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steam-beasts · 3 months

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How I'd adapt TTTE BWBA s22 ep 2; "Forever and Ever"

Original summary; Gordon has a tantrum about all the changes being made to the railway and is sent back to his shed in disgrace, Gordon insists that he is happy to stay there forever but his new friend Nia from Kenya helps him to see the changes in a different light.

My adapted summary; Ever since Edward left the sheds, Gordon had been quite bitter about the changes. Now that Nia has moved in and Henry suddenly announcing that he's moving into Vicarstown, Gordon becomes enraged. In retaliation, he takes his frustration out on Nia and causes an accident.

Plot

A year had gone by since Edward's departure from Tidmouth Sheds, and despite how long it's been, Gordon still can't stop being bitter about it. Since Nia's arrival, Gordon had been disrespectful and belittles her often, bumping her out of the way and calling her a "weak little tank engine". He just directs his grumpiness on to her. One day, he hears a conversation between Henry and Sir Topham Hatt and is horrified to learn that Henry wants to move out.

(Not my art btw, it's on DeviantArt)

He confronts Henry the next day, and Henry tells him "Going to Vicarstown is my choice, Gordon. I don't need your say in it!". Gordon then goes to Sir Topham Hatt about the changes, ranting to him about the changes, but STH just says;

"Edward left Tidmouth to mentor Phillip and Rosie by his own choice, Gordon. Henry is moving away by his own choice as well, nothing can stay the same forever, you know. Just deal with it, and move on"

Sir Topham Hatt doesn't realise how much the changes are actually stressing Gordon out and agitating him.

When Gordon is getting his coaches shunted, he finds that Nia is shunting instead of Percy or Thomas. He's already angered by the sudden announcement of Henry moving out, and Nia, the one who (in Gordon's eyes) replaced Edward, decides to try and calm him down.

Gordon yells back at her, and Nia just retorts by saying;

"Ugh...I wonder how Edward and Henry put up with you, you're such hard work!"

Nia never means this in a rude way, she's just annoyed by Gordon. This remark upsets Gordon even further, so he decides to pull a trick on Nia... the same trick he pulled on Thomas decades ago.

He goes along with it and heads off with the Express early, and doesn't give Nia time to uncouple from the coach.

As Gordon speeds down the line with Nia in tow, he doesn't listen to her begging him to stop and just laughs it off.

(Imagine he's laughing maniacally)

My version of Nia was built without a proper safety valve, so she is a boiler explosion waiting to happen. Her boiler is heating up fast, luckily, her driver manages to reach her coupling rod and uncouples her. But as she's uncoupled, Gordon had reached a junction at that point and Nia ends up going off the rails and hitting a tree at full force, denting her buffers.

Later on that evening, everyone and STH find out what happened and confront Gordon about his errant behaviour.

Gordon is quick to defend himself, claiming Nia "replaced Edward and forced Henry out". This is when he tries venting his hatred of the changes. STH and everyone else just assume he's making up excuses and is overdramatic; he's not.

STH; "Excuses, excuses! I am sick and tired of your whining, Gordon! Nia is staying in this shed and that's final! We must not be so rude!"

Thomas; "You're definitely a big fat Galloping Sausage now, Gordon! You just can't go a day without complaining! Bother, even pulling the same trick on her like you did on me? That's pathetic!"

James; "Just disgusting, Gordon! I don't remember you being so horrible towards tank engines like you were today!"

Emily; "Shame on you..."

After this argument, STH tells Gordon that he's banned from pulling the Express until he gets his behaviour sorted out and is being locked in his berth. Gordon desperately begs him not to, but STH doesn't listen. He is shut up in the sheds, where he has a nightmare about Edward and Henry getting scrapped and wakes up in the middle of the night, unconsciously tearing up and reflecting on how everyone treated him and his dream.

The episode ends with Gordon whispering;

"....N-Nobody cares how I feel...my own controller doesn't c-care how I feel... why does nobody care about me?"

The episode ends.

Yeah, if I were to do Forever and Ever, it would be pretty dark and angsty. It's all hurt for Gordon and no comfort. Plus, it would show a bit of Gordon that's vulnerable and no longer all pompous and arrogant, instead all self-conscious and soft.

#thomas and friends #thomas the tank engine #ttte thomas #ttte gordon #ttte henry #ttte edward #ttte james #ttte emily #ttte sir topham hatt #ttte nia #ttte percy #gordon the big engine #james the red engine #edward the blue engine #henry the green engine #percy the small engine #emily the stirling engine #adapting Bwba episodes #forever and ever

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yamileth2561 · 4 months

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ttte sleepover headcanons Humanized

🩵Thomas: This boy is so naughty that he hits everyone with a couple of pillows in his hands, falling into laughter when the others are sleeping.

🩵Edward: All he does is read and drink a glass of milk, he doesn't play or anything like that, he just wants to concentrate on his things.

💚Henry: He likes watching movies with Gordon but falls asleep in the middle of the movie. Gordon usually picks him up, takes him to bed and wraps him in the blankets, when Henry wakes up he doesn't even know what happened.

💙Gordon: Gordon likes to eat at sleepovers but he likes to bake some cookies, although Percy usually finishes the cookies within 5 minutes since they are his favorite.

❤️James: She likes to put makeup, masks, creams and many things on her face. When Edward usually sleeps, James usually makes him up like a clown. He even tries not to laugh while doing his nonsense, just like Gordon.

💚Percy: He likes to watch movies but he also plays a lot with Thomas, pillow fights and they accidentally hit him in the face which results in him falling into tears and Henry consoles him by giving them a chocolate chip cookie.

🤎Toby: just sleep peacefully between the sheets.

💚Emily: She loves to cook just like Gordon but she likes to tell horror stories with a flashlight next to her and she likes to put a couple of bows on James and Gordon, something that makes her laugh.

#ttte #thomas and friends #my art <3 #ttte humanized #drawings #human #ttte thomas #ttte edward #ttte henry #ttte gordon #ttte james #ttte percy #ttte toby #ttte emily #ttte headcanon #meme #steam team

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beumdi · 1 year

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THOMAS

Thomas can be described as child-like and optimistic! He likes to hang out with Percy and the two often joke with each other, when he first arrived to the island, he was a bit boastful, he was a little confused but he's got the spirit!

Whenever he sees Bertie however, he starts sprinting even when the man was just taking a stroll and when he gets ahead of him, he sticks his tongue out in a playful manner and continues running, to which Bertie will be startled by the sudden race and run too.

He's seen as the joyous atmosphere of the island due to his nature, but just because it's all sunshines and rainbows doesn't mean he isn't aware of the negatives of this world.

EDWARD

Edward is what you'd expect, he's everyone's grandpa. He's willing to give advice to people and just be there, he has the patience of a god and getting him mad is nearly impossible, but no one in the island is ever willing to make him that mad.

Although he doesn't look that old, he definitely still is old. Sometimes he gets compliments for how young he looks, and he'll get flattered and thank them for the compliment.

He often invites the Clay pit twins over so they could eat! Bill and Ben adore his cooking, they would play with their food like having french fry fangs or cucumber eyes, and Edward would join in and have fun with them too, while also reminding them that they should finish their food.

So now he's willing to help people through their needs, wether it be cracking a joke or just simply being there for them, he has a decent sense of humor and he's just that good samaritan.

HENRY

Henry is a rather timid guy, yet he's not afraid to speak his mind. He likes keeping plants around his room because it gives a somewhat cozy and comfortable atmosphere for him, it makes him happy.

He probably deals with too much shit in his life yet manages to endure all of it, he isn't very strict and actually likes to be a little laid back from time to time, often jokes around with Edward or Gordon, or both.

The trio has a running joke going on where they would be arguing and Henry would go "Really? right in front of my salad?" and joke that he's eating his plants, Henry doesn't mind all this.

JAMES

James is boastful. He likes to style his long luscious red hair and will get pissy if anyone messes it up, although he can be pretty difficult to handle at times, he will still get the job done. He likes painting his nails and the color probably changes everyday.

He's definitely the type to get his crust cut off his PB&J sandwich, and Edward does it for him.

James is egotistical but can also be very silly, like how he thought he could win in a Jenga match with Donald. (Donald is ridiculously good at Jenga) and the tower ended up falling on his face.

GORDON

He's that one dad who's probably a buzzkill. Gordon's is what you'd expect, a rather boastful man, but despite all this, he's willing to help and give advice to others. Gets proud over simple things and that's what makes him silly, he could be looking at a cooked egg he made and huff proudly.

Henry and Edward would joke about him being in a hotdog costume due to the nickname "Galloping Sausage" It nearly happened at one point.

PERCY

Percy is Thomas's sidekick!! He's also rather child-like and is the one getting Thomas out of his shenanigans. They both love going out for adventures and cherishing it in a scrapbook. They both also have a thing going on where one of them will slip a letter to each other and act like secret agents.

He dislikes being alone for too long, especially in the dark, hence why he finishes up his mail duties rather quickly.

#me talking about stuff #ttte #ttte au #ttte thomas #ttte percy #ttte edward #ttte henry #ttte gordon #ttte james #WELL I WROTE WHAT THEY'D BE LIKE IN MY AU #im starting to focus on story more #I'll add the little western soon

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theyellowroseofsodor · 9 months

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Since it’s summer it’s time for some Summer Pool Headcanons - TTTE style!!

❤️Pool days are awesome! The team plays chicken, sharks and minnows, Marco Polo, etc.

💛Gordon and Henry are always the bottom half of the chicken battles.

💚 Scotsman once snuck up behind Gordon and lifted him out of the water on his shoulders. It was a sight to behold.

💙 Gordon did not like it. Not one bit

💜 Thomas once pantsed James on accident in the water when they were wrestling in the water.

