Gordon?" asked Edward innocently.
Edward then buffered up to the train, being coupled almost instantly, and he pushed.
He puffed and pushed and pushed and puffed, but the train wouldn't budge in the slightest.
"Oh balls..." panted Edward. "Did you put anvils in here?"
STH sighed.
'I told you so. Why not let Henry give it a try?" asked Gordon.
"Yes. I will." said STH.
STH then stepped up to Henry.
"Will you help pull this train, Henry?" he asked.
"Oh yes!" said Henry excitedly.
Henry's crew came back and steamed him up while some workmen tore down the brick wall.
Once Henry had got up steam, he puffed backwards out of the tunnel. He was dirty, covered with cobwebs, and a small family of flies used his small funnel as a home.
"OH I'M STIFF, I'M STIFF!" groaned Henry.
"Have a run to ease your joints, and find a turntable." suggested STH.
When Henry came back, he was feeling much better, having taken a washdown (the engine equivalent of a shower). He was soon coupled up to the train, and everyone got in.
"PEEP PEEP! I'm ready!" said Edward.
"So am I." whistled Henry.
And the two engines set off.
"Pull hard, we'll do it! Pull hard, we'll do it!" Tthey chanted as they puffed off, and promptly abandoned Gordon.
"Wait a minute, WHAT ABOUT ME?" asked Gordon.
He groaned.
As a tune played for Henry, both engines were happy.
"WE'VE DONE IT TOGETHER! WE'VE DONE IT TOGETHER!" they chanted,
STH leaned out the window to wave at the engines, but the train was going so fast that his hat fell off into a field.
A goat then ate his hat for dinner.
The two engines didn't stop until they came to the station at the end of the line.
The passengers thanked them, and STH promised Henry a new coat of paint.
He then realized he could have done that and avoided this trouble. Oh well.
On the way home in the evening, Edward and Henry both helped Gordon back to the sheds. They spent most of the journey mocking him.
All three engines are now good friends now. Henry, Edward, and/or Gordon often play bingo together, and all three became drinking buddies.
Henry now doesn't mind the rain. He knows that the best way to keep his nice paint is not to run into tunnels and stay there, but to ask his driver to rub him down when the day's work is over.
Mitton: Well, ready for our meeting with STH?
Allcroft: Of course I am.