After Cranky is teased about his age, he works twice as hard and through the night to impress the Fat Controller. But the harder he works, the more mistakes he makes. When a big, new, shiny crane arrives, he thinks that his days at Brendam Docks are over!

When Bertie breaks down while they are racing, Thomas takes on his passengers. One elderly man says that Bertie always drops him off between stops. Soon Thomas is getting requests for lots of other unscheduled stops, which makes him run late and upsets his own passengers and the Fat Controller.