Plot: Charlie is chosen to help Bill and Ben haul some cars of China Clay to Brendam Docks but his jokes cause havoc for the other quarry engines.
Bill and Ben are tank engines who work at the China Clay works in Centre Island Quarry.
Although, they are very cheeky and love playing jokes on the other quarry engines who can get them into trouble.
Charlie is one of Sir Topham Hatt's engines who loves telling jokes to the other engines but this can get him into trouble as well.
One day, Sir Topham Hatt called Charlie over to the quarry. He had a special job for him.
"Right on time, Charlie. It seems that the China Clay load is too heavy for the twins to take so Charlie, I need you to help them haul the load to Brendam Docks then you can help them shunt the cars into their places so Cranky can load them into barges to take to places across the island."
"Yes, sir."
Bill and Ben gazed at him.
"Everyone tells us he is the funnest engine ever," said Bill.
"We'll have some fun with him for sure, Bill," said Ben.
Thomas arrived with Rocky as Thumper started blasting rocks.
"I'm to take these rocks to the docks after Rocky's finished," said Thomas.
Soon Charlie, Bill and Ben were hitched up to their cars.
Charlie knew that the twins loved jokes and decided to tell one about Rocky.
"Hey, everyone. What do you call a crane who lifts rocks and places them into cars?"
None of the engines knew.
"Rocky," chanted Charlie and chuckled.
The other engines laughed too.
The twins laughed in delight.
"Good joke, Charlie," said Bill.
"Yeah," said Ben, "you are one funny engine."
"A funny engine," thought Charlie.
Then an idea flew into his funnel.
"Come on, Bill and Ben. Let's get these cars off to the docks."
The three engines set off.
Thumper, still chuckling, laughed so loud that he didn't attend to what he was doing and thumped the rocks faster.
A landslide came down onto the tracks.
"Oh no," gasped Thumper.
"Oh, dear," sighed Thomas.
"Looks like more work for me," said Rocky and called out "Charlie! Do you even realize what you have done?"
But Charlie didn't hear Rocky.
Neither did the twins.
They just chuffed continued along the line laughing their hardest.
"Hey, twins," said Charlie, "I've got another joke for you.
"What is it, Charlie?"
"I'll whisper it."
And he did.
The twins gave another laugh.
"Let's tell it to Fergus himself," said Charlie.
"Yeah, let's," said the twins.
They found Fergus taking on water at a water tower.
"Hello, Bill and Ben. Oh, hello, Charlie. What are you doing here?"
"Sir Topham Hatt assigned me to help out the twins with bringing the load of China Clay to Brendam Docks."
"Interesting."
The twins tried hard not to giggle in front of Fergus until Charlie told him the joke.
"Hey, Fergus. I've got a joke for you. Why is cement always so easy to make concrete?"
"I don't know, Charlie. Why?"
"Because it comes from 'The Cement Works.'"
The twins laughed and laughed.
Charlie was chuckling at his own joke too and Fergus chuckled as well."
"Goodbye, Fergus," said the twins.
And the three engines took off.
Fergus was still laughing.
His driver was worried.
"Whoa, whoa. Take it easy, Fergus."
But Fergus wasn't listening.
He chuffed behind the water tower and the water leaked out onto the road.
Fergus gasped. He wasn't laughing anymore.
"Uh oh," said his driver.
Then they heard a honk.
"Oh no!" gasped Fergus.
Bulgy was running a vegetable stand on the road when he heard Fergus' warning whistle.
"There must be trouble," he said to himself.
Then he saw the water on the road.
"Oh no!" he gasped.
His driver applied the brakes but it was too late.
"WHOAAAAAA!" groaned Bulgy, "LOOK OUTTTTTT!"
Bulgy skidded on water and ran into a ditch.
"Hey, Charlie!" called Fergus, "look what your joke did to Bulgy!"
But Charlie didn't hear Fergus.
Neither did the twins.
They just chuffed continued along the line laughing their hardest.
"Hey, twins," said Charlie, "I've got another joke for you.
"What is it, Charlie?"
"I'll whisper it."
And he did.
The twins gave another laugh.
"Let's tell it to BoCo himself," said Charlie.
"Yeah, let's," said the twins.
They found BoCo filling cars up with gravel.
"Hello, Bill and Ben. Oh, hello, Charlie. What are you doing here?"
"Sir Topham Hatt assigned me to help out the twins with bringing the load of China Clay to Brendam Docks."
"Interesting."
The twins tried hard not to giggle in front of BoCo until Charlie told him the joke.
"Hey, BoCo. I've got a joke for you. What do you call a type of engine who supervises under the duty of a bishop?"
"I don't know, Charlie. What?"
"A Metropolitan 'Vickers.'"
The twins laughed and laughed.
Charlie was chuckling at his own joke too and BoCo chuckled as well.
"Goodbye, BoCo," said the twins.
And the three engines took off.
BoCo was still laughing.
James, who was nearby, look worried.
"Whoa, whoa. Take it easy, BoCo."
But BoCo wasn't listening.
He chuffed behind the gravel hopper and the next load poured out onto the track.
BoCo gasped. He wasn't laughing anymore.
"Uh oh."
Then gravel flew towards James.
"Oh no!" he gasped.
He was covered from smokebox to bunker in gravel dust.
"Just look at my splendid red coat on paint," he sighed sadly to himself.
"Hey, Charlie!" called BoCo, "look what your joke did to James!"
But Charlie didn't hear BoCo.
Neither did the twins.
They just chuffed continued along the line laughing their hardest.
"Hey, twins," said Charlie, "I've got another joke for you.
"What is it, Charlie?"
"I'll whisper it."
And he did.
The twins gave another laugh.
