Air date: September 22nd, 2015 (UK) October 13th, 2015 (US)
Toby's sideplates are rattling and Henrietta suggests that they call in at the Steamworks to have them looked at. Toby tells her that he does not have the time as he has a lot of jobs to do. Toby leaves Henrietta at Knapford to take a trainload of scrap to the scrapyard. Henrietta reminds Toby to have his sideplates looked at and suggests he fill up with coal before he goes. Toby loses patience and tells Henrietta that she does not need to tell him everything.
Toby pulls in next to Reg at the scrapyard and sure enough, he does run out of coal. Toby asks if Reg has any to spare, but Reg is a diesel-powered crane. Just then, Edward chuffs past and Toby rings his bell to greet him. After he has gone, Toby realises that he should have stopped Edward to ask him for some coal. Reg tells Toby that another engine will be along shortly and he starts to unload Toby's scrap. Sure enough, Thomas clatters past. Toby calls out to him, but Thomas cannot hear him over the noise of scrunching scrap. Clarabel sees Toby and thinks he looks very sad. A short while later, Edward passes by again. Toby calls out, but like Thomas, Edward cannot hear him over the sound of Reg at work. Edward does manage to hear Toby's bell, which he thinks is odd; Toby should not still be at the scrapyard. Toby tells Reg that he is making too much noise and asks if there is some way he can attract the other engines' attentions. Reg decides he will wave a brightly coloured piece of scrap like a red flag when the next engine passes. Soon, Henry passes and Reg waves an old, red car in the air. Unfortunately, Reg accidentally loses grip and throws the car at Henry which scares the nervous green engine.
Meanwhile, at the Docks, Edward tells Salty that every time he has passed the scrapyard, Toby has been there. Clarabel says she saw him looking sad, too. Salty comes to the sad conclusion that old Toby is going to be scrapped. Thomas is shocked and says Toby is far too useful to be scrapped.
Back at the scrapyard, Toby spots Thomas puffing towards him in the distance. Reg decides it would be a good idea to lift Toby up in the air so that Thomas will be able to see him asking for help. Toby is not impressed. Thomas passes and hears Toby screaming at Reg to put him down and the little tank engine realises that Salty must be right and Toby is going to be scrapped.
The news of Toby's fate soon travels around the island. Thomas tells Gordon who tells Caitlin. Caitlin then tells Connor and soon Stanley, Edward, Salty, James and Percy all hear the news. It is not long before every engine on Sodor has heard the news. Meanwhile back at the scrapyard, Reg lowers Toby back onto the rails, admitting that his idea might not have been the best one.
In the yard at Knapford, Paxton overhears Henry talking to Stafford about Toby. Paxton then tells Emily and Henrietta overhears. Henrietta is adamant that it is not true; there is no way her Toby is going to be scrapped.
As the sun goes down, Toby cannot understand why nobody has stopped to help him all day. Suddenly, Emily clatters in and tells Reg and Toby that there is a rumour going around that the old tram engine is going to be scrapped. Toby says he is not going to be scrapped, he merely ran out of coal. Henrietta tells Toby that she told him to fill up with coal and Toby has to admit she had been right and apologises for snapping at her earlier. Emily then lends Toby some of her coal.
Later on, the Fat Controller gathers all of the engines at Knapford. They are surprised to see Toby pull in. Then, the Fat Controller arrives and makes an announcement saying that Toby the Tram Engine is not going to be scrapped and that he is still a hard working and really useful engine. He goes on to say that whoever started the rumour caused a lot of confusion and probably some delay. Toby has no idea how the rumour started and chuckles about it with a regretful Thomas before he puffs away with his sideplate still rattling. He remembers that Henrietta had told him to go to the Steamworks and laughs as Henrietta sighs.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Ascended Extra: Reg has a larger role in this episode.
- A Day in the Limelight: For Toby.
- Brick Joke: Toby's rattling sideplates.
- Eat the Camera: When Thomas speeds off after believing Toby is being scrapped, the camera zooms inside Toby's screaming mouth, before transitioning to the montage of the rumor being spread.
- Gossipy Hens: The engines become this thanks to Thomas believing Toby is getting scrapped.
- Idiosyncratic Wipes: These occur a few times in the montage of the rumor of Toby being scrapped spread.
- Not What It Looks Like: Seeing Toby dangle from Reg's claw causes Thomas to think he's going to scrap him.
- Two Scenes, One Dialogue: The montage of the rumor of Toby being scrapped is a variation of this.
- Women Are Wiser: Only Henrietta doesn't believe the rumor. And only Emily thinks to go to the Scrapyard to check if it's true. Zig-Zagged in that Annie and Clarabel are among the ones who start the rumor in the first place.
