Professor Botchitt (pronounced Bochey), has tested and built a brand new locomotive for the California Science Convention, being held in Crystal City this year. As part of this, he has requisitioned two freshmen from Cantlerlot High School in order to demonstrate the engine effectively, as it is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

There is only one problem; Botchitt isn't entirely sure if he's got the machine working correctly...

Based on the real-life Gas Turbine 3, a prototype locomotive built for British Railways in the 1950s that was prone to technical faults.