Cheeky little Thomas enjoys playing tricks on Gordon. When one of his tricks goes a little too far, Gordon expressly teaches Thomas a lesson! Gordon receives his own lesson when he gets stuck on a hill. Luckily, Edward is there to help out.
Henry doesn't want to ruin his shiny green coat of paint in the rain. Hiding underneath a tunnel, Henry's pride ends up putting him against a wall and upsetting Sir Topham Hatt. When Gordon bursts a safety valve, it's Henry to the rescue! Leaving his tunnel, Henry puffs and pulls Gordon's coaches, showing Sir Topham Hatt he truly is a Really Useful Engine.
When Thomas gets to pull his own train he is too excited to listen to his driver. He thinks he's become a splendid engine, but his eagerness makes him behave like a cheeky little engine. Before long, Thomas gets into trouble with some silly trucks when he doesn't heed Edward's warning of how to handle them.
When James has trouble with the silly trucks, Thomas saves the day! Sir Topham Hatt rewards Thomas with his own branch line and two coaches - Annie and Clarabel. James still needs to learn a lesson. After being too rough with some coaches, James breaks a pipe that stops his train. He's pulled up by the bootstraps when his guard comes up with a clever idea to get James running again.
James is determined to show Sir Topham Hatt how useful he can be. The foolish freight cars try to make James give up pulling them. With Edward's help, James proves he's in it for the long haul. It's an even prouder day for James when boastful Gordon is mistakenly sent off the main line. While Gordon upsets the passengers, James steams up and proudly pulls the express.
Impatient Thomas is in such a rush that he races from the station without his conductor. Annie and Clarabel try to put on the brakes, but can't without their conductor. Thomas finds himself up a creek again when he wants to go fishing. But engines don't fish! When Thomas runs out of water, his tank is filled with water from the river. Thomas' wish has finally comes true, but it fishes up trouble.
