Gordon the Big Engine
Encyclopedia
Gordon the Big Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tender locomotive
in The Railway Series
books by Rev. W. Awdry
. Gordon is painted blue and carries the number 4. Gordon views himself as the most important engine because he is the biggest (not including Murdoch from Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
) and he pulls the Express. Gordon is one of the central characters in the TV series
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
, which is based on the books.
Although he can be boastful, he is hard working and strong, and performs his express duties to the absolute best of his ability. He is also the fastest engine in the Island of Sodor. He is sometimes teased by other engines, particularly the smaller ones, and has been known to have a good-natured rivalry with fellow main line engines Henry the Green Engine
and James the Red Engine
. Nevertheless, he is also quick to forgive and sometimes gives advice and assistance to other engines. He also has a ready wit.
He is usually the first choice for special trains, and was honoured to pull the Royal Train
when Queen Elizabeth II
visited Sodor. His great strength means that he is also sometimes called upon for heavy goods trains and rescue operations, but he by far prefers passenger trains. Once, when he was to pull a freight train, he got stuck in a ditch in an attempt to get out of pulling the train.
In the Railway Series
book The Eight Famous Engines, Gordon made headlines when he visited London
. He has also been to Carlisle
when an enthusiasts' special train broke down.
Despite his fame and importance, he can be very competitive. He particularly dislikes being told about engines who are faster than he is, and once lost his dome
through trying to compete with City of Truro.
He is proud of having been built at Doncaster
and his work on the East Coast Main Line
in his youth. Therefore, he never misses an opportunity to talk about his Doncaster
brothers and cousins from the London and North Eastern Railway
. He arrived on Sodor
in 1923.
His first appearance in the Railway Series was in Book 1, The Three Railway Engines. The eighth book in the series was dedicated to him, as was the thirty-first.
, initially to provide a foil for Edward
. Inspiration came from watching locomotives at work on the Great Western Railway
near the Rev. W. Awdry's childhood home, in particular from the large locomotives that would have to be assisted up the hill. When a story inspired by this was devised for the young Christopher Awdry
, the big engine was named Gordon after a bossy child who lived on the same road.
Gordon is a 4-6-2
similar to the Flying Scotsman
, a LNER
A3
class locomotive. In the book Enterprising Engines, it is stated that the two engines are in fact brothers. The Rev. Awdry
elaborates upon this in The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways. This companion volume to The Railway Series
states that Gordon was built as a test locomotive for the Great Northern Railway
. When the Great Northern Railway had finished with him, they sold him to the Fat Controller for a knockdown price. Gordon was rebuilt by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
at Crewe
Works with new wheels, motion and running plate designed by William Stanier
, the Fat Controller's mentor, who was also responsible for Henry's
rebuild.
Actually, the reason for this somewhat complicated explanation lies with the early illustrations of the character. The Rev. Awdry constantly sought railway realism in his books, and often argued over the illustrations provided by C. Reginald Dalby, which tended to be inconsistent in terms of scale and accuracy. In an effort to combat this problem, he sent the illustrator a number of photographs of the characters as portrayed on his own model railway. The model of Gordon was converted into an A3 from a Tri-ang
model of a 1958 Princess Royal class locomotive
. However, the conversion was not perfect and resulted in a mangled Tri-ang Princess Royal which still retained many of the Princess Royal's features, including the chassis. These errors were carried over into subsequent illustrations. Awdry ended up removing some of the Princess Royal's features such as the chimney and the dome, which were replaced by a LNER Gresley chimney and dome that were fitted on. He then reshaped the Belpaire firebox
and changed the firebox into a tapered firebox/LNER A3/A1 Class firebox.
For the CGI productions, from Hero of the Rails
onwards, Gordon is voiced by Keith Wickham
(UK) (who also voices Edward, Henry, James & Percy) and Kerry Shale
(US).
on the Thomas and the Magic Railroad
film. His character was very much as it appears in the television series and early Railway Series books.
Tender locomotive
A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing the locomotive's fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, so tenders are necessary to keep the locomotive running over long distances. A locomotive...
in The Railway Series
The Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
books by Rev. W. Awdry
W.V. Awdry
Wilbert Vere Awdry, OBE , was an English clergyman, railway enthusiast and children's author, better known as the Reverend W. Awdry and creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, who starred in Awdry's acclaimed Railway Series.-Life:Awdry was born at Ampfield vicarage near Romsey, Hampshire in 1911...
. Gordon is painted blue and carries the number 4. Gordon views himself as the most important engine because he is the biggest (not including Murdoch from Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
Thomas and Friends is a British children's television series, first broadcast on the ITV network in September 1984. Until 2003, it was named Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. This series was shot on 35mm film...
