Other mistake: When Thomas is grumping, his lamp is dirty, even though he didn't do anything dirty yet.
Revealing mistake: At the beginning of the episode, the end of the set is visibly reflected of Gordon's smoke box in a close-up of Gordon.
Continuity mistake: When the engines are laughing at Thomas, Henry's eyes are wonky.
Factual error: At the beginning, the first shot of the episode, you can see cranes in the back of the station. They only have cranes at the harbor, not at stations.
Visible crew/equipment: When Thomas races through Elsbridge station, you can see a hand drop in and out of the shot on the top right.
Audio problem: In some American home video releases, when Thomas climbs Gordon's Hill, the music and sound effects are briefly muted and a voice says, "Look out for the train." The voice can still be heard in some other releases, but the music and sound effects are not muted.
Continuity mistake: When Thomas is organizing the trucks, in a second close-up of a truck, the background disappears in mid-sentence.
Continuity mistake: Throughout most of the sequence where Thomas pulls the Troublesome Trucks, the trucks keep changing positions numerous times and many of the trucks disappear and reappear. Also, in a few scenes, there is only 1 truck or just 5 trucks.
Continuity mistake: When Thomas goes through Henry's tunnel, the first van in his train has one bogey. When he comes out, the van has two bogeys.
Continuity mistake: When Thomas leaves Knapford, there is a van in front of the brake van. When Thomas approaches Henry's tunnel, that van disappears.
Continuity mistake: After Thomas organized the trucks, he is facing the trucks, then suddenly he is facing away from the trucks instantly.
Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the episode, the order in the sheds is Henry, Thomas, Gordon, James and Edward. But, when Thomas is complaining, the order is now Thomas, Gordon, James, Edward and Henry.
Other mistake: When the narrator says "the conductor blew his whistle" the conductor is holding his green flag but he is not blowing his whistle.
Thomas and the Breakdown Train - S1-E7
Revealing mistake: In the scene of James' wheels sparking while passing Tidmouth Sheds, a metal rod is igniting the sparks from his wheels.
Thomas and the Breakdown Train - S1-E7
Revealing mistake: The breakdown train appears to be missing in the close-up shot of James' wheels being put back on the rails.
Thomas and the Breakdown Train - S1-E7
Revealing mistake: Thomas is taking on water in the opening shot, but his water cap is closed.
Continuity mistake: James and Edward are on the mainline at first, but then they overrun the platform at Dryaw station, which is on Thomas' branch line.
Other mistake: The narrator says that the fence was mended, but there is no fence and there never was.
Continuity mistake: When Thomas teases James about bootlaces, the background disappears in a close up of Thomas.
Visible crew/equipment: In the opening shot of the restored version, studio equipment is visible in the top-left corner.
Answer: He was in the water.