Moral: overconfidence can get the better of you/it takes time to learn the ropes

Short Synopsis: Duck and Diesel express contrasting views on handling coaches, and everyone agrees with Duck. Devious Diesel plots his revenge by causing an accident for Duck among the trucks and as a consequence, he is held responsible for Duck's work as well as his own. Diesel, dismissing advice, handles the trucks well, but knows nothing about slip coaches...and causes confusion and delay among the passengers!

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It was high summer. The level of vacationers has been booming since the start, and the engines kept busy taking passengers to and fro from destinations far and wide. It surely was the busiest time of the year, especially for Duck and Oliver, as they pulled their faithful coaches about the branch line.

(Duck stops at a red signal and Oliver stops near the line across at a set of points. They whistle at each other)

Duck: Oh, dear. I think Alice and Mirabel have carried more passengers this morning than they have all summer long.

Oliver: I know. So have Isabel and Dulcie. Isn't it spectacular?

Isabel: We'd like to think so.

Dulcie: The more, the merrier.

Duck: (chuckles) Well, it appears to me you three have been busy. It is August after all. High summer is always like this.

Alice

And So we've noticed.

Mirabel:

Duck: Yes. Well, I believe I've heard Sir Topham Hatt talking about arranging for my slip coaches to be in service once more. About time too?

Oliver: But what will you do about Alice and Mirabel then?

Duck: Oh, not to worry. I'm sure they'll be looked after.

(Duck and Oliver's signals turns green and he whistles as he carries on)

Alice: (chuckles) We sure hope so, Duck.

Mirabel: Oh, yes. Who would ever think otherwise?

Duck: (chuckles) You too worry too much. Why would I ever want to replace such splendid and faithful coaches like you?

Better yet, the level of goods traffic has been increasing on the Little Western as well. At Tidmouth Station, Sir Topham Hatt was working with the stationmaster, checking off the order of goods needed to be delivered to the mainland.

Topham: (thinking) Hmm. Now let me see. Surely one big engine can't make multiple trips and back to the mainland all in good time. I'm probably going to need two.

Stationmaster: Capital idea, sir.

(Scene fades out on Sir Topham Hatt thinking harder, before shifting to Diesel and Paxton making their way along the line)

Since most of the engines were busy enough with their jobs as it was, Sir Topham Hatt decided that the DieselWorks in Vicarstown was the best place to spare an engine. In no time at all, Diesel and Paxton were making their way along the line.

Paxton: Should we really be going so fast, Diesel? We have just about enough time left before Sir Topham Hatt is expecting us at the junction.

Diesel: We're nearly there, Paxton. And the sooner we get there, the better. We are modern diesel engines, remember? The speed we go at, there's absolutely no time to waste. We will arrive at that silly Great Western line of theirs and improve it. (as they stop at the junction side-by-side) There's absolutely nothing we can't do to prove that.

Oliver: (whistles as he pulls in) Prove what, Diesel?

Diesel: Nothing! What's it to you, Great Western?

Oliver: (raising an eyebrow) This is our line, Diesel, and if I catch you causing any trouble, Sir Topham Hatt will be the first to know.

(awkward silence)

Paxton: Um…how are you this morning, Oliver?

Oliver: (sighs) Doing just fine, Paxton. I'm glad you're here after all.

(Diesel snorts. Duck, Donald and Douglas pull into the junction, whistling)

As soon as the other engines arrived at the junction, Sir Topham Hatt was ready to make his announcement.

Topham: Ah, you're all here. Splendid. Welcome, Diesel and Paxton, to the Little Western branch line. The reason why I've called you both here was because for a special reason of course. Donald and Douglas will be taking a few trips to the mainland and back with a heavy goods train, and, as promised, the slip coaches will officially be back in service for high summer once more.

(Duck, Donald, Douglas, Oliver and Paxton whistle and honk in excitement, while Diesel just scoffs)

Topham: Anyway, with the work there is to do on this branch line, we can only handle so many coaches among the level of passengers at a time, so…Oliver, you will continue with your own coaches as well as your run to the ballast quarry, Duck will take the slip coaches and handle his own good, of course, Paxton will take Alice and Mirabel in his place and Diesel, you will shunt trucks in the yard and eventually pull them in the twins' place. (sternly) I assume you'll be on your best behavior. I can't have you working on this line otherwise.

Diesel: Oh, yes, sir. Recently, I've had quite a knack with the trucks.

Topham: (looking carefully at Diesel) I see.

Duck: (eyeing Diesel suspiciously) Mmm, sure…

Topham: Well, anyway, you all know your positions. As for me, I have a railway to run. Good day, engines. (turns and walks away)

Diesel was quite confident that he was going to treat the trucks in a very similar manner as usual, but Duck knew very well of his tricks and was not impressed.

Duck: Let me remind you, Diesel, that here on the Great Western, everything runs like clockwork. You'd better not do what I think you're going with those trucks.

Diesel: Don't think for one second that I don't how to handle trucks, Duck. It's no different for me than pulling coaches, and I believe you'd find how much better I am at doing that than you are.

Duck: Oh, really? Is that so? Then tell me, Diesel, how is it that I have my own two sets of coaches as well as my branch line yet you don't?

(Oliver, Donald and Douglas snicker quietly while Paxton expresses a slight grin, which turns to a serious expression once Diesel looks crossly over at him)

Diesel wasn't going to let Duck win the debate against him.

Diesel: If you don't see a reason as to why Paxton and I were called to work on your little old Great Western line today, Duck, then you are clearly mistaken. We diesels know everything about every last piece of track around this railway. We are modern and revolutionary, and we have come to your yard to improve it.

Douglas: Nonsense!

Diesel: (surprised) Come again?

Donald: Hush yer pistons, oily wheels! Ye'll never know as much about trucks or coaches as Duck and he happens to run this branch line himself.

Duck: (politely) Thank you, Donald. I can settle this with Diesel in the most Great Western of ways.

Diesel: OR…we can settle the revolutionary diesel way, Duck. I can haul trucks and coaches twice as fast as you can.

Oliver: (sighs) I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Duck on this one, Diesel. As much as his Great Western ways of doing things may get a little repetitive, it doesn't stop us keeping this line running in good time.

Diesel: Oh, really? Well, I can prove to all of you how I can improve this branch line by hauling at the speed I go at.

Duck: (surprised) Oh? Well, as revolutionary as you are, Diesel, perhaps you can prove it by shunting the trucks for my train.

Diesel: No problem, Duck. I'll have those trucks ready for your silly old goods train in no time. Just you wait and see.

Duck: Thank you, Diesel. That would be most kind of you. (whistles and goes back to work, the rest of the engines, minus Diesel, doing the same)

Diesel: (to himself) No, Duck. Thank you. (rolls backward and switches before heading out of the junction) I'll show that Great Western fuddy-duddy just what working with trucks is really like, and everyone will see that he doesn't do it as good as me. (laughs as he heads towards the yard)

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