) and he pulls the Express. Gordon is one of the central characters in the TV series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
Thomas and Friends is a British children's television series, first broadcast on the ITV network in September 1984. Until 2003, it was named Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. This series was shot on 35mm film...
, which is based on the books.
Although he can be boastful, he is hard working and strong, and performs his express duties to the absolute best of his ability. He is also the fastest engine in the Island of Sodor. He is sometimes teased by other engines, particularly the smaller ones, and has been known to have a good-natured rivalry with fellow main line engines Henry the Green Engine
Henry the Green Engine
Henry the Green Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic 4-6-0 steam locomotive from The Railway Series books written by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry, and the spin-off children's television series, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.Henry lives on the fictitious...
and James the Red Engine
James the Red Engine
James the Red Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic tender locomotive from The Railway Series children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off TV series Thomas and Friends. James is a mixed-traffic engine, which means he is just as capable of pulling coaches as trucks...
. Nevertheless, he is also quick to forgive and sometimes gives advice and assistance to other engines. He also has a ready wit.
He is usually the first choice for special trains, and was honoured to pull the Royal Train
Royal Train
A royal train is a set of carriages dedicated for the use of the monarch or other members of that particular royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages.-Australia:...
when Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
visited Sodor. His great strength means that he is also sometimes called upon for heavy goods trains and rescue operations, but he by far prefers passenger trains. Once, when he was to pull a freight train, he got stuck in a ditch in an attempt to get out of pulling the train.
In the Railway Series
The Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
book The Eight Famous Engines, Gordon made headlines when he visited London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He has also been to Carlisle
Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...
when an enthusiasts' special train broke down.
Despite his fame and importance, he can be very competitive. He particularly dislikes being told about engines who are faster than he is, and once lost his dome
Steam dome
A Steam dome is a vessel fitted to the top of the boiler of a steam locomotive. It contains the opening to the main steam pipe and its purpose is to allow this opening to be kept well above the water level in the boiler...
through trying to compete with City of Truro.
He is proud of having been built at Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
and his work on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
in his youth. Therefore, he never misses an opportunity to talk about his Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
brothers and cousins from the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
. He arrived on Sodor
Sodor (fictional island)
Sodor is a fictional island in the Irish Sea used as the setting for The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and later used in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series.-Inspiration and creation:...
in 1923.
His first appearance in the Railway Series was in Book 1, The Three Railway Engines. The eighth book in the series was dedicated to him, as was the thirty-first.
Gordon's origins
Gordon was one of the first characters created in The Railway SeriesThe Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
, initially to provide a foil for Edward
Edward the Blue Engine
Edward the Blue Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic steam locomotive from The Railway Series children's books by the Rev W. Awdry, and the related TV Series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. He is a blue 4-4-0 tender engine with red stripes, about the same size as James the Red Engine, and has...
. Inspiration came from watching locomotives at work on the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
near the Rev. W. Awdry's childhood home, in particular from the large locomotives that would have to be assisted up the hill. When a story inspired by this was devised for the young Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry
Christopher Awdry is an English author best known for his contributions to The Railway Series of books featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, which was started by his father, the Rev. W. Awdry. He has also produced children's books based on a number of other railways, as well as non-fiction articles...
, the big engine was named Gordon after a bossy child who lived on the same road.
Gordon is a 4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
similar to the Flying Scotsman
LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
The LNER Class A3 Pacific locomotive No. 4472 Flying Scotsman was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway at Doncaster Works to a design of H.N. Gresley...
, a LNER
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
A3
LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3
The London and North Eastern Railway LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3 locomotives represented two distinct stages in the history of the British 4-6-2 "Pacific" steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley...
class locomotive. In the book Enterprising Engines, it is stated that the two engines are in fact brothers. The Rev. Awdry
W.V. Awdry
Wilbert Vere Awdry, OBE , was an English clergyman, railway enthusiast and children's author, better known as the Reverend W. Awdry and creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, who starred in Awdry's acclaimed Railway Series.-Life:Awdry was born at Ampfield vicarage near Romsey, Hampshire in 1911...
elaborates upon this in The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways. This companion volume to The Railway Series
The Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
states that Gordon was built as a test locomotive for the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
. When the Great Northern Railway had finished with him, they sold him to the Fat Controller for a knockdown price. Gordon was rebuilt by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
at Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
Works with new wheels, motion and running plate designed by William Stanier
William Stanier
Sir William Arthur Stanier, FRS was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.- Biography :...
