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feigeroman · 8 months

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The Boulder Quarry Line

I recently binged the entire Classic Series again, as background noise while I was working on something else. When I got to Series 5-7, I remembered a headcanon I’d developed ages ago, to link together most of the Skarloey Railway episodes from those seasons. This recent binge spurred me to finally write it down, and bash it into something a little more coherent. Most of this is just me thinking aloud, but I thought I'd run it up the flagpole and see who salutes it...

1951

Just as operations are winding down at the old slate quarry at Ward Fell, new beds of good-quality slate are discovered in the hills north of Rheneas. A new quarry is established to extract this slate, and this helps to revive the Skarloey Railway’s then-declining fortunes. Even so, the surveyors who uncovered this slate are convinced there are still further treasures to be found deeper into the mountains.

1950s-60s

The search for such treasures is carried out as time allows - which isn’t very often, considering all the new developments which take place on the SR during this time.

Roughly 1970

Finally, a discovery is made - large deposits of stone in the northern foothills of Shane Dooiney, of similar quality to that quarried at Ffarquhar. Plans are quickly devised to extract the stone, and the Skarloey Railway is tasked with building a line to the new quarry.

The proposed line branches off the Rheneas Quarry line, passes through a natural ravine known locally as Echo Pass, travels alongside the main Skarloey-Peel Godred road, and finally turns south towards the new quarry site.

1970-early 1972

The line is constructed, following the route described above. When it is completed, trains start carrying building supplies to the site of the new quarry. Some trains are also laid on for the benefit of a road-building company, which is upgrading the Skarloey-Peel Godred road so that heavier vehicles can access the quarry as well.

Winter 1972

Due to a problem with the winch, some trucks break away on the incline at Rheneas Quarry. The breakaway tumbles into Echo Pass, triggering an avalanche which buries Skarloey, who happened to be travelling through the Pass with a supply train. He is subsequently rescued by Rusty.

These events are later loosely adapted into the episode Snow.

Early 1973

The new quarry finally opens for business, and even has a new name - Boulder Quarry, after an enormous, spherical boulder which looms ominously over part of the line. Boulder Quarry enjoys a prosperous first few months, and the Skarloey Railway enjoys the revenue boost provided by the new stone traffic.

After a while, Rusty begins to feel nervous about the Boulder, but can’t really explain why. The others don’t take him too seriously.

Autumn 1973

After several weeks of heavy rain, Boulder Quarry is able to try out its latest acquisition - an experimental drilling machine known as Thumper. Unfortunately, the vibrations from Thumper cause the Boulder to fall off its perch, and run away down the Skarloey Valley. The Boulder causes a great deal of damage to track and property all down the valley, culminating in the destruction of some new stone-cutting sheds just outside Crovan’s Gate.

All concerned parties agree the disaster is an act of god telling them to leave that part of Sodor alone, and Boulder Quarry shuts its doors for good - financially crippled by having been forced to pay substantial compensation to every property owner in the valley.

The Skarloey Railway also ends up in dire straits - besides the damage caused by the Boulder, several years of hard work have just gone down the tubes.

The remainder of 1973

The Thin Controller decides to temporarily close the SR, so that everyone can focus their efforts on repairing all the damage to track and property. The rest of 1973 is spent doing just that.

The events of Duncan Gets Spooked take place during this clean-up operation.

At some point, the time is found to move the Boulder to a new, safer perch - on a specially-constructed plinth on a hill near to Crovan’s Gate, and positioned to face in the direction of its old perch.

That winter, during a break, the little engines tell Thomas (or more likely some other standard gauge engine) the story of Skarloey’s Avalanche.

1974

The clean-up continues into 1974, and the line remains closed for the first half of that year. The Thin Controller hopes to have the line ready to reopen in time for the start of the summer operating season. Fortunately, Rheneas Quarry is closed for the two weeks before, freeing up men and engines to help. Elizabeth also happens to be working in the area, and is persuaded to lend a wheel. With all this help, the clean-up is completed in the nick of time, and the Skarloey Railway is officially declared open once more.

Meanwhile, the people of Glennock decide to treat themselves to a new organ for the village school. Headmaster Hastings personally oversees the delivery of the organ. This isn’t really relevant to the Boulder saga - I just felt like mentioning it.