"Let's tell it to Mavis herself," said Charlie.
"Yeah, let's," said the twins.
They found Mavis taking on diesel oil.
"Hello, Bill and Ben. Oh, hello, Charlie. What are you doing here?"
"Sir Topham Hatt assigned me to help out the twins with bringing the load of China Clay to Brendam Docks."
"Interesting."
The twins tried hard not to giggle in front of Mavis until Charlie told her the joke.
"Hey, Mavis. I've got a joke for you. Why do you have to take on diesel oil to look after the twins?"
"I don't know, Charlie. How?"
"So you can keep on 'petrol' of them."
The twins laughed and laughed.
Charlie was chuckling at his own joke too and Mavis chuckled as well.
"Goodbye, Mavis," said the twins.
And the three engines took off.
BoCo was still laughing.
Toby, who was nearby, look worried.
"Whoa, whoa. Take it easy, Mavis."
But BoCo wasn't listening.
She chuffed behind the oil tower and oil poured onto the track.
Mavis gasped. She wasn't laughing anymore.
"Uh oh."
Then she and Toby heard a whistle.
"Oh no!" they gasped.
Henry was coming down the track with a load of logs when he heard Toby's bell and Mavis' horn.
"There must be trouble," he said to himself, "I must stop."
Then he saw the oil on the track ahead.
"Oh, no," he gasped.
His driver applied the brakes but it was too late.
Henry slipped onto the oil and slid off the rails.
Mavis and Toby were horrified.
"Hey, Charlie!" called Mavis, "look what your joke did to Henry!"
But Charlie didn't hear Mavis.
Neither did the twins.
They just chuffed continued along the line laughing their hardest.
"Hey, twins," said Charlie, "can you imagine how Sir Topham Hatt would react if he caught us messing around?"
"We don't know Charlie. How?"
Charlie began to impersonate Sir Topham Hatt.
"He would say Bill, Ben and Charlie, you should be doing your job. Not going on telling jokes."
The twins laughed and laughed as they entered Brendam Docks.
Sir Topham Hatt was waiting and so were Thomas along Thumper on a flatbed and Rocky and so were Fergus, BoCo and Mavis.
Charlie continued, not even realizing Sir Topham Hatt was there.
"What is this I hear? Laughter? You should be taking things seriously for once! You are very silly engines!"
This time, no one laughed. Not even Bill and Ben.
Charlie was confused.
"What? Didn't I amuse you?"
"It's Sir Topham Hatt," said the twins quietly.
"Well of course it's Sir Topham Hatt. Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho."
The twins still weren't laughing.
"Huh," thought Charlie.
He looked down at the ground to see Sir Topham Hatt standing crossly in front of him.
He gasped and backwards in surprise.
"Oh, Sir Topham Hatt. Good gracious, sir. Very sorry, sir. Uh, what were we talking about?"
Sir Topham Hatt looked sternly at Charlie.
"Do you think any of this is funny, Charlie? It's been a very tiring day at the quarry already! These engines are in enough trouble as it is! Thumper, you've given Rocky a bigger job to do for later; Fergus, because of you, Rocky will have to haul Bulgy back onto the rails; BoCo, because of you, the workmen will have to work hard at cleaning James; Mavis, because of you, Rocky will have another job to do at hauling Henry back onto the rails; and now to make me even more cross, I have to hear Charlie taking the mickey out of me! Bill and Ben, do you have anything to do with this?"
Bill and Ben didn't answer.
"As I expected!" continued Sir Topham Hatt, "trust a shameful pair of twins to put everything in the quarry out of order!"
Charlie was ashamed. Deep down, he knew this was all his fault. He decided to own up for his friends and took a deep breath.
"Sir, this is my fault. I've been telling jokes to the engines and it was probably their amusement by my jokes that caused all of this havoc. I'm really sorry, Sir."
"Not only have you caused havoc, Charlie, but confusion and delay. Although, you have owned up and a really useful engines always owns up."
"I agree, sir. A really useful engine also helps his friends out in a muddled situation. Please, sir. If I promise to behave, will you let me help with putting everything back in order?"
Sir Topham Hatt thought for a moment then agreed.
"Alright, Charlie," he sighed, "but only if you get all this work, especially the China Clay work, done by tea time."
"Yes, sir," said Charlie.
And the engines chuffed away.
First, they arrived at the Steamworks where they picked the workmen along with shovels, dry cloths and buckets of soapy water.
They arrived at the slate quarry where Henry was lifted back onto the rails.
Then they went to the quarry where the gravel was cleared away into the empty freight cars and James was cleaned from smokebox to bunker
Next, they arrived at the water tower area where Bulgy was lifted back onto the road and all the water was dried off.
They returned the workmen to the Steamworks and finally, they arrived back at Brendam Docks.
Thomas, Thumper, Rocky, Mavis, BoCo and Fergus all returned to their jobs while Charlie and the twins spent the rest of their time shunting the cars of China Clay into their places and by the end of the afternoon, all the clays was hauled into crates and loaded onto the barge which then took off for the mainland.
Sir Topham Hatt was about to go home for his tea when he came to see the engines.
"Well done, all three of you."
"Mostly thanks to Charlie," said Bill.
"Yeah," said Ben, "he helped out with everything."
"Well done, Charlie," said Sir Topham Hatt, "not only have you been a really silly engine but also you've been a really useful and reliable engine after all."
And with that, Sir Topham Hatt left in his car.
Charlie was pleased and decided to tell Bill and Ben one last joke.
"Hey, twins. How do you know if an engine is in trouble over an old bridge?"
"We don't know, Charlie. How?"
"You see him hanging over the 'railing.'"
The twins laughed and laughed along with Charlie as the three engines chuffed down the track.