🤎 Gordon makes the biggest splashes off the diving board.

❤️ Emily likes to swim but prefers tanning or being the lifeguard

💛 Percy loves doing cannonballs.

💚 When Camille first appeared in a tankini Gordon about lost his mind

💙 Not in the humana-humana way, in the “you can’t come out here with all these other guys looking like that”

💜 Even that was too much skin for him

🤎 She got mad and said he was shirtless and he didn’t see her getting upset. After that scolding he backed off and she wears whatever she wants.

❤️ The other engines and teams have come at the same time. They play water volleyball whenever this happens.

💛 Duck’s nickname has been furthered by his swimming skills

💚 Henry was very concerned about swimming in a pool with others at first and would only get his feet in the pool, with all the odd things in pool water. With Hiro’s help he’s fine now.

💙 Thomas slapped Gordon with a pool noodle and Gordon chucked him in the deep end.

💜 Scot loves to twist his towel and pop Gordon on the butt with it when he gets out

🤎 Gordon got Scot in the thigh once, Scot tripped and fell back in the pool with his towel.

Feel free to add your own! What’s some of your favorite summer activities and do you think the engines would enjoy it?

#ttte #ttte gordon #ttte humanized #ttte edward #ttte oc #ttte james #ttte henry #ttte the flying scotsman #ttte headcanon #ttte Percy #ttte thomas #ttte Emily

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ye-olde-sodor · 11 months

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DON'T CALL ME DIRTY PERCY-

At long last, the final member of the changed Tidmouth Fleet is finally here! Numbers 7-11 don't have designs as they'll remain as engines, but I'll still do posts about them!

Lore time!

-A lot of the stuff I said on James' post ties into here. Percy searched for Thomas but to no avail. He does, however, travel to Vickarstown where he runs into Diesel. After he realizes who he is, he freaks out and rapidly barrels down the line all the way to Tidmouth (which is quite impressive on his part). When he gets there, however, he's shocked to find the same thing happened with Henry!

-Percy had allowed Thomas to huddle next to his firebox since it was cold out. While he was conformable with it (because it's Thomas), he couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved by the whole thing.

-Shortly after the reunion, Percy began to feel ill. He was lethargic and complained that he was cold despite his fire being lit. His crew (and Thomas) wrapped him in tarps, blankets, and scarfs just to keep him from shaking himself to bits.

-A week later, Thomas wanted to check in on Percy and James, so he left early in the morning to see them. While James was sound asleep, he saw that Percy's shed was empty, save for a large pile of blankets and scarfs.

-Horrified, he digs through the pile, suspecting that he too had changed just like the rest of them. Sure enough, under all of the blankets laid a small man with green hair and grey skin, fast asleep without a care in the world. A red scarf sat on top of his head.

-As adorable as he was, Thomas knew he had to wake him up. He didn't want poor Percy suffocating under all of the covers. He grabbed Percy by the waist and tried to pull him out, but his feet were tangled in the blankets. With a hard tug he was able to get Percy out, but he lost his footing and the two men fell to the ground.

-Grumpily, Percy grasped the red scarf on his head and tried to use it as a blanket. It was here that he finally realized what happened, and the screaming started. Not just from Percy but from James and Thomas too (why Thomas started screaming, no one knows). It took some time to calm everyone down, and it took even more time to get Percy on his feet and out of the cold.

-When everything had calmed down (mostly), Thomas took Percy to the dorms. He was still lethargic and very tired, moreso after the long panic, so Thomas brought him to an empty dorm room so he can sleep. With him being the stronger of the two, he carried him up the stairs and tucked him into bed.

Headcanons...and some lore pieces!

-Percy became attached to the red scarf that was on his head. It became a sort of "Security Scarf" for him. No one knows how it ended up in the pile, but most assume it got mixed in with the blankets.

-He's close to Thomas for obvious reasons, but it's his closeness to Diesel that came as a surprise to everyone. A few months after the whole Duck vs Diesel fiasco, and he was brought back to the island, Diesel got a redemption after he stopped a runaway train and saved Percy. The two of them were inseparable ever since. While he's still devious, he's a far cry from his past self.

-Out of everyone, Percy is the most affectionate. Believe it or not but he was the first to introduce the idea of kissing to the others! The engines were conditioned to see any type of affection as scandalous, even if it was just handholding. So to them, Percy is their equivalent to promiscuity...even if they don't know what that word means.

Gordon: "Unbelievable Percy! How can you do such a horrid thing out in public?!"

Percy, holding Diesel's hand while he has a Mocha in the other: "Relax! It's just a Mocha!"

-Percy has a better understanding of human relationships then the others, primarily because his first wedding incident made him a popular guest of honor for the couples of Sodor. Kisses and cuddles are reserved for your significant other, while hugs can be used for just about anyone...at least that's how he sees it.

-To the engines, "romance" was just a friendship without as many boundaries. It's a sign of undying trust, the purest form of a partnership, Friendship 2 Electric Boogaloo. That's why Percy (and all engines for that matter) are so confused over human relationships and the "rules" that they try to impose on the engines.

-Percy never did get over his lethargy, at least not entirely. It's not uncommon for him to doze off to sleep in random places, but thankfully never somewhere dangerous. More often than not he can be found on the couch next to or on top of Diesel or Thomas.

-Due to his lethargy, he's become a major tea drinker. When he isn't out and about, he's having his peaceful afternoon tea with friends (and plenty of tea cakes).

-Percy is one of the few engines who's strictly vegan. He's known for eating meatless meats (Like Quorn, Beyond Meat, etc) for every meal.

-When Thomas announced that he partnered with Ryan, Percy was immediately skeptical. Percy has faced off against larger tank engines like Ryan before he came to Sodor, and they're nothing but trouble! No amount of "Gresley Charm" is going to persuade him otherwise! Despite his grievances, he does find it funny that this is how Thomas gets into the Gresley family. He can't wait for their wedding...and he can't wait to see Gordon's reaction!

-He's the smallest out of the Tidmouth team and is therefore the hardest to catch as he's having a sugar rush. (Trust us, it's happened more than once). He's even managed to outrun Gordon on one occasion!

-Looks and acts like a scrunkly...is actually a major historical philosopher on the island. He mainly plays dumb just to mess with people, which is common for smaller engines to do (see Thomas and Diesel as prime examples). This shouldn't be surprising though, especially since he's a year older than Edward!

-Likewise, Thomas is more of an anatomy expert thanks to the numerous college textbooks that his driver Keith leaves around the dorm room. Put the two together and you'll get quite the conversations. More specifically, them trying to piece together what the deal is with humans. It's even more common for the whole team to get involved in these conversations!

-Every now and then he gets himself buried under a pile of blankets. Usually it's Diesel or Thomas that has to dig him out of it. No one knows how he breathes under them, and he refuses to reveal the secret.

-Duck and Percy see each other as brothers, but Percy also sees Henry as an older brother as well, much to his surprise!

#ttte #ttte au #ttte ss au #ttte percy #the 'machines trying to figure out human culture' trope will never not be fun to me #you know these guys have argued for hours over how humans actually work but they're too scared to actually ask them #and vice versa with the humans #'I wonder where all of the human factories are at. Surely we should've heard about one by now!'#'Wait wasn't that human super tiny a few months ago??? How did it get tall so fast?!'

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smol4bluengine · 11 months

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Today was the day, Thomas and the others were waiting at the edge of their wheels in anxious anticipation for Sir Topham Hatt to arrive with Gordon.

A few days ago, Sir Topham Hatt had moved some engines around, Edward and Henry were once again back at Tidmouth sheds while Rebecca took Henry's spot at Vicarstown and Nia switched with Edward for his spot at Wellsworth. The older engine hoped Philip wasn't keeping the helpful engine up all night. The engines believed the switch was done to cheer up the big engine once he returned from the works.

A whistle announced the approached of Flying Scotsman, Thomas's attention was drawn to the famous engine as he backed onto the track next to the sheds.

"Hi there Scotsman, are you excited about Gordon returning home today"? Thomas asked.

At first the two tendered engine didn't say anything, remembering that he had agreed with Sir Topham Hatt not to react to his brother's current state until after the other engines had been told what happened. Scotsman was trying his best to conceal his frustration, in his attempt to calm down, a large plume of black smoke whooshed out of his funnel.

"Are you alright Scotsman"? Emily asked concerned as she watched the smoke dissipate into the air.

"I'm fine Emily, just really, really anxious about today." Scotsman replied with a forced smile.

"Well, alright Scotsman, if you say so." Emily said, doubtful.

"Do you think Gordon will want to go back to pulling the express after all that's happened"? Henry asked.

"Knowing Gordon, he'll want to pull the express as soon as possible, but given the accident Sir Topham Hatt will likely put him on light goods trains just to help Gordon readjust back to life on the railway, and to make sure that there are no issues with his repairs." Edward theorized.

"Let's just hope Gordon doesn't break something in an attempt to prove to Sir Topham Hatt that he is ready for the express sooner than he actually is." James commented.

"Agreed, Sir Topham Hatt, Lady Hatt, and Dowager Hatt have enough on their plate with running the railway, Gordon, and the baby." Percy added.

"Percy, I went over with you that Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt aren't expecting a baby." Edward told the little green engine.

"I know you did Edward, but its been hard to ignore. Everybody on Sodor has been spreading stories about seeing Lady Hatt pushing around a baby stroller over the past week." Percy responded.

Overhearing Percy talking to Edward about a baby was making Scotsman's side rods rattle. He was about to speak and reveal what had happened when he met with Sir Topham Hatt, when he and the others heard the honk of Sir Topham Hatt's car horn as he pulled up to the shed, Dowager and Lady Hatt accompanying him. The three stepped out of the car, Lady Hatt holding baby Gordon in her arms, the engine swaddled in a blanket. Percy immediately perked up.

