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Franklin the Forklift
Season 1, Episode 19
NewFranklinTheForklift
Air date July 5th, 2018
Written by Semaj5nodrog4
Episode guide
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Franklin All Around Sodor

Franklin the Forklift is the nineteenth episode of the first season of the Many Adventures on the Island of Sodor.

Plot

Out of all the places on the Island of Sodor, Brendam Docks tends to be the most busiest one, for goods come in day and night and many of the engines are kept busy taking them to and from the port. Although it is busy for the engines, it is also very busy for the docks crew as well, for Cranky, Porter, and Salty load the goods and shunt them into their proper places and trains all the time, though sometimes so many goods come in, they fall behind schedule and then there is confusion and delay. Although the three of them try their best, they all wish they could have more help to make things run more smoothly and have trains run on time.

One day, Thomas was puffing towards the docks with a goods train. He was puffing happily and just thinking to himself.

"I wonder how busy it is at the docks," he wondered. "Hopefully, I can deliver this train and get back to my branch line in no time."

"Ha, ha, ha!" chuckled one of the trucks. "Don’t bet on it, Thomas!"

"Yeah, for all we know, since it's been so busy lately, you'll be lucky if you get back to the branch line by tomorrow!" added another, and the trucks laughed.

Thomas just scoffed. "Oh, you trucks and your jokes," he muttered. "You never stop do you? Well, I'm not worry. Besides, the docks hasn't been busy enough for that to happen. I'm sure I'll be there and out before you know it. You'll see." And Thomas continued on.

But when Thomas arrived at the docks, he was shocked. Everywhere he looked there was cargo laying around, trucks scattered all over the yard, and Salty and Porter busily shunting. Harvey was also there loading flatbeds as well.

"Bust my buffers!" exclaimed Thomas. "What a mess."

"Told you so!" shouted one the trucks, and they laughed again.

"Oh ahoy there, Thomas, me lad," called Salty. "Glad to see you could make it. Sorry for the mess, but we're doing our best to make this shipyard shipshape again. Just hang tight and we'll be with you soon."

"Oh, okay Salty," puffed Thomas. "I guess I can do that. Why is it such a mess around here anyway?"

"Well first a ship was delayed and then another one came in before it," explained Porter, "but then the same ship from before arrived and now, we've been hurrying all around trying to get both ships unloaded on time."

"Wow," puffed Thomas. "That sounds like it's a lot of work for all of you."

"Huh, you can say that again," huffed Cranky. "I've been lifting and loading and loading and lifting all day and I have had it. I'm just glad that Sir Topham Hatt sent Harvey down here to help us out and get this cargo loaded up and get the trains moving."

"Good point, Cranky," chuffed Thomas. "I'm sure Harvey has been a big help. Haven't you, Harvey?"

"Ha, ha, I guess you could say that," chuckled Harvey, as he was loading the flatbeds. "I'm happy to help, but even this is a lot of work for me too."

"Oh," puffed Thomas. "Well why can't Sir Topham Hatt send Kevin to help you? He's worked here before and I'm sure he knows what to do."

"Ah, but that's the thing Thomas," chuffed Salty. "Sir Topham Hatt did send Kevin."

Thomas was puzzled, then he heard the sounds of tires screeching and looked over towards the sidings to see Kevin rushing around and trying to load trucks and flatbeds as carefully and quickly as possible. The little crane looked exhausted.

"Phew, heaving hooks," he chuffed. "Even I don't usually get this much work at the Steamworks. This is too much for me. Oh, hello Thomas! Nice to see you!"

"Nice to see you too, Kevin," called Thomas.

"Sorry for the mess, by the way," added Kevin, "but don't you worry. I'll have you unloaded in a jiffy, right after I load these…" Kevin looked over at all of the crates sitting on the dock. "…several crates of fruits and vegetables." And he groaned again.

"It's okay, Kevin," said Thomas. "Take your time. I know it's a lot of hard work."

Then Thomas' trucks started laughing. "Maybe we should help them," said one.

"Yeah," said another. "We could help them clean this place up in like, uh…a week!"

"Or maybe a month!" added another. "Especially considering how slow they're being. I think even a snail moves faster than them!" And the trucks laughed and laughed again. The engines were cross.

"Huh," muttered Cranky. "The last thing we need right now is help from any of you." The trucks glared at Cranky.

