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weirdowithaquill · 7 months

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Traintober 2023: Day 14 - Young Iron

Ivo Hugh has some Advice for a Young Engine:

The young engine had only just arrived on Sodor, crossing over the Vicarstown Bridge and steaming onto the fabled rails of Thomas and his friends. She’d heard all about them from her driver, fireman and the trust members – the engines who lived on the Island of Sodor were legendary! All she wanted to do was meet each and every one of them and gush over how incredible it was to finally meet the engines who had so greatly influenced the preservation movement.

Her travels brought her to their Works, where her boiler, firebox and several other important parts had been machined before being sent back to her home in Derby. It was huge! It made her warehouse workshop home look like an ant next to an elephant – the Sudrian Works were built almost as if they wished to impress, with the original works sitting primly at the front, with several acres-worth of expansions behind them, stretching far beyond what the young engine could see. The signal in front of her was red, and she was shunted into a siding beside a small raised retaining wall.

“It’s grown a lot,” chuckled a voice from beside her. The young engine looked down, and her eyes nearly bugged out of her smokebox! Beside her was the smallest engine she’d ever seen!

“What are you?” spluttered the young engine. The little engine frowned – the young engine began to worry she’d somehow offended it.

“I’m Ivo Hugh,” huffed the engine. “Have you never seen a narrow-gauge engine before?” The young engine gasped.

“Like Skarloey and Rheneas? I’ve read about you all! Or at least… some of you. Were you in a book?” Ivo Hugh flushed red and let off steam crossly.

“I was too in a book!” he exclaimed. “I was in New Little Engine!” The young engine winced.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I don’t think we have that book back home. It’s nice to meet you, little Ivo Hugh. My name is Tornado, and I’ve come to Sodor to help out while Henry is being repaired!” Ivo Hugh smiled.

“It’s no problem,” he said kindly. “And I’m sorry I got so cross – Duke would have my bunkers if he heard!” Tornado chuckled – she had read all about the famous old engine who had been buried underground. Oh, the stories that Sodor held were so exciting! And there were more that she’d never been able to read too!

“I’ve never worked in regular service before,” admitted Tornado suddenly. Her signal was still set to danger, and she was curious. “Do you have any advice?”

Ivo Hugh considered the question – there was a lot he could say, like remembering all your passengers so a refreshment lady didn’t chase you down the line, or to not be tricked about backing signals like Percy was, or even to be polite to the elder engines because they would get her back – especially Gordon, who was not above getting even, even in his old age.

But no, there was one piece of advice that Ivo Hugh could think of that stood out above all others. Something he’d been told by three different engines: Edward, Thomas and Skarloey, who heard it from their mentors, who’d learnt from their mentors, all the way back to the first steam engines. One piece of advice that linked all engines together, across Britain, across Europe, across the world.

“Engines must always look after the people who catch their trains,” he said. “They are our coal and water; without people, there are no trains for us to pull and then we have no purpose. You can ask any engine, and they’ll tell you the same. I learnt from Skarloey, who learnt from a little old engine called Neil, who supposedly learnt it in Glasgow from an engine who’d learnt it from Rocket himself.”

Tornado gasped – she’d heard of the famous Rocket, who had won the Rainhill Trials and brought about the rise of steam. He was legendary! Even the diesels spoke of him in reverent tones.

“Thank you,” said the young engine. “I’ll remember that.”

“Oh, and Tornado,” Ivo Hugh added. “Don’t copy the engines from the books. Most of them are as silly as you can get! The other day, Thomas himself had to be brought up to the works because his tank had sprung a leak! I don’t even know how he managed to do that…”

But Tornado could only turn to stare at the workshops excitedly, as if hoping that she would catch a glimpse of the famous Thomas the tank engine. Beside her, Ivo Hugh sighed. It was always the same with the engines from the mainland: they had this weird hero-worship for Thomas that lasted right up until the blue tank engine opened his mouth.

Oh well, Tornado would learn soon enough. She was headed for Tidmouth after all – her owners truly were throwing her right into the thick of it, sending her there. He just hoped a kinder engine like Edward or Bear was there to receive her, or he might be seeing Tornado arrived back at the works in a very different manner to the way she arrived!

Back to Master Post

#fanfiction writer #weirdowithaquill #railway series #thomas the tank engine #railways #traintober #traintober 2023 #the railway series #ttte tornado #ttte ivo hugh #young iron prompt #life advice #but for trains

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ratslovetrainstoo · 1 month

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What are the relationships between the characters of my au?

Part 2

🩵2️⃣ Edward:

💙1️⃣He views Thomas as the son he’d always wanted but could never biologically have (because my au doesn’t have engines that can reproduce) but even so, Edward views Thomas as one of the most valuable people in his life.

3️⃣💚He quite close with Henry, as he (along with Gordon) were some of the first engines to help develop the NWR, so they had created quite a bond with each other over that amount of years.

💙4️⃣Much like with Henry, he mostly bonded with Gordon whilst helping build the NWR. Their bond has been weakened a bit through Gordon’s disrespect and teasing towards Edward, mostly about his old age and smaller stature

❤️5️⃣When Edward first met James, he thought James was a prideful snob. They didn’t really have a bond with each other until the events of the episode “Old Iron” took place. Edward gradually started liking James more and even started developing feelings for him.

💚6️⃣He mentored Percy for a bit when he first came to Sodor and over that time, they both bonded. He’s not as close to Percy as Thomas, but still cares about him a lot.

Part 3

Part 1

#ttte #ttte percy #percy the small engine #thomas and friends #thomas the tank engine #gordon the big engine #james the red engine #ttte gordon #ttte james #edward the blue engine #ttte edward #edward x james (kinda)

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hazel-of-sodor · 1 year

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All my Stories So far

Here is every Fanfic I’ve written for TTTE/RWS so Far!

Multie Chapter Fics:

Gaurdian- Tumblr / AO3 On a cold midnight run, Thomas's crew are thrust into an unexpected quest to help a fallen engine complete its final run.

A Life Well Lived- Tumblr/Ao3 In 1956, Sir Topham Hatt I is given a terminal diagnosis by his doctor. Upon hearing the news, Thomas asks him and Lady Jane Hatt to come with him on a trip. Its time for them to learn a secret hes been keeping from them for almost 15 years.

A Screech in the Night- In the dying days of Steam, a small railway in rural Wales is visited by a Shadow.

