Stepney is bored on the Bluebell Railway, so he is naturally eager when allowed to help at the quarry. However, Stepney forgets the Fat Controller's warnings to be home before nightfall and agrees to take a special train down the branch line.
Toby and Mavis warn Stepney to be careful and Stepney leaves the quarry with the special train. After delivering the train, Stepney then heads home, but takes a wrong turn after fog descends and ends up in the scrapyards. His crew goes for help, but in their absence, two diesels, named 'Arry and Bert, creep up and take him to the smelter shed, where Stepney is shunted underneath a giant grabber.
It looks like the end for the little tank engine, but all of a sudden, the grabber stops! As it turns out, the Fat Controller, who happened to be visiting the scrapyard, arrives in the nick of time and has the grabber shut down. The Fat Controller tells Stepney that saving him from scrap is becoming a habit and sends him back to the Bluebell Railway, and Stepney happily learns that there is no place like home.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Big Damn Heroes: Sir Topham Hatt saves Stepney just in time, turning off the grabber just before it could grab him.
- Darker and Edgier: This episode is known for being the darkest episode of the entire show. Stepney is diverted by a fog to the scrapyard, is taken to the smelter shed by two diesels, and came this close to being scrapped. It fortunately gets better when Sir Topham Hatt turns off the grabber and sends him home.
- Deus ex Machina: The Fat Controller just "happens" to be wandering around the smelters at midnight, enabling him to save Stepney.
- Karma Houdini: 'Arry and Bert are not punished for attempting to scrap Stepney.
- Red Filter of Doom: The inside of the smelter shed has an ominous red lighting to accentuate how scary and serious Stepney's situation is.
- Wham Line: "Oh no! We're in the scrapyards!".
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Arry and Bert after leaving Stepney to be scrapped.