1975

By this year ,things are more or less back to normal on the Skarloey Railway. One day, Rheneas takes a special charter train carrying a party of schoolchildren from the Mainland. On his way back down the line, he is accidentally diverted onto the abandoned line to Boulder Quarry. The line isn’t in the best condition, and wasn’t designed to carry passengers anyway, so Rheneas has a real rollercoaster ride to the Quarry and back.

Since the children enjoyed themselves so much, the Thin Controller lets Rheneas off for his mishap, but it gets him thinking about the old line, and how he might be able to get his money’s worth from it after all…

Surveys are carried out, and it is decided to reopen the old quarry line to serve as a connection between the SR and the Culdee Fell Railway - the latter being reached by rerouting the line in the direction of their station at Skarloey Road.

The line also passes through many areas of natural beauty, and so a number of stations are proposed to serve some of these areas. These stations include Elephant Park (above) and Rumblin Bridge (below).

The terminus of the line is at the village of Skarloey Road. So as to avoid confusion with the CFR station, the SR station is known as Upland Station. While not a direct link between the two railways, their respective stations are still a reasonably short walk away from each other.

The reconstruction of the line takes place throughout the first half of 1975, and is completed just in time for the summer operating season. Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt attend the grand opening, having first viewed the new line from a hot air balloon (and then made a crash-landing in said balloon).

To finish off, here is a rough map of the original Boulder Quarry line, the subsequent Upland Extension, and how they both relate to the main SR line.

#thomas the tank engine #the railway series #sodor #island of sodor #skarloey railway #ttte headcanon #ttte boulder #sir topham hatt #the fat controller #lady hatt #the thin controller #mr percival

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howardduck1490 · 1 month

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Sir Topham Hatt & Lady Hatt (Teen Titans Go! Style)

This is another drawing of Thomas characters in Teen Titans Go! Art style, this time it's not really any trains but human characters, it’s Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt.

#mrhowardtheduck2016 #sir topham hatt #lady Hatt #thomas and friends #pbs kids #hit entertainment #Warner bros animation #dc comics #dc cartoons #teen titans go!

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daikenkki · 1 year

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https://twitter.com/SodorCentral_/status/1625442613192196098

#Thomas and Friends #Thomas #Rosie #Sir Topham Hatt #Lady Hatt

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steam-beasts · 4 months

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The Little Steam tram and Brakevan that Could

It was a stormy winter's night at Arlesburgh West. In the diesel sheds, Toby and Henrietta's pups; Bruno and Tabitha were staying the night with DJ to keep him company. To pass the time, DJ was telling the two about his journey for the ballast truck a couple weeks ago.

"And so, I brought the ballast truck back! The end!" DJ said happily. His little audience of two just sat there quietly, it was hard to tell if either were looking at him with their still unopen eyes. Nevertheless, he knew the two were listening, especially Bruno.

Speaking of Bruno, the little orange brakevan replied with a squeak and a little wiggle. DJ giggled and smiled "Glad you liked it, Bruno"

"Gaahhh...pbbbffhh!!!" Tabitha babbled, DJ rolled his eyes "I didn't mean to wake Rex up, Tabitha"

The steam tram pup blepped her tongue out and yawned. DJ raised an eyebrow and looked up at the clock "Oh, I guess it's bedtime, huh?" He remarked to Bruno, who was also yawning. He couldn't help but let out a yawn himself.

As if right on cue, a guardsman wearing a thick coat cracked open the shed door with a lantern and walked inside. Strangely, he had a pair of fluffy blankets and baby bottles full of milk.

He tipped his hat to DJ "Hullo', DJ"

"Hi, Mr guardsman. Why do you have those?"

The guardsman gently shook one of the baby bottles "These are for these two little boxes here" He said, gesturing to the two pups on either side of him. Tabitha looked up at the guardsman despite her very blurry vision and perked up excitedly once she smelt the warm milk. Bruno stirred in his sleep, but was stopped from crying as the familiar smell of his mother filled the air, hitting his nose.

The man chuckled "Alrighty, you two. One at a time" and so the tiny diesel watched as the guardsman sat down and set Bruno in his lap first.

