#ttte pip&emma

[anonymousboxcar]

TTTE Headcanons: Engines’ TV Habits

This is pretty goofy, but I’m thinking about what sorts of TV the engines might watch if they had a TV or a streaming device in their sheds. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far!

—————————————

Henry loves nature shows, of course. In addition, after his fireman lamented his spilt hot cocoa, he wanted to understand why humans care so much about food. This led him to cooking shows, which he found very relaxing. He likes to watch raw, disparate ingredients become something beautiful and complete.

Edward goes for mysteries — lighter, cozier shows like Midsomer Murders, Rosemary & Thyme, and Murder, She Wrote. He’s also a fan of Granada Studios’ 1984 Sherlock Holmes. It tickles the same part of him that enjoys ghost stories, giving him a slight thrill alongside a pleasing mind-teaser.

Gordon watches the news every morning and evening. He likes to feel up-to-date on important events, expounding on them to his colleagues. Any program about opera and orchestral performances also appeals to him. There’s some snobbery involved, but he does enjoy hearing and learning about musical genres.

James likes game and talent shows, often shouting answers and opinions at the TV. He’s so attuned to these shows’ editing that he’ll guess a season winner, set up a betting pool, and rake in all the favors after the finale with a smug grin. (Gordon and Henry only keep placing bets because they want to show him up someday.)

All three big engines indulge in the guilty pleasure of soap operas. They think nobody else knows about this. Pip and Emma “obliviously” intrude on their watch parties to make them squirm.

Thomas and Percy watch ghost hunting shows together. They scoff at the idea of ghosts, accuse each other of being ‘fraidy-cats, and huddle close in fear as an episode progresses. They also watch late-night airings of schlocky films with Toby, whose sly commentary cracks them all up.

On his own, Thomas watches motorsport broadcasts. Bertie hooked him on it not long after they started racing each other. He’s a fan of some F1 drivers and their cars, often comparing notes with Bertie in serious (and sometimes heated) discussions.

Percy has a soft spot for period dramas. He’ll laugh at historical inaccuracies, get invested in all the characters, and ponder common tropes. He’s not afraid to ask about the servants who have to endure the wealthy protagonists’ dramatics.

Toby doesn’t watch much TV outside of what he sees with Thomas and Percy. However, he and Henrietta are partial to some late-night talk shows. If the show’s interviewing someone they’re interested in, or if they think the host is funny, they’ll give an episode a try.

Duck adores How It’s Made. It’s very satisfying for him to watch a bunch of moving parts at work, slotting pieces into their rightful places to assemble something. Other nights, he watches travel shows. They explore locations all around the world, scratching his itch to see what’s beyond his horizon.

Donald watches stand-up comedy specials, going for a good laugh at the end of the day to decompress. Ever since Duck “gifted” him Dilly, he also watches nature programs and shows about training/caring for pets. (He and Dilly are working on some tricks.)

Oliver picks sci-fi shows, with Star Trek and Doctor Who as his favorites. He’s drawn in by the pulpy adventures, moral dilemmas, and complex protagonists. It all makes him feel better about himself: you can mess up on an astronomical scale, but still be capable of good things. You don’t have to be a perfect hero to be a good person.

Douglas enjoys shows about antiques and vintage items — things in the vein of Antique Roadshow, or American Pickers. He’s a sucker for knickknacks that meant something to someone, for all the stories behind each one, and for their loving restorations.

Bill and Ben think fitness shows are hysterical. They’re forever amused by the odd ways the instructors contort their bodies. But they also scheme for their crews to watch these shows, hoping they’ll participate and stay healthy for years to come.

Daisy’ll watch any program about fashion or body art (tattoos, piercings, etc). Being so attentive to her swerves, she’s curious about the ways that humans adorn themselves. She’ll sometimes take inspiration from what she sees, but she’ll always argue that fashion is an art form, pointing to these shows for examples.

——————————————

What are your guys’ thoughts/headcanons? I’d love to hear them!

#ttte #rws #ttte headcanon #rws headcanon #my headcanons #ttte henry #ttte edward #ttte gordon #ttte james #ttte pip and emma #rws pip and emma #ttte thomas #ttte percy #ttte toby #ttte duck #ttte bill and ben #ttte douglas #ttte donald #ttte oliver #ttte daisy

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2023: Day 13 - Something New

Gordon Starts Something New:

Gordon slept in for the first time in nearly eighty years. He was able to doze while the other engines rose and began their duties, not being needed quite yet even as James grumbled away and Henry blew steam at everyone who tried to bug him after pulling the Flying Kipper. Gordon only had to awaken when his mid-morning train was due out, yawning and stretching his piston rods as he slunk through the yards to where his coaches sat waiting at the platform. On the opposite platform, Emma looked exhausted.

“Aren’t you High Speed Trains built to go this speed?” asked Gordon with a chuckle. “We… we… aren’t used to this schedule…” wheezed Emma. “How did you… do it?” Gordon hummed, as if considering the question.

“I suppose, I put in a lot of effort,” he said eventually, smirking cheekily. Emma stared at him, gobsmacked. Gordon just smiled innocently back. Ah, so this is why Thomas enjoyed teasing him – the look on poor Emma’s face was priceless!