"Well all the same, matey," said Salty. "They're not all wrong. We do need some more shipmates here to help out, and some professional help too."

"I couldn't agree more," agreed Porter.

Just then, Edward arrived. "Hello everyone. I've come to collect some engine parts and take them to the Steamworks. Are they here yet?"

"Yes indeed, Edward," replied Harvey. "Just finished loading the last of them and they're waiting right here for you."

"Excellent, thank you Harvey!" said Edward. "Oh and also, Victor told me he needs Kevin back at the Steamworks as well to help sort the parts out."

Everyone groaned, but Edward was surprised. "Oh I'm sorry. I didn’t mean any harm. I was just…" "Oh it's not that, Edward," soothed Salty. "It's just we needed young Kevin's help to clearing this area up, that's all."

"Oh I see," said Edward, feeling relived. "That's different, though I see what you mean by that. Perhaps if Kevin finishes his job at the Steamworks, I could bring him back here later."

"Uh, I don't know about that, Edward," chuffed Kevin. "After everything I've done here at the docks, I'd prefer to stay at the Steamworks for the rest of the day. No offense, everyone."

"Oh, none taken, me hardy," said Salty. "You've been a big help today and you deserve to go back and do some easier work for a change."

"Great, thanks for understanding!" said Kevin, then he quickly moved to Edward's flatbed and got situated. "Oh, and good luck to all of you. I hope you can clear everything up on time."

"Thank you, Kevin," replied the others, then with that, Edward buffered up to the flatbed and his train, and puffed to the Steamworks.

"You know," chuffed Harvey thoughtfully. "We still have those forklifts. They can probably help us."

"That's true, Harvey," said Porter, "but many those forklifts are old and useless. They would probably slow us down even more."

"Aye, Porter's right," added Salty. "Those forklifts would help, but they tend to be slower than sea slugs. We would need newer ones to help speed things up around here."

"Speaking of speeding up," huffed Cranky, "how about you all do the same? I can't do all the work alone you know."

"Right, let's get to it," said Salty. "Come on lads, oh and we'll be right with you for sure this time, Thomas, so hang tight."

"Alright Salty, I'll wait," said Thomas and as he did, he started thinking about something else.

Soon after a long time, Thomas was finally on his way again and was back at Knapford station. Then he saw Sir Topham Hatt waiting on the platform, and he didn’t look happy.

"Sir I can explain," began Thomas. "You see, there was…"

"It's alright Thomas," said Sir Topham Hatt. "I'm not cross with you. I'm more annoyed with the fact that there's too much work going on at the docks and it's causing confusion and delay. I even had to send Percy to take Annie and Clarabel for you for your next train because it took them so long to unload you, Thomas."

Thomas frowned. "Sorry about that, sir. Harvey and Kevin were helping too, but then Kevin had to go back to the Steamworks and the only other help they have now are the old forklifts and according to Salty and Porter, they’re no help either. Just wondering sir, is it possible to bring in more forklifts to the docks?"

Sir Topham Hatt pondered. "Hmm, well I don't know about more than one forklift, Thomas, but it might be possible to bring in one new one. I'll have to check on that. In the meantime, you can go ahead and take care of your next job, Thomas, and I'll let the dockside crew know about it tonight."

"Yes sir," replied Thomas, "and thank you sir!" Then Thomas puffed away to his next job as Sir Topham Hatt went back to his office.

Late that night, all the work at the docks was finally completed. Everyone felt exhausted, but were happy that the day's work was done.

"Phew, bust my domes," said Porter. "I've never worked so hard in my life. I think I shunted hard enough for three."

"Me too," agreed Harvey. "I'm surprised my crane didn't fall off from swinging it back and forth so many times."

"Huh, try doing that every day of your life," puffed Cranky. "I've been doing it for years and even I'm surprised I'm still in one piece."

"Argh, well that's how you feel when you work down here at the docks, me hardies," chuffed Salty. "Work happens all the time and the best we can do is get it done regardless, though I have to admit today was unusually busy. Hopefully, it will be better tomorrow."

"And that it shall be, Salty," said a voice. Everyone looked and saw it was Sir Topham Hatt. "First of all, I want to say you all did your best today and although things ran behind schedule, I'm pleased that all the shipment was taken care of in an orderly manner." Everyone was pleased. "Now I also know that there's been too much work around here lately and you need help. So I was looking earlier today and I have good news: there's a forklift from the Mainland that is available and he should be here in the morning."

