Percy and the Signal Remake

Percy works in the yard at the big station. Although he works hard, he can also be very cheeky and often plays jokes. One day, Percy is feeling particularly cheeky, and startles Gordon by telling him his train is ready. Gordon immediately thinks he is running late, only for Percy to reveal a line of dirty coal cars. Gordon is cross and tries to think of a way to get back at Percy for teasing him.

Percy then finds James, and tells him that Sir Topham Hatt has sent a message for James to not leave the shed until he comes to see him. James is delighted, thinking that Sir Topham Hatt wants him to pull a special train and refuses to leave when his driver and fireman try to take him out. As a result, the other engines have to do James' work as well as their own. Finally, an engine inspector arrives and tells James to move. James tells him about the message that Sir Topham Hatt sent that morning. The inspector points out Sir Topham Hatt could not have sent a message as he is away for a week. James is furious and quickly leaves to find Percy, but Percy had wisely disappeared. When Sir Topham Hatt returned, he tells both engines off for causing so much trouble.

The very next day, Percy boasts to Gordon and James that Sir Topham Hatt has sent him to take some cars to Thomas' junction, thinking he was chosen because he is a really useful engine. James, however, thinks it was probably just to keep him out of the way. The big engines then realize they have a chance to give Percy a taste of his own medicine, so they claim they were talking about being careful with the signals at the junction, especially "backing signals". Percy, keen to show off, claims that he knows all about signals, but worries as he has never heard of a "backing signal" before.

Soon, Percy arrives at a signal set to danger. However, when its arm moves up instead of down, Percy, having never seen anything like it before, guesses that it is a backing signal, and begins reversing. Percy's driver is shocked and quickly stops him, but Percy insists that it is a backing signal, and tells him what Gordon and James had said. After the driver tells him the truth, Percy is eager to leave before he is seen, but before he can, Gordon goes past and sees that Percy fell for the trick. Percy sets off and he quickly and quietly finishes his work.

That night in the sheds, Gordon and James talked about signals; while they think the subject is funny, Percy thought they were both being very silly indeed.