"See, see! They do have a baby"! Percy peeped excitedly.

The other engines besides Percy and Scotsman were surprised, they weren't expecting the rumors to be true.

"Hello engines...." Sir Topham Hatt said but was suddenly interrupted by Percy.

"Congratulations on the new baby Sir and Lady Hatt"! Percy excitedly announced.

The Hatt's were caught off guard by Percy's excitement, but they quickly understood why as Gordon was woken up by Percy's outburst and began to fuss as he hadn't liked being woken up so suddenly. Lady Hatt tended to the upset engine, moving a bit closer to Edward which allowed the older engine to get a better view of the bundle Lady Hatt was holding. He was surprised to see a little funnel.

"Is that; a baby engine"? Edward asked surprised.

"Engines can be babies"? Percy replied confused.

"No Percy, baby engines are engines used as kiddie rides for amusement parks, zoos, traveling carnivals and the like." Edward explained.

"Sir why would you bring in a baby engine? Are they for the Earl and his dino park"? Thomas asked.

"I bet the baby engine is for Mr. Bubbles and the circus." Henry said.

The engines kept asking questions, overwhelming Sir Topham Hatt who tried to get his engines to quite down to no avail.

Having had enough, Scotsman blew his whistle loudly, immediately causing all the engines to stop their chatter and turn their gaze at him.

"For Lady's sake, it's Gordon"! Scotsman yelled; it was clear that the famous engine wasn't happy with the current circumstance.

The other engines were surprised.

"That's Gordon? But he looks so small and..... helpless." Thomas said stunned.

"Aw! Gordon looks so cute! Did Sir Topham Hatt go back in time to prevent the accident but went to far back"? Percy asked.

"Pft, don't be ridiculous Percy, it's obvious that this little engine isn't Gordon." James said in denial.

"I'm afraid it is true James." Sir Topham Hatt confirmed.

"But Sir, why would you do such a thing"? Emily asked.

"There were no other options, if I hadn't gone through with the essence transfer, Gordon would have been scrapped"! Sir Topham Hatt admitted.

All the engines gasped. Thomas now understood why Scotsman was so upset. "Will we ever have the old Gordon back sir"? Henry asked worriedly. " I don't know Henry, the Ramsfield's will perform an evaluation on Gordon in about a year's time and if everything goes well, Gordon will be transferred back into a big engine." Sir Topham Hatt answered. "And if it doesn't sir"? Thomas asked. Sir Topham Hatt looked down at baby Gordon, the little engine whining as he wanted to see Scotsman. Sir Topham Hatt carefully picked up the baby engine and walked over to Scotsman, gently placing Gordon on Scotsman's front footplate. "We'll come to that bridge if we cross it Thomas, for now can I ask for the Steam Teams help with watching over baby Gordon"? Sir Topham Hatt asked. Thomas looked at the rest of the engines, each of them giving silent approval, though some were still in disbelief over Gordon's current state. "Of course, sir"! Thomas agreed.

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mean-scarlet-deceiver · 1 year

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I know you are a fan of FutureRust and It’ s A Splendid Life. I think that AU is great. It makes me wonder how the timeline works if Thomas is never made? Or Edward, Henry, Gordon etc

What do you think?

Ooooooohhh. Hmmmmmm.

Okay, first of all, for those who haven't read Splendid Life (shame!) or just need a recap [SPOILERS]: in this fanfic James gets to observe what the NWR would have been like if he'd never been built, and the answer is [AGAIN! SPOILERS! THERE IS NO TURNING BACK AFTER THIS!] the railway failed to expand, faces inevitable bankruptcy, and everyone's miserable.

For what it's worth, I think the logic of A Splendid Life is excellent if FC1 couldn't have bought James or a mechanically similar engine at a knock-down price. However, I do think that realistically FC1 could have found "another James" throughout all the decommissioning the LMS was doing in the '20s and '30s. They would probably have been a little less robust than James but he could have certainly gotten a good mixed-traffic engine for scrap prices. I do think the NWR might have been poorer and not in a position to come out of WWII swinging, and yes I don't think FC1 would have picked up Percy in particular because he wouldn't have been looking at the exact time Percy was on the market, but then that's true of quite a few canon characters that FC1 does buy in Splendid Life anyway.

So, not to ruin the story, but as I think through this I'd argue James's absence has less impact than the absence of many of the others. He'd be, like, middle-of-the-pack in terms of essentialness. This is in no way a knock on Splendid Life; it's still one of my favorite ttte fics.

[END OF SPOILERS]

Let me take the rest of the engines in a different order. Kinda going from easiest to hardest to write about. For "etc." I will throw in Percy and Toby, the other two FC1 engines.

Gordon: I think it's very simple—without Gordon in the timeline, the NWR likely goes bankrupt before we even get to the Depression. That doesn't mean rail on Sodor disappears but I think the system would be absorbed by the LMS. Topham Hatt I might have been kept on as a director and manager but he wouldn't be able to run things in his own way. LMS engines would largely take over the network and the other tender engines would have been scrapped by WWII. Percy and Toby never come to Sodor. Thomas probably lasts the longest, on a Sodor railway that looks quite different. He might have still been promoted to branch line but that would have to be before the LMS takeover. It's also possible that without the revenue from Gordon's services the extension of the Ffarquhar line is not completed and so an engine isn't needed to run it.

Toby: If Toby didn't exist, Thomas might have been fitted with cowcatchers and sideplates and never heard the end of it from most of the other engines. Alternatively (despite what FC1 says offhand when he's on the spot and discouraged), FC1 might have simply acquired a different tank engine. One possibility is outfitting Percy with the kit and replacing him as Tidmouth station pilot earlier (possibly even with Duck! a long shot, but the NWR was nationalised by then...)

Percy: If Percy hadn't been made, I think FC1 simply buys another cheap secondhand industrial engine (but it's unlikely he happens to buy one with Percy's spunk and pluck so that changes the dynamic of the main cast in some ways). I think it's unlikely that FC1 simply would have never found another candidate but it would be very interesting if he couldn't. In that improbable scenario, I don't think FC1 manages to completely break the Strike Trio's action. I think he'd have to continue appeasing them in some sort of ways. At the same time, the issue is never completely resolved one way or another—it just festers. I think FC1 would rely heavily on Edward taking up residence at Tidmouth instead of Wellsworth but operations suffer accordingly and I still don't think Edward could be station pilot full time since he's also basically the rescue engine and banker at this time... This all would honestly set the railway on a fairly toxic path, with the big engines continuing to be unhappy with the ad-hoc situation at Tidmouth, continuing to have power struggles with FC1, and probably continuing with their mean-girls bullshit until there is full-out enmity between them and Edward + Thomas.

Realistically, I think there's plenty of middle ground between canon, where FC1 resolves the situation so quickly, and an AU where he never gets things in order. But I do think if "Trouble in the Sheds" had dragged on for any length of time that the dynamic among the fleet would have been very different and therefore the cast of the Railway Series books is different—if the Thin Clergyman is charmed enough to write it at all.

Edward: On the one hand, I doubt Edward's non-existence leaves a unique hole in the early workforce the way that the others' would—if there hadn't been an Edward I think the NWR would have simply begged, borrowed, or stolen some other Furness engine of similar vintage, maybe a little older, maybe a little less willing, but I think they'd have muddled along in a similar way... in the short term. In the long term, though, I believe Edward's absence would be very telling. In many ways he's really the heart of the (NWR) cast and his influence on the others is subtle but significant. Not in that the cast would be any more foolhardy, the railway would have its same chequered safety record—I really don't think Edward's frequent advice of "be careful!" really helped the others to learn sense any faster... but I do think it's more he influenced the whole joint to be a kinder, warmer, more forgiving sort of place than it would have otherwise been. Without Edward there is no counter to the early-years dynamic of Every Engine For Himself, Zero-Sum Competition. FC1 would have still sent away the worst influences and battered some morals or whatever into the others but, I think, at a slower rate, and the change is all imposed from the top... without Edward there I don't think the fleet becomes a family. It's also quite possible that it never crosses FC1's mind to consider Thomas to run the Ffarquhar branch so There's That.

Thomas: In contrast, Thomas's coming to the island is such a mysterious fluke that there's no "it would have just been another engine." I think this is another situation where the NWR would be missing something vital—certainly its greatest claim to fame, in the long run!—but they wouldn't know it, you know? They wouldn't know what they were missing. In a Jamesless world FC1 might sometimes wistfully say to himself that it would be nice if he had a some real pizzazz and panache on his fleet, and in an world without Edward I think FC1 would be wishing that he could've somehow socialized the engines a bit better, so they were all a little more chill. But Thomas, man. He was a gift from the gods. He was a strike of blessed lightning. Everything about Sodor's vibe would be a little worse without Thomas and they wouldn't even know it. How sad is that?

Okay, getting down to brass tacks. I don't think his impact on the workforce would be so obvious. I think even in their poorest and earliest days the NWR could have scrounged up another shunter somehow and until he was vacuum-fitted and rebuilt Thomas wasn't good for much else, and without Thomas they would have just fit up another of their tank engines for the Ffarquhar line—it might have even been cheaper. I think the community along the Ffarquhar line wouldn't have been so attached to the railway without Thomas's charisma but again, the NWR probably wouldn't notice that. I do wonder if Charles Hatt would have married into the Ffarquhar Quarry owner's family without Thomas's stellar relationship-building to highlight that area of the island or not.

The Thin Clergyman still becomes a friend of the NWR and writes a Railway Series that is a thing for a while, but it doesn't really take off the same way without Thomas and the series probably ends sooner. I do think in this timeline the RWS has enough of a cultural impact that there is still some merch, maybe even a TV series, but I don't think it becomes a franchise in the same way as now; it's more of a trend-setter. I think it would inspire other book/TV series and that one of them would probably eclipse the RWS and become the "Thomas the Tank Engine"-equivalent brand name in-universe.