Salty and Porter were delighted. Cranky was too, but then he thought. "Just one, sir? After everything that happened today, we would need at least five forklifts to keep things moving."

"Nonsense Cranky," said Sir Topham Hatt. "One is plenty for now. Besides, it was just busy today because of a few delays. It should be better tomorrow. Oh and Harvey, you can go back to doing your regular jobs tomorrow as well."

"Yes sir, and thank you sir," said Harvey.

"Now I hope the rest of you will make the new forklift feel welcomed and comfortable and show him what he needs to do," Sir Topham Hatt said to the dockside crew. "Can I trust you all to do that?"

"Yes sir," replied Porter.

"Aye-aye, sir," added Salty.

"Yeah, sir," said Cranky.

"Excellent," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be heading to bed, so good luck to all of you and good night."

"Good night, sir," called the others, then Sir Topham Hatt drove off to bed.

Salty and Porter were delighted. "Sounds like we're getting more help after all, Salty," puffed Porter cheerfully.

"Aye, you're right there, me hardy," agreed Salty, "and it be a new forklift too! Har, har! It's bound to be a big improvement over those old rust buckets."

"Huh, we'll see about that," muttered Cranky. "If you ask me, Sir Topham Hatt should have ordered more than one of them. That way if one messes up, another would be there to fix it immediately and there wouldn't be any trouble."

"Ah, relax captain," soothed Salty. "You probably just be needing some sleep, that's all." "Yeah, you worked pretty hard today, Cranky," added Porter. "I think you're just tired and a little…well, cranky right now. I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning."

"And also," added Harvey, "I'm sure having one new forklift will be fine. It's not like one of them could cause havoc all over the docks in just one day."

"Huh, you never know," grunted Cranky.

"Alright, I think we've been talking quite enough now," interrupted Salty. "Let's all try to get some much needed shut-eye and be ready to welcome the new shipmate in the morning."

"Salty's right," said Porter. "We all need to get some rest. So good night everyone."

"Good night," the others said, and with that, Harvey whistled good-bye and headed back to his shed as the others went fast to sleep, keen to meet the newcomer in the morning.

The next morning, Salty and Porter were still asleep. They were just sleeping peacefully when Cranky woke them up.

"Hey, you two," he called. "Wake up. We have company."

Salty and Porter jumped. "Huh, who, what, where, how? Oh, har, har, har, great news Cranky," said Salty, waking up. "I take it that means the new shipmate has arrived?"

"Yeah, and here he is," replied Cranky, as he lowered a small forklift down onto the quay.

Salty and Porter looked at him. He was painted light blue with a black cab and had a nameplate in red with black lettering and the number forty painted in yellow. He also had two long giant forks extending from him as well. The two engines thought he looked very smart.

"Hello there," the forklift said cheerfully. "My name is Franklin. I'm the new forklift that your controller ordered last night. I've come from the Mainland to help you out."

"Well then, ahoy there, Franklin," said Salty proudly. "Welcome to the Island of Sodor and to Brendam Docks. My name is Salty, and this here is Porter, and that's Cranky. You'll understand why he's called that soon enough," he added quietly to Franklin.

"Oh, ha ha, I see," chuckled Franklin. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you all. I can't wait to get started. I'm really looking forward to working with everyone and getting to know what I have to do around here."

"That's great to hear, Franklin," said Porter, "because there is quite a lot of work around here, so hopefully you're prepared to be busy."

"Oh yes I am, Porter," replied Franklin eagerly. "Back on the Mainland, I was the quickest, fastest, and strongest forklift at the port in Barrow-in-Furness. I organized stacks of crates and loaded trains quicker than any other forklift there. Some said I could even do everything on my own."

"Huh, well I wouldn't try doing that around here, little guy," warned Cranky. "I don't know how busy it gets at Barrow, but here it can get very busy and you'll need to make sure you're doing everything right and correctly. Otherwise, even the smallest mistake could cause confusion and delay."

"Oh you won't have to worry about that, Cranky," said Franklin. "Once someone tells me what to do, I listen and get the job done in no time."

"Huh, we’ll see about that," muttered Cranky.