Traintober 2023

Day 1-A Day Off

Day 2-Closed

Day 3-More than One

Day 4-Returns and Regrets

Day 5-Down a Well

Day 6-Summons

Day 7-Fire

Day 8-Seagull Line

Day 9-The Fallen Light

Day 10-Never a Dull Moment

Day 11-Exhausted

Day 12-Of Reds and Ones

Day 13-Corris

Day 14-The Best Day

Day 15-Recovered

Day 16-Too Late

Day 17-Snow

Day 18-Rebuilt

Day 19-The Chocolate Zephyr

Day 20-Lively Polly

Day 21-Rescue

Day 22-Succession

Day 23-Greater than Yourself

Day 24 Stuck

Day 25-RMS Aquitania

Day 26-Loss

Day 27-Thomas and the Rocket Sled

Day 28-Home Now

Day 29-Rise Above

Day 30-Everest

Day 31-For What We Fall

Headcanons:

Betla the Steam Outline

Why Thomas is called an E2

Thomas the Engine Thief

Eric backstory

Sad Story of Henry

Diesel 10 heacanons

Henry headcanons

Sheila headcanon

Hiro Headcanon

Gordon Whistle Headcanon

Gordon keeps adopting pacifics

Emotional Support Diesels

The Concept of Family in British locomotives

LNER U1 Garratt Typhoon

Big Emma/Bertha

Sodor in the Age of Social Media

1. Edward

2. Henry

The Cronk and Harwick

Founding to 1914

The Great War

The Quiet Years

The Coal Rush

Star Trek

Enterprise F

Ask Prompts:

Prompt 1 (Dissonance): Impulse- @tigerhawk7109

Prompt 2 (Hazel): Lockdown- @predawnrex04

Traintober 2022:

Night Owl Saga-

Day 3:Owl-Owl by Night

Day 1:Moon-Under the Pale Light

Day 2:Breakdown-Realization

Enaid-

Day 4:Spirit-A Helping Spirit

Day 20:Death-Enaid

One Shots-

Day 5:Out of Service-Reignition

Day 6:Cat-Catnap

Day 7:Bump-Fair Play

Day 11:Jinx-Superstitions

Day 12:Poltergeist-Once A Railway Man

Day 14:Rest in Pieces-Not Again

Day 15:Destination-34090

Day 17:Angel-Of Snow and Angels

Day 21:Stranger-Stranger in my Own Body

Day 23:Squeak-Fidget

Day 24:Mind the Gap-Divide

Day 26:Overgrown-Promise

Day 27:Boulder-Little Problems

Day 28:Last Stop-Sodor, to Welcome You Home

Day 29:Fiery Skys-By His Light

Day 30:Vengeance-The Setup

D5701 Saga-

Day 8:Disgrace-Fall from Glory

Day 10:Torch-All Our Sins

Great Northern-

Day 9:Brace for Impact-To Catch a Lunchbox

Day 13:Lost-No Way to Lose

Lady of Legend-

Day 16:Shadow-A New Legend

Day 19:Fog-Clarity

The Beast-

Day 18:Demon-The Beast

Day 31:The End-Burn

Tornado-

Day 22:Cold Iron-Not Alone

Day 25:Storm-Legacy

The Great North Western Railway

(Swindon Au)

A Swindon Arrival

#ttte #ttte fanfic #RWS #rws fanfic #traintober #traintober22 #traintober2022 #traintober 2022 #hazel is evil #Hazel gives her beta trauma #to be expanded #hopefully

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thesudrianchronicles · 1 year

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NWC Lore Post: Women Drivers In The 1920s

Well, it seems like, from the results of the 1st Lore Poll. That you all want to see the history of Women engines drivers in the NWC & 63A Universe!

I am a man of my word, so let's begin!

So, our story, despite what the poll says, begins way back in the 1890s.

Not on one of the big mainline railways.

Or a small Colonel Stephens light railway.

Or even on Sodor.

It begins on a fairly large, busy, but forgotten line called the “Whitehaven, Cleator & Egremont Railway”, the WC&ER for short. [1]

With roots going back to the late 1860s, the WC&ER was built as a large private railway, to convey Coal, Limestone & Iron Ore to the junction at Sellafield. Across the first 30 year period of its existence, The “Red Line” [2] as it came to be known grew & expanded. And by 1890, it had a fleet of 20 Locomotives. 10 the railway owned, and 10 the railway loaned out from other companies, like the LNWR, or the neighbouring Furness.

“But Author!” I hear Little Jimmy crying from the back.

“What has this got to do with Woman engine drivers?!”

Well Jimmy! Unlike you, it's quite simple!

You see, with most of the local men from the small, nearby villages working either to help their local community, or, of course, working in the mines.

To paraphrase a meme, “In terms of railway workers, we have none.”

But you know what the villages did have? That’s right! women.

And, despite being the 1890s, the majority of them were happy to help!

Now, of course, this being the 1890s, you can imagine the near heart attacks the railway board had at the mere thought of Woman engine drivers. Or women working on the railway in general!

But one man, one singular man, thought it was a clever idea.

That man being, the young Lord Herbert Wesley, Director of the WC&ER since the ripe old age of 22, when he inherited the line from His Father. Who had died in……unknown circumstances. [3]

And He didn’t think it was a good idea so He get to pay them less. He genuinely thought it was a great idea!

A for the time bonkers idea sure, but it was better than nothing!

Plus, people had always said that Herbert was very forward thinking for the time.

Eventually, the board gave up arguing with the man who could put them out of a job in 30 seconds flat, And a compromise was agreed upon.

This compromise being that women, (For the time at least), would only work in smaller, menial jobs. Such as Cleaners, Porters, Firelighters, etc.

After a short while of planning, a “trial run” of 6 women was tired out at Beckermet Station & Shed.

2 of them would work at the station as Porters, 2 as engine cleaners at the shed, & the other two as Firelighters.

And, after a 6 month trial, the results came back.

It was a success! [4]

So, with this…surprise success, Job applications went out across the WC&ER. And, by 1895, a railway which at the time had 209 employees, had 79 women working for it!

So, how did the other railways react to this news?

Some thought the WC&ER had lost its mind, others saw an opportunity.

The Furness Railway for example, decided to do similar trials with some women workers, which showed similar results.

Of course, there was still complaining from many railway staff about “Women doing a man’s job.”

However, the FR board decided to ignore this. [*] and over the next few years, more women were hired for the company.

Other railway companies, not wanting to be left out, started to follow suit. And, by 1914, out of the 120 rail companies, 71 had women working on them in one shape or another.

Then the war happened.

With most of the men going off to fight, women had to take over most of the jobs that were left. Including acting as firemen.

By the end of the war, many women could be qualified to drive locomotives!

And finally, in 1927, it happened.

Miss Jean Daniels, of Perth (LNER) became the first woman in Britain to drive a steam locomotive as a qualified driver! Driving the 10:15 Perth to Edinburgh local, while at the controls of D11/2 No. 6388 "Captain Craigengelt". [5]

Woman drivers are still a common sight on the rail network. From the privatised train operators of Britain, to the rails of Northern Ireland. From Caledonia [6], to Sodor.

And of course, on the line where it all started, the Whitehaven, Cleator & Egremont Railway. Still called the Red Line. But now, it has a second name.

The Women's Line.

- The Author

NOTES

[1] - The WC&ER is a VERY different line in this world than it was in our world.

[2] - The nickname comes from the Indian Red Livery of the locomotives.

[3] - It is believed he died while swimming in a haystack.

[4] - Till the day he died, Lord Herbert wasn't quite sure how it was a success.

[5] - That's a story for another day ;)

[6] - Yep. Sodor isn't the only fiction island in this world!