All this said, it is fascinating how the events of the series really don't hang all that much on Thomas at all. He's so very on the sidelines for most of the "golden era" of the RWS. I don't think the railway would have failed or struggled without him, though I think the Ffarquhar line itself wouldn't be as busy or important.

One big change is that I think, without Thomas, Gordon remains at least 50% more insufferable throughout his whole life. There's something about that cheeky tank engine that humbled him some. I know he puts Thomas in his place in "Thomas and Gordon," but—nevertheless!—Gordon met his match when he was condemned to put up with Thomas the Tank Engine mouthing off to him every day for years on end.

Henry: If Henry is never built? Hmm... how much changes?

I think things do change but he's the hardest to quantify. As far as the fortunes of the railway, honestly in the pre-RWS days they are probably better off. FC1 can spend the money he spent buying Henry on another engine, one that may not be as theoretically powerful but one that is more reliable. No need for Welsh coal, no need for a Flying Kipper rebuild. But I think the railway suffers as far as never really being pushed to develop a higher code of loyalty or understanding. This would be most notable in Gordon and FC1 (and, as they are both huge influences on the railway has a whole, these would make for some big ripple effects).

Without Henry, I think Gordon's character development might not get off the ground until much later. I think it still would have eventually grown up just because he was born with the soul of an elder statesengine, but in this timeline the seeds for his change aren't planted so early so he just remains Insufferable Unapproachable Bigshot for a few decades longer.

As for FC1, I think Henry is probably the catalyst of his character development—I do think the others played into it too but I think Henry had the single biggest impact on us going from the good-for-little-but-plot-device-and-comic-relief person we meet of "The Sad Story of Henry" to The Fat Controller. Before Henry, FC1 was an arrogant and inflexible man. Clever, and enterprising, and his stubbornness was probably key to his career thus far... and I doubt he was devoid of some nicer sentiments... but he is not yet the man he becomes. Getting swindled by Henry's builder was a humbling moment for him. Henry also gave him a dramatic illustration of the limits of just trying to get people (well, engines, but I don't doubt this lesson spilled over to people) to do things by force and authority and shouting. He probably regretted escalating things at once but found himself in a bind and had to learn the hard way that you should not make threats if you don't really want to follow through with them! Henry's pervasive mechanical issues probably also taught FC1 greater patience and understanding, and Henry's triumphant turn-around would have ensured that FC1 committed himself going forward to rather high ideals.

I think FC1 tried so hard to eke a "win" from the Henry situation at least in part for his own ego/reputation—if he gave up on Henry, he had to admit utter defeat in the matter of buying him. But I think by the end of the whole thing FC1 had become a different person. In short, without a Henry I/Henry II saga, I don't think we have a man so committed to saving his engines even in the face of nationalisation (and Edward rattling about like crazy at 55—a perfectly reasonable age to withdraw an engine from service), or a successor who assisted in Henry's triumph of a rebuild and who goes on to defy BR's modernisation plan completely.

Therefore, without Henry, the NWR still survives.

But also? It isn't really our NWR.

(It's probably fully dieselised. And D7101, while not rude to their faces, always considered that steam engines were kinda clapped-out.)

ALL THAT SAID... while writing this I came up with another AU involving Henry. But in this one he proves to be a perfectly reasonable, decently reliable engine who can handle the Express on his own from the beginning. This means he kinda isn't really Henry any more, but. It's hilarious. Because Gordon arrives too. You thought the NWR was boisterous enough with one haughty egoistical Pacific racing along the main line and struggling to live up to their own boasting? Try two of themmmmmmm! And they loathe each other!!!!

(I'm actually dying... it takes Sodor the Unnecessarily Extra Island and makes it 94% MORE EXTRA)

#now i kinda can't think of anything but AUs #thank you nonny this was a fun ask #ttte #the railway series #ttte au #the fat controller #ttte thomas #ttte edward #ttte henry #ttte gordon #ttte james #ttte percy #ttte toby #ttte bear #ttte fic talk #ttte analysis

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sparkarrestor · 9 months

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Troublesome Coaches 4: A New Home For Dexter

Written By: SparkArrester

The engine’s plan had worked. The Pullmans, while still not very pleasant to talk to, finally knew that they were not as important as they had thought, and runs on the boat train were pleasant once again, with Gordon and James proudly heading the service!

One day, Duck was shunting the yard, as usual. He was bringing some coaches back to the carriage sidings, when he spotted a Pullman coach on its own in a siding. While it was still kept in decent condition, it was clear that it wasn’t as looked after as the others. It looked sad, staring into space. Duck felt sorry for it, and began speaking to it.

“Hello there.”

The coach jumped, and, after getting itself together, wore a big smile.

“Why hello there! It’s very rare that anyone talks to me! I’m No.13, and your Duck, aren’t you!”

“How did you know my name?”

“You're the shunter after Percy left, and I see you every day!”

“Ah… Right. I should have known that.”

The two began to strike up a wonderful conversation. Eventually, Duck asked the big question.

“So, why are you here, and not with the other Pullmans?’

13 began to frown.

“Well… it’s because-”

“Because he’s nothing but trouble!”

Duck looked over to the carriage sheds, where Oleander and the other coaches stood, glaring at 13.

“How’s he trouble?!” Retorted Duck, “He’s far nicer to speak to than you lot!”

“Well…”, sniffed Oleander, “Ever since he was added to our rake, there was always something going wrong! First, it was jammed brakes!”

“Then, it was cracked springs!”, Exclaimed a first class coach.

“Then there was a leaking brake pipe”, Snorted the Dining Coaches.

“Then a fractured axle, somehow!”, Finished the brake coach, “That’s why he’s in a siding and not with us!”

No.13 looked ashamed at this, and unfortunately, Duck had to leave. He spent the rest of the day wondering what he could do for No.13.

Duck was still pondering as he went about his work the next day.

“There has to be something I could do for him…”, He said to himself, “He doesn’t deserve to be left in that siding!”

“Who’s being left in a siding?”

Duck looked over, and saw Gordon being readied for the big express.

“One of the Pullmans.”, replied Duck, “He's been there for-”

“Ahhhh, No.13…”, cut in Gordon.

“You know him?”

“Of course I do!”, grunted Gordon, “The poor lad always had something bad happening to him! He was always so sad about it, and the other Pullmans just made him feel worse!”

“Well, I’m trying to put that right!”, said Duck, “Are you able to get him back on Godred’s Morning Glory?”

“Well…”, replied Gordon, “The train’s getting more and more popular lately. Another coach wouldn’t hurt I suppose.”

“That settles it!”, smiled Duck, “I’ll go get No.13 right away!”

No.13 was thrilled to be back on the train. The other Pullmans stared at him, seemingly waiting for something to go wrong, but No.13 didn’t care!

“It’s lovely to be back on the train, I can’t wait to get out of Tidmouth again!”

“W-Well I think it’s nice to have you back-”, Began Ophelia, before being glared down by the other Pullmans.

Gordon didn’t comment on this exchange as he set off from the liner terminal.

The run began well, with the outbound train arriving at Barrow on time.

“Maybe No.13’s troubles have finally left him…”, mused the Pullmans.

But that was to be proven wrong very soon. The return run was going well, with James having a smooth run, until…

“Oh my goodness! What’s happening?”, exclaimed James, as the train came to a halt just past the works station.

The guard came to inspect, and it didn’t take long to find the issue.

“The coach’s axle has snapped!”, he said as he reached the front of the train, “We’ll have to take him off and carry on! It’s a good thing we’re at the works already…”.

No.13 was devastated, and said nothing as he was shunted off the train. The other Pullmans gave him dirty looks, and James, not wanting to make the poor coach feel worse, just gave him a pitying look as he departed again.

“So that didn’t go well…”, sighed Duck when he next met up with Gordon.

“That’s an understatement”, replied Gordon, “But yes, that could have gone far better… I want to help the poor coach, I really do, but other than luxury trains, there's not much he can really do! I’m honestly not sure what can be done now…”.

Duck agreed as he and Gordon went about their separate ways. As he was shunting, however, he overheard some workmen talking.

“Did you hear about the flood at Haultraugh?”

“Oh yes! Quite a few families are without homes for the time being, and the town is struggling in finding a place where they can stay for the time being!”

“It’s a right shame, if only the railway could help out!”

Duck thought about it for a moment, and suddenly got an idea!

“That’s it!”, he exclaimed, frightening the workmen as he quickly ran to finish his shunting.

No.13 sat alone on a siding again, feeling cold and miserable. Suddenly, he saw Duck coming up to him.

“Errr… Hello Duck. What’s up?”

“It’s news! Good news! For you! We’ve found a place where you can be really useful!”

No.13 looked surprised, but heard Duck out as he explained.

“Well that's certainly different… but I’ll give it a try!”

When Gordon next saw No.13, he was shocked!

“What on Earth has happened to you?!”

No.13, rather than still being a coach, had become a camping coach!

“It’s my new job!”, replied No.13, “There’s been a flood at Haultraugh, and I’m going to help provide a home for a family who’s lost their old house!”

“How grand No.13”, smiled Gordon.

“Oh yeah, I’ve almost forgotten! I’ve got a proper name now!”

“Well, what is it?”

“Dexter”, he said, smiling like he had just won the lottery.

Dexter is now as happy as can be. The family who lived in him liked him so much that they still regularly visit him even after they got a new home, and there are always tourists that stay with him while they visit the island. After Duck got his branchline, he always whistles to Dexter, and Dexter always smiles back in return.