Franklin frowned. "I'm starting to see why he's called Cranky," he whispered to Salty and Porter.

The two engines laughed. "Well, Cranky is right though, Franklin," said Porter. "This area can get very busy and you have to know what you're doing, but don't worry. You have us to help you if you run into trouble."

"Aye, young Porter's right, lad," agreed Salty. "If you ever come across something you don't know, just ask any of us and we'll be happy to help."

"Thanks everyone," said Franklin. "It's good to know. Now when do we get started?"

"Har, har, right now, me hardy," said Salty. "Looks like Cranky's unloading a ship right behind you. Once he has all them crates unloaded, you can go ahead and load those flatbeds and vans over there."

"Great!" said Franklin. "I'll get right to it." Then when he was warmed up and ready, Franklin set to work at once.

Franklin was soon hard at work, busily lifting and loading cargo onto the trucks. As he was working, Salty, Porter, and Cranky watched how efficiently he was working. Franklin carefully picked up each pallet of cargo and placed them gently into the vans, but was quick too and didn't drop a crate. He also lifted a whole stack of pipes up without hesitation and placed them onto the flatbeds as if he was lowering a leaf. Soon in no time at all, Franklin had the train loaded and ready to go. Salty and Porter were impressed, even Cranky was too.

"Well, that takes care of that," puffed Franklin. "No trouble at all and done in no time."

Just then, they all heard a pair of whistles. It was Thomas and Edward. Thomas was delivering a train of stone and Edward was collecting the train Franklin just loaded.

"Do you think Cranky has your train loaded up yet, Edward?" asked Thomas.

"Well, it would be nice if he did so I wouldn't have to wait," replied Edward, "but considering how slow it's been around here lately, I would be very surprised if…" But before he could finish, he and Thomas looked ahead and saw Edward's train was already prepared. They were surprised.

"Ahoy there, lads," called Salty. "Top of the morning to ya. I believe this train is for you, Edward?"

"Uh, yes Salty it is," puffed Edward, "but how is it already prepared for me? Usually I have to wait a while for my trains to be ready."

"Aha, that's how it used to be," chuckled Salty. "Up until young Franklin arrived."

"Who's Franklin?" asked Edward, then he and Thomas heard a noise and looked over to see Franklin come from behind the train.

"I'm Franklin," he called. "I'm the new forklift on Sodor. I just finished loading this train for you."

Thomas and Edward looked at Franklin. "Wow, looks like Sir Topham Hatt ordered a new forklift after all," puffed Thomas.

"Yes, and he's quick too," added Edward, who was still a little surprised about his train being ready already.

"Ha ha, you can say that again," chuckled Cranky. "Franklin here is a huge improvement over those old forklifts and twice as fast."

"Har har, couldn't have said it better me self, Cranky," agreed Salty. "Yes, little Franklin here just showed that he can be a hardworking shipmate and a fast-paced worker, which will come in handy I believe."

"I'll say," said Thomas. "You seem like you're going to be a very useful forklift, Franklin."

"Why thank you, little blue engine," replied Franklin. "What's your name, by the way?" "Oh my name is Thomas," he replied.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Thomas," said Franklin, "and you must be Edward?"

"Yes I am," replied Edward, "and it's a pleasure to meet you as well, and thank you for getting my train ready so fast. You must have been an expert back on the Mainland."

"Well that's what he's been saying," chuffed Porter. "The fastest, quickest, and strongest one there. Right Franklin?"

"Yep, that's correct," replied Franklin proudly, "and I can certainly prove to be the same here too."

"Well, hopefully you will," chuffed Edward. "Just be careful not to get too full of yourself though."

"Don't worry, Edward," soothed Franklin. "I'll make sure of that. I have these three to help me out if anything happens."

"Excellent," said Edward. "Well, I must be off now, so I'll see all of you later, and nice to meet you once again, Franklin."

"Nice to meet you too, Edward," called Franklin. "Good-bye." Then Edward buffered up to his train and puffed away.

"You know," puffed Thomas. "I think with Franklin helping here, work will go by much more smoothly and quickly. Don't you all think so?"

"That's what we're hoping for, Thomas me lad," agreed Salty, "but the question is…is he prepared for the busy day ahead?" He looked at Franklin when he said that.

"Yep, I certainly am," replied Franklin eagerly. "Ready, prepared, and ready for lifting and loading." Everyone couldn't help but smile at this.