“Though it is nice to retire to these slower trains,” Gordon conceded. “It does make my joints feel stiff though – how about you?” “What about me?” “Surely the slower timetable must make you feel grumpy?” hummed Gordon. “I know it was for me when I moved here.” Emma spluttered in horror.

“Slower?! If anything, we’re going faster than ever on this railway!” “Oh? Then the Mainland must be truly decrepit,” sighed Gordon. “Decrepit?!”

Gordon’s guard blew his whistle, and the big blue engine steamed away, leaving behind two stunned HST powercars.

The truth of the matter was that Gordon would have kept his express if he could have – but the Other Railway wanted it to meet them at Preston, and they wouldn’t allow him to run that far. Gordon thought it very unfair; malfunctioning diesels and shoddy electrics got to run on the mainland, but a steam engine pulling a regular revenue-earning service was too much. It was very rude, especially considering how reliable he was.

So engrossed in his thoughts, Gordon almost missed the platform at the junction. He did his best to break gently, but it still felted rather jolty. Thomas looked over from the other platform. “How’s the slow life treating you?” asked the blue tank engine cheekily. “I got to sleep in,” Gordon replied excitedly. “I’ve not slept in since that strike we pulled back in the thirties! The firelighter even came to me last – can you believe it?”

Thomas chuckled – it was unusual to see the big engine so excited, though it made sense. He’d been wound so tight, doing his best to uphold the railway’s image and pull the express and live up to the rules imposed on him by his designer.

“Well, you enjoy your slow day,” said Thomas kindly. “But don’t forget to stop in the platform!” Gordon rolled his eyes and watched as Thomas steamed away.

All day the former express engine enjoyed the slower runs – until late that afternoon. He had just arrived at Barrow with a goods train (and he didn’t even complain once!) when Sir Stephen Hatt strode out of his office.

“Gordon! Thank goodness you’re here. Pip and Emma have broken down at the Big Station in Preston, and I need you to go rescue them.” “Of course sir,” grinned Gordon.

The big engine gathered a brakevan and headed out to the foreign Big Station. When he got there, everything was in confusion! And none of it had to do with Pip and Emma, who were quite safely out of the way in their platform. No, the confusion was caused by several freight trains scattered about the yard. Gordon didn’t comment on it, using a triangle to turn around and back down on the emergency coupler fitted to Pip.

“Time for a good run home!” grinned Gordon. The moment the guard blew his whistle, the big engine was off. He was certainly quite a sight! Smoke and steam billowed out of his funnel, while the furious whirring of his piston rods as he picked up speed drew everyone’s attention. A diesel even stared, gobsmacked.

Gordon charged up the West Coast Mainline, thundering along at well over the usual speed that steam engines were allowed.

“This is new!” laughed his fireman, watching signals whir past. “I checked with the stationmaster,” Gordon’s driver replied, shouting to be heard over the wind. “They didn’t recode us to heritage tour – Gordon’s cleared for express speeds!” Gordon was overjoyed to be going at top speed. His speedometer climbed higher and higher, the big blue engine sprinting past started EMUs and roaring through sleepy stations. Everyone heard him for miles, and came out in droves to watch the display of a bygone era brought back to life.

Gordon eventually slowed for his run along the Furness line, and then gently braked the train in Barrow.

“What a run!” cheered Gordon excitedly. “I feel so energetic!” “How?!” spluttered Pip from behind him. “It’s in my cylinders,” Gordon said. “I was built for this, and really letting loose is an incredible feeling. Sure, I am ready to move onto something new; but at the end of the day I will always enjoy coming back to the Express.”

The big blue engine collected a rake of coaches for his passengers to ride in on the rest of their journey to Tidmouth, leaving Pip and Emma with a lot to think about.

Back to Master Post

#fanfiction writer #railway series #weirdowithaquill #thomas the tank engine #railways #traintober #traintober 2023 #ok so this got a bit out of hand #and you kinda need to squint to see the prompt #but shhhhh #ttte gordon #ttte pip and emma

[kumatajdg]

A flat colour commission for Twitter user @FoodieTheFox of Pip & Emma as they appear in his AU!

#Pip #Emma #NWR #Thomas the Tank Engine #TTTE #The Railway Series #RWS #HST #High-Speed train #Commission #Illustration #Locomotive

[leatherbootlace]

“There’s an engine coming here on a Rail Tour next week,” Emma whispered to the others, “No one’s supposed to know who they are yet, but I’ve heard it’s someone called Bert Spencer.”

“SPENCER?!” gawked Gordon. “That Silver Show-Off Is Still In Service After All These Years?”

“Yes, but he-”

“He Has Some Nerve Thinking He Can Just Come Onto Our Island Like This! Honestly, I Ought To-”

Gordon jumped as Emma honked her horn loudly. Silence fell across the yards.

“You do know his Caretakers can’t afford his next overhaul, right Gordon?”

“I… Did Not Know That.” Gordon muttered.