#ttte #ttte dexter #ttte coaches #ttte duck #ttte gordon #ttte fic #ttte james #Troublesome Coaches #General RWS Stuff #Hope you all enjoyed #spark writes

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cerenemuxse · 3 months

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There is a moment that I remember specifically about James. It's so short, but, to me, at least, it is an important part of him.

In Best Engine Ever (Season 19 Episode 16), there's this scene where Emily arrives at Tidmouth Sheds, surrounded by her worried friends. Naturally, they try to cheer her up, starting with Percy. After Percy, James offers Emily to be a backup engine for his job the following morning. What a nice gesture!

Well, to Gordon, who hadn't said anything and had nothing to do with it, it wasn't. He immediately dismisses James' suggestion, putting it down.

And then the camera moves to Emily, who reverses into her berth and goes to sleep.

edit: here's the clip

So you know how James tries to better himself, either after a mistake he made or for his character growth? How can he do that when other engines shoot him down like that? How many times has this happened before?

How many times has James' attempts of being better been shot down?

Just something to think about.

#ttte james #her train of thoughts #james is such a complex character and i love him for that #that and james being james #bold of you to assume that im not going to use this in the future <33

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jobey-wan-kenobi · 1 year

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The Engines as Mentors

Okay but I'm eternally salty that TVS in particular—though it was RIGHT to expand the NWR fleet—failed to use the dynamic of the OG characters from the books all functioning as Mentors and Elder Statesmen to the newer and more obscure and younger engines.

It would have been THE way to effectively integrate the newbies (looking especially hard at you, HIT era). Like, some of the best use of the new characters already are when they fall into a mentee dynamic with one of the established characters. But the TVS writers really only ever let this happen with, like, Thomas? To a degree? And Edward? A bit? And then the best and most beloved BWBA episodes (BWBA!) are when Gordon and, again, Edward get more of this sort of material. And then again, in fuckin' AEG, the most popular thing so far seems to be Gordon's whole Grumpy Dad shtick.

But I think canon and fan writers should have done this with all the classic characters. After decades as The Famous Eight—erm, Ten—(but not Eleven—to me Oliver is in that category of newbie that needs looking after. which is what the rest of the Little Western spends most of his one book doing!) they are all kinda old af and well-qualified and honestly just should be mentoring the diesels and younger steam engines and whatever wide-eyed newcomers are brought to the Island Where Fever Dreams Come True and Culture Shock Is Probably One Hell of a Bitch.

LIKE. Percy. Yes, absolutely Percy! He's inconsistent about standing up for himself or making good decisions in his own working life but honestly his instincts when it comes to others have always been completely on-point. And he never has any hesitation about acting on his instincts so there is a recipe here for big-brother success. He must be so wonderful with uncertain new engines. I think he would have been much better for taking Molly under his wing than Thomas, and he must be a god among many of the newer tank engines. Like the dynamic I tried to paint in my headcanon post about Harvey—Percy gives whiplash as your mentor because he will always support you 100% but sometimes he will suddenly make the most baffling decisions and if you are not, yourself, a natural chaos gremlin, you are just along for the ride and possibly dying of secondhand embarrassment. But again, you also get over it because no one will ever show up for you more consistently than Percy the Caterpillar Engine.

The BWBA era thing where Gordon winds up mentoring Rebecca is... like, fine, I guess. I don't have any complaints about it, but—as I tried to show in my ficlet with him and Derek—I think Gordon's most typical mentorships have two unmistakable characteristics:

it is insanely arbitrary as to whether or not he decides to take you on. if you wind up in his circle of trust you probably weren't trying or even remotely expecting. it is also hard for anyone else to understand why Gordon looked at a new engine and said to himself "Yes. That one." Because the way Gordon makes emotional decisions is utterly impenetrable—this is RWS canon. Why did Gordon one day go from being Pure Unadulterated Jackass Whose Only Thought So Far In His Life Has Been "Me! Me! Meeeee!" to the engine who (evidently? without?? snark???) suggested the Fat Controller let Henry out of the tunnel to take a turn on his train? Honestly we don't know but it remains Gordon's signature style. Why did Gordon do an about-face after James took the express and graciously decide James was his new buddy? Well, to save face of course, but Gordon is also not above a good grudge so it feels like a coin toss. Why did Gordon decide to be super gracious when he rescued Percy and Thomas from their RWS scrapes? No one knows but somehow these moments are so quintessentially him (even though showing up moaning and scolding would have also been quintessentially him). And—most relevantly of all—there is what I regard as his archetypal moment with BoCo. 'My dear engine! You SAVED MY LIFE.' 'I mean, you're welcome for getting rid of them but they were never actually going to kill you.' 'YES THEY WERE. THEY HAD MURDER IN THEIR HEARTS. YOU ARE A GOD AMONG DIESELS, STANDING STRONG AGAINST THE FORCES OF DARKNESS.' '... Sure.' Gordon logic is not the same as earth logic and his reasons for rejecting or accepting others seldom make much sense.

If he does take you on, you may not even notice. Gordon is very stuffy and kind of... emotionally remote. His mentorship style consists of long rambling bouts of relating/boasting about his own experiences and/or advising you, without you able to get much of a word in edgewise—but then, he does this with everyone who is ever stuck with him—and doing extraordinarily nice things for you such as pulling strings to get you the best assignments or upgrades but he'll do it all behind your back, so it might take a while before you realize. (But you'd better, because even though he deliberately decides to do these things in secret, he will also privately feel hurt and hard-done-by if you don't figure it out and thank him. Or at least exclaim happily in his presence and sing the praises of your unknown fairy godfather.)

So yes, mentor!Gordon is a lot like friend!Gordon and worker!Gordon. He is pretty damn high-maintenance but he is also genuinely quite worth it. What his relationships lack in... comprehensibility they make up for in loyalty and generosity. ALTHOUGH. It's worth laughing because I think most of the engines he takes on are decent, polite engines who perhaps have some self-confidence issues. Basically it's like any engine he meets afterwards who is in the Edward mould he is actually magnificent to, which is hysterical considering that one of the keynotes in early canon was Gordon bullying the shit out of Edward. (I still think that wasn't malicious though, and more Gordon did not yet have the remotest understanding of Himself, Theory of Mind, or How to Be a Friend.)

If you have self-confidence issues but you do not win Gordon's capricious favor, never fear! You have James. Who is even more capricious, but that's not to say he's never been the most faaaaaabulous mentor in the world, c'est ne pas? Look. I want to see James as the catalyst for shy newcomers having a glow up. In appearance and attitude. I don't think he does he often but it has definitely happened around twice. I somehow have never actually watched "Rosie is Red" or "The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor" while paying attention but I've been assuming that's exactly how Rosie's Confident Girl Arc went down. Maybe he could be a similar idol for Neville or Flora. Another thing that has happened twice is James just flat-out corrupting a couple of the Good, Buttoned-Down Boys and Girls. I still want to see James take, like, Porter or Arthur and teach 'em anger. Introduce them to the world of (tiny) rebellions. By the time James is done with them, they are starting to Display Behaviors, and Act In Certain Ways.

Henry, I firmly believe (sticking out my tongue at most of the TVS and magazine writing for him), is actually regarded very intimidating. Like Gordon and James are intimidating too, but they are also known jackasses and the universe is known to have slapped them around reliably when they get too far up their own tenders. Also Gordon usually puts on an air of affability—in RWS it's Henry who is the Grumpy One (and meanwhile James, though he has a foul temper, is just too ADHD to be properly intimidating). I suspect Henry's actually always had the reputation for being extremely snobbish. Which is silly because he's only mildly to moderately snobbish, but there you are. He also doesn't put himself out there socially, but of course if you put yourself out there to him he's perfectly friendly. Anyway newcomers and young engines wouldn't know this right away. I think Henry's specialty is mentees in the mold of Bear and my OC Laura and even Rebecca—extroverted, expressive engines who show him respect. In those cases you see his best side, all kindliness and unstinting support. And Henry's support is really valuable, for the usual reasons that all the OGs have a lot of pull on the railway but also because Henry is surprisingly sage and sensible. He doesn't have the reputation for it the way Edward does, due to some of his notoriously poor decision-making in his earlier years and the way he can still sometimes be a bit literal or naive. But even if he's had to learn most things the hard way, he hasn't lied to himself about it and therefore he's developed a very clear-eyed view on things. Refreshingly simple and sound. We see this already in the RWS Super Rescue—he's got Bear and Spamcan pretty well-pegged long before the story ends. He also values engine solidarity in a really consistent, utterly unpretentious way that shows you he doesn't even think about it, it's just become a part of who he is. I love it. And, of course, he's bold as brass. He once hissed steam at his boss and essentially told him to fuck off for no better reason than it was raining and he just wasn't feelin' it. He had the most horrid wreck in the series and after being rebuilt he just got right back on that horse, pulling Flying Kippers again for the next century without the slightest sign of trauma. So if you need him for something, he won't hesitate to move earth and heaven for a friend. He may be a bit of a hypochondriac and likes to predict doom and gloom but he is fundamentally pretty fearless when it comes time for action. (Cut him a break with the elephant thing—he's allowed to have tunnel-related trauma, okay?)

Of course there was one extroverted engine inclined to hero-worship that Henry rejected in canon as a mentee, and that was Philip. Which brings us to Edward, and I fully agree with the fandom consensus that he is the mentor ever, capable of and inclined to look out for, like, everyone. All I'm saying is that I think the others can also step up in this way... Anyway, Edward's specialty of course is engines who are in the mould of Thomas, engines who are excited and eager to work but who talk a lot and might have a streak of mischief and who are definitely considered Too Much by everyone else. Edward likes energetic gremlins. They've always kept him young at heart. And, more importantly, they trust him so completely. Probably because they can tell he's one of the few who genuinely doesn't mind them at what everyone else considers their Most Annoying. He never tells them to hold still or quiet down or make themselves smaller in any way, so they are incredibly receptive to whatever he does tell them.