#thomas the tank engine #thomas & friends #alternate universe #ttte oc #the railway series #63a #nwc #thomas and friends #Women can drive trains too people!#LNER #Fictional Railways

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butterfrogmantis · 2 years

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Ok so, I’ve decided I’m going to call this the ‘Sodor Rehydrated AU’ it’s a pun bcuz I’ve not touched TTTE in years so it dried up, and also my favourite two characters were boats but anyway. I don’t necessarily want to touch the fandom with a 10ft pole again (but y’all that were my best friends in there please get back in touch I miss u guys ,, wherever you are dfjsfjjk)

But!! That doesn’t mean I can’t just do things for myself, which is what it’s going to be :) Making small changes here and there, tiding up bad writing and iffy parts, fixing horrible character design bcuz I was a teen that sucked at humanisations - that sort of thing. So first refreshers being my OTP, didn’t wanna change their designs too much cause I liked where I left off, but I compressed the timeline a lot to make it run smoother and shaved a couple of years off Captain’s age for the same reason. (And cause, ya know, I want em to be together as long as possible fjsdjfk)

Yes I still think I could have fixed Captain. All I want is to write one (1) episode. I don’t even know if TAF is still going or if it completely switched to AEG now? Probably. Even still I could treat him right I know I could. I wanna write a retrospective episode where Skiff somehow saves Captain. It’s ironic, you see, that the lifeboat would need saving, which I think would give him decent character opportunity. That and a Scotsbees episode. Those 4 are my next for revival >:)

Captain and Skiff (c) TTTE / Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends

#ttte #Thomas and Friends #Thomas The Tank Engine #capskiff #skiff the railboat #captain the lifeboat #Thomas the Train

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fraiserabbit · 3 years

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wanted to keep experimenting w/ stuff also practicing some creative writing below the cut if you wanna read, set approx. around Edward the Very Useful Engine (i’ll title it You’re Still Useful) :]

p.s. in this world the engines get scrapped as soon as their respective drivers retire idk man it’s harsh but they’re linked to their engines...in a way

“Edward’s getting ancient. Shall we help him into his cab every time? Can Edward even tell the difference between the regulator and brake lever anymore? He really ought to be retired, or I fear he’ll drive his train into the fields!” Gordon laughed dismissively and promptly left to pick up the express, never looking back to see his co-worker’s productive spirit falter. No one did.

“Not to worry, old boy. That Gordon’s always had an ego about him,” Edward’s fireman chuckled. “Come on, now. We’ve trucks to deliver.”

The cab was quiet throughout the delivery, as Edward was focused on proving himself still able to drive an engine perfectly fine. But poor Edward’s mind started to wander back to Gordon’s remarks, momentarily distracting him until his fireman noticed. “Chin up, Edward. They may not see it now, but you’ve always been one of the more efficient workers on Sodor -- and will be until this island sinks. Age be damned!”

A thankful grin formed on Edward’s face.

That night at the sheds, while it was quite empty, Percy met Edward sitting by his engine. He joined the older man and they sat in silence for a while until Percy spoke up.

“Y’know, sometimes when I get upset I talk to the trains.”

“Does it help?”

“They listen, that’s for certain! Though I don’t think Gordon’s train likes me very much; he always looks at me funny.”

“Oh, does he now? Maybe he thinks your engine is inferior and should be retired from Sodor.” He sighed heavily, leaning forward in his seat.

“Are you still upset about this morning?” Percy’s fireman whistled shrilly, motioning to the mail trucks. Percy quickly stood up and left, but not before calling back to Edward, “Please don’t be upset -- and do try talking to them, Edward! They’ll listen to you. They always do.”

Edward quietly laughed to himself. Well, I’ve nothing else to do tonight. He turned to his engine, the idea of talking to a piece of iron and paint rolling around in his head. Eventually he managed a small “you must think me silly for this.” He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“You and I have worked with Gordon and the others for a while now...to think they haven’t learned to respect us by now! Honestly. It’s just--well, I just wish Gordon wasn’t so rude about it. I know I’m getting old, but so are they! Do they really think they’re not going to age sooner or later? I’m honestly just trying my best with the years I have left. Trying to have fun. Trying not to lose you so soon. You’ll be scrapped as soon as I leave. I hope I do right by you until then.”

Edward could feel a slight creak in his joints as he stood up to leave, though he ignored the ominous feelings stirring inside him.

“After all...” He flashed a tiny, but genuine, smile. “...you’re still useful.”

#thomas and friends #ttte #ttte gordon #ttte edward #some creative writing #oops maybe i'm projecting my own self reflections #mortality POGGERS #honestly i'm just making myself sad reading this back #ttte humanized #✍🐇#UtE AU

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feigeroman · 3 years

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Thomas Headcanons: Henry

It is of course well known that Henry was originally built in 1919, using plans that had been stolen from Doncaster Works. It’s popularly believed that this piece of corporate espionage was carried out by unscrupulous engineers at Derby Works, but research has so far found no proof of this whatsoever. Another popular theory, which seems much more likely, is that Henry was built by a private company, whose owner had known Nigel Gresley during his early days on the GNR.

The most popular theory along these lines is that they’d both worked together in the carriage and wagon department, and later competed for the position of chief mechanical engineer. Obviously Gresley won the job, starting a fierce rivalry between him and our anonymous engineer - a rivalry which was entirely one-sided.

This engineer later attempted a bit of corporate sabotage against Gresley, by sending a spy to steal his plans for what was to become the A1 class. Unfortunately, the spy couldn’t really tell one type of engine from another, and simply stole the set of plans which best matched the description he’d been given - a fact which was not realized until Henry had actually been built.

Henry was originally known as the White Elephant, owing to his various flaws, but it is thought that the name Henry was an ironic choice on the part of his builders - Henry Ivatt had been Gresley’s predecessor on the GNR. Our mystery engineer didn’t approve of this name at first - fearing it might somehow cause the theft of the plans to be traced back to him. However, he soon realized that considering the engine’s diabolical condition, the name would serve as a suitably vicious dig at his rival.

Having been sold to the NWR in a rush, Henry received minimal testing beforehand, and so he turned out to have more flaws than even his builders had realized. Sir Topham Hatt was forced to keep him regardless, as he was in the midst of a locomotive crisis, and the sellers had completely disappeared off the radar after the sale had been made.

Henry’s poor health was exacerbated by his infamous stay in his tunnel, but in actual fact he’d had problems long before this incident. Indeed, the only reason he’d stalled in the first place was because he’d run out of steam. However, he was fully aware of how insecure his position on the NWR was, and so didn’t want to admit what was wrong with him. The excuse he gave for refusing to come out - that the rain might spoil his paint - was made up on the spot, to make it seem like his inability to move was a conscious choice on his part, rather than a result of his flaws.

On a related note, it was most likely during his incarceration in the tunnel that Henry first started to become a bit of a nature-lover. The tunnel was located in a wooded area, and since he didn’t have much else to do or look at during this period, Henry had the chance to pay closer attention to his surroundings than he would otherwise have been able to.

When Henry was rebuilt into a Black Five in 1935, he initially resembled the class as originally built. Over the years, however, he’s gradually received a lot of the same modifications as later members of the class - including a dome, moved top feed, wheel splashers, etc.

All of these modifications had been made by the time Henry’s rebuild was depicted in the RWS in 1951, but the illustrations erroneously depict him as he looked during that year. The simple explanation is that the artist was accidentally given a contemporary photo of Henry to use as reference.

Following his rebuild, Henry’s position became a lot more secure, and he was able to relax a bit. This led to a marked change in his personality. Whereas previously he’d been prone to bouts of hypochondria, now he was much more confident and willing to work. This is still very much the case nowadays, but it is now tinged with the grumpy middle-aged elements which first became apparent during the late 1950s.