#ttte #rws #ttte gordon #rws pip and emma #rws art #bootlace drabbles #they can't stand one another #but honestly? #i think spencer would get along well with pip and emma #he's likely to have met them now and again on the mainland #they probably know him better than anyone on sodor (that isn't used to the heritage circuit at least)

[theflyingkipper]

do you think the trains in ttte need eye drops?

This a VERY good question which has got the infodumping part of my brain on high alert

If the engine's faces are organic, I'd imagine they would need eye drops and probably very big ones, at that. I once saw a drawing that suggested they might have a second eyelid (like a reptile's) to keep their eyes clean while moving at high speed. If someone can find it, that would be much appreciated!

I like the implications of their faces being open-ended. I kind of have this theory that they were illustrated that way to make the fairly realistic trains more relatable and humanized. There's something very “Uhhh I’ll just put a face here” about Awdry’s reference drawings for his illustrators- who in turn decided to give the engines fully detailed, human-like faces. As opposed to other anthropomorphized trains, who have eyes where headlights might be, or faces on their giant smoke stacks instead. 

I don’t think Awdry or any of the RWS illustrators wanted to imply that the engines’ faces were biological- not even Clive Spong when he drew Henry with bloodshot eyes. Again, this is just a way to make it visually obvious that Henry is tired and out of puff. 

this is an engine who REALLY needs eye drops

I love the idea of engines needing eye drops, for whatever reason. Although, in my headcanon it would probably be an oil-based substance. I imagine them needing huge applicators for them, and dropping them in the engines’ eyes requires at least two people. James would definitely be the hardest to work with when it came time to give him eye drops, he won’t stop blinking and ends up splashing the solution all over his crew. High speed engines like Spencer or Pip & Emma regularly complain about dry eyes. I’d imagine lots of eye drops are needed for engines undergoing restoration, who might have had unlubricated eyes for years. 

This does make me wonder if Whiff needed to have his eyes dilated when he got his glasses. Maybe their eyes are so huge it might not be necessary. 

I love this concept and I hope more people decide to explore how this would work in their aus :D I love hearing everyones ideas and headcanons

#ttte #ttte headcanon #thomas the tank engine #kips cant shut up #asks #ttte james #ttte whiff #ttte henry #ttte spencer #ttte pip and emma #rws pip and emma #the railway series

[synthetic-rust]

She’s a zoomin

#my art #ttte fanart #ttte #I should post more of my warmup sketches sometime #ttte pip & emma

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

"You're not 'courting', Moll. You're just being awkward mutually."

— exasperated Pip, trying to wingman 65+ years of stalled Gordon/Molly slowburn in 2012 (via @houseboatisland)

#ttte pip and emma #ttte gordon #ttte molly #ttte shipping #queue some hard work for a change

[number1spongebobfan]

RWS-Exclusive Characters

#thomas and friends #ttte #thomas the tank engine #railway series #rws #humanoid #humanoids #animalization #ttte albert #ttte culdee #ttte catherine #ttte frank #ttte pip and emma #bluebell and primrose

[lightning-studios]

Fun Fact: I do actually plan on including Pip and Emma in my little TTTE au, I even have an idea on what their personalities would be like, it’s just that I genuinely can’t decide on keeping their canon basis or making them a Blue Pullman set

#ttte #ttte pip #ttte emma #rws #blue pullman #I don't really like doing basis changes all that much but like at the same time the BP looks really nice? #it also kinda fits Sodor's aesthetic a little more?

[just-an-emily-existing]

~More Ttte Design~

~The Diesels~

❤️Pip and Emma, Derek, Den, Dart, Bear, Sydney, Arry, Bert❤️

~The Skarloey Railway~

🧡Skarloey, Rheneas, Sir Handel, Peter Sam, Rusty, Duncan, Duke, Smudger, Freddy, Mighty Mac, Luke, Nancy🧡

~The Bluebell Railway~

💛Stepney💛

~The Miniature Engines~

💚Mike, Rex, Bert, Jock💚

~Non-Rail Vehicles~

💙Madge, Bertie, Caroline, Bulgy, Elizabeth, Trevor, Buster, George, Jeremy, Thumper💙

~The Cranes~

💜Cranky, Carly Harvey, Rocky💜

~The Big Engines~

🩷Hank, Neville, Murdoch, Hiro, Molly, Connor and Caitlin, Flying Scotsman, City of Turo, Duchess of Hamilton🩷

~Sodor Search and Rescue Team~

❤️Flynn, Belle, Harold, Rocky❤️

~Miscellaneous~

🧡Charlie, Ryan, Arthur Nia, Kana Philip, Scruffy, The Spiteful Breakvan, Flora, Stanley, Aurelia, Jinty and Pug, Neil, Thomas' Special Coach🧡

~The Steelworks Engines~

💛Frankie, Hurricane, Lexi and Theo, Merlin💛

~The Misty Island Hillbillies~

💚Bash and Dash, Ferdinand💚

~The China Clay Company~

💙Bill and Ben, Timothy, Marion💙

~The Steamworks~

💜Victor and Kevin💜

~Sodor Trash Team~

🩷Scruff and Whiff🩷

~The Ulfstead Railway~

❤️Millie, Glynn, Stephen❤️

~Shining Time Station~

🧡Burnett Stone, Mr. Conductor (Alec Baldwin, Ringo Starr, George Carlin, Junior) Lilly, Patch, Billy Two-feathers, Stacy Jones, PT.Boomer🧡

~Marvellous Machinery~

💛Ruth, Cleo💛

~The Technology Thief’s~

💚Sonny, Baz and Bernie💚

~The Horrors of Hawin Lake~

💙Dane/1020, Hawin💙

#ttte #thomas the tank engine #thomas and friends #ttte humanized #ttte human au #humanisation #My Art #More Ttte Designs #My Post #Pinned Post

[joezworld]

Mind Reading, Soul Stealing, Red Eyed, Diesel Electric Monsters!