But what if you're Too Much and you are not eager? If you are not susceptible to admiring Edward's stellar work ethic? I think this is where Thomas shines. Like I think HIT abbreviated and simplified the conflicts with Dennis and Billy too much but it was such a gold mine. Because Thomas, see. You get these little sneaky rotters who don't want to listen to anyone—and at first Thomas seems like the most out-of-touch engine on the rails. Coz Thomas is a tryhard. He also has that whole "corporate positivity" thing going on. Like, the way I resolve the way TVS massacring my boy is by supposing that, after all, Thomas might have really tried to adopt that persona, especially in the '80s when he was inducted into the National Collection and the, well, television series got underway and Thomas becomes damn near the most famous locomotive in the world, certainly he knows he is an icon for children, and he might have figured that, well, this means I have to be a Good Role Model and Teach Children Valuable Lessons. And so he really did try to do this whole pep-talk, moralizing, sugary sweet encouragement thing (and he has a Word of the Day calendar, lol).

And the Dennises and Billies of the world look at that and—understandably, I think—retch a little. But then they double down. And the thing is, when they push Thomas too far, Thomas forgets to be sweetness and light, and just becomes himself. First of all, a foul-mouthed little drill-sergeant wannabe ("Cinders and ashes!!!!" "Who's been late every afternoon this week?!" "You're too fat—you need exercise!" "IF YOU DIE? IF YOU DIE, MOTHERFUCKER? SO WHAT?! I WOULDN'T GIVE A SHIT COZ I'D BE TOO BUSY FINALLY RUNNING MY GODDAMN TRAIN TO TIME." - all direct quotes from Thomas the Tank Engine, ladies and gents) Secondly, an extremely experienced engine who really has done a bit of everything by this point (he even hitched a ride on the Wild Nor'wester that one time, lol) and who is pretty skeptical so he's hard to fool (Percy was the last engine to really ever get one over on him, during the Ghost Train incident, and that's ancient history by this point). If you try to get away with doing a shitty job he's bound to notice and he will be quite acid-tongued if you've pierced his PR Persona. Third, although he can be kinda self-involved and the last to "get" what's going on with newcomers, he is surrounded by his old friends, who are all pretty good about either clocking an engine's whole Deal, getting all the tea like the gossips they are, or both. So while he was still in his amiable-idiot stage of your acquaintance, you, poor rebellious fool, thought you had the run of things but all the while he was getting up to speed on your whole deal. Which means you won't be prepared, should you really commit to ongoing antisocial behavior, for Thomas the Beacon of Children Everywhere to abruptly cast up your entire life story to you and to read it for filth, telling you the merciless truth about yourself in a way that the other engines pieced together but with which they probably never hit you deadass between the eyes.

Of course, this doesn't mean the would-be punks and malcontents who get onto Sodor are instantly cured, lol (though it has gone down that way a few times—my alternate version of Billy's intro story would feature an end where he's just gobsmacked into submission). Sometimes it just means you are going to decide Thomas is your Hated Enemy for Life, but you know what? You will have to step up your game in order to compete with him or even to gain enough clout to try and sabotage him so you're still playing into his hand (if we accept TVS's idea that 'Devious Diesel' did become a part of the Sodor family, I think this is how he was successfully integrated. At some point Thomas unexpectedly read him the riot act and Diesel was like 'who the FUCK are you?? like i know i already had beef with all the main line engines but where the hell did YOU come from???' but then after decades of competition they are essentially frenemies). But mostly the thing is, you are shell-shocked for just long enough, and you'd probably shift to being a bigger asshole than before... but, during that period where you're still burned, you are also looking at all of Sodor and every engine on it with fresh eyes (because if Thomas the Merchandise Engine could ream you out like that, perhaps you underestimated everything about this place). And you are noticing something else. Once Thomas has scalded you with his bitchery, he's also your friend. It's almost his version of sharing his lunch with you on the playground. (Something something salt and vinegar.) For all he rode Henry so hard from some of the earliest days of canon, I bet you he also beat down any 'outsiders' who took shots at him. For all he and Percy squabble, they are the closest of friends (and they weren't! for decades! but the more they squabbled, the closer they got). Getting into a knock-down fistfight is alarmingly close to Thomas's love language, and by the time he's savaged you verbally he is also invested in you. Once he's told you what he really thinks of you, he's also going to start showing up for you genuinely.

And that's when the little shits see the final side of Thomas. The genuine good humor. Obviously it doesn't win over everyone but there is a real groundedness and humility that I am sure Thomas can show (I tried to show this in the fic I made with @shinygoku based off their artwork of Thomas and Daisy) that is hard to resist. He's also fucked up along the way in every way imaginable so even when he side-eyes you, he's not looking down at you. I can just see him showing screw-ups a lot of grace so long as they let down their guard even somewhat because he's been there. Hoo boy, has he been there. That's why kids actually love him (it's not your vocabulary lessons and beaming smile, Thom, though the effort is appreciated), and it's why young engines can wind up loving him too. He doesn't hold what you've done in the past against you; he genuinely believes in second chances (and third, and...). Plus he knows every engine needs some excitement and responsibility in their lives. He has never forgotten the insanity-inducing frustration of being tethered to Vicarstown station.

Basically, once you cut past Thomas's earnest (and bullshit) attempt to be Perfect Kids' Role Model, he's actually always been great at keeping it real. And that's where a genuine respect can often grow.

#long post #ttte #the railway series #ttte analysis #ttte headcanon #ttte plot inspiration #ttte multiple characters #i'm out of steam #so as usual i'm gonna screw over everyone but the first six <3 #i mean rws actually shows us how toby and all the little westerners do this sort of thing #(which i think is a big part of why they feel so well-developed and intriguing)#it's just that tvs didn't really show them any love at all so it didn't carry over #but we know toby's approach from when mavis arrives #(not sure we're ready to have a real conversation about toby and mavis actually)#and we know how the little westerners do mentorship #as in oliver doesn't and the other three just try to keep him alive lol #and ofc toad actually does most of the work but i can't tackle the rolling stock right now #pragmatic sharp-tongued donald is the most buffers-off of the whole lot #but when he does give a word of advice it's always sound #and taken all the more seriously because it's so rare #douglas doesn't feel he's qualified to preach haha he's action only but ofc that's a language as well #i think FutureRust's 'The Bargain' portrayed that dynamic amazingly #esp in how she has duck and donald respectively look after others #in other 'as usuals' from jobey haha we'll end this with a shameless plug for some fic or another and tonight it's that one #maybe i should have included links to my own stuff in this but i'm too tired off it goes as is

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greatwesternway · 2 years

Text

What Rebecca Does

Comin' through, me hearty!

Oops! Sorry! My name's Rebecca, by the way.

Oi! Watch out, Rebecca By the Way. Eheheheh!

Whoops! Sorry, Uh- I don't know what to call you.

I'm Diesel, I think you'll find!

Sorry... Diesel I Think You'll Find! I'll be out of your way just as quick as I can.

This might be one of my favorite things that ever happened on the show, it's so fkn funny. And I think it's probably the best, most overt example of one of Rebecca's character traits that practically everyone sleeps on.

Like, look at what happened here. Rebecca is in the way all over the place. Salty needs her to move, and she does, but she's paying attention to him instead of what's in front of her and she slams into Diesel. Which could have caused major upset since most engines don't like getting bumped, except if you're going to slam into anyone, Diesel's a good choice 'cause he does that shit for sport. He's a real son of a biff, so he don't get all precious about it.

What he does do is get obnoxious, as is his way. All imitating her and rockin' back and forth on his wheels like a rooster.

And here's what Rebecca does.

Rather than get angry, miffed, or put out like so many other engines would, she just let's it go, no biggie. After all, Diesel's laughing, right? He's not mad so why should she be? This is all in good fun! And then - then! - she flips Diesel's shit right back around on him. Takes his imitation of her and imitates his ass right back! Then gets out of his way.

And Diesel has to stop and think about this for a second 'cause this is not how this sort of altercation would have gone with anyone else. Something's happened here, something he doesn't understand. He's gotta review the minutes of the meeting, try to figure out where the discrepancy is. But eventually he's like, "You know what? Yeah! I fuckin' like that way that interaction went!"

The thing here is, it's not just that Rebecca is chill and doesn't take shit personal. It's that she takes whatever is given to her and plays along with it.

She does it again later in the same episode (on Gordon's behalf) to Flying Scotsman, taking his teasing Gordon by calling him "little" and saying that no, she thinks Gordon might be bigger, and leaves him wondering what the fuck just happened to the power balance he's used to.

It's not a one off to "Confusion Without Delay" either. She does it in "Chucklesome Trucks" (Chuckletrucks, you might say) too by playing along with the trucks' singing and bumping, takin' all the fun out of it by not getting frustrated and frazzled by their bullshit.

And you know what? I'm gonna throw her admiration of Daisy in "What Rebecca Does" on the pile too. Annie and Clarabel were doin' their sarcastic usual about her and Rebecca took what they were puttin' out and un-backhanded that compliment. Not that Daisy needed it, obvs, but it goes to show. Annie and Clarabel were only fortunate enough to be gone before they had to sit through it.

And to be sure, I do not think she does this on purpose. Rebecca is just Like That. She goes along to get along and it works great! I would even go so far as to say that Vicious Sodor Karma plays very well with Rebecca's Jedi Mind Tricks because when other engines try to interfere with them (like Thomas, Percy, and James in "Chucklesome Trucks" and Gordon in "Gordon and Rebecca Coming Through!"), things go badly for them.

What Rebecca actually does is take what is given to her and returns it to sender in a way that disarms others and cuts their bullshit off at the pass.