Soon, the work started to increase during the day and the docks became busier. Franklin was busily lifting and loading cargo into every train that came his way. Whenever Cranky was done loading one shipment of crates, Franklin immediately started picking the cargo up and placed them into the trains that he was told to by Salty and Porter. He was very quick and efficient as well and even managed to load three trains in under half an hour. The dock workers and the other engines were impressed. Throughout the day, Franklin received so much praise for his work and thanks to him, work at the docks went smoothly and was completed right on time. Cranky, Salty, and Porter were very pleased.

Soon it was night time and Franklin was just finishing his last train of the day, which was loading the Flying Kipper for Henry. He loaded the crates of fish in an orderly manner and was careful not to drop any of the fish.

Henry was watching. "You're quite the busy and careful little forklift, aren't you?" he asked Franklin.

Franklin chuckled. "I guess you could say that, Henry," he replied. "I've been doing this all day and trust me, I could keep going."

"Well, if you've been doing this all day, I think you need a little rest after this," puffed Henry.

"Argh, Henry's right, me hardy," Salty cut in. "You've done more work today than an entire crew of shipmates combined. So yes, you deserve some rest tonight."

"Okay Salty," chuckled Franklin. "I will. I was actually just kidding." Franklin finished loading the last crate of fish into the train. "Alright Henry, that's the last of them. You're ready to go."

"Thank you, Franklin," called Henry, "and have a good night everyone, and nice meeting you Franklin." Then Henry set off with the Flying Kipper.

"Well Franklin," chuffed Porter. "I have to admit, after what I saw today, you are quite the hardworking forklift and definitely a big help to the docks."

"I'll say," agreed Cranky. "The biggest help in awhile. I actually thought a few times that I forgot to unload the ships because you loaded the crates so fast." The others laughed, even Franklin.

"And after a hardworking day like this," puffed Salty, "you deserve to get some shut-eye, lad, for tomorrow will be a busy day once again and you want to be prepared."

"Right you are, Salty," said Franklin. "I want to be rested and ready to go in the morning, and may even try to get one hundred trains loaded too." The others chuckled.

"Well, as long as you get a good night's sleep, you can do that for sure," puffed Porter. "Now let's all get some rest."

"Yes, let's," said Salty. "Good night, everyone, and see you at daybreak."

"Good night," the others said, and they all closed their eyes and went to sleep. As he did, Franklin felt proud of himself, thinking about how helpful he was today, and was keen to do an even better job tomorrow.

The next day, Franklin woke up bright and early and ready for the day. Salty and Porter were already awake too.

"Good morning, you two," said Franklin. "Are you ready for today?"

"Aye-aye, lad," replied Salty. "Ready and raring for work. How about you?"

"Oh yes I am," said Franklin eagerly. "I'm ready for anything. No amount of work is too much for me."

"That's good to hear," said Porter. "Oh, and it looks like we'll find out how much work we'll be getting too," he added, as he saw the dock manager coming towards them.

"Good morning everyone," he said. "I hope you all had a good night's sleep because today will be extra busy. A large ship is due to come in later this morning and will be filled with tons of cargo. Several trains will be needed too, so Salty and Porter, you better start getting the necessary rolling stock ready and Franklin, when the ship does arrive, be sure you know which trains the cargo is for. There's a lot of work that needs to be done today, so everyone please be sure you know what you're doing and do your best to avoid any accidents or confusion and delay."

"Yes sir," replied the dockside crew. "You can count on us."

"Excellent," said the dock manager. "Now good luck to all of you and I'll check back later." And then he left.

Franklin was excited. "Oh boy, sounds like today will be a fun challenge. I can't wait until that ship arrives."

"Argh, well that's good that you're excited, lad," said Salty, "but keep in mind, you better know which trains the cargo is for because if Porter and I have to get several trains ready, then there will be a lot to remember."

"Also," added Porter, "since we're doing that, we may not have enough time to tell you what cargo goes into which train. We'll try to help you as best as we can, but you're going to have to rely on the workmen for help too, and if he has the time, Cranky too."

"Huh, well don't count on that," huffed Cranky. "If there's going to be as much cargo as the manager says there is, I'll be too busy lifting and loading to talk to anyone, so yes Franklin, you're going to have to rely on others for help."