, the Fat Controller's mentor, who was also responsible for Henry's
Henry the Green Engine
Henry the Green Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic 4-6-0 steam locomotive from The Railway Series books written by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry, and the spin-off children's television series, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.Henry lives on the fictitious...
rebuild.
Actually, the reason for this somewhat complicated explanation lies with the early illustrations of the character. The Rev. Awdry constantly sought railway realism in his books, and often argued over the illustrations provided by C. Reginald Dalby, which tended to be inconsistent in terms of scale and accuracy. In an effort to combat this problem, he sent the illustrator a number of photographs of the characters as portrayed on his own model railway. The model of Gordon was converted into an A3 from a Tri-ang
Tri-ang Railways
Tri-ang Railways was a British manufacturer of toy trains, one of the elements of the Lines Bros Ltd company who traded using the Tri-ang brand name...
model of a 1958 Princess Royal class locomotive
LMS Princess Royal Class
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Princess Royal Class is a class of an express passenger steam locomotive designed by William Stanier. They were Pacifics...
. However, the conversion was not perfect and resulted in a mangled Tri-ang Princess Royal which still retained many of the Princess Royal's features, including the chassis. These errors were carried over into subsequent illustrations. Awdry ended up removing some of the Princess Royal's features such as the chimney and the dome, which were replaced by a LNER Gresley chimney and dome that were fitted on. He then reshaped the Belpaire firebox
Belpaire firebox
The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium. It has a greater surface area at the top of the firebox, improving heat transfer and steam production...
and changed the firebox into a tapered firebox/LNER A3/A1 Class firebox.
Gordon in The Railway Series
- In the Railway Series, Gordon's buffers were square and pointy. In the TV show, they were rounded at the corners. The Rev. W. Awdry said in a letter to a young fan that the reason for Gordon's unusual buffer shape was simply that he had broken his round buffers and square ones were all that was available at the Works. (A drawing inaccuracy in the last picture in The Three Railway Engines shows Gordon with round buffers.)
- In the Railway Series story "Gordon Goes Foreign" from The Eight Famous Engines, we find out that Gordon used to work from Kings Cross in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In the book James and the Diesel Engines it is revealed that he used to be "green" when he was young.
- Two of Gordon's relatives have appeared in the Railway Series. His brother Flying ScotsmanLNER Class A3 4472 Flying ScotsmanThe LNER Class A3 Pacific locomotive No. 4472 Flying Scotsman was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway at Doncaster Works to a design of H.N. Gresley...
was a major character in the book Enterprising Engines, and his cousin MallardLNER Class A4 4468 MallardNumber 4468 Mallard is a London and North Eastern Railway Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive built at Doncaster, England in 1938. While in other respects a relatively typical member of its class, it is historically significant for being the holder of the official world speed record for steam...
in Thomas and the Great Railway Show. Although Mallard was indirectly described as Gordon's cousin in Gordon the High Speed Engine, the link was not made when he actually appeared.
- In Great Little Engines in the picture where Gordon is seen with Sir Handel he has a banjo dome like other A3s.
Gordon in the TV Series
Gordon has appeared in every season in the television series. He has also appeared in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Calling All Engines, The Great Discovery, Hero of the Rails and Misty Island Rescue.For the CGI productions, from Hero of the Rails
Hero of the Rails
Hero of the Rails is a 2009 animated film and feature spin-off of the TV series, Thomas and Friends. The film is a follow up, not a direct sequel to Thomas and the Magic Railroad and a sequel to Calling All Engines! and The Great Discovery...
onwards, Gordon is voiced by Keith Wickham
Keith Wickham
Keith Wickham is a British actor, comedian and voice actor.He is well known for voicing Changed Daily in The Secret Show, Mr. Small, and Mr. Tall in The Mr. Men Show , Corneil in Corneil & Bernie , Mr...
(UK) (who also voices Edward, Henry, James & Percy) and Kerry Shale
Kerry Shale
Kerry Shale is a UK-based actor, writer and voice-over artist. He is married to Suzanne Shale, a former Oxford University law don, now a specialist in the field of medical ethics.-Theatre:...
(US).
Gordon in Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Gordon is voiced by Neil CroneNeil Crone
Neil Crone is a Canadian voice actor and comedian who does the voices of Gordon the Big Engine, Splatter and Diesel 10 from the film Thomas and the Magic Railroad. He does Phillip the Concierge in the My Secret Identity episode "Sour Grapes"...
on the Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a 2000 British/American film based on the well-known TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends and the United States TV series Shining Time Station. The film was co-produced by Gullane Entertainment and the Isle of Man Film Commission. It was written, produced...
film. His character was very much as it appears in the television series and early Railway Series books.