#ttte rebecca #ttte diesel #ttte flying scotsman #ttte gordon #ttte troublesome trucks #ttte annie #ttte clarabel #ttte daisy

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stories-of-the-nrm · 5 months

Text

The RWS 75th Anniversary - 3's A Crowd

Narrator: The next day when all the engines finished their work, they arrived at Tidmouth Sheds. Henry decided to tell everyone his own story.

(Zoom in on Henry).

Henry: Hello, everyone. I have something I want to say.

Edward: Oh, what is it, Henry?

Henry: Well Edward, I was thinking about the story you told last night. I've been doing some thinking and I realized that I wanted to tell everyone my own story.

Gordon: Copy cat.

(Henry rolls his eyes).

Henry: You see I was built somewhere.

Thomas: I didn't know you were from somewhere else. I thought you were built on Sodor.

Henry: Oh no, Thomas. I wasn't built on Sodor. When Sir Topham Hatt bought me, I was in the works to be mended.

Gordon: That's right. You were built off of my stolen plans.

Engines: What?!

Percy: Where were you stolen from Henry?

James: Did the builders sell you because of your paintwork?

Henry: Well to start, only the plans were stolen, Percy. In a way you're right Gordon. While there was some basis for your design, I was meant to be an attempt of the LNER's first hybrid engine between the prototype for the A1 and a C1. As for my paintwork, I had worse problems than that. But, I better start with when I was built.

(Fade to the past where we see an old abandoned factory).

Henry: You know the old saying “three’s a crowd”? Well for a long time I had known exactly how that felt. I was the third engine built from a series of stolen plans. The people that built me didn't just steal plans from the LNER but the LB&SCR as well. Unlike the first two that were built, I was made out of incomplete plans. I was meant to be built after Sir Nigel Gresley completed his prototype for the LNER A1.

(Back to the present).

Gordon: So you were supposed to have been built after me? No wonder the plans were incomplete. The main basis of your design wasn't even built yet.

Henry: That's right, Gordon. In fact, I think those plans were meant to be experimental and not something that should've been actually built.

Gordon: What happened to the other 2 engines who were built from stolen plans?

(Fade to the factory where we see two engines. One is green and the other is blue).

Henry: The first one was an actual design for the LNER’s B12 named Alfred. His design was stolen from the original GER. He was very rude and would often make fun of me for being an incomplete engine. The other engine was actually a hybrid that was based on the K class of the former LB&SCR engines. He was simply named by his number 87546, and also made fun of me. I think that was because he didn’t want Alfred to make fun of him for being a hybrid engine like me.

(Back to the present).

Edward: That must have been terrible, Henry. I can imagine how it would have felt to have just been built and have to experience that. I know you were a poor steamer when you first came to the island. Surely, it must have been worse back then?

(Fade to the factory where we see Henry open his eyes for the first time).

Henry: Since the plans for the hybrid weren’t finished when they were stolen, naturally things didn’t go well when I was built. I was amazed that the builders even let me see the light of day. When I first opened my eyes, I couldn’t even describe how I felt. I felt about every emotion at once. Then I started to feel very sick. My boiler was hurting me. My firebox, no pun intended, burned. It was so bad, I started to cry. The builders didn’t listen to me when I told them how much pain I was in. They tried to put me to work but they didn’t realize I was going to be a bad steamer until after I had my first run. Everything was wrong with me.

(Back to the present).

Thomas: It sounds like those no good thieves just wanted to build you just to make money. They sound like they didn't care about you at all.

Henry: You're right, Thomas. It actually gets worse from there.

Thomas: What do you mean, Henry?

(Fade into the set of tracks by the old factory where there were some trucks and an old shed).

Henry: They named me C*nt as I was nothing but a very crude engine that wasn’t meant to exist. At least in their eyes. They would also say rude things to me that quite frankly I don’t want to repeat. Everyone on the railway said rude things to me. Even my own crew told me how much they didn’t want to work with me. The only reason why they worked with me to begin with is because they were getting paid and that was it.

(Back to the present. All of the engines look horrified as that's a very offensive word).

Percy: Oh Henry, that must have been awful.

Gordon: Indeed, such behavior is simply disgraceful!

James: Disgusting!

Henry: Despicable, I know.

Thomas: How were you able to handle it?

(Fade into the sheds where it's night time. There is a forest clearing nearby Henry's shed).

Henry: The only peace I would get was looking out of my shed at night towards the forest clearing. I would look at the clearing every night until I fell asleep. It made all of my bad days more bearable. But then, something terrible happened.

(Henry paused).

Edward: What happened, Henry?

(Henry just stared).

Gordon: Henry?

(Henry closed his eyes and took a deep breath and continued as we fade back to Henry leaving his shed).

Henry: One night while I still had some steam left, I snuck out of the shed to the line by the clearing. I took in the night air and it was the happiest I've ever been. I could have sworn that all of my aches in pains disappeared. At least by a little. I thought at that point that everything was going to get better! Until of course, the owner found me. When he found out that I snuck out of the shed well … they put my fire out and I was forced to stay out there while it started to rain. At the time I didn’t know what rain was so when I heard the thunder crash and the lightning flash, I never felt more scared in my life.

(Henry shuddered).

Gordon: Oh dear, Henry. I know that you were treated disgracefully, but this is even more disgraceful!

James: Disgusting!

(They all waited for Henry to say his line but he never did. Instead, he took another deep breath).

Thomas: Are you alright, Henry?

Henry: Yes, Thomas. I just need to take my time with this next part.

(Fade into Henry being in his shed).

Henry: The next morning I was taken back to my shed. This time it was permanent. I was so traumatized by what happened that night that I cried myself to sleep. I stayed in the shed for a year but I only remember the first month. All I could only think of was that night. Eventually, I shut myself away in my own mind. The last thing I remember hearing before shutting myself away was that I should have never been created.

(Back to the present).

Percy: That's awful!

Thomas: I know, Percy. So what happened next, Henry?

(Fade into Henry opening his eyes).

Henry: I woke up a whole year later to the sound of cheering and people saying that STH wanted to see me. Probably because it meant that I was someone else's problem if STH did buy me. So they opened the door and all I could see was a man with a smile on his face.

(He takes a breath).

Henry: He asked me my name and I just burst into tears. I said my name was C*nt and that he shouldn’t buy me because I’m a terrible steamer. That I can’t do anything. That I’m nothing more than just an improper engine meant for nothing more than the scrap yard. I told him about my incident with the rain and the forest clearing and I couldn’t say anything else as I just couldn’t stop crying.

(Back to the present).

James: What about your paintwork?

Engines: James!

Henry: No, no. He has a point. Since a year had past and the shed I was in so run down, rain and snow came in through the cracks. My paintwork was all rusted and peeling. That's all the more reason why I was so embarrassed to meet STH.

Edward: What happened next?

(Fade into Henry and STH. Henry's paintwork was now a dull gray covered in rust).

Henry: A few minutes later I felt a hand on my buffer. I opened my eyes and saw STH with a hand patting me on the buffer. I asked what he was doing and why he was doing this. He told me that no engine should have to experience what I did. He told me that he had no intention of scraping me and that he will buy me. I asked him why and he said that he was amazed that I was such a poor steamer. Then he told me this was not my fault and that he’ll do his best to find a way to help me.

Thomas(As a voice over): What did you say?

Henry: Well I thought for a few minutes and all I ever knew was the forest clearing. I asked if his railway had a forest. He said yes and I told him that I wanted to work there. He agreed and I asked him about my name. I did wonder if I was still going to be C*nt. He said not anymore. He said that my name was Henry as a reference to many great English kings. I didn’t cry again but I was close. Then he said that I was going to be painted green with red stripes and have the number three. I can’t believe it. I'm Henry the green engine or Henry, STH’s number three engine.

(Back to the present as all the engines toot their whistles with joy).

Edward: That was a great story, Henry.

Gordon: Indeed, after all this time we finally know why you were afraid of the rain.

James: Gee, I feel bad that we would tease you about.

Thomas: Yeah, we're sorry.

Percy: It was like when we left you with all those freight cars, we didn't think there was anything wrong.

Henry: It's ok. None of you knew. I was scared about telling anyone that story for a long time.

Edward: So what happened to the other engines?

Henry: I don't know. I remember joining the railway in 1922, but I was in the works for a long time though. I think they were on a trial run in 1923, but were sent away. Either way, I would find out that three is no longer a crowd. I am glad that I met all of you and I wouldn't have changed anything.

(Everyone cheered. It's now night time).

Henry: Well Gordon, it's your turn.

Gordon: I beg your pardon?

Henry: Well, you were the last one of the original three to arrive on Sodor. Thomas was in the works for a couple of years before he started his service and James didn't join us until 1925. I think it's time that you tell your story about what happened before you came to Sodor.

Gordon: Yes, I see your point. However, I don't think it's time to do that now. It's late and I have to get some sleep.

(And one by one, all the engines fell asleep).

Narrator: As the engines slept, Henry had a peaceful sleep. He was relieved that he had finally shared his story. As for Gordon, he had a terrible night. He had nightmare after nightmare about his life before coming to Sodor. But that's a story for another day.

#tw language #use of the c-word #ttte henry #ttte fandom #rws fanfiction

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hkpika07 · 6 months

Note

Anon No. 28 here again!

Have the kids ever had a moment where they got so scared they cling to their dad or uncle if their dad isn’t present? I can see Percy doing this.

Who can do the best impressions of the other engines? Like accurately?

Alright here are some headcanons.

Percy is def the one to go rushing back to the sheds to find dad and cling to him. Dad is big and strong and easy to hide behind. When they're in avatar forms Percy likes to hide under Henry’s coat.