June, 2000

A new millennium dawned on the Island of Sodor, and with it came many changes that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

British Rail was no more, and the North Western Region was now the North Western Railway, free to operate as it pleased.

One of the first things that The Fat Controller did was purchase a new express train.

Gordon was apoplectic at this news, but the Fat Controller explained that this new service was to be a through train to London - steam engines hadn’t been allowed on the mainland rails for decades, and under British Rail, a new locomotive would take the coaches to and from London. Now that BR was no more, it was more economical to purchase a dedicated trainset and avoid the locomotive change at Barrow.

Furthermore, Gordon would still be rostered on the midday express and the Limited, both of which only went as far as Barrow.

Pip and Emma had visited Sodor once before, and had been well received by the other engines. However, once it was revealed that Gordon would be displaced from some of his trains, some engines became suspicious...

The engines had speculated that the Fat Controller would purchase a new diesel locomotive to haul the train, and were very surprised to discover that he had instead bought a high speed train!

-

"Ah canno' put ma buffer on it," Douglas admitted. "But they're doing something! Just look at how they act - the lasses must be scheming or something!"

"Ah'm tellin' ye - they are up ta something!" Douglas said to the other engines in the shed.

"And wha' might that be Douggie?" Asked Donald. Unlike his brother, he had no issue with the diesels, and was confused as to why his brother was so vehemently against them.

"Those two have been nothing but polite and cordial this entire time, and- oh bollocks." Duck began, before his eyes widened in realization. "Do not tell me that you have been listening to Oliver again!"

The other engines groaned - Oliver's escape from the mainland had put him in contact with some of the worst diesels that BR had ever fielded, and he still didn’t trust them as a result. Furthermore, his relatively isolated duties on the Little Western meant that his only real contact with diesels was limited to BoCo, Bear, and Delta - three engines who had all 'escaped' from the mainland in one form or another. He held a pessimistic view towards other diesels, and most of the engines had learned to tune him out as a result.

Apparently Douglas had not. "Ah have - and he's right! That's how it starts - they come in all peaceful and nice, and then Boom! All diesels all the time! Ah saw it happen once and ah'm not about to let it happen again!"

"Oh my god" said Donald and Duck in unison. They were going to have words with Oliver the next time they saw him.

-

Across the yard at the newly-built diesel shed, the diesels were listening to Douglas' ranting.

"Well, I'm glad that we haven't actually done anything to upset him." Pip said after a moment.

"I was worried that we'd said something." Emma chimed in from the back.

Bear rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, let me be the first to say that I am glad that you aren't actually evil monsters out to destroy steam traction."

Everyone laughed at that, and evidently did so just a little bit too loud, because...

"AH KNEW IT! They're conspiring against uz!" Douglas shouted from inside the shed.

The diesels stopped laughing and stared at the shed, while the steam engines began berating Douglas.

That brought a fresh wave of shouting from within the shed, while the diesels looked at each other incredulously.

The other engines weren't audible, but Douglas certainly was. "Well maybe no' on purpose! But ye don' know what these new things ken do! They might 'ave mind control powers or something!"

"Mind control powers?" Bear said with a raised eyebrow. "Where does he even get that from?"

"Is that normal?" Said Pip, suddenly concerned about having to work with these engines on a regular basis.

"Not especially." Said Delta. "But when it does happen, they're like this until they suffer a karmically appropriate pratfall, at which point they realize that they've been stupid and apologize."

The others stared at her.

"What?" She protested. "Why do you think I never get too big for my wheels if I can help it? I've read the books! I know what happens to the rest of you!"

Bear and BoCo exchanged a significant look, while Pip looked thoughtful.

"So, that pratfall," she said slowly, a sly look spreading across her face. "Do you lot feel like speeding up when it happens?"

-------------

And so they did.

Henry and James were soon involved in this scheme by virtue of being 'involved' with Bear and Delta, and spent the next several days figuring out exactly what Oliver and Douglas were saying about Pip and Emma. They eventually compiled a long list of imagined abilities, including mind control, telepathy, soul-stealing, invisibility, and the ability to lie with a straight face.

(The steam engines disputed that last point, but all the diesels agreed that it was the only thing on the list that was true.)

-

A week later, they first sprang their plan. Douglas was idling at the big station as Pip and Emma loaded their passengers. He made a conscious effort to ignore the HST set, which was helped somewhat by Bear backing into the track in between him and them.

Then things began to go strangely.

