17x15 - Bill or Ben?

[bunniefuu]

[theme music playing]

[train horn honks]

♪ They're two, they're four They're six, they're eight ♪

♪ Shunting trucks And hauling freight ♪

♪ Red and green And brown and blue ♪

♪ They're the Really Useful Crew ♪

♪ All with different Roles to play ♪

♪ Round Tidmouth Sheds Or far away ♪

♪ Down the hills And round the bends ♪

♪ Thomas and his friends ♪

[narrator reading title]

Bill and Ben are t*nk engine twins.

They look very alike, very alike indeed.

[laughs] Morning, Ben.

[laughs] Morning, Bill!

[narrator] That's why they have name plates

on their sides to show which one is Bill

and which one is Ben.

Bill and Ben like looking alike

because that means they can play tricks

on the other engines.

One day, Bill and Ben were making their way

along the main line when...

[train whistling]

...a very fast engine came across the junction

in front of them

and gave them a big surprise.

Who was that, Bill?

I don't know, Ben.

Thomas, did you see that very fast engine

that just went past?

You mean Connor, he's one of the new streamlined engines

bringing passengers from the Mainland.

He must be very full of himself,

racing about like that and surprising other engines.

Connor's not full of himself, he's a very friendly engine.

[train whistling]

[narrator] But Bill and Ben didn't listen to Thomas,

Bill and Ben were passing through Henry's tunnel when...

[Connor whistling] Hello there!

[narrator] ... Connor passed them again,

coming back the other way.

Was that him again, Bill?

I think it was, Ben.

Ooh!

Maybe we should teach that speedy wheels a lesson, Ben.

Maybe we should, Bill. [laughs]

[narrator] So, Bill and Ben made a plan

to play a trick on Connor.

The next time Connor came across the bridge

from the mainland, Bill was there waiting for him.

Hello, speedy wheels.

-Hello there, I'm Connor. -And I'm Bill.

How about a race, Connor?

You and me, up to Ulfstead Castle.

I can't race you, Bill.

That wouldn't be fair, I'm way too fast.

Maybe if I only used one piston.

One piston? Nonsense. You go as fast as you like.

You'll be surprised how fast I am. Very surprised.

Okay, Bill, if you say so.

[mechanical sounds]

Go!

[narrator] The two engines hurried off,

but Bill was quickly left far behind.

What a silly t*nk engine, thinking he could beat

a fast modern streamlined engine like me.

[narrator] Connor arrived at Ulfstead Castle.

He was surprised.

What took you so long? I thought you would be fast.

[laughs]

[narrator] Connor thought it was the same engine

he had seen near the bridge.

But it wasn't Bill, it was Ben.

How... What...

H-How did you do that? I didn't see you pass me.

[laughs] Oh, I was probably going so fast.

You would have just seen a blur.

Don't worry about it.

We can race again, back to the breach perhaps.

You're on.

[narrator] So the two engines got ready to race again.

[blows whistle]

Go.

[narrator] This time, Connor wasn't taking any chances.

He was so determined to beat the little t*nk engine,

that he didn't see the signal turn red

until it was too late.

Then there was trouble.

Henry, watch out!

[gasps]

[train whistling]

Connor, you need to watch where you're going.

You almost hit me.

[narrator] Connor's relief was short-lived

because just then, Sir Topham Hatt arrived.

I don't know how they do things on the Mainland, Connor,

but safety comes first on my railway.

No engine is allowed to pass through a red signal.

I'm very sorry, Sir.

I-I won't do it again, but...

[Bill whistling]

[narrator] Then, Bill came along.

Oh, dear. What's happened here, Sir?

[Ben whistling]

[narrator] And so did Ben.

Oh, no, has Connor broken down, Sir?

There are two of you.

You played a trick on me.

You aren't really faster than I am.

Bill and Ben.

I might have known you two would be behind this.

It's high time I put a stop to your tricks once and for all.

[Bill and Ben] Ooh.

[train whistling]

[narrator] Sir Topham Hatt sent Bill

to the Steamworks to be repainted a different color

so that everyone would be able to tell Bill and Ben apart.

Hello, Bill, I've been expecting you.

I believe you're here to be repainted.

I'm not Bill, I'm Ben. You must want my twin, Bill.

I'll go and get him.

Oh, no, you don't. You're trying to trick me,

just like Sir Topham Hatt said you would.

Oh.

[narrator] So Bill was painted...

a different color.

Oh, look at you.

[narrator] Bill wasn't happy.

Now he and Ben looked different,

it was no fun at all.

Then, Ben had an idea.

The next day, Ben came to the Steamworks,

when Victor wasn't there.

Hello, Kevin. I'm Bill, I'm here to be repainted.

Sir Topham Hatt sent me.

Bill? But you were repainted yesterday.

Really? I don't remember that.

Surely I should be a different color if I'd been repainted.

Uh, maybe you should wait, Bill, until Victor gets back.

Or perhaps, if you won't let me be repainted,

I should tell Sir Topham Hatt.

No, don't do that.

Oh. You better be repainted, Ben.

-You mean Bill? -I mean, Bill.

[whistles]

I like the new color, Ben. It really suits you.

Suits you too, Bill.

What is going on here? Kevin?

[narrator] By the time Victor came back, it was too late.

Bill and Ben were already the same color.

Tricked you, bye-bye.

Oh.

Sorry, boss.

[narrator] Bill and Ben were on their way again

when they saw Connor up ahead.

Oh, look, Bill, there's Connor.

Maybe he wants to race with a freshly painted engine.

Well, Ben, I believe I was the one sent to be repainted.

I'll see if he'd like to race back to the steam works.

Hello, Connor. Recognize me? Care to race again?

Hmm.

Now that I know there's only one of you that color, sure.

Back to the Steamworks, then.

I'll see you when you finally get there.

Maybe sooner than you think.

[train whistling]

[children singing]

[theme music playing]