After the first bottle was emptied, the brakevan was set back on to the miniature guage rails, where one of the cozy blankets was set on top of him. The same pattern happened with Tabitha and soon enough, both of DJ's friends were wrapped in blankets.

"What's with the blankets?" He asked curiously.

"Bruno and Tabitha normally sleep beneath their father or mother for warmth during the nights. But since those two can't do it this particular season, we've had to improvise and give them blankets" the man explained. The wind outside howled loudly and deeply, sending shivers through the mini diesel's frame. The guardsman patted the young engines roof.

"Settle down, little one. The storm will only be here until tomorrow night" He assured him. DJ gave him a small smile and closed his eyes with a sigh as the man left.

____________________________________________

Bruno's eyes fluttered open with a yawn, the bright daylight shining into his eyes. He looked around groggily at his surroundings and squinted at the sunlight shining on his face.

Ignoring the light the best he could, Bruno took a better look around and... was it just him, or did everything shrink? Or maybe he grew? It certainly seemed that he grew overnight, because the brakevan saw who he was pretty certain was DJ and his big sister Tabitha out of the corner of his eye. Tabitha warmly smiled at him as she rolled out of the shed "Morning, Bruno" she greeted kindly. Bruno gasped – when did his sister learn how to talk like their parents?! The brakevan watched, slightly dumbfounded as Tabitha rolled away into the distance. Was she leaving without him? Also, were they grown-ups?

Hesitantly, unsure of what would come out, he called out "W-Wait, where are you going?" To his surprise, he could also talk!

"Don't worry! I'm coming back, Bruno. Like always, don't get your axles in a twist! I'm just gonna to switch to your track" she called back.

"What's the matter, Bruno?" He heard DJ ask. He looked over to the diesel, who looked back, waiting for an answer. Bruno averted his gaze "Uhhh..." He tried to think of a good answer, something that he would hear his mother or father, or even the workers would say. So awkward...

"I'm... fine, DJ. W-What, um... makes you say that?" He replied, simply reciting words he'd heard before "Eh, just curious. You looked like you saw a ghost for a second, heh heh!"

"Oh, ok..." he mumbled, taking his time to get a good look at his friend and playmate. As a pup, the little brakevan would typically be able to make out a blurry box shape in his dark and blobby vision, but this time, DJ looked a lot more detailed. He had a pointy nose, lots of weird little boxes along his sides, lumps and bumps here and there...the red rectangle below his face even looked more clear! Bruno then yelped as he felt a bump on his front, the bump turned out to be Tabitha backing up into him. Out of thin air, a man dressed in a blue uniform appeared with a big stick with a hook in his hand. He began poking at his sister's rear buffers and hooked on to the small chain thingy. Next thing he knew, the man hooked the chain thingy on to the hook thing on his buffers and shouted something to Tabitha.

Everything that happened next was a blur, and Bruno found himself being hauled along the track by Tabitha. All around them were infinite amounts of grassy green fields filled with sheep and cows, along with plenty of mountains. He had no clue what Sodor actually looked like in detail, but he supposed it was something like it. It was all bright and sunny, a complete opposite to all the weirdly cold white fluffy stuff that had been everywhere.

He and Tabitha then found themselves going up a big hill...a very big hill. Tabitha went slower and slower as they went up, strangely not talking to him. Well, to be honest...he was kinda glad she wasn't saying anything, they're both supposed to be little pups and talking felt too abnormal. As they rolled further up the slope, the gentle breeze began to get colder, and significantly stronger. Dark clouds began crowding in the sky, the sky's natural blue colour slowly transitioning into a dark purplish hue

The brakevan looked around anxiously, taking notice of the rabid change of weather "It's dark..." He gulped in a quiet and nervous tone. Tabitha didn't say anything, remaining deathly silent. Only the sounds of her chuffing and the rumble of their wheels against the ground was heard. He may not favour how they were now capable of talking, but he didn't like how silent it was besides the howling wind. It was scary.

Eventually, they finally reached the top of the hill. Rain drops had begun falling from the sky as soon as the sun's light was completely snuffed out by the clouds. The cold rain sent unpleasant shivers through Bruno's frame, making him shudder "T-T-Tabitha, can't you go at least a bit faster...? The rain is c-cold"

Tabitha still remained completely mute. Bruno really hated this now, the silence was creepy and he wanted to hear something or someone speak. They were going really slow now, they weren't even going down the hill yet. Mountains and forests could be viewed as far as the eye could see.

