The sun was setting over Brazil and the engines had gone back to their sheds. Some days ago, Thomas had met up with Raul, an engine he met at the Great Railway Show. Raul had lost to Thomas and Ashima in the Shunting Competition and tried to beat him with another challenge, but after Thomas saved him from falling off the dockside, he realized that he couldn't win at everything. That day, Thomas had swapped duties with Marcia and Marcio the Twin engines on the Eucalyptus Railway. He took their passengers while they tried to deliver the eucalyptus wood to Rio. Unfortunately, Marcia and Marcio were wood-burning engines and ran out of wood before they got there, but Thomas managed to put things right in the end and promised to take them back to the Eucalyptus Plantation in the morning.

"Gracias again for rescuing us, Thomas," they said.

"And thank you for showing me your railway." Thomas looked around at his new friends. "You all really have a lovely home."

"Gracias, Thomas," said Gabriela.

Thomas paused. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Everywhere I go, I usually see goods trains, except for Gustavo's Express and on the Eucalyptus Railway. The only passengers I ever carried were for the Carnival and where Marcia and Marcio live."

"Well, we aren't really a passenger railway," said Fernando. "We usually carry goods, and our passenger runs are quite short.

"Like on our railway," added the Twins together.

"Have the rest of you ever carried passengers before?" Thomas asked.

"Of course, we have," said Raul. "In fact, when I came back from the Great Railway Show, I had quite a time with my own passengers."

"What happened?"

"It all started when I arrived in Mexico." And this is the story Raul told them.

When the engines at the Great Railway Show set off for home, many of them traveled in pairs before reaching their final destinations. It was a hot sunny day when Carlos and Raul arrived in Mexico. Carlos was nearly home, but Raul still had a long way to go.

Then, Raul heard cheering and shouting on the dockside. "Soccer fans!" he said. "There is nothing more Brazilian than soccer fans."

"We like soccer in Mexico too," said Carlos.

"Maybe," chuckled Raul, "but not as much as in Brazil."

Carlos was a proud engine; he thought Raul was wrong, but before he could reply, the Dock Manager appeared. "Can one of you take these soccer fans to the match?" she asked. "Their busses were late, and they missed their train."

Then, Carlos had an idea. "We're both going in the same direction. We can each take some of the fans. That way, we'll get the job done faster." The Dock Manager agreed, and the two engines collected their coaches. Carlos watched as the fans climbed aboard. Now for my plan, he thought. "I bet I can get my fans to the stadium before you," he said.

"Pah, no one beats a Brazilian engine to a soccer match," boasted Raul.

"We'll see about that."

The two engines waited for the 'all-clear' and with determined whistles, they raced off towards the stadium station, but every time one of them was in the lead, the other managed to race past. The fans thought the race was very exciting and they cheered and sang as Carlos and Raul went faster and faster.

When the two engines arrived at the stadium, they raced in together. "Ha!" laughed Raul. "I told you I would win."

"No," said Carlos, "it was a draw; we tied."

"I was first."

But they were interrupted by one of the fans. "You've taken us to the wrong stadium!" he said angrily. "This is where they play baseball!"

"Uh oh," said the engines together.

"We were in such a rush, we forgot to check where we were going," groaned Carlos.

"The match will be starting soon!" said another fan. "We must hurry!"

Carlos was determined. "No more games. We must be on time." Raul agreed and they raced on to the Soccer Stadium.

The two engines seemed to puff faster than they ever had before, but this time, they weren't paying attention to who was faster. Right then, it didn't matter who arrived first. They just wanted to get their passengers to the soccer match on time.

They arrived at the stadium just as the match was about to begin. "Horray!" cheered the fans.

Carlos and Raul were puffed out, but they still managed to smile. Their Drivers informed their Controllers about what had happened, and they understood the situation and made other arrangements at once.

Carlos and Raul were given a chance to rest as they waited to take the fans home again. "You know," Raul said at last, "maybe you do like soccer in Mexico nearly as much as we do in Brazil."

Carlos smiled. "I think Mexicans and Brazilians like soccer just as much as each other."

Raul could only agree.

"What happened next?" Thomas asked.

Raul yawned. "I think all of this racing around today has left me just as tired as before. I'll tell you more tomorrow night."

"Oh, okay."

"Still, do you have any more questions?"

Thomas thought. "…Just one…What's baseball?"

And everyone laughed. Thomas was confused, but he couldn't help but laugh too.