But Franklin was too excited to heed their words. "Not to worry," he chuffed. "As soon as I receive my orders, I'll know which cargo goes for which train and there won't be any problems." "Well let's hope so, matey," chuffed Salty. "We know you're a hard worker, but sometimes even the hardest worker needs some help sometimes."

"Thank you, Salty," replied Franklin, "but I'm sure I got it under control."

Salty and Porter smiled at Franklin, but they still thought that Franklin was going to need some help.

Soon the ship was approaching the docks, and everyone were receiving their orders. When Franklin received his, he listened closely, but then even he started to realize that he would definitely be loading several trains and there would be more work than yesterday. He was feeling a little worried, but he was still determined to do a good job.

When the ship arrived, the real work began. Cranky was busily unloading the ship, Salty and Porter were shunting trucks around, and Franklin was loading the cargo onto the trains. So far, Franklin was doing good with loading the flatbed and low loader trains and he felt proud of this, but soon, he was starting to have trouble with loading the trains that involved trucks. He was forgetting which cargo goes for which train.

"Uh oh," he thought. "What do I do now?" He looked around for Salty and Porter, but he couldn't see them. They were waiting for Franklin to load the trains on the other side of the Sodor Shipping Company Building. Franklin looked up at Cranky, but he was too busy with unloading more cargo.

"Um, excuse me Cranky," called Franklin. "Could you help me for a second?"

"Can't at the moment, Franklin," replied Cranky. "The ship is almost due to leave and I have to finish unloading it before it leaves. Try asking the workmen. They can help you."

So Franklin looked around to see if any of the workmen were available, but all of them were busily tying down crates, sending messages to each other, and checking shipment details. None of them seemed they had the time to talk.

Franklin was worried. "Oh dear," he groaned. "What am I going to do now?"

The troublesome trucks giggled. They could see Franklin was in distress and decided to have a little fun with him.

"Hey there, little guy," one said to Franklin. "You look like you're stumped. Need some help?" "Oh yes, definitely," replied Franklin. "I have about three more trains to load and I'm not sure where each of the cargo is meant to go."

"Relax," said another truck. "We can help you."

"Yeah, you can count on us to help you out of this muddle," said another.

Franklin perked up. "Really? You can?"

"Sure," said the first truck. "We help everyone all the time. It's what we do."

"Oh, really?" asked Franklin. "That's strange. Salty, Porter, and Cranky never said I could ask you all for help. Why is that?"

"Ah, they're just jealous," said another truck. "They're too proud to admit that we're better than them when it comes to help others. They just wish they were as good as us."

Franklin was surprised, but conceded. "Well if that's true, then thank you for your help," he chuffed. "Now can you all tell me what goes where?"

"Sure, we can," said one truck. "Ask away, little fellow."

So Franklin did, but he was completely unaware that he was in for trouble. The trucks did tell him where to put the cargo, but all for the wrong trains. For the train that was next to Franklin, he loaded fruits and vegetables, even though the trucks were supposed to be loaded with bricks and building material for James. For the next train, he loaded the bricks and building material, but was supposed to load them with crates of fish for Henry. Finally, for the last train, Franklin loaded the fish into the trucks instead of the fruit and vegetables that were due for Emily. Throughout all of this, Franklin was still unaware that he was making a huge mistake.

At last, Franklin was finally done with the trucks and got the jobs done on time. He felt very relieved.

"Phew, that was definitely a lot of work," he panted, "but I couldn't have done it without all of you," he added to the trucks. "So thank you all."

"No problem there, little chap," said one, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, happy to help any time," added another one, trying not to laugh as well.

"If you ever need some help again, just feel free to ask any of us and we can be at your service any time," said another. "Oh, but just to not make your friends feel jealous, keep our help a little secret form them, okay?"

Franklin was puzzled, but he agreed. "Uh sure, yes, I'll do that, and I'll keep that in mind for next time." Then at that point, Henry, James, and Emily arrived to collect their trains. They all backed up to the trains that thought they had, but we unaware that they each had the wrong ones.

"Well, I'm ready to go," puffed James. "I bet I'll get my job done faster than you two."

"Huh, we'll see about that James," teased Emily. "I bet you won't be nearly as fast as Franklin was with loading our trains. He must of worked hard enough for three."

"Well, I don't know about three," Franklin chuffed bashfully. "I'm just a hardworking and reliable forklift, that's all."

