Air date: September 1st, 2008 (UK), November 1st, 2008 (US)
It is Knapford Station's birthday, and all of the engines are preparing for the festivities. A photographer comes to take a photo of the engines to put up a Billboard at Knapford. Thomas is proudest of all as he has never been on a billboard before. To fit all of the engines into the photo, the photographer tells Diesel to move forward, but Diesel accidentally obscures Thomas.
Later, Thomas puffs into Maron Station to collect the billboard and is very surprised to find that he is out of the photograph. Thomas thinks this was on purpose and is so distracted that he barely notices a cow up ahead. He swerves into a siding at the last minute, but runs into a set of buffers, launching the billboard into a nearby river. Thomas goes back to Maron to explain what had happened. The photographer doesn't mind and tells Thomas to collect the engines again. Thomas is about to go when Diesel arrives. Thomas refuses to tell Diesel about the new photo as he does not want Diesel to spoil this photo too.
Soon, all of the engines are back at Tidmouth Sheds, except Diesel. Gordon, Emily, and James are worried as they have jobs to do, but Thomas is sure that he will be quick to fetch the photographer. On the way to Maron, Thomas sees Diesel, who is heading straight for the sheds. Thomas is worried, as Diesel is about to find out about the photo, so he takes a branch line back to the sheds. The engines get very cross when Thomas tells them to come back later, not knowing that it's just an excuse so Diesel won't see them. Just as they have left, Diesel rolls past.
Later, the engines are back at the sheds, and Thomas puffs back to Maron to fetch the photographer. As the photographer climbs into Thomas' cab, Thomas sees Diesel coming. Worried that Diesel will see the photographer, he wheeshes a lot of steam to cover up the station, and Diesel rolls past, but the camera is now wet. The photographer has to let the camera dry, so Thomas tells the engines to come back later.
Soon, the engines come back, but they have still not done their jobs. As the photographer is getting ready, nobody, except Thomas, notices that Diesel isn't there. Just then, Diesel, who is doing the others' jobs, runs around the bend, to find all of the engines, ready to take the photograph for the new billboard. He stops so suddenly that the bunting falls off his trucks. Diesel is cross, as nobody had told him about the new photo. The photographer is confused as he had told Thomas to tell everybody, including Diesel. Thomas feels terrible and all of the engines know that Thomas is the culprit. Just then, the Fat Controller arrives and starts telling Gordon, James, and Emily off for being late and explains that Diesel had to do their jobs, and because of that, Diesel is now late with his own work.
This makes Thomas feel even worse and he owns up that he didn't tell Diesel about the photograph because Diesel had blocked him earlier. Diesel objects that the photographer had told him to move, but the photographer explains that Diesel rolled too far. Thomas apologises to Diesel and the Fat Controller for everything that has happened. Everything is soon rectified and the engines line up to take the photo, this time with Diesel not covering up Thomas. After the photo is taken, Thomas agrees to do Diesel's work, while Diesel takes the new billboard to Knapford.
That evening, Diesel picks up the new billboard and takes it to the festivities at Knapford. The party is a great success as Thomas and Diesel agree that the new billboard at Knapford is the best billboard they had ever seen.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Animation Bump: This is the first episode to use CGI for the character's faces and human characters.
- Collective Death Glare: Thomas accidentally ruins the Billboard of the engines, so the photographer tells him to tell everyone about the reshoot, despite them being busy. Thomas takes the opportunity to not tell Diesel, whom he thinks blocked him on the old photo on purpose. When Diesel finds out about the reshoot and says no one told him, everyone angrily looks at Thomas.
- Dawn of an Era: This was the first episode to be produced as a hybrid of model work and CGI effects.
- Must Make Amends: To make up for his mistake, Thomas agrees to do Diesel's work while Diesel takes the new Billboard to Knapford Station.
- Jerkass Has a Point: The reason Thomas accuses Diesel of obscuring him is because the latter regularly harasses him, meaning he had no way of knowing Diesel didn’t have ill intentions this time.
- Out of Character: Diesel isn't as antagonistic as he was in the previous episodes; While he is upset about missing out on the photo for the Billboard, he doesn't seem too mad about being forced to do Gordon, James, and Emily's work for them.