Thomas on numerous occasions can show fear but his immediate reaction would probably be to try to ram into it. He's the type to face his fears head on and doesn't end up going to Edward very often. Edward actually remarks that he wishes Thomas was just a bit less impulsively brave because he keeps getting himself into all these dangerous situations and his poor heart can't take much more of it.

But on the rare occasions where Thomas does go to Edward he's usually very nervous and subdued. Quietly going up to him and mumbling something about being scared and Edward will smile and tell him it's okay. That he can sit next to him as long as he needs or will just give him a hug in avatar form. They are so soft and it makes me want to bite concrete.

As for James. James gets jumpscared pretty easily but most of the time he gets over it. Also because of his pride he'll insist that he's not scared and make a show about him being brave so he doesn't hide behind anything. But occasionally he'll get scared and instinctively hide behind Gordon.

In avatar form it's similar. Where James will get spooked and instinctively hide behind Gordon, sometimes even hiding under his jacket cape. To which Gordon will ask why the hell he's using him as a hiding spot. And Gordon will go with James to help rationalize his fears to make him feel better.

Gordon: James why the hell are you using me as a shield. My jacket is not a berth for you to hide in.

James: I uh- N-nothing! It was just uh- Just caught off guard for a moment is all.

Gordon: You're paler than the moon and you visibly trembling. Do not lie to me, little James. What happened.

James frantically stutters for a moment before deflating: There was a ghost on the line... I got- -he huffs, embarrassed- scared...

Gordon: That is quite possibly the stupidest thing I've ever heard. James, you know there are no such things as ghosts.

James opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted by Gordon tossing his jacket cape over him like a blanket.

Gordon: Follow me. We'll go down the main line and I'll prove to you that there are no such things as ghosts. Then you can stop sniveling like a child. Alright?

James: Alright... Thanks dad.

Gordon stumbles a bit at the word "dad" but quickly regains his composure.

Gordon: Hmph. Of course, James.

#went a bit off for this one sorry #anyways i love train fambly #red answers

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imitation-steamroller · 1 year

Text

The Lady Sings at Night

Ao3 link

It was a misty, moonlit night on the Island of Sodor, and James was puffing slowly down the line as he delivered the mail.

“Leave it to Percy to break down tonight of all nights,” he muttered. “He knows how much I hate running through the mist, especially at night.”

“You can complain back at the sheds,” his driver chuckled. “Right now, we need to make up for lost time.”

James sighed and rattled down the line. “At least the signal is green.”

But what James didn’t know was that the points were stuck, and were headed towards an abandoned branchline. The red engine chuffed on through the night.

Soon, James came upon an old viaduct. Vines wrapped around its arches as it stretched on into the night.

“Driver,” James said, trying to sound brave. “I don’t think this is the way to Peel Godred.”

He was just about to head back when he heard it.

“…Far away from it all~” a voice sang out softly. “Never meaning to hurry-”

“What was that?” The fireman asked.

“Who cares?” James replied. “Let’s get out of here!”

And without another word, James hurried back to the main line.

…

“Fancy not finishing your mail run until daylight,” Thomas teased the next morning.

“I suppose delivering the mail is harder than Percy makes it look,” Gordon grunted.

“It wasn’t my fault,” James puffed. “I was forced to go slow because of the stupid mist!”

Henry was unimpressed. “Doesn’t stop Percy.”

“And besides,” James continued, “I went down the wrong line on the way to Peel Godred. That only held me up more.”

Edward suddenly looked intrigued. “The wrong line? Was there a long viaduct by any chance? With a little platform on the other side?”

“I don’t know about any platforms, but I did see the viaduct. I wouldn’t cross it for all the polish on the island.”

“Edward?” Thomas asked. “What’s so special about that line?”

“A friend of mine used to live there. She was privately owned, but she was lent out to the railway when the workload was too heavy. Although, she stopped visiting one day. I always wondered what happened to her.”

The other engines remained silent. They knew what most likely happened to the engine.

“That might be who I heard on the bridge,” James said quietly.

“What?” The others asked.

“When I stopped at the viaduct, my crew and I heard somebody singing. Maybe it was that engine’s ghost.”

“Rubbish,” snorted Gordon. “It was just your mind and the mist playing tricks on you, little James. That old line is about as haunted as…as…”

“The big station?” Henry suggested.

“Thank you. It’s about as haunted as the big station!”

“Then why don’t you go prove it?” James puffed angrily.

Gordon suddenly lost his bluster. “Well…I’m too big to travel down dilapidated branchlines. It would never do if the bridge were to collapse with me on it.”

Thomas rolled his eyes. “I’ll go investigate. I don’t think there’s a ghost, but I trust James when he says he heard something.”

“No you don’t,” Emily chuckled. “You just want an excuse to have an adventure.”

“That too. James, can you show me where the tracks to the old line are tonight?”

“Sure. Better your bunker than mine.”

“Be careful up there,” Edward warned. “Nobody has been down that line in decades. There’s no telling what state the rails beyond the viaduct are in.”

…

That night, the mist was thicker than ever. Thomas was glad he had the mail train’s tail lamp to follow.

“Here we are,” James said as he pulled to a stop. “Just head down this way and you’ll find the viaduct.”

“Thank you, James. I’ll be here when you finish with the mail.”

Thomas’ driver switched the points, and James watched as Thomas disappeared into the darkness.

“Good luck,” James muttered quietly.

Thomas puffed slowly down the line. He listened for the sound of singing, but all he could hear were the rails creaking beneath him and his own steady puffing.

Presently, Thomas arrived at the viaduct. It seemed even creepier than James made it out to be.

“Are you sure about this, Thomas?” The driver asked. “We can always come back when it’s light out.”

Thomas was just about to agree, when…

“I know how the moon must feel~” A voice sang softly.

“There it is! There’s no time to lose!” Thomas replied resolutely.

Slowly, the little blue engine rolled onto the viaduct. It groaned under his weight, but the bridge held firm as he chuffed across it.

On the other side was a small yard with a platform. A small coach sat alone in a siding, its wood rotting and frames rusted. In front of it were a set of points leading to a small shed. From inside, Thomas could hear the mysterious singing. Thomas rolled forward and watched as his crew pushed them open.

“Oh!” A voice cried. “Where did you come from?”

Thomas looked inside to see a rusted tank engine. She was smaller than Percy, but not quite as small as Bill and Ben. She had two lamps on her running board and a small pair of water tanks.

“Who are you?” She asked suspiciously. “You’re not scrap merchants, are you? Bernett warned me about scrap merchants.”

“No!” Thomas laughed. “My name is Thomas, and I’m here to rescue you! Well, or put your spirit to rest. You’re not a ghost, are you?”

The old engine laughed too. “No, I’m not. My name is Lady. Whatever made you think there was a ghost here?”

Thomas told her about James’ encounter and Edward’s story.

“I’m glad he remembered me,” she sighed. “And I’m sorry about your friend. I never meant to spook him. I only sing to help me pass the time.”

“Well, you’ll be singing a different tune soon, because once I get a crane and a flatbed, you’re getting out of here!”

Quickly, Thomas began to back up.

“Wait!” Lady cried. “The points, they tend to-”

Thomas' wheels hit the points, and with a loud ker-klunk, he slid off the tracks.

“They tend to switch back,” Lady finished. “Burnett always meant to fix them. What do we do now?”

“Hmm…” Thomas thought for a moment. Then… “James!”

“James? The one I frightened? What will he do?”

“I told James I’d be back at the junction by the time he finished with the mail. Once he sees that I’m not there, he’ll come looking for me! Then, we can get you to the Steamworks!”

“While we wait for him, why don’t you fill me in on everything I’ve missed over the years?”

Thomas grinned. “Well, a few years ago, there was a great railway show on the mainland…”

...

James stood cold and alone at the junction.

“Where on earth is Thomas?” He groaned. “He said he’d be back by now, didn’t he?”

“He’s probably at the sheds waiting to scare you,” chuckled the driver. “Knowing him, he might have a whole story ready.”

The fireman wasn’t so sure. “Those rails are pretty worn out. Maybe he derailed. We should make sure he’s okay.”

James watched in horror as his crew switched the points.

“Leave him!” He cried. “If Thomas wants to mess about with ghosts all night, I say let him!”

“Now James,” chastised the driver, “you know Thomas would go after you if you went missing, don’t you?”

James thought back to when Thomas returned to the steelworks to rescue him.

“Fine,” he muttered.

…

“You should have seen Ashima’s face when I told her about the Culdee Fell engines. She looked like her boiler might burst from excitement!”

Lady chuckled. “You really like this Ashima engine, don’t you?”

“Peep peep!” A distant whistle cried out. “Thomas? Where are you?”

Thomas whistled a pip pip peeeep in kind. “We’re over here! Help!”

James sighed when he saw the situation Thomas was in. “Why we let you go anywhere, I’ll never know. Did you find the ghost?”

“Sort of,” Thomas chuckled. “James, meet Lady!”

“Hello,” the older engine said politely. “Thomas said you could get us out of here.”

“You’ll have to wait until morning,” James’ driver said. “It wouldn’t be safe to bring a crane with all this mist.”

…

The next morning, the Fat Controller arrived on board Butch.

“First Hiro, then Glynn, and now Lady. Whoever will you find next, Thomas?”

He inspected Lady as Thomas was pulled back onto the rails.

“Hmm, you might be just what we need to help out on Edward’s branchline. Would you like that?”

Lady beamed. “Yes please, sir! It will be wonderful to see Edward again!”

Now, Lady trundles up and down Edward’s branchline with gleaming red-violet paint, and can often be heard singing to her passengers and trucks. James isn’t a fan, but Thomas thinks it’s the loveliest sound on the island.

#ttte #ttte fanfic #thomas and friends #thomas the tank engine #ttte thomas #ttte james #ttte lady #ttte gordon #ttte emily #ttte edward #ttte henry #the fat controller

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