"Oh, not much. How about you?" Bear said in response to nothing.

Douglas looked around to see who he could be talking to, and found nobody else.

"Very interesting." Continued Bear. "I'd never considered that before. Is that new?"

After a moment of silence: "I see."

A pause.

"I wonder how that would work on this Island?"

Silence.

"Really?"

More silence.

"Well I would have never guessed!"

Douglas began to wonder if he was losing his mind when Pip's guard blew his whistle and the HST rolled away towards Barrow.

After a long moment, Douglas spoke up. "Bear, who were ye talking to?"

"Pip?" Bear said, confused.

"No ye weren’t!" Exclaimed Douglas. "Ye were talkin' to thin air!"

"I was not! We were having a most interesting conversation. I'm surprised you didn't hear it, considering we were right next to you."

"Ye said nuthin!" Douglas protested.

"I think you need to get your hearing checked." Bear said as he pulled away with his goods train. He broke into a wide smile as soon as he was out of sight.

--

Next it was Oliver. He made a rare trip beyond the Little Western to collect a train of China Clay from Wellsworth. BoCo was asleep in the station's bay platform when he arrived, so Oliver quietly collected the clay wagons.

As he waited at the signal to leave, Oliver noticed that BoCo was mumbling in his sleep.

"No... mustn't... listen... to... evil... no one... controls... me..."

"BoCo?!" Oliver yelped, suddenly concerned by the diesel's mumbling.

"Huh?!" BoCo sprang to wakefulness suddenly, and Oliver would have sworn that for a split second, there was a red glint in BoCo's eyes. "Oh, hullo Oliver. Fancy seeing you out on the main line."

"You were talking in your sleep!" Oliver said, forgoing any pleasantries.

"I suppose I might have been." BoCo confessed. "I haven't been sleeping very well recently - none of us diesels have."

As Oliver began even more concerned than he had been mere seconds ago, the home signal on the main line dropped to 'clear', and Pip and Emma roared through the station bound for Tidmouth.

As they passed, Oliver jumped slightly - Pip, who was facing him, glared at him as he passed. It was especially unsettling because modern diesels had their end-of-train lamps built into their eyes, so Pip's pupils were bright red as she glared back at Oliver and BoCo.

"She's up to something..." Oliver said to BoCo.

BoCo said nothing in return, and when Oliver looked over, he almost jumped off the rails - BoCo's eyes were the same red colour as Pip's and he was staring into the middle distance.

"She isn't up to anything Oliver..." BoCo said hollowly. "Why would you say that...?"

Oliver squealed in terror, and fled onto the main line as soon as his signal dropped.

BoCo waited until Oliver's train had vanished from sight before turning his lights off and laughing hysterically.

----------

This continued for some time - Oliver and Douglas would see one of the diesels, and the diesels would act strangely at the mention of Pip and Emma.

By the end of the week, Oliver was jumping at shadows, and Douglas was telling his conspiracy theories to any engine that would listen.

"So then Delta gets this faraway look in ‘er eye an' she clams up!" Douglas crowed one morning at Knapford station. “An’ there was no other engine there! She musta’ been talking to them while they wuz invisible!”

Thomas was spellbound. "And then what happened?"

Henry was not. "And then Douglas discovered that there was a reasonable explanation to whatever just happened and learned not to tell tales to impressionable tank engines."

"Ah am not! They. Are. Up. Ta. Somethin'!" Douglas railed at the green engine. "Look, there's Bear now! Let's just see - he's gonna do somethin' if we watch him close enough."

Bear tooted his horn in greeting as he rolled by with a slow goods train. Seeing Oliver and Henry, he quickly flashed his red lights and dropped his engine down a gear as he rolled between Henry and Douglas.

"Play along!" He whispered to Henry as he went by, the noise of his engine masking the words.

Henry blinked. That was an unexpected move... He watched the goods train roll by - it didn't feel right, pranking Douglas like that.

The goods train hadn’t even gone past yet, and he could already hear Douglas ranting about how Bear was a "red-eyed scheming devil!"

Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be. He thought as he listened to Douglas make blameless accusations about his fiancé. To hell with it then.

"What did he say?!" Douglas bellowed after the train passed. "Ah heard 'im say something to ye Henry! What did the devil say to ye?!"

Henry, trying his best to keep his face neutral, looked at Douglas in shock. "Oh hello Douglas! When did you get here?"

Bear's train cleared the signal block, and Henry steamed out of the station, leaving Douglas raving about "memory alterin' beasties!"

The engines looked up as Donald steamed up to the diesel shed. 

“Ah knoo ye lot are doin’ this - knock it off before ma brother completely loses his marbles.” He said firmly. 

“Is he going to stop saying that we’re mind controlling demons?” Bear retorted. 

The steam engine sighed deeply. “Ah want ye to know that he wasnae sayin that before ye started, but ah’ll talk to ‘im. Mebbe we can work something out.”

He steamed back to the sheds. Within a few minutes the sound of Scottish-accented shouting burst from the sheds. 

This continued for some time, to the point where Henry had his driver pull him out of the shed to escape the noise. 

