Continuity mistake: When Bulgy is driving on the road next to the rails, Thomas can be seen pulling a train instead of being repaired at the foundry.
Continuity mistake: When Murdoch returns to the shed in the last scene, Emily is there too, but in the last two shots, she disappears.
Audio problem: When Arthur arrives at the lake, he has Spencer's whistle.
Revealing mistake: When Murdoch asks Gordon "What decorations will you have, Gordon?" his left eyebrow (viewer's right perspective) is scratched.
Character mistake: The narrator says that Rusty chuffed bravely across the bridge, but Rusty is a Diesel and thus cannot chuff.
Other mistake: When the narrator says that Duncan ran out of coal in the bridge, there is coal in his bunker.
Other mistake: The episode's title in the original PBS Broadcast version is "The Old Iron Bridge" but the bridge was made of wood.
Visible crew/equipment: When Thomas says to Emily, "Give them back!", studio equipment is visible on the top-right corner of the screen.
Continuity mistake: Because of the production order, Murdoch appears at the sheds, but his introduction is 2 episodes later, in "Peace and Quiet." Spencer also appears at the sheds, but his introduction is 8 episodes later, in "Gordon and Spencer."
Deliberate mistake: Due to the production order, Arthur can be seen at the quarry, but his introduction is 6 episodes later, in "The Spotless Record."
Continuity mistake: The mail van moves without a driver.
Audio problem: Douglas has Donald's whistle sound when he passes Murdoch.
Audio problem: When Oliver arrives at the station, he has Percy's whistle sound.
Visible crew/equipment: When Thomas says "But I'll be much better when you take these fish away!", a tripod is reflected in the water. (HD widescreen only).
Continuity mistake: The fisherman appears out of nowhere when he tells Thomas to enjoy the smell of the fish.
Continuity mistake: When Arthur is waiting for the fat controller to pick him to run the new line, in a wide shot of the sheds, Henry is very close to him, but in a close up of Aurthur, Henry has vanished and Gordon appears one line beside him.
Visible crew/equipment: When Arthur arrives at a station, a shadow of studio equipment is visible on the left.
Visible crew/equipment: When James enters the station, a camera shadow is visible.
Continuity mistake: When Gordon hits the apples, he just bangs into them, no damage, but in the next shot, the apples are visible and smashed and the cart is crushed and on its side.
Plot hole: Bulgy is seen in his season 3 paint job, but in Bulgy Rides Again he's a veggie bus.
Answer: Butch the breakdown truck must have pulled Gordon's tender all the way up the rails so the breakdown train can reach it and also Butch helped to get Gordon close to the winch.