It was a beautiful morning on the Island of Sodor.

Thomas the Tank Engine’s blue paint sparkled in the sunshine as he puffed happily along his Branch Line with Annie and Clarabel.

He was feeling very pleased with himself.

“Hello, Thomas,” whistled Percy. “You look splendid!”

“Yes, indeed,” boasted Thomas. “Blue is the only proper color for an engine.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I like my brown paint,” said Toby.

“I’ve always been green. I wouldn’t want to be any other color, either,” added Percy.

“Well, well, anyway,” huffed Thomas, “blue is the only color for a—for a Really Useful Engine. Everyone knows that.”

Percy said no more. He just grinned at Toby.

Later, Thomas was resting when Percy arrived. A large hopper was loading his freight cars full of coal.

Thomas was still being cheeky. “Careful,” he warned. “Watch out with those silly cars.”

“Go on. Go on,” muttered the cars.

“And by the way,” went on Thomas, “those buffers don’t look very safe to me—”

The last load poured down.

“Help, help!” cried Thomas. “Get me out!”

Percy was worried, but he couldn’t help laughing. Thomas’ smart blue paint was covered in coal dust from smokebox to bunker.

“Ha, ha!” chuckled Percy. “You don’t look Really Useful now, Thomas. You look really disgraceful.”

“I’m not disgraceful,” choked Thomas. “You did that on purpose. Get me out!”

It took so long to clean Thomas that he wasn’t in time for his next train. Toby had to take Annie and Clarabel.

“Poor Thomas,” whispered Annie to Clarabel. They were most upset.

Thomas was grumpy in the Shed that night.

Toby thought it a great joke, but Percy was cross with Thomas for thinking he had made his paint dirty on purpose. “Fancy a Really Useful Blue Engine like Thomas becoming a disgrace to Sir Topham Hatt’s railway.”

Next day, Thomas was feeling more cheerful as he watched Percy bring his cars from the junction. The cars were heavy, and Percy was tired.

“Have a drink,” said his Driver. “Then you’ll feel better.”

The water column stood at the end of the siding with the unsafe buffers.

Suddenly Percy found that he couldn’t stop. The buffers didn’t stop him, either. “Ooh,” wailed Percy. “Help!” The buffers were broken, and Percy was wheel-deep in coal.

It was time for Thomas to leave. He had seen everything. “Now Percy has learned his lesson, too,” he chuckled to himself.

That night, the two engines made up their quarrel.

“I didn’t cause your accident on purpose, Thomas,” whispered Percy. “You do know that, don’t you?

“Of course,” replied Thomas. “And I’m sorry I teased you. Your green paint looks splendid again, too. In future, we’ll both be more careful of coal.”