Eventually, both twins emerged from the shed, Donald looking aggrieved and Douglas much more subdued. 

“Ah’m sorry.” The twin eventually said. “Ah think that ah might have let this whole ‘new diesel’ thing get to me a bit more than ah should’ve.”

There was some muttering from Bear and Pip before BoCo shushed them. “We accept your apology Douglas. Sometimes we can all go a little overboard -”

“I don’t.” Interrupted Delta.

“You hid from the Thin Clergyman.” BoCo glared at her before continuing. “We all can go a little overboard at times, so I’m glad that we can now put this behind us. Friends?”

“Friends.” Douglas said after a moment.

“Good!” Cried a voice from inside Donald’s cab as Siobhan poked her head out. “Now that we’re done torturin’ me Da’ for being thick, I wan’ to know somethin - how did all of you manage to make yer eyes turn red like that?”

“Oh, this?” BoCo said as he turned on his red lamps, making his eyes glow red. “It really is just something we were built with.”

The other diesels blinked theirs as well to show that it was not an unusual thing to be equipped with. 

“Oh that is so creepy.” Siobhan shivered. "I love it!"

--

“Oh no.” Oliver gasped as he watched the diesels flash their mind-control rays at Donald and Douglas. “They got to them.”

“What do we do?” Whispered Thomas from the next platform over. 

“I don’t know!”

-------

After the truce between Douglas and the Diesels, life became much more peaceful on Sodor. 

Unless you were on Thomas’ branch line. 

Because only Thomas and Daisy regularly travelled down to the big station at Tidmouth, the rest of the engines on the line learned most of their news from the main line engines when they met at Knapford station. This meant that information was slow and sometimes unreliable on the best of days. 

Now that Thomas actively believed that Pip and Emma had mind-controlled the rest of the engines, that information stream became warped and distorted very quickly. 

Matters were made worse when Daisy was sent to the works for several weeks to have her engine rebuilt. To keep up with traffic, The Fat Controller sent an engine to assist, and Oliver was the first to volunteer. 

The branch line quickly descended into hysteria.

Looking back on this series of events, it is mind-boggling that none of the big engines noticed, however, they had assumed that Douglas had told Oliver that it was all a prank, and that Oliver was an engine that could be reasoned with. 

Furthermore, Gordon, now displaced from the morning and evening express, was insistent on trying out other passenger runs to see if he enjoyed them. This meant that the engines who normally pulled those trains were also displaced from their duties, meaning that the engines who usually met Percy, Thomas, and Daisy’s trains on a regular basis were instead arriving at Knapford on random days and times. The sudden paranoia of the branch line engines was therefore overlooked or dismissed as ‘tank engines being tank engines’.

Matters were made worse when Daisy returned from the works, allowing Oliver to return to the Little Western. 

Daisy was due to return around lunchtime, and so Oliver took his train to Tidmouth, and then immediately continued on with a train to Arlesburgh, while Daisy took the return service to Ffarquhar. 

The other engines on the branch were busy with trains at the north end of the line, and didn’t know that Daisy was returning that day. From their perspective, Oliver was ‘vanished’ by ‘them’, and replaced with a diesel interloper. 

The fact that Daisy had been on the branch line for almost fifty years at that point was immaterial. 

“How do we know that you’re really Daisy?” Percy asked late that night. “What if you’ve been mind-controlled by them to make us into your thralls?”

“Because if I was,” Daisy hissed, acid practically dripping off of her tongue. “I would have done it already. Go. To. Sleep!”

No more was said that night, but the other engines continued to view Daisy with suspicion. 

Daisy, now thoroughly unamused, began asking the big engines if mind control was something that she could actually do - just so that she could get some peace and quiet! 

This did not ease the branch line engine’s concerns at all. 

Daisy found that sleep was much harder to come by as a result.

-

Things eventually came to a head when an extremely sleep deprived Daisy backed down onto the milk van a little bit too hard. The shunter had failed to set the van’s brakes, and it rolled away down the hill towards the next station. 

Percy and Thomas had, as the result of a lost bet, switched jobs that day, which meant that Percy, Annie, and Clarabel were halfway up the hill behind Daisy when the milk van rattled into view. 

“Horrors!” Percy cried as his crew applied the brakes and jumped clear. 

The damage to Percy’s front wasn’t catastrophic, but it was bad enough for the breakdown train crew to put him on a flatbed so he could be taken to the works to be looked over. Clarabel, who was behind Percy and took a nasty bump in the collision, accompanied him. 

Wendell was sympathetic as he collected them, but Percy was still wary, especially because his flatbed had been coupled up to Wendell facing backwards, meaning that neither he nor Clarabel could see if the diesel had been mind-controlled. 

Wendell’s shocked laughter when Percy told him this was not encouraging. 

-

The trip went normally until they arrived at Kildane. There, another engine was waiting, and attached itself to the back of the train. Percy and Clarabel eyed it suspiciously. It looked like a diesel, but one they had never met before, and had a strange metal contraption on its roof, which it lowered before they set off again. 

“Hi!” The engine chirped as the train set off. “I’m Abbey! Who are you?”  

“Percy...” He said cautiously. Clarabel stayed silent.

