Air date: September 16th, 2002 (UK)
Salty is a new diesel who enjoys working near the sea. It is his first day working on Sodor and as the island is surrounded by the sea, he is hopeful he will be working near it. Naturally, he is disappointed when he is sent to work at the quarry to help Mavis, Bill and Ben with an important job for the Fat Controller. Bill and Ben think that they do not need help, or that Salty will be able to manage all of the trucks. However, when they see that Salty manages to win the trucks over with his tales and songs of the sea, the twins are surprised and rather jealous. But Salty still longs for the sea.
One night, Mavis, Bill and Ben see him alone outside. Bill and Ben call him names and express boredom from his stories, but Mavis tries to comfort him. Salty wants to be near the sea again, but he knows that the quarry work is important. The next day, Salty tries to show Bill and Ben his secret with the trucks, which is singing a tune for the trucks to sing along with. Bill and Ben try singing a rhythm to get the trucks moving, but they cannot make them move the way Salty could.
Later, the Fat Controller arrives at the quarry, and is surprised to see that the job has been completed. Mavis tells him that they could not have done it without Salty. Luckily for him, there is no further need for him at the quarry, and he is finally transferred to Brendam Docks, which is his dream place to work. It is where he feels really useful, and he sorts out the trucks better than any other engine.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Dislikes the New Guy: Bill and Ben have this attitude towards Salty.
- Establishing Character Moment: Salty single-handedly organizes an entire quarry while singing pirate songs to the trucks, which the trucks sing along with him.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Bill and Ben were secretly jealous of how well Salty handled the trucks.
