Tom and Joe, brakemen on the N. and O. Railroad, are the best of friends until Ruth, the new operator, arrives at Crawley. The rivalry to gain her favor, friendly at first, soon causes the old friendship to give way to enmity. Tom is promoted to the position of freight conductor. On his first run a hot-box delays the train and the conductor upbraids Joe for his carelessness. The brakeman, envious of Tom’s promotion and angered because of the reprimand, concludes to further delay the train. He shuts off a steam-cock and climbs on the caboose. Reaching a downgrade the train gains speed and the engineer is unable to control it. The brakeman attempts to alight but he is obliged to stay on the train. Tom has received orders to hold the freight at Whitmark that the eastbound passenger may pass, and when the train dashes by the siding hie works his way over the box cars to the cab and learns from the horrified engineer that the train cannot be stopped. The conductor sees that the hand brakes are applied and realizing that something desperate must be done he places a message in a lantern and throws it through a station window. The operator receives the warning and endeavors to hold the passenger at Spotford, only to find that the train has left on time. At the little wayside station at Crawley, Ruth comes on duty and overhears the message of the frantic operator passing over her wires. She rushes to the switch, breaks the lock with a stone and sidetracks the runaway train. In a few seconds the passenger flashes by. Tom learns that the air-brakes have been tampered with and Joe by attempting to steal away incriminates himself.