As it turned out, Abbey was an electric locomotive. She wasn’t new to the island by any means, but she had arrived after Percy had begun working on Thomas’ branch full-time, so they’d never met. She was very chatty, very curious, and had no idea what Percy and Clarabel were talking about. 

“Mind-Control Rays?” She laughed as they rolled towards Kellsthorpe Road station. “How would that even work?”

“I don’t know, but what I do know is that if their eyes turn red and then they look at you, you’re done for!”

“Red eyes?” Abbey looked thoughtful. “Do you mean reversing lights? We have them built into our eyes so we don’t need lamps!” 

“What?” Percy was baffled. 

“Yeah! It’s something that all engines have nowadays.” Abbey’s brows scrunched together in thought. “I think that mine has an emergency backup battery... let me try...”

After a moment of squinting, the pupil of Abbey’s left eye flickered into a very familiar red gaze. 

-

Wendell was not paying attention to the conversation behind him at all, and was startled to attention when Percy and Clarabel began screaming. 

“What in the world is going on?!” He shouted, trying to look behind himself and see what was happening. 

“I don’t know!” Cried Abbey. “They just started screaming!”

The commotion drew the attention of Wendell’s driver and second man as well, which meant that nobody on the train noticed as the Kellsthorpe Road home signal suddenly dropped to ‘Danger’ as they drew nearer to it.

The train rumbled past the signal without stopping, and approached the station at speed. Wendell finally looked forward, and saw members of the station staff waving their arms at him as they tried to right a massively overloaded porter’s trolley that had fallen over on the foot crossing. 

“Diesel and Oil! Stop the train! Stop the Train!” He shouted, drawing his driver’s attention, who applied the brakes as they entered the station. 

“I want you to tell me what happened one more time.” The Fat Controller said as seriously as one could while standing ankle deep in tin foil. The station was covered in the stuff, as was Wendell, Percy, Clarabel, and Abbey.

“The porter’s trolley was a consignment of tinfoil going to a restaurant supply store in town.” The stationmaster started. “It came in on the last train, and then it fell. We tried to make them stop-”

“I threw the signal! I did!” The signalman interjected. “They just didn’t see it!”

“No, we didn’t.” Wendell’s driver admitted, shamefaced. “We were trying to see why -”

“Percy was screaming.” Finished the Fat Controller.  

“Yes sir.”

“Why was Percy screaming?” 

“We don’t know sir.”

“Abbey might!” Wendell chipped in while trying to blow flecks of tin foil out of his nose. “She was talking to them when they started screaming.”

-

As it turned out, Abbey knew exactly why Percy (and Clarabel) had been screaming, and was willing to talk about it at length. 

The Fat Controller's eyebrows rose into his hairline and stayed there as Abbey kept talking. Percy and Clarabel remained silent, although it was impossible to determine whether it was out of fear, stubbornness, or embarrassment. 

“Mind Control powers? Really?” The Fat Controller wanted to be upset, but just could not manage it. “Where on earth did that come from?”

“Oliver sir!” Percy finally spoke up. “He said that the diesels were taking over the island with their evil powers!”

A surprised sounding "oh no!” rose from the next platform - Henry was waiting with The Limited, and had heard most of Abbey’s explanation. 

“Do you have something to add to this?” The Fat Controller asked Henry, unsure how this story could get any more ridiculous. 

-

Henry did have something to add. 

-

“Sir, are you all right?” His assistant asked as they returned to the car. 

“I’m fine.” The Fat Controller managed. “I just need a moment.”

He shut the door to the car behind him, and as soon as he was alone, he laughed until he cried. 

#ttte #shenanigans #sodor shenangians #headcanon #sodor #ttte bear #ttte BoCo #ttte oliver #ttte donald #ttte douglas #ttte thomas #ttte percy #ttte clarabel #ttte pip&emma #ttte henry #OC: Delta #ttte fat controller #abbey is a character from the sodor island forums and I totally stole her #Mind Reading Soul Stealing Red Eyed Diesel Electric Monsters! #fic #long

[userofthiswonderfuldisastersite]

RWS headcanon: Pip and Emma call gordon "gramps" or any variation.

Gordon makes a show of being annoyed but actually loves it and they know it.

(But he will deny it until his dying breath).

#ttte #rws #ttte headcanon #ttte gordon #ttte Pip and Emma

[sudrian-railways-enthusiast]

Arguments Gordon wins against imaginary engines at the washdown and other stories.

#Haha I rewatched Highspeed Gordon Youtube videos #Invincible or something idk I didn't watch the show #The day before educating Gordon Day #ttte gordon #Not #ttte pip #Or #ttte emma #technically #ttte meme #ttte shitpost

[houseboatisland]

Pip/Emma/Caitlin/Henry

Not adding anything else, I’m just living for the idea of Bear foaming at the mouth if anyone tries to steal his man engine.

#ttte bear #ttte pip and emma #ttte caitlin #ttte henry #pip x emma x caitlin x henry #henry x bear #ttte shipping #ask games

[feigeroman]

Thomas Headcanons: Pip & Emma

The High-Speed Train formation containing Pip and Emma was built in 1978, as one of the ten-car sets (two power cars, eight coaches) intended for services on the East Coast Main Line. Initially, they were allocated to the famous Flying Scotsman service from King’s Cross to Edinburgh, where they and their fellow HSTs displaced the 55s already handling this service.

