Moral: the importance of helping others/you can't always do the jobs you like best

Short Synopsis: in summertime, the engines enjoy taking passengers to see the sights of Sodor…with the help of The Red Balloon, which eventually becomes a popular tourist attraction amongst summer vacationers. Luckily, Sir Topham Hatt is able to take this into fruition by scheduling Oliver to take the workmen in Isabel and Dulcie for a routine maintenance check of the Little Western branch line. Oliver become jealous when his passengers get to ride in The Red Balloon instead. However, when the passengers run into danger with the Balloon, Oliver is able to save the day all in a nick of time!

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The summer holiday season had arrived on the Island of Sodor. Vacationers had journeyed from far and wide to see the many beautiful sights that the Island had to offer. From sandy yellow beaches with glimmering ocean views…

(Emily pulls Annie and Clarabel by the beach, as seagulls fly over against the ocean waves)

…to lake towns and harbor sides with all their splendor and views of ships and boats out at sea…

(Oliver pulls Isabel and Dulcie through Arlesburgh, whistling at Skiff as he leaves Skiff's Railboat Tours, before scene shifts to Toby with Henrietta passing Percy with a passenger train at Pirate's Cove)

…and especially many hills and cliffsides; caves and caverns, and much, much more. The engines would often keep busy, dropping off and picking up more passengers from station to station, ready for their day's journey about the Sights of Sodor. However, they would also sometimes forget about the possibility of other attractions. Rails and roads weren't the only options for railway transport. Every year, Sir Topham Hatt would arrange for a Red Hot Air Balloon to help take vacationers around the Island. As a tourist attraction, it caught the attention of more and more visitors each year, as the engines constantly reminded themselves, whilst taking passengers to and from Dryaw Airfield.

Thomas: (whistling, as he pulls into Dryaw platform) Hello, Bertie.

Bertie: Hello, Thomas. Care for a race this morning? After all, you have won twice in this week, haven't you?

Thomas: I'm sorry, Bertie. Not today. It's the beginning of the summer season, and we engines are very busy with the passenger load.

Bertie: (chuckles) I was only joking, Thomas. I can't race either. I have to wait to wait for these workmen, you know. They're here to set up the hot air balloon. But I guess that means I win then, eh?

Thomas: (chuckles) I guess so, Bertie. (watches as James whistles and pulls in on the platform across)

James: Hello, you two. You'll never believe how many passengers I've have aboard the train. The summer holidays have kicked in and I believe I have carried more passengers than any other engine.

Bertie: (cheekily) Oh, that so, James? Well, I guess that can be very useful indeed as compared to…hmm…I don't know…(smugly)…taking workmen to set up the hot air balloon?

James: Huh! I guess you're right, Bertie. But in the end, we engines could carry just as many passengers as any hot air balloon would. (his guard's whistle blows) In fact, that's the reason for how much I admire such an attraction, especially since we're both red after all. (whistles and chuffs away)

As James left the station, he watched as the hot air balloon rose gradually up into the sky. He was always pleased at this sort of sight, and Thomas and Bertie watched back in amazement as the balloon rose overhead, before continuing to their passenger duties.

The balloon could be seen by everyone on the Island of Sodor. Pretty soon, it made its way in sight of the Little Western branch line. Duck and Oliver could view it very well from a far distance over at a top station, whilst running their passenger train. Duck recognized it at once.

Duck: (gasps) My! Well, I never! (chuckles) Will you look at that, Alice and Mirabel? It's the hot air balloon from Dryaw airfield.

Oliver: (confused) The what?

Duck: The hot air balloon. Sir Topham Hatt arranges it as a summer attraction every year to help take vacationers around the Island. Isn't it a fine sight?

Oliver: A fine sight? If it takes out passengers away? Are you serious, Duck?

Isabel: (chuckles) Cool your pistons there, Oliver. It surely can't be that bad.

Dulcie: Indeed, Isabel. We still have our carriages full after all.

Duck: You see, Oliver. Even your own coaches don't mind the idea of using another system of transport. Besides, that's the whole point behind using having vacationers on Sodor.

Oliver: Still, I believe Isabel and Dulcie both understand that they're best moving on their own wheels as long as they're journeying out with me. Taking passengers around the Island is an engine's job, not some floating basket propelled by, of all things, hot air around it.

(Doanld and Douglas whistle as they pass through with a goods train)

Donald: (chuckles, jokingly) Are you sure the only full of hot air is you, Oliver?

Douglas: Aye! Wouldn't you know? A windbag propelled by steam.

Duck: (chuckles) Don't mind them, Oliver. Donald and Douglas are practical jokers at heart.

Oliver: Huh! But to think that I don't know what I'm talking about.

(Duck and Oliver whistle at each other as they leaves the station. Scene continues along the view the Little Western)

Throughout the course of the day, the winds died down and the balloon flew down at lower altitude, Oliver could often see it overhead as he chuffed about the branch line.

Oliver: (scoffing, while looking up at the Balloon) Huh! Who wants to ride in hot air around this time of year anyway?

Isabel

And (cheekily) Perhaps the passengers do, Oliver.

Dulcie:

Oliver: (rolls his eyes) Pah!

Oliver was an engine who tended to grumble to a degree on a very rare occasion. But deep down, he was well and truly concerned about the hot-air balloon taking over the job he liked best.

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I know this is short notice, but I just randomly thought of this one, probably when the phrase being used as the title popped into my head. A natural railway-based story depicting summer holidays on railways. I'm really looking forward to writing the one, as well as, perhaps, exploring the Little Western branch line in more detail.