"That's very true and that's something to be proud of," Henry declared. "Good for you, Franklin." Then it was time for the three engines to leave.

"Good bye, Franklin," called Emily.

"Thanks for loading our trains," added James.

"And keep being really useful," finished Henry.

"I will, and thank you!" called Franklin back, then the three engines puffed away. Then all of a sudden, all of the trucks burst out laughing. Franklin was puzzled, but the three engines just ignored them as they puffed away.

Just then, Salty and Porter came up.

"Well, Franklin," puffed Porter. "How did you do? Were you able to load the trains alright?" "Yep, I certainly did," Franklin replied proudly. "It was no trouble at all. Definitely a lot of hard work, but I was able to take care of everything in a cinch."

"Har, har, har," said Salty. "Excellent news, me hardy. I'd think for sure with all the amount of work you had, you'd be needed help, but I'm glad to hear you were able to do everything on your own. So I think I'm speaking for all of us when I say you are certainly a reliable and really useful forklift."

"Here, here," said Porter. "Hooray of Franklin!" And the workmen and even Cranky cheered for him. Franklin felt very proud of himself and was pleased with his work for the day.

However, Franklin's pride was about to be short-lived, for the three others were soon arriving at their destinations, and were going to find out that they were given the wrong trains.

James arrived at the building site with his train, but when the workmen looked in his trucks, they were surprised to see they were loaded with fruits and vegetables.

"Huh? What's this? This isn't the bricks we ordered!" grumbled a workmen. "James, what are you playing at? Are you trying to say we're fruity or something?"

"What?! No I'm not!" snorted James. "I would never do that to anyone. A splendid engine like me doesn't have time to make fun of others like that, though since you're accusing me of fooling you, making I am saying you're fruity anyway." The workmen grumbled.

Meanwhile, Henry arrived at Wellsworth with delivering more fish, but once his guard opened the vans doors, he was surprised to see the bricks and building material.

"Oh dear, Henry," he said. "You must of picked up the wrong train back at the docks. This one's filled with bricks and other building material, not fish."

"Oh," exclaimed Henry. "That's strange. I'm sure I picked up the right one. I didn't have this problem last night with the Flying Kipper. I'm sure Franklin gave me the right train back at the docks."

Lastly, it was Emily's turn. She arrived at the market with the fruits and vegetables she was supposed to deliver, but once the market people opened her trucks, they had an unpleasant surprised.

"Ugg!" exclaimed one. "Emily, are you sure you collect the right train? Because all we see in these trucks are fish! We can't sell these here. They're too smelly!"

Emily was surprised. "Oh my, how did I do that?" she puffed. "I thought Franklin was supposed to give me fruit and vegetables. Maybe something went wrong back at the docks when he was loading my trucks."

Meanwhile, back at the docks, Franklin was talking to Edward about his day's events.

"I was worried I was going to have trouble at first," he boasted, "but after think about what I needed to do, I was able to take care of all of the trains in no time and everything was under control."

"Well, sounds like you were quite the busy little forklift today," puffed Edward. "I'm impressed that you were able to get everything done on time. I would think for sure you would need some help."

"Well to tell you the truth, Edward," Franklin whispered, "I did have some help, but not from Salty, Porter or Cranky."

"Oh? You asked the workmen?" asked Edward.

"Nope," Franklin said excitedly. "The trucks! They were such a huge help with me and without them, I probably would have been stumped forever. They are really reliable you know."

Edward's face frowned. "Um, did you say…the trucks helped you?!"

"Yes," replied Franklin. "Since everyone else was too busy, they told me where to put the cargo for James, Henry, and Emily's trains and were very helpful."

Edward was speechless. Salty, Porter, and Cranky overheard and were speechless too. Franklin was puzzled.

"Is everything alright?" he asked. "You all look a little scared. Did I do something wrong?"

The four others looked at each other. "Uh oh," they said in unison.

"Uh, I hate to say it lad," said Salty nervously, "but aye, I think you might have done something wrong."

Franklin was surprised. Just then, Thomas arrived.

"Hello everyone," he said. "What happened here earlier? I've just talked to Henry, James, and Emily and they all said they were given the wrong trains and now there's confusion and delay. Did some kind of disaster happen here or something?"