This shift in personality actually affects how certain engines treat him. Some who knew him before his rebuild still treat him as a bit of a punching bag (of course, they eventually get their comuppance). Just about everyone who’s known him since his rebuild, however, see him much more as the formidable presence he really is. Even then, some engines still don’t take him seriously, but they almost always get what’s coming to them in the end.

Even though he no longer suffers as many problems as he did prior to his rebuild, Henry is still rather a sensitive steamer, and he still requires a lot of gentle handling to work properly. This means he still falls ill occasionally, but fortunately the other engines now take these spells a lot more seriously than they used to (most of the time, anyway).

Ironically, during the brief period when the NWR attempted to use Sodor’s own domestic coal supply (see this post for how well that went), Henry was the only engine who didn’t have a single problem using it. To this day, nobody knows how he managed it - not even Henry himself.

#thomas the tank engine #the railway series #sodor #island of sodor #north western railway #ttte headcanon #ttte analysis #ttte henry #henry the green engine

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mean-scarlet-deceiver · 3 years

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Edward ask headcanon (4 / 4)

D. unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own:

I guess as usual the canon I’m rejecting is T&F. I actually think I’m clinging pretty closely here to RWS.

Anyway, I think Edward and James have a pretty good relationship—and that it has long, long, long ceased to be a sort of “long-suffering, unheeded mentor and rash, jerkass idiot” dynamic.

I kind of don’t think it ever was? In James’s intro book, we see Edward in charge of training him—on pulling coaches. That’s it. Not because James is insanely young (he’s not), just because he’s never taken coaches before.

In fact, we also see that when Edward tries to offer to support him with his trucks, James rejects his help… and doesn’t pay a karmic price for it. Because he doesn’t need to be patronized. (“Look, mate, I know what the hell I’m about with trucks… because fml, that’s why.”)

Yes, at first Edward is “looking after” James a bit, but that seems to be a function of James being a new arrival—it’s hard to be “the new engine” on any line, but especially on a line that has Gordon and Henry.

Once James is no longer the newbie, and once he learned his bootlace-related lessons so well that he could be entrusted even with the Express, I really doubt that Edward has since been “teaching” James much of… anything.

Instead, it seems to me that we see them hitting it off and chumming it up right away. Which makes sense—they have by far the most in common, among the characters we have at that point. They had prior careers on railways (unlike the other three, who know very little besides Sodor) and their old railways were in the same region, both worked the 'Great War’ (unlike Gordon and Henry), and have been turned mixed-traffic after coming to Sodor (although they arrived at this point from opposite directions).

While of very different temperaments, they seem to communicate easily and frankly with each other. They’re even the closest in age of the original five (still with an approximately 15-year gap… but, c’mon, T&F. After so many decades, that’s nothing. Please stop characterizing Edward as Granddad and James as Mentally Four Years Old. I’m begging you.)

Yes, I also get that following James’s intro book what we get are a lot of canon incidents where basically James is a Dick to Edward, but, c’mon. I read the strike as an anomaly all around, and, as for the bitching and sneering that kick off “Old Iron,” look, that ain’t special, all right? James appears to have spent the ‘50s being an unmitigated dick to everyone. He didn’t completely cool it in the decades following, either, but he was really putting his back into Peak Dickery during that decade. The only things I find special about James’s carping in “Old Iron” is a) Edward just laughs him off (‘oh, you’) and b) James apologizes and they actually make up at the end. For all James is constantly firing shots and burning bridges, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him engage in relationship repair outside this incident! Amazing. (And, I think, this indicates their level of comfort with each other. Like, never bffs, but definitely mates, who recover easily from the occasional conflict.)

All right, less with my essay on why “no, T&F, I reject the idea that James has just spent decades finding new and interesting safety regulations to ignore and that Edward has managed to magically be on hand to ineffectually lecture for pretty much all of them,” and more on what you actually asked for, which was headcanon! Unrealistic headcanon, at that!

I like the idea that both James and Edward have Lancashire accents… or, at least, had them. Edward’s had already faded significantly, blending into Sudrian, by the time the big three arrived. James got tons of shit from Henry and especially Gordon for his accent, which he worked very hard to get rid of with improbable speed. Initially, as we see in his intro book, Gordon could sometimes squash him, but I think the whole point of their relationship is that Gordon was able to do that less and less as James found his wheels and challenged him.

So, at some point, whenever Gordon decided to sneer at bit at his origins, instead of blushing and doubling down on denying them, James would just lean in and go for full-blown Lanc.

If Edward happens to be around during one of these spells, he jumps into the game with relish. All at once, he sounds like he may as well have just arrived from the mainland five minutes ago.

The two of them lay it on thick, fast, and heavy until Gordon finally loses his carefully-constructed air of indifference and tells them to SHUT UP.

Whether it takes a mere hour or whether he holds out for days, once he finally blows up the Lancashire engines just exchange a good-natured grin and indeed drop it. They know they’ve been tormenting Gordon all the while. (And they’ve had a hell of a lot of fun!)

After this goes down enough times, Gordon finally just shuts up on this particular subject forever. Which is why it’s never appeared in canon. By the time the Thin Clergyman started coming ‘round, he’d already learned his lesson.

#HAPPY. LIGHTHEARTED.#I PROMISED AND I DELIVERED.#but no seriously it wasn't even hard <3 #it was either this or Edward Henry and Percy teaming up #to squash the guest Pacific engine they got in exchange for Gordon during the 1948 trials #... but that'll be a story for another time ;)#ttte #edward ask headcanon #ttte edward #ttte james #ttte gordon #... goddammit Gordon you butt in everywhere don't you [affectionate]#as for Henry #he's probably a big part of the reason Gordon finally figured out cause-and-effect here #'yes it's annoying when they do that but it's ENTIRELY. YOUR. FAULT. FATFACE!'#'just quit it you're not the only one suffering!'#shout-out by the way to Pup's headcanon of a Scouse James #... something i've always been meaning to ask for more details about #i like that one too #;)

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engineer-gunzelpunk · 10 months

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Locomotive Rights in Australia (Victoria): Part 1

(One of the patron saints of the Locomotive Rights movement in Victoria, VR S-Class Pacific S300 Matthew Flinders, who was scrapped before he could be saved. The scrapping of the S-classes spurred the IRL steam preservation movement in Victoria)

Here I am, riffing off @joezworld's posts about Locomotive Rights as they developed around the world. Here is my personal take on what happened in Australia in regards to this issue.

(Disclaimer: Needless to say this is all fictionalised and not to be taken as a comment on any historical personage or real life locomotive. No slander is intended, this is a headcanon extrapolating Locomotive Rights in the GunzelVerse, and the TTTE/RWS AUs I write about in them, "This Is Sodor: The Iron Age" and "Red And Black Steam on Southern Metals".)

(I use the term “Lokodammerung”, literally meaning “Twilight of the Locomotives” in regards to the mass scrapping of locomotives. The Great Scrapping seems too cold, while “Dammerung” has a sad and apocalyptic timbre, which I what I wish to convey.)

If I don’t cover WAGR(Western Australia), SAR (South Australia) or QR (Queensland) , its because they are not my special interest in locomotives and I don’t know all that much about them. My apologies for the exclusion and I will try to rectify it in the future with time and research.

