Hard times had fallen on Bobsville. The economy was falling apart as people were leaving town to go and find jobs somewhere else. Bob, a local handyman, was hit particularly hard. With people leaving town, there were less people to do work for, and less money to be made. Bob was reading an article in the newspaper chronicling these events. He then looked at a stack of bills, saying he owed companies thousands of dollars. The recession depressed him and he was faced with a bitter pill to swallow as he contemplated selling his machines and yard. He went out to his machines, parked in the yard, awaiting a job. "Hi, Bob! Do you have any work for us to do?" Scoop, a yellow backhoe asked him. "I'm afraid not, Scoop. The recession means people are leaving town to find jobs somewhere else. There's less work to be done." Bob answered glumly.
"Maybe it'll get better." Roley, a green steamroller said.
"No, it won't, Roley. I'm sorry, gang, but I have to sell all of you and the yard to pay off all of my bills and debts." Bob said. The machines gasped. "I'm sorry. We had a good run. If there were any other way, I would, but there isn't."He said. Bob had some signs up reading, "For Sale" and "Machines for sale" on the wall outside the yard. A few people looked at them, but no one wanted to make an offer. Bob's mood was about to brighten when Wendy came to him with news while he was sitting in his office. "Bob, I've got great news!" Wendy said.
"What is it?" asked Bob. Wendy handed him a piece of paper. "Oh my! Gold prices are over $1,300 an ounce!"
"There aren't any gold deposits in Bobsville." Wendy said.
"I know. We'll have to get up all of our money and crew and go north, to Goldfields." Wendy was surprised at Bob's decision. He was good at building and fixing for neighbors, not mining gold. In fact, Bob had never held a gold pan in his life, but now was banking on mining enough to get out of debt and save his crew and yard. After completing a small job for Farmer Pickles, Scoop and Muck took Bob and Wendy to Larry Lancaster's Liquidation Lot.
"I'll call you on the talkie talkie channel when I'm ready, Scoop." Bob said.
"Okay, Bob!" Scoop said as he and Muck drove off.
"Here we are, Wendy, a liquidation yard. They'll have every kind of machine available, and cheap!" Bob said.
"Then let's get searching." Wendy said. Bob and Wendy entered the gates of the yard where they searched through ranks of machines, lined up like a vast army. They picked their way through bulldozers, backhoes, excavators, loaders, graders, dump trucks and all sorts of machines. He picked four machines, a yellow bulldozer, a grey and yellow front loader, an orange excavator, and a silvery grey articulated dump truck, all lined up in the very back corner of the yard. All four of them were decrepit, rusting, rotting, and falling apart. The yard manager, Larry Lancaster, came up to them and Bob asked him
"What's the status of these four machines?"
"These four. They're on the scrap list. They're due to be dragged off to the chop shop any day now. You're welcome to them, but you can't get any work done with a piece of junk like this."Larry grunted. Bob knew that he had to do something for the poor machines. He looked at their saddened faces, silently begging Bob not to turn a blind eye as they were due to be broken up for scrap.
"I'll take them. All four." Bob said. Larry was surprised at Bob's decision. Bob shook on the purchase of the machines and he called in some trucks to help him haul them back to the yard. Packer and his friends Pacer, Piper, and Panther arrived, all pulling huge flatbed trailers. Bob asked the machines,
"What's your names?"
"I'm Brick." The bulldozer said.
"I'm Clark." The loader introduced himself.
"I'm Spade." The excavator said.
"I'm Axel." said the dump truck.
"I'm Bob, and I need you all to help me" Bob said. The flatbeds were ready as Bob and Wendy helped Brick, Clark, and Spade onto the trailers, with Axel being able to drive on his own. Next, Bob looked around the yard for another machine. He asked Larry, "Larry, do you have any mining machinery? Like a gold wash plant."
"Sure, sure. I've got all kinds of machines here." Larry replied. Bob then found an old wash plant sitting next to a shack filled with scrap metal.
"How about this wash plant, Larry?" Bob asked Larry. Larry looked at the wash plant, snoozing in the sun.
" Sifter? Sure. Have him." Larry said. Packer pulled in with his trailer and two loaders with forks in place of their buckets picked the wash plant up, waking him from his sleep.
"Whoa! I am floating!" he exclaimed as the two brutish loaders heaved him over to the trailer. Packer backed in and the loaders set him down.
"I did not like that!" Sifter said with relief as he was chained to the trailer.
"You'll be alright, old timer!" Bob reassured him. Packer blasted his horn, then Bob and Wendy got onto him. He lead the convoy on back to the yard, where the machines were still sitting idly.
"When is Bob going to be back, big banana?" Benny asked Scoop.
"I don't know." Scoop asked. Suddenly, horns were heard in the distance. Bob and his convoy had finally arrived at the yard. The machines were astounded as they saw what was arriving.
"Team I have a plan! Look over my shoulders. Look at all of this equipment. I am not going to just take this and let you or the yard be taken from me. Not without a fight. We are going to mine gold and get rich. This will make us or break us, but I'm telling you right now we are going to do this. This will be the day that we rise above the depression! CAN WE MINE IT?" He said.
"YES WE CAN!" The whole crew screamed in response. Their rallying cry was heard all across town. It even woke Travis the Tractor from his sleep. The new machines were unloaded and the rest of the town suddenly arrived at the yard! Mr. Bentley walked up to Bob and said,
"Bob, we're here to help. We heard you. We believe in you." Bob then shed a tear, not of sadness, but of joy. With that, people pitched in to help Bob prepare for his epic adventure. Brick, Clark, Axel, Spade, and Sifter were all repainted and fixed up. Supplies such as a water pump, pipes, a gold cleaning table, tools, and food were prepared. After days of hard work, Bob and his crew were ready to go. Pilchard the cat hopped into Dizzy's mixing drum and Bird, Roley's friend hopped onto his cab. Bob and the crew said goodbye to their friends in Bobsville. Robert and Dot, Bob's parents, waved him off as Bob hopped onto Scoop. Bob held his head high and raised his hammer. He pointed to Scoop,
"Let's go!" Scoop pulled out of the yard, with Wendy on Muck, then Lofty, Roley, Dizzy, Benny, Scrambler, with his trailer, then Axel, then Packer and the other semi trucks hauling Brick, Clark, Spade, and Sifter the wash plant. The whole town waved as Bob and his crew set off on their adventure, determined to return with riches untold...