Everyone was worried. Franklin was nervous, but just then Sir Topham Hatt arrived onboard Winston and he was cross.

"What in the name of Sodor happened here?" he boomed. "I've received numerous complaints from several people about receiving the wrong cargo and they all said it happened here. Now they're saying that this is a bad railway. What do you all have to say for yourselves?"

Salty, Porter, and Cranky looked at each other. They didn't want to get their new friend into trouble, but they also didn't want to lie to Sir Topham Hatt. Franklin on the other hand felt terrible for what happened so he willingly spoke up.

"It's my fault sir," he said. "I'm responsible for all the confusion."

Sir Topham Hatt turned to Franklin. "Franklin? I wouldn't expect you to make so many mistakes like this. I've received so many positive things about you yesterday, but what happened today?"

"Well, you see sir," began Franklin, "I got confused about which cargo goes for which train and everyone here was too busy to help me, then the trucks offered to help and they told me where to put the cargo, but I don't know how their help went wrong. Am I missing something?"

Then Sir Topham Hatt understood everything. "Oh dear, Franklin. I'm sorry to say this, but yes you were missing something."

"Oh? What was it, sir?" asked Franklin. "Is there something about the trucks that I don't know?"

"Um, excuse me sir," Salty cut in. "I think I can answer this for him." Then he turned to Franklin. "Aye, Franklin, there is something. You see, the trucks on this railway tend to be troublesome and play tricks on other engines and vehicles."

Franklin felt abashed. "Oh, I see. So you mean those trucks tricked me into putting the cargo into the wrong trains?"

"I'm afraid so, Franklin," Porter added. "They probably thought since you were new, you would listen to them and decided to take advantage of you."

Franklin was very upset. "Oh dear, how could I have fallen for that? I never had that problem with trucks back on the Mainland. They all behaved and never played tricks. What a silly forklift I am. I guess I'm better off back at Barrow-in-Furness."

Everyone could see that Franklin was deeply upset. Even Sir Topham Hatt, who was still cross about all the confusion and delay, felt sorry for him. "Oh Franklin, it'll be alright, I promise. Everyone makes a mistake every now and then and you're still new and learning, so…I'm not that cross with you."

Franklin's eyes perked up. "Really sir? Y-you're not cross with me? Or going to send me back to the Mainland?"

"Good heavens no," chuckled Sir Topham Hatt. "Yes I'm a little cross about this situation, but I wouldn't send you back just for this. You're still a really useful forklift and I'm proud of you. Your work yesterday proved so, and trust me, I would not send you back just from making one mistake. You needed some learning experience that's all."

Franklin was delighted. "Oh sir, thank you," he sighed. "That makes me feel so much better. Oh, but what about all the wrong trains?"

"Don't worry," soothed Sir Topham Hatt. "I'll take care of them. They'll just arrive late to their rightful destinations, that's all, so everything will be fine…mostly, I'm still going to have to deal with complaints though, but you're not in trouble anymore. I just hope you learned something today."

"Oh yes, I have sir," replied Franklin. "You can never trust troublesome trucks." And everyone laughed, Franklin was puzzled. "What's so funny about that?"

"Oh it's funny because that's what we engines say all the time Franklin!" laughed Thomas.

"Aye, he's right me hardy," added Salty. "Ya see? You're already learning fast Franklin my boy, and we're still proud to have you as part of the dockside team and looking forward to continuing to work with you."

"Here, here," agreed Cranky.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," added Porter. "Welcome to the dockside team, Franklin." And everyone cheered, and Franklin felt very pleased.

A little later, Sir Topham Hatt's plans were put into action and Henry, James, and Emily were able to collect their respectful trains from each other and deliver them to their rightful destinations, albeit a little late though, but they were still happy to deliver their loads regardless.

After that day, Franklin is continuing to be a hardworking forklift and doing a useful job at Brendam Docks. Everyone is pleased with his work, and although he is still learning his way around the docks, they know that Franklin is a really useful forklift. Franklin himself knows he can be too, as long as he doesn't take advice from the troublesome trucks again!

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • A reference to the seventeenth season television series episode, Kevin's Cranky Friend, is made in this episode.
    • A few plot points are borrowed from the aforementioned episode as well.
  • Going canonically by the television series, this is the last episode where Rosie appears in her pink livery (as this episode is meant to take place during the twentieth season).

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