The situation of the railway and locomotive rights in Australia is a very strange and complex one, coded in State’s rights, custom and ideology more than anything systematic. It would be best dealt with State by State.

In spite of the celebrity of NSWGR C-38 Pacific 3801, it didn’t translate into a proper acknowledgement of non-faceless vehicles as people in of themselves until the 60’s. And even then, it was not an even process. The push actually began in the States of Victoria and New South Wales separately and converged later.

Prehistory

Upon Federation, every single State had their own specific gauge, an expression of the fervent desire for independence of the colonies before they were brought together as one nation when Australia was made into a Federation in 1901. Attempts to bring the country to a single gauge failed as each state battled with open hostility to the idea.

In the specific case of the colony of Victoria, the Broad Gauge (known widely as the “Irish’ Gague at 5’3’’) had been decided upon but as BG rolling stock and locomotives were purchased, a change of leadership brought a change of decision as to what sort of railway gauges would be used. NSW decided upon Standard Gauge of 4 ft 8 ½ inches like what was used in Britain. Victoria in a fit of pique having already paid for their goods, refused to reconsider a change of gauge.

(The Victorian terrain also suited the BG quite well, the long, broad and steep inclines requiring a more stable kind of gauge provided by the BG).

Oz is also an enormous place compared to the UK. The State of Victoria alone is the size of Great Britain and around 2700 times the size of the Island of Sodor; the states themselves cover a lot of territory compared with states in the USA. Each is its own country virtually, which makes it difficult to organise, and with the difficulties in the per-internet age toward reliable communication between engines of different states (the old break-of-gauge problem!) , it was remarkable that a resistance movement got started… and started it did.

I will now speak mainly of the State of Victoria and it’s locomotives, as this is my tendency. Without rail, Victoria could have never have been the State power that it was.

***

It was said that by the late 19th century, a Victorian human was never more than 25 kilometers from a railway line, and this was thanks to lobbying by politicans promising lines to voters… and the locomotives that requested them. As the state and the railway companies were flush with Gold Rush money, they had plenty of cash to spend to do so. The famous “Octopus Act” allowed a virtual spiderweb of iron to embrace the State, creating a near total domination of goods and passenger traffic.

Thus the locomotive was able to range quite freely within Victoria wherever they pleased, and combined with strongly built depots the sizes of which eclipsed the fleets of the NWR (the North Melbourne Locomotive Depot alone shedded 120 locomotives, compared the the total number of locos at the NWR, which was around 80 at the same time before the Norf depot was demolished) developed a certain state of educated consciousness that meshed quite nicely with the tendency towards radicalism and trade unionism.

This was aided by the amalgamation of private lines post the Railway Mania era into the governments aegis, so branchlines remained open and ready until the local version of Beeching later on turned a lot of them into tramways.

Encased within their little Broad Gauge bubble imposed by the patriotic fervor of the colonies pre-Federation, locomotives could not be as easily replaced by out-of-state loaners. The early days tended towards foreign imports that were then used as templates to be built locally… and built locally they were as a matter of state pride. A lot of VR locomotives were built at Newport Works and at Phoenix Foundary, Ballarat.

The standardization plan brought forth under the reign of Chairman of Commissioners Richard Speight in the 1880's introduced five new classes of locos (A, D, E, the so called New R-class later renamed RY, and Y) that were built locally with the aid of Kitson and Co. of Leeds, England involved in the design phase, with the view that parts could be used interchangeably across classes.

This contributed to create a certain kind of mentality within the VR locomotives of a sense of separateness and self-sufficiency which cleaved with the ever present state rivalry with their Northern neighbor, New South Wales. The overall treatment of locomotives was one of a certain kind of affection, they were tools to be sure, but more than that. It was somewhat better than the British tendency to treat the locomotives as nothing more than iron pack mules, but this was not coded into law. Status of the locomotives was by custom rather than law, which was to have consequences later on.

For a time, things were very, very good for locomotives within Victoria. An American-railways inspired Railway Commissioner , Sir Harold Clapp (the Oz equivalent to a Director, as the VR was run by a board of Commissioners spoken for by a Chairman of Commissioners), the First Thin Commissioner, had been Vice President of the Southern Pacific railways in the US and brought heavy reforms to a VR seemingly stuck in the 19th century; amongst his ideas were the integration of American design principles to VR locomotives and rolling stock, creating a distinctly rugged look to the locos with their bar-frames and pilots as well as a general increase in size, to better fit the uneven terrain of Victoria with its regular inclines of 1-50, 1-44 and even 1-30.

The amiable K-class Consolidations and the sturdy, hard working Xs and N Mikado classes were introduced in this period.

This reached the peak of design with the creation of the mighty 3 cylinder S-class Pacifics of the "Spirit of Progress" fame and then Heavy Harry at Newport, who was meant to be the first of three other H-classes built for express passenger work across Victoria. The American inspiration can be seen in his rugged bar plate frame imported from the US, the specific use of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railway's name for the 4-8-4 wheel configuration, "Pocono" for him and his very strong resemblance in appearance to fellow 4-8-4s the NYC Niagara and Union Pacific 844 Living Legend. (The other two H-classes were partially built, then scrapped during the war. So Harry had two stillborn brothers, a point of lingering grief for the big engine.)

(For more info on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western 4-8-4 "Poconos"", see here)

Classes tended to be modified rather than outright replaced, like the A and D classes (each went through at least 2-3 waves of modifications and were marked with special names designating them as such, such as A1 , A2 and Dd ) as a cost-saving measure and often lasted a long time relative to their cousins in Britain, such as the 1915 built A2 -class 4-6-0 No 986 “Pluto”, who was only withdrawn in 1963, even though the R-class Hudsons were sent from Glasgow to replace them in 1951. In their naivety, they never thought the humans could ever turn against them.

Unfortunately, Victoria with a change of Commissioners was to echo Great Britain in the bizarre way that steam was phased out and reforms brought in. Wartime Austerity and the increasing costs of running the railways were used as excuses for local "mad choppery".

Country lines deemed unprofitable were cut, maintenance was reduced and fewer and fewer services were run, which tended to alienate people from the railways.

The VR also had some people within it that like their UK equivalents, had a deep suspicion of socialism and thus sought to break the back of the trade union of drivers and firemen by literally taking away their locomotives, and replacing them with easy to drive diesels and electrics with easy to train drivers, with the excuse that they were cheaper to run, cleaner and just overall better.

(The railwaymen’s strike in 1950 was supported wholeheartedly by the locomotives of the VR, who’s maintenance had been sorely neglected in the post war austerities; the strong presence of the unions and their relationship with the bitter, fallen prince of the fleet-turned-radical Heavy Harry and the fact that an entire depot was claimed by the Communist Party at the country town of Donald gave them more impetus to phase out steam power).

Others genuinely did believe that the time of steam was passing and the future needed to be embraced. They didn’t hate the locomotives personally, it was just that they were deemed obsolete. The steam locomotives were relics, and relics didn’t deserve a place at the main table in a rapidly changing world.

So they had to go.

With no real legal protections that other locomotives had in other countries like the USA, Europe and the Soviet Union, the Victorian locomotives were vulnerable to the encroaching end. Custom and public affection by itself cannot protect against sanctioned injustice.

