One day, Duck was at work with 'Arry and Bert, the smelters' yard diesels. Most steam engines didn't like working with them. They were naughty and played tricks on them. Duck shunted some coal trucks into a siding when a crane was lifting an old flatbed car onto a pile of scrap. The chains holding it could barely take the weight, and the operator was being careless as he swung the load over the tracks. "Look out!" his driver cried. Duck tried to reverse, but it was too late. The chains snapped and then the flatbed plummeted to the ground and landed with a crash, right onto Duck. Luckily, no one was hurt, but Duck was severely damaged. His cab was nearly flattened and a sizable dent could be seen on his boiler. Soon, Chris arrived with Rocky to clear away the mess and Duck was taken to the Steamworks to be repaired.
"This accident has caused confusion and delay. Chris, I would like you to return here tomorrow and help the diesels." he said, promptly.
"Yes sir!" Chris answered. 'Arry and Bert were there as well and they saw an opportunity for mischief. The next day, Chris arrived at the Smelter yard to pick up where duck had left off and he eagerly got to work shunting trucks around the yard. As Chris was taking a drink from a water tower, Arry and Bert rolled up to him.
"'Ello, Chris. Come to learn a thing or two from those who know?" Oozed Arry.
"No, I'm just here to work until Duck gets back from the Steamworks." Chris answered.
"You steamies are unbearably naive." Bert greased.
"Just stay out of my way. I'm not your plaything. I've heard the stories from James and Percy." Chris snapped.
"What stories?" Bert quizzed.
"Nothing 'appened. They're going bonkers in the smokebox." Arry said. Chris fumed away to get back to work. The Diesels then realized they would have to be creative if they wanted to have their fun with Chris. Later that day, Chris was pushing some trucks of slag to the tip point. Slag was the waste metal from the smelting process, and it had to be carried away. These trucks were different, as they were small with four wheels with a large pot that contained the slag, held up by two joints on each end of the car. Workmen cranked large handles on the sides of the cars to tip the pots, where the hot slag poured down the bank. Chris winced at the heat of the slag, and just as he was about to reverse and get some more, Arry and Bert played their tricks. Arry pushed a line of empty coal trucks behind Chris, playing their 'piggy in the middle' trick on him which James and Percy had been the butt of once. Chris tried to keep this from getting to him, but he meant what he said to the diesels. Later, Chris was pulling a line of flatbeds loaded with steel ingots. He reached a set of points, where Bert pulled some empty slag cars in front of him, blocking the points. He tried to reverse, but then Arry pushed some cars behind some points he had just crossed.
"Got you again, silly steamie!" they chuckled. This made Chris very angry as he blew a cloud of steam out. Finally, Arry and Bert played their final trick on Chris. The little engine was coupled to some coal trucks on a siding, where the diesels waited. They were coupled to the trucks as well. When Chris started off, Arry and Bert told the trucks,
"'Old back! 'Old back!" The silly trucks giggled and cackled as Chris strained to pull the trucks. The train jerked forward, but then Arry and Bert pulled back. Chris then knew who was bothering him.
"YOU DIRTY DIESELS! LEAVE ME BE!" he roared in fury. He then jerked back into reverse, which startled Arry and Bert, then they crashed through a set of buffers along with some trucks and onto a heap of scrap.
"You silly engines! You've caused confusion and delay!" shouted a workman. Harvey and Rocky arrived to clean up the mess, and Chris felt very sorry for himself, but it wasn't he who would be punished. Just then, Duck puffed up. He had been repaired after his accident, and with him was Sir Topham Hatt.
"Please, sir, I didn't mean to cause confusion and delay." Chris whimpered as a tear streaked down his cheek. Sir Topham Hatt replied, sternly.
"I heard everything. The diesels played tricks on you and I shall reprimand them as such, but know this-you, too acted irresponsibly. I expect engines on my railway to behave professionally and maturely."
"Yes sir,.Sorry sir." Chris said. Sir Topham Hatt then turned his attention to Arry and Bert.
"As for you two, I am most displeased with your behavior. You have caused confusion and delay. I do not tolerate bullying on my railway either. Perhaps I shall send you two to the Dieselworks and allow Boco to take your place.
"We were only 'aving fun!" Arry whimpered.
"I shall not allow any engine to bully another on my railway either." Sir Topham Hatt said. Chris learned a lot from his experience, and now is learning how to control himself in hopes of becoming a really useful engine.