Air Date: October 5, 2006 (UK), September 24, 2006 (US).
The engines of Sodor are very friendly, but none more than Toby the Tram Engine, who is friends with Mavis the Quarry Diesel, Salty the Dockyard Diesel, and Thomas the Tank Engine, who are all happy to help each other with their jobs.
One day, Toby returns to his shed after finishing all his jobs early. He decides to spend his afternoon at Farmer McColl's Farm, where he will get to see the animals; cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens. Just as Toby is about to leave, the Fat Controller comes to his shed to tell him that he has three important jobs, and since he has finished early, he will have time to do them all. Toby agrees but is worried, as even though he likes to be busy, doing all these jobs will take him the rest of the day, and if he does all these jobs, he won't have time to go to the farm afterward.
On the way to his first job, Toby gets an idea; if he can get help on just one of his jobs, he'll have time to go to the farm afterwards. He decides to ask one of his friends to help him. His first job is to shunt some tar tankers at the shunting yards. As he arrives, he sees Mavis and asks her if she will help him. Unfortunately for him, Mavis is too busy to talk to him and leaves with a train of coal trucks. Toby is upset, as now he has to shunt the tar tankers by himself.
After Toby finishes his first job, he goes to the Depot to collect some empty trucks and take them to the Coaling Plant. When he arrives at the depot, he sees Thomas about to leave with Annie and Clarabel. Toby stops Thomas and asks him if he will help him with his trucks. Unfortunately for him, Thomas tells Toby that he's in a hurry and too busy to help him right now but will help him later. Once again, Toby is upset, because now he has to take the empty trucks to the Coaling Plant by himself. As the day gets later, Toby worries that at the rate he's going, he won't have time to get to the farm and see the animals.
Soon, Toby finishes his second job and rushes to Brendam Docks to do his third and final job. He hopes that Salty will be able to help him, and when he arrives at the Docks, he sees Salty rushing towards him. Toby stops Salty and tells him that he needs help with his last job; helping Cranky unload lots of cargo and is running out of time. He asks Salty if he will help him, but unfortunately for him, Salty is too busy to help him as well; he has to deliver a new piston rod. Toby feels miserable; every one of his friends is too busy to help him. Even though he knows deliveries are important, Toby thinks helping a friend should be important as well. Toby complains that he thought Mavis, Thomas, and Salty were his friends, but now he has to move all the cargo by himself and will never get to the farm.
Toby comes across Cranky, who is in a bad mood. Cranky asks Toby what he's doing at the Docks, and Toby tells him about how he's come to help him unload his cargo. Cranky tells Toby that the ship has been caught in rough seas and its cargo won't be coming until the next morning. Upon hearing this, Toby becomes delighted, as this means he'll have time to go to the farm after all, and races off to it.
On his way to the farm, Toby comes across Henry, who is in a siding and uncoupled from his coaches. Henry asks Toby where he's going in such a hurry, and Toby tells him about how he wanted to go to the farm, but he had work to do, and Mavis, Thomas, and Salty were all too busy to help him. When he says that he thought friends helped each other, Henry tells Toby that it's because they were all helping him. Toby is surprised to hear this, and Henry tells Toby that he's broken down, which was why Mavis had to bring him his special coal, Thomas had to take his passengers on Annie and Clarabel, and Salty had to bring him a new piston rod. Toby suddenly realizes that he made a mistake; Mavis, Thomas, and Salty had been helping a friend after all, in the form of Henry.
Toby now feels bad and asks Henry if there's anything he can do for him. Henry is surprised to hear this and tells Toby that if he does help him, he won't have time to go to the farm and see the animals afterward. Toby tells him it doesn't matter now, as helping a friend is much more important, and asks him what he can do. Henry asks Toby if he can take his empty coaches back to Knapford Station. Because of how big and heavy they are, Toby tells Henry that he isn't sure if he will be able to move them, but he is going to try.
Toby couples up to the coaches and struggles to pull them. At last, the coaches begin to move. Henry is impressed, and thanks Toby for helping him, also apologizing to him for making him miss his afternoon off. Toby doesn't mind, as he feels helping a friend is better than an afternoon off any day.
This episode provides examples of:
- An Aesop: Helping a friend is much more important than doing something for yourself.
- Bittersweet Ending: Toby doesn't get to go to Farmer McColl's Farm, but he does feel good about helping Henry in his time of need by taking his empty coaches back to Knapford Station.
- Hope Spot: When Cranky tells Toby that the ship he was supposed to help him unload has been delayed until the next morning due to being caught in rough seas, Toby is delighted to hear this, as it means he will have time to go to Farmer McColl's Farm after all.
- Jerkass Realization: When Toby comes across Henry, he tells him about his desire to go to the farm and complains about how Mavis, Thomas, and Salty were all too busy to help him with his jobs, but Henry tells Toby that it's because they were all helping him. Toby didn't know this because he was too fixated on his own desires to go to Farmer McColl's Farm and see the animals but feels bad about Henry breaking down and offers to take his empty coaches back to Knapford Station to make it up to him, even if it means he won't get to go to the farm, feeling that helping a friend is much more important.
- Pulled from Your Day Off: After finishing regular his jobs early, Toby is hoping for an afternoon off at Farmer McColl's Farm, but the Fat Controller assigns him three jobs since he was the first engine to get his regular jobs done.
- Rule of Three:
- The Fat Controller gives Toby three jobs in this episode; First, Toby has to shunt some tar tankers in the shunting yard, then he has to collect some empty trucks from the Depot and take them to the Coaling Plant, and finally, he has to help Cranky unload cargo at Brendam Docks. The last job, however, gets delayed until the next morning due to the ship getting caught in rough seas.
- Toby has three friends who are too busy to help him because they're all helping Henry; First, Mavis has to bring him his special coal, then Thomas has to take Annie and Clarabel to collect Henry's stranded passengers, and finally, Salty has to bring Henry a new piston rod.
- Series Continuity Error: Henry needs Mavis to deliver him his special coal, even though Henry stopped needing special coal after his rebuild in "The Flying Kipper".