14th of July 1952 was the beginning of the end for steam in Victoria. The first diesels, the pug-nosed B-class had arrived in Victoria, were built by Clyde Engineering in NSW (ironically, the same home Works that birthed the mighty NSWGR C-38 Pacifics) from an American design. The complacent VR locomotives were caught by surprise by the lean and hungry diesels who were now bedecked in the same blue and gold livery as the S-class Pacifics, who’s time was running out quickly.

The Lokodammerung had reached the Broad-Gauge southern fiefdom and showed no mercy.

The fact that this left a lot of people unemployed, destroyed a lot of side industries that made up the railway (workshops, suppliers, etc) and the costs of conversion left them unmoved. If they didn’t care about humans, they sure as hell weren’t going to care about locomotives, even if they talked and thought as humans.

As if to underline the point with extreme sadism, the mighty S-class locomotives were withdrawn and scrapped with not a hint of ceremony or acknowledgement of their hard work. That the diesels were painted in their old livery served to underline the viciousness of the insult to the VR steam locomotives.

It was an ideological point clearly made even to the humans. The enginemen seemed to read it correctly and the locomotives felt it deeply, shocked that their lieges were to be the ones sacrificed as an example to the hungry god of Modernisation.

(The R-Class was often blamed in railway enthusiast circles for giving the VR an excuse to introduce diesels, but this is backwards logic placing blame on a convenient foreign imported scapegoat. They were ordered and then the decision to bring in diesels was made and excuses were built around their seeming lack of performance when they were abused and poorly treated.

As locomotives, they did not get the chance to show their virtues… as they were deliberately worked into ruin on grain haulage jobs they were never suited for by the VR, so by the time the preservation movement got their act together, only two of their number were actually in operating condition and only 7 of 70 were saved. That the R-class clan thrived in restoration clearly indicates they have had the last laugh, they outlasted the VR!)

To Be Continued...

#ttte #rws #thomasallgrownup #victorian railways #GunzelVerse #GunzelVerse Headcanons #weird train rants #ttte extended universe headcanons #ttte alternate universe headcanons #Red And Black Steam On Southern Metals #This Is Sodor: The Iron Age #ttte headcanons #ttte headcanon #thomas the tank engine #ttte au

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alwaysuseful-blog1 · 7 years

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percy was working on sodor in the early 1930s. it was a different time, with no diesel engines at all. he always loved doing his jobs and also really loved pulling the mail train. during that time he would regularly converse with a boy named greggory, who was around 10-12. they would often chat about how everything was going, that school was getting boring, and that greggory wanted to work with the engines when he got older. he did live on Sodor, after all, and had grown up surrounded by steam engines.

Greggory was often teased, mostly because he spent so much time watching the engines working and rarely played with boys around his age. Percy was often teased, too, so he and Greggory really connected on that level. Greggory matured and Percy stayed the same, but their friendship was still close. When Percy was resting on a siding, Greggory had a tendency to walk over and they would talk. They sometimes would laugh about how Greggory might even become a conductor! They’d make an excellent team.

Even when he was still very young, Greggory would be invited into Percy’s cabin. He’d get to drive a bit, too -- if his parents weren’t watching! As he became older, Greggory got a part-time job working with the mail train and would see Percy at night. they were very close, and Greggory always looked forward to working. Percy came to love the mail train even more because he would see his good friend! Not to mention, Greggory’s relatives would send exotic gifts from places like India. And Percy was always so proud to deliver things that brought happiness, even if for a little while.

The 1940s rolled around, and with that, there came war. Sodor was industrial and all the engines worked very hard to deliver goods for the war effort. Raw materials and other goods were incredibly important, and it was vital to get it over to the mainland. one morning, Percy arrived at the station closest to the mainland to see an engine ahead of him, with many coaches connected. Young men that Percy had known on Sodor were boarding and waving goodbye.

As the last of the men boarded, one of them came running over. Greggory was a young man, early twenties or so, and ready for adventure. He was overjoyed to see Percy before the passenger train was departing. He told Percy he was going over to the mainland to assist with the war effort. men were needed as well, and Greggory had taken up the call. They chatted but soon the conductor on the coach train became impatient. Greggory waved goodbye, but not before handing one of the drivers a small item. It was a simple pocketwatch, but on the opposite lid there was a picture of Greggory all dressed up in uniform, giving a wide grin.

Percy would expect that almost every passenger train for the next few months would have Greggory, ready to return home to Sodor. Pulling the mail train was always a little dull when he had no one to talk to. But he kept working and working, always happy to help with the great effort. Occasionally he would ask men who were returning if they had seen Greggory, but to no avail. Sometimes, when Percy would deliver goods like steel or iron, he would think that those items were going to be used by Greggory. After all, this was for the same cause.

One night, delivering the mail to a station very close to the mainland, Percy was stopped and taken by surprise. There was some extra mail from men writing back home to their families. He waited patient as ever, sometimes glancing in the direction of England, hoping another passenger train would arrive. He was very surprised when he heard one of his drivers swear, followed by the thud of a heavy wooden box. The small engine could hear and feel as the heavy object was loaded into one of the mail cars.

“Should we tell him?”

“Let the poor engine be.”

They continued on, with Percy curious about the box. It wasn’t until later that Percy found out what had happened, when a ceremony was being held at Norramby (the town that Greggory grew up in) and the small engine found out that his good friend had perished somewhere many, many miles away, and had returned to Sodor for burial. Percy remembered the box, the heavy box that had been loaded into the mail train. He understood, then.

Greggory had been killed.

Percy mourned the loss of his good friend. Engines probably mourn in a different way than humans. At times (and without warning) Percy would come to a halt while delivering the mail train. He wouldn’t say anything, but he did tremble. A minute or so later and the small engine would start up again. One night, he refused to leave the sheds. His fireman hurried into the back and then returned, holding onto a pocketwatch. It clicked open and Percy could see, plain as day, the photo of Greggory. The friend he had watched grow up. The friend he had unwittingly taken home, many long nights ago.

Percy came to accept the fact that Greggory would never ride in the cabin again, wait at the sidings, or hang on to the side of a mail car as they moved along the tracks. But the mail train was still very important to Percy, and on long nights as he delivered mail all across Sodor, Percy had precious time to remember his friend. All around him he saw a young boy racing along the tracks, a teenage boy who saw himself as a conductor or engineer, and a young man who had been a very, very good friend. At night, in the silence as he delivered the mail, Percy still felt the close friendship he had shared, and that alone warmed his firebox.

In the back of Tidmouth sheds, even now, there sits a small box. Inside is a slightly tarnished pocketwatch that still works, and a small photo of a young man named Greggory.