In May 1983, however, Pip and Emma’s unit was reallocated to the Midland Main Line, where they now worked expresses from St Pancras to Glasgow, via Leeds and Carlisle. Their lives on this line were similarly uneventful, with the monotony only occasionally being broken up by some of the little incidents which befell BR trains during this time.

Their first visit to Sodor in 1986 happened quite by accident. The exact details are unclear, but it is known that the unit was stopped at Carnforth following the failure of Pip’s cooling system. While another engine took their passengers on, the power cars were instructed to make their way to Barrow-In-Furness, where arrangements had been made for Pip to be serviced at the NWR’s diesel depot there. This meant they were on-hand the next day, to take over Gordon’s return service to Tidmouth while he was busy taking over an enthusiasts’ special to Carlisle.

Pip and Emma’s visit proved to be a stroke of luck for Sir Topham Hatt, as they‘d unintentionally given him the solution to a problem that he’d only recently realized he was having. Trains running between Sodor and the Mainland had always had to change engines at Barrow-In-Furness, and this especially caused headaches for the express service running from Tidmouth to St Pancras. An HST, however, could potentially save time by removing the need for such a changeover - it could even make the whole journey without stopping. Following Pip and Emma’s departure, Sir Topham Hatt started making plans and inquiries about potentially borrowing them again...

Pip and Emma next visited Sodor in 1995, when they hauled the Royal Train to Tidmouth as part of that year’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. This was actually part of Sir Topham Hatt’s plan, as he wanted to test how well they could handle the service from Tidmouth to London.

In fact, the intention was to make arrangements with BR for Pip and Emma to begin running the Barrow-London portion of the service, to further test their capabilities before they took over the Sodor portion as well. Unfortunately, these plans were scuppered when BR was privatised later that year, and the NWR’s relationship with its neighbouring train operating companies was rather tarnished by the political and economic madness that followed.

It would not be until 2005 that relations had simmered down enough for Sir Topham Hatt to approach his neighbouring TOCs with the proposals he’d drawn up for Pip and Emma. By now, his interest had shifted towards outright purchasing them, but this was not possible at the time - mainly because nobody knew which TOC actually owned them. A compromise was eventually reached, in which the unit would be hired out to the NWR, to work the Barrow-London portion of the Wild Nor’ Wester as initially intended.

Pip and Emma were trialled on this service in late-2005, and full operations began in time for the start of the 2006 operating season. The operation ran as follows: the HST would leave St Pancras early in the morning, and reach Barrow-In-Furness just after lunchtime. Once there, they would connect with Gordon’s service from Tidmouth, and the two trains would swap passengers. Then Gordon would head back to Tidmouth, while Pip and Emma would head back to St Pancras.

Surprisingly, this convoluted operation did save some time. Track improvements on the Mainland network meant that Pip and Emma were able to run fast enough to make up for the delays caused by swapping passengers at Barrow, thereby enabling them to still return to St Pancras on time.

Sir Topham Hatt felt, however, that still further time could be saved, and he continued his efforts to make a full purchase of Pip and Emma. Sadly, this had still not been achieved by the time of his retirement in 2009, and his son Richard Hatt inherited this mission when he became Sir Topham Hatt IV that same year (Richard also took over the running of the NWR, of course, and remains so as of 2021).

By this time, all the various TOCs had begun cascading their HSTs to lesser duties, if not withdrawing them from service altogether. The new Sir Topham Hatt finally managed to track down Pip and Emma’s current owners, and in late 2010 a full purchase of the unit was finally agreed upon.

Pip and Emma finally entered official NWR service in early 2011, and for the first time the Tidmouth-London express could actually be run as a non-stop service. As before, they departed St Pancras early in the morning, but now they reached Tidmouth in the early afternoon. Following a quick rest and refuel, they then headed back to St Pancras, arriving there in the late evening. They would then stay there overnight, before starting over again the next morning.

As promised, this new service did indeed shave still further minutes off the passenger timetable, and it also allowed a full round trip to be achieved in a single day for the first time ever.

For administrative purposes, Pip and Emma are listed on the NWR’s books as being shedded at Barrow-In-Furness, although in practice they are almost never seen there. Instead, they stay mostly at Willesden TMD, near to St Pancras, but they may sometimes be found at Tidmouth if circumstances require them to stay on Sodor overnight.

#thomas the tank engine #the railway series #sodor #island of sodor #north western railway #ttte headcanon #ttte analysis #ttte pip #ttte emma #ttte pip and emma #pip the high-speed diesel #emma the high-speed diesel

[theflyingkipper]

important images 2, now with even more image

#ttte peter sam #ttte sir handel #ttte duncan #ttte duck #ttte mavis #ttte james #ttte toby #ttte pip and emma #<- listed in order of appearance #ttte #art #thomas the tank engine #the railway series #kips shitposts #ttte humanized #ttte human au #cursed images #kips art