The summer holiday was becoming very busy. Passengers crowded the coaches and the stations never seemed to be empty. For the engines, their work never seemed to stop.
Daisy the Diesel Railcar was tired too. All her passengers had worn her out. She couldn't carry as many of them as the other engines without hauling a coach or two, and the passengers she could carry made her feel exhausted.
One day, Daisy arrived at Knapford Station when she saw an amazing sight. There, in the Station, was a coach. It looked old fashioned, but the sun gleamed on its paintwork. Then, Daisy saw the coach move to another platform on its own. She felt she knew what the coach truly was as she came to a stop alongside it, and there, on the platform, was the Fat Controller.
Daisy tried hard not to sound surprised. "Good morning, Sir."
"Good morning, Daisy," the Fat Controller replied. "I would like you to meet our newest engine, Lionel the Autocar."
"Nice to meet you," said Lionel.
Daisy was puzzled. "What's an…autocar?" she asked.
"Well, I may have a diesel engine now, but when I was first built, I had a petrol engine like a road vehicle."
"Lionel was one of the first railcars of his kind," the Fat Controller added. "Before him, railcars ran on steam."
"That's why I have a whistle," Lionel added, "but, like your horn, it's powered by air.
Daisy was surprised…and secretly impressed.
When the passengers climbed onboard, Lionel whistled and rolled smoothly out of the Station as Daisy watched with interest. One of the first railcars of his kind, she thought. He must be old.
Lionel soon learned his way around and was enjoying himself. The holidaymakers were impressed; they had never seen anything like him before. When Daisy saw Lionel at the Stations, she could see the passengers crowding around the autocar taking photographs.
One night, Daisy couldn't stop thinking about Lionel. With another railcar on the island, she didn't feel as special as she had before. Then, an awful thought struck her. She remembered hearing that Lionel's passengers were traveling to Ffarquhar. "The Fat Controller has replaced me," she muttered. "I used to be the most modern engine on Thomas' Branch Line, but Lionel is older than me. That must be why the Fat Controller sent me to Harwick. He thinks an engine like Lionel is more suitable for Thomas' Branch Line than me and so do the passengers." Daisy felt sad. She thought the Fat Controller didn't like her anymore, so she made a decision. "Tomorrow, I will show the Fat Controller how useful I can be."
The next morning, Daisy didn't collect an extra coach. She made her way to Arlesburgh West and waited as her passengers got in. Now for my plan, she thought. "I can carry more passengers than this," she insisted.
Her Driver was worried. Daisy already had lots of passengers onboard. "Are you sure you can take more?" he asked.
"Of course, I can."
Soon Daisy had so many passengers aboard that some of them were standing. The Guard blew his whistle, and Daisy purred away from the platform.
Lionel was at Knapford when Daisy arrived. "My, how can you carry so many passengers?" he asked.
"It's easy for a diesel railcar like me; highly sprung and right up to date." Daisy was glad her plan was working and smiled as she left. "When the Fat Controller sees how many passengers I can carry, he'll like me again. Maybe, he'll ask me to work on Thomas' Branch Line once more as well as the line to Harwick."
But Daisy soon started to feel tired again and her wheels started to slip, but she struggled on. As she passed the other engines, they saw Daisy was tiring. Her face was as red as a signal.
Then there was trouble.
Daisy came to a sudden stop. "What has happened to me?!" she cried.
"There are too many passengers onboard," said her Driver. "Your tired engine can't take their weight. Now, we're stuck." And he left to find a telephone.
All Daisy could do was wait for help. "Oh no," she moaned, "I'm sure to be in trouble now."
Sometime later, Daisy heard a familiar whistle. "Lionel," she groaned.
When Lionel pulled up, Daisy saw the Fat Controller. "What's happened here?" he asked.
"Daisy has too many passengers," explained the Driver. "We didn't collect an extra coach."
Now, Daisy felt worse than ever. "It's all my fault, Sir," she said. "The holidaymakers like Lionel more than me and I know you don't like me anymore. I wanted to show that I was still Really Useful, so I collected more passengers than usual at the Stations."
The Fat Controller looked at Daisy…and smiled. "Daisy, why would you think I don't like you anymore? You are one of my engines and Really Useful too." Daisy was surprised. "You have always been popular with our passengers. In fact, when I sent you to do Thomas' work while he was at the Blue Mountain Quarry, I heard that the passengers enjoyed having you around again, but since you work on the Branch Line to Harwick now, I decided to attend to the matter as soon as I could. The Earl told me about Lionel, so we had him repaired and sent him to do your old job. We brought him here to help you, not replace you."
"What about the passengers on Thomas' Line?"
"Of course, the passengers like me," laughed Lionel. "I'm one of the oldest railcars around. They've never seen anything like me before. They think I'm special, just like you are." Daisy's face went redder than ever; she felt very silly.
Some of Daisy's passengers boarded Lionel, Bertie the Bus took some more, and they all set off for the next Station.
At last, evening came, and Daisy was feeling better. When she reached Tidmouth Station, she saw Lionel at the Sheds nearby. "Thank you for helping me, Lionel," she said. "I'm sorry for putting you through so much trouble."
"That's alright, Daisy, and I'm sorry I made you feel unwanted."
"You're right about the holidaymakers. They like you because you are older and more experienced, but you are still Really Useful, and I am glad you're here to help Thomas and the others."
"Driver says there are more holidaymakers to come," said Lionel. "Let's show them how useful we both can be in our own ways."
Daisy heartily agreed.