#drabble #;;I am useful! I really really am! : about #;;death tw #//major angst #;;long post tw

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merciresolution · 7 years

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Some sad captive whale AU stuff involving captures:

-Henry’s mother drowned in the nets that separated the two. (Resident Orca)

-The Iron/Transient Twins’ mother and baby sister also died during capture. Sister fell behind during the drive and ended up getting blasted by one of the bombs. Mother was struck by one of the boats. (Transient Orcas)

-Edward was considered “too old” to be captured, but he was taken anyways due to being one of the first orcas caught for the park, along with another female he was very close to. Said female died within a month. (Resident Orcas)

-Toby and Henrietta were stranded on a sand bank. Henrietta managed to free herself, but Toby was unable to. He was later found by “rescue workers” and was taken to the park where he was deemed unreleasable for unspecified reasons. (Pygmy Killer Whale)

-Gordon, Henry, and James were captured from the same pod when they were two to four years old. James was initially misgendered as female. (Resident Orcas)

-Lady was found alone and injured. The park offered to treat her, but later- like Toby- deemed her unreleasable. (Amazon River Dolphin)

-Stepney and Rusty were captured together, and the captors mistook them as mother and calf pair. (Resident Orca and Ross Sea Orca respectively)

-Molly was captured by a different park but was quickly bought by Sodor Sealand. (Albino Long-Finned Pilot Whale)

-Emily’s podmates were slaughtered in a dolphin drive while she was captured and sold to the park. (Pacific White-sided Dolphin)

-Donald and Douglas were captured near Scotland. The park wanted more males to offer breeding services to other parks. (Offshore Orcas)

- Ryan was captured along with BoCo and Daisy. BoCo was too old to adjust to life in a tank, and passed away soon after. Daisy was sent to a different park on a breeding loan, leaving Ryan the only Pseudorca at Sodor Sealand. (False Killer Whales)

-Arthur was captured after stranding in a panicked attempt to escape an angry fisherman (he had been shot in the dorsal after stealing fish from the line). Again, rescued and deemed unreleasable. (Short-Finned Pilot Whale)

-Billy’s ragtag pod was rounded up in a dolphin drive. After being left in the nets overnight, he was not selected for captivity and was killed for his meat. (Australian Snubfin Dolphin) [Lmao sorry Mutt]

-Flora was captured in hopes of having her mate with Toby, as she was initially identified as another Pygmy Killer Whale. However, her old age did not help her in adjusting to a captive life, and she died soon after entering the park. (Melon-headed Whale)

-Bash and Dash had lost their mother when they were only a year old. Ferdinand came across them and cared for them until their capture two years later. Ferdinand was harpooned, and Bash and Dash were eventually sold to different parks after only spending a few weeks at Sodor Sealand. (Atlantic White-sided Dolphins and Common Minke Whale)

-Salty was captured in a drive hunt with two other podmates. All three were bought by the park, and all but Salty died within two years. (Risso’s Dolphin)

Your casual reminder that this park is set in the 50s to 60s with virtually no regulations whatsoever.

#captive whale au thing

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conceitcd-blog · 7 years

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stolen from @bendorama

[COPY AND PASTE DON’T REBLOG!!]

Name: James Nickname(s): Rusty Red Scrap Iron, Little Engine, Show-Off Age: Bahahaha -- 105 years old, modern time. Species: Steam Engine

|| personal ||

Religious belief: None Sins: lust / greed / gluttony / sloth / pride / envy / wrath

Virtues: chastity / charity / diligence / humility / kindness / patience / justice Primary goals in life: Be really useful as a steam engine -- get his own branch line, haul coaches, be a hard worker.

Languages known: English. Secrets: He doesn’t really have many true friends and is semi-aware of that. Quirks: Talks to himself, meticulous regarding paintwork, eye twitch if his patience is stretched thin. Savvies: Being clean, hauling coaches, being better than Gordon. Having things his way.

|| physical ||

Height: Good question. Weight: 47.2 tons (46 long tons) Scars/birthmarks: Crow’s feet wrinkles along his eyes.

Abilities/powers: A tractive effort of 27,405 lbf (121.9 kN). Top speed of 70mph. Technically ageless, I guess? Restrictions: Can’t run on his own without a firebox being lit, ability for very limited movement on his own, can’t do people things, forced to run on a track, requires a fireman and engineer to get started and perform tasks, requires his tender for coal and water, boiler pressure needs to be maintained -- standard steam engine restrictions.

|| favorites ||

Favorite drink: Water. Favorite pizza topping: Anything but anchovies. Favorite color: Red, gold, black Favorite music genre: British folksongs, marches, orchestral. Favorite book genre: Doesn’t read books, but probably likes books about Sodor or the NWR. Favorite movie genre: Dramas, animated

Favorite season: Summer Favorite butt type: A red fowler tender. Favorite swear word: 'Silly’ in place of stupid, idiot, etc. Favorite scent: Detergent. Plain body wash. Favorite quote: Anything praising him and his looks.

|| fun stuff ||

Bottom or top: Wat Sings in the shower: Yes, during a washdown. Likes bad puns: Hates them. Morality: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil Build: slender / scrawny / bony / fit / athletic / herculean / baby-fat / pudgy / obese /other Favorite food: ...coal.... Theme music: Somebody has to be the Favorite

Their opinion on the mun: “Silly. Doesn’t quite know what she wants. Favors steam engines which is nice, even if she prefers American steam engines.”

Tagging: gahhhh y’all aaaaah

#I'm such a splendid engine : About

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justsomehobo · 7 years

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Hatt’s Army, Chapter 2

Constructive criticism welcome!

(Originally published July 6, 2017)

Wednesday: June 19, 1940

The next morning, I was awakened by the warmth of the pilot light in my firebox, set alight by a cleaner who had swept the floor, polished all my controls, turned a small valve that looked as if it were built for a garden hose, checked to ensure my auraphone was rising from a low contralto at a healthy rate, and moved on to Edward on my immediate left. Simmering comfortably, I woke up slowly to see, through the crack in my shed door- for the windows were boarded up on account of blackout regulations- that the morning sky was already beginning to brighten. By the time most of our drivers had arrived on their bicycles, we were all still groggy but beginning to grow sharper.

"Good morning, old boy," greeted Boris as he boarded my cab.

He waited a while, but I didn't bother giving anything above a low groan. "Anybody home?" he joked, looking up and rapping at the glass of my fisheye.

"Stop it!" insisted Maxwell, and all-but-shoved him to the back of the cab. I gave a lazy 'tsk-tsk-tsk' in agreement.

"That's no way to start a morning," yawned Edward to whomever it may have concerned.

"Ah well," I responded, "just, erm... be thankful we're heating up in time for the Report."

Edward, who had heard the rumors of my earlier bank engine fiasco with the Wild Nor'Wester, stifled a chuckle. Henry, Gordon and James didn't bother to hold back.

"PFFFFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH HA ha ha ha!"

"AAAW HA HA HO HO ho ho ho huh huh huh…!"

"Eh HAH ha ha ha hah hah heh heh heh heh...!"

Edward kept quiet because he knew better than to give them a rise. I kept quiet because I knew of no other option.

Soon enough, it was six o'clock, and we were all gathered in time for the Morning Report. Yard Boss Havirty stood before us in his spruce-green uniform and Levi trousers, his goatee and thin, deer-like face standing in stark contrast to his naturally curly, unkempt hair that poked out from under his Zuckerman helmet.

"Good morning to you all, sirs," he shouted clearly after blowing his whistle, as he had done for years.

"Good morning, Foreman," we all answered almost instinctively.

"Today, I have some very important news for you all," Havirty heralded, "so please, pay close attention. I'm looking at you, James." James, who had been admiring a flock of crows against the sunrise, balefully glanced back at the Assistant Director.

"Now, we all heard Big Winnie's speech yesterday afternoon, and he said he would have some legal issues resolved so we could concentrate on the war effort. Among these issues was an ongoing labor lawsuit between a local union and the LMS's Faculty Commission. According to recent reports, the suit has been summarily arbited by royal action in favor of the Union; and as part of their demands, our local Commission representative office has been relocated, from Euston House in London to the Gallant Office Park in uptown Crovan's Gate. I expect you'll all be seeing him by my side quite often- especially you, Gordon. From Monday evening until Thursday morning each week, he'll be making his home in a seaside resort just south of here, and you'll be taking him to and from his office aboard the Nor'Wester. So without further ado, now would be as good a time as ever to get each other introduced. Wait here a moment, I'll call him out." And with that, he stepped into the turntable's control box to use the transceiver inside.

He directed our attention to a black Duesy pulling up nearby. Out from the left-hand front door stepped a man with a rather… heavy-set appearance. I have heard many call him 'pear-shaped', but personally his body reminds me more of a mango. He wore a freshly-ironed blue suit jacket and tie, with a yellow cardigan underneath, matching trousers, a pair of leather dress boots, in which he was almost tiptoeing over the ballast, and a top hat, which he was clutching tightly to avoid having it blown away. He walked over to the turntable with a security guard in uniform at his left, and a butler at his right. Both were keeping uncomfortably quiet, for he was in the foulest of moods.

"It's a pleasure to have you with us this morning, sir," said Havirty as he shook the mogul's gloved hand. Then turning back our way, he announced, "I would like to introduce to you all to Sir Charles Topham Hatt, Faculty Commissioner and Chief Inventory Director of the North Western Division of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. I am- at least, technically speaking- his assistant.”

"So theyse ah Units 1 through 5?" Sir Hatt almost muttered in a curious tone. "I had olways wondahd…"

"Sir," addressed Havirty as he led the stout gentleman down the turntable in my direction, "here is our Fowler 3F, . Hereabouts we like to call him Thomas."

"Hello, kind Sir," I stammered, feeling almost guilty of receiving his attention. He didn't reply, seeming too intent on looking me over. Perhaps he was admiring how my long, slim funnel and dome up above my smokebox and boiler contrasted with the boxy cab and bunker behind and water tanks to the left and right. Sharp-dressed, refined men are always going on about ergonomics and functional form and such.

"Now, Thomas," stated Havirty clearly, "here are your orders for today:

after reporting to Tidmouth Station at 7:30 this morning, you must

arrange the morning Limited for Edward at Platform 4 by a quarter to eight,

and the express at Platform 1 on the hour.

Then James's stopping goods is due out by 8:30 at Platform 3,

and a scenic train is expected at Platform 1 at 10 o'clock.

Then comes Elevenses, and between then and tea you shall report to the Tidmouth depot and cooled for an inspection, wash-down and a refill of coal and water. Then, once you are re-lighted,

you are to report back to your post by tea to disassemble the scenic.

A train of goods vans is expected in at that time, and when unloading is finished- which should be around 4 PM- you are to sort the vans evenly in the 3 spurs up-yard.

Processing for the Wester is expected to end at 6:45,

and for the Limited at half-past seven.

When you have finished shunting those, you may report to the Depot for the Evening Report at nine."

"Yes sir," I registered.

Havirty went on to introduce him to Edward. Our Number Two wasn't the strongest or newest of us, he explained to Hatt; in fact, he was at least 60 and his boiler was smaller than mine. But his age meant that he was dependable, experienced and understanding, and so Havirty had found a niche for him here, equipping him so that he could move both backwards and forwards just as well. This made him great for more urgent deliveries, as he could assemble light trains without the help of a shunter.

Henry was our heavy mixed-traffic engine, impartial to trucks or coaches. He was always recognized everywhere he went both for his wide boiler size and his unique bright green Mid-Sodor livery. He was built here on Sodor in 1916, our manager then explained when his turn came, in response to increasing pressure on the old Mid-Sodor Railway by Parliament to increase wartime production. The story goes that the technicians at the Crovan's Gate Engine Works simply cobbled him together from the spare parts of other engines, and I've heard many a disgruntled yard worker call him 'Crovanstein' behind his back. Nonetheless, when the war had ended and work slowed down, the bean counters at Euston decided we were better off keeping him than replacing him. He was always willing to prove himself to Havirty, for better or worse, and that, we all supposed, was his saving grace.

While Henry was haphazardly designed but modest in his ways, our express engine Gordon was anything but. He was a Princess Coronation, purpose-born and bred to run heavy express lines, and the way he spoke of it, he may as well have had royal blood in his boiler tubes. In his emperor's cloak of Midland scarlet, he was given the job of pulling the island division's flagship express train, the Wild Nor'Wester, from Knapford to the seaside town of Brendam, then to Vicarstown just across the strait from the Greater Isle, each morning from 8 to 9, and back again to Brendam and Knapford from 6 to 7 each evening. On Saturdays, when the express didn't run, he was often given stopping or scenic passenger trains, or occasionally heavy freight (a job he considered unfitting of an engine of his stature). As you may guess, 'Prince Gordon' often seemed to forget whose railway it was and who was giving the orders.

James, who wasn't as scrappy as Henry or as purebred as Gordon, still wasn't sure just where he fit in here. A Class 28, he had done local freight work in Lancashire in his early days; but then war broke out, the Government took control, and the bean counters decided to transfer him here. That must've been two months ago, and Edward was still showing him the ropes. James would always go back to the Depot each evening with another rumor from the lips of a workman for him to evaluate. Though James still missed his friends back home, the rest of us- along with Havirty- were beginning to count him among us in our boilers and smokeboxes.

"How come I never get to pull trains like the rest of you?" I thought out loud, listening to the other engines' orders enviously as Havirty made his rounds. "All the brave young men are off on the beaches and landing-grounds, defending their King and country. Why is it that I should stay here?"

"Bah!" James was quick to answer. "It's out of your league. You're already slow enough now, just pushing coaches in and out of the station!"

"Besides," put in Henry, "you don't even have a tender. I bet that little bunker of yours can't hold enough coal for you to make it to Crosby, let alone the Channel!"

"Ah," added Gordon slickly. "We are in agreement, then. To everything there is a season, little Thomas, and a time to every purpose under Heaven: a time to sow and a time to reap, a time to mourn and a time to dance. My season is now, and my purpose is to help run the Northwestern line. It is what I was put on this Earth to do, and so I give this cause all I have to give. Your own time and purpose, Thomas, is not so different from ours. I suggest you give it the respect and dedication it is due."

I looked over to Edward in hopes he would be holding out for me, but all I saw was a glare of frustration mixed with a dash of regret. A glare from Edward, it was rumored, could speak volumes, and the lowered eyebrow and widened aperture and eyelid-angle of this one came together to read: "Proceed at your own risk."

"Fine, then," I taunted back. "You just wait! You'll be sorry! 'Cos when all the Shunting is gotten done, I shall run away to the Beaches myself! And when I come back, I'll make you all regret every last word you just said just now, 'cos I'll be pulling a whole ticker-tape parade, I will! With a big brass band and everything! You just wait and see!"

The other engines took no notice, for Thomas was a little engine with a long tongue.

#deconstruction #au #ttte #thomas the tank engine #thomas the train #t&f #ttte&f #thomas and friends #thomas & friends #thomas&friends #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction.net

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universallyladybear · 5 years

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