Just then, Bruno's attention was dragged over to something in the corner of his eye – a man. Not just any man, a conductor. Bruno didn't know what a conductor even was, so he had no idea what he was looking at.

The two siblings were slowly approaching the man, wheel turn by wheel turn, they got closer within each agonising minute.

(A/N; Lengthy character description coming up! Be prepared, and warned)

The conductor had a tall and slenderish build, his uniform was a maroon pink colour...or was it maroon ruby? Nevertheless, his uniform looked quite fancy, and was accented with golden trimmings that absolutely popped out of the jacket, almost as if they were glowing. His conductor's hat was the same.

Admittedly, there were a couple coal stains here and there, but it was overall stylish. His trousers were black and he wore a pair of sleek black shoes. Something creepy about the conductor though was his strange looking mask which prevented his face from being seen.

The mask looked identical to that of a steam engine's face, except cartoony. The mask held an eerily cheery grin with rosy pink cheeks and eyes that bulged out slightly. The eyes themselves were an amber yellow colour, both glowing like an engine's lamplight in the darkness.

He held an umbrella above his head, a sensible thing to do in this type of weather. Bruno didn't like him already, his face was creepy and he just stood there. Not to mention that a weird droning sound filled the air as he came closer.

Soon enough, they were now coming up beside him, and the conductor was staring right at him. Bruno stared back down at him intensely. The conductor slowly pulled his hand up to his mask's mouth and made a shushing sound, as if to keep him quiet. Then in the blink of an eye, he disappeared immediately, no quieting footsteps, nothing. The conductor was gone...

Bruno then felt a sudden tug on his buffers and noticed Tabitha moving much faster...and faster...and faster. Too fast! They had already began going down the hill when he began frantically putting on his brakes, but they were failing.

"A-AAH!! S-STOP, PLEASE STOP!! AHHHH!!!" He screamed and begged to his sister, tears leaking out of his eyes. They were going to crash!

A scorching pain erupted from his wheels as they barreled down the oh so huge hill. As they were about to hit the bottom, poor little Bruno woke up...

____________________________________________

High pitched wailing could be heard from the diesel sheds at around 4am at night, the storm hadn't stopped, but that didn't stop the guardsman from going inside and checking. Once he found that it was Bruno behind the sobbing, he quickly managed to console him and put him back to sleep. Tabitha cuddled up to him for the rest of the night to make sure no scary monsters entered his dreams. Poor Bruno was a weeping, sniffling mess for the rest of the night.

_________________________________________________________

The next week rolled around fast, Christmas Eve was two days away. Over at Knapford station, decorations such as bunting and fairy lights were being hung around the station. Sir Topham Hatt was out on the platform, finishing off on telling a couple of workers where to put the wreaths.

"Hmm, right a bit... no, left a bit...ah, yes! Thank you very much, lads. That'll do!" He smiled gratefully. The two workmen nodded and retreated with their step ladders and boxes. Until they were out of sight, the stout man's face fell a little as he took out his pocket watch and looked at the time with slight concern. He glanced around for any diesels that could've been pulling any particular goods train. None so far.

Sir Topham Hatt turned heel and went into his office, sighing and shaking his head as he sat down at his desk "Dear, oh dear...it was supposed to be here last week" he muttered under his breath. He was about to drink some of his tea when he heard his phone ring.

"Oh, bother that telephone..." he groaned before picking it up "Hello?"

"Good morning, Sir. Apologies if I bothered you, but Theodore and Charles have arrived at Platform 5" the stationmaster informed.

"Oh, right. Tell them that I'll be over in a few minutes" Sir Topham Hatt replied before setting the phone down.

Roughly 15 minutes later, Sir Topham Hatt made it to Platform 5, where on the benches sat Theodore and Charles, Toby's driver and fireman. Beside them was a rather big stroller with two babies that the controller recognised well.

"Hello, you two. Sorry about the wait, I was at Platform 1 helping some men with the decorations" He apologized. Theodore waved dismissively "Oh its alright, Sir. No rush"

"We're not in a hurry" Charles added.

"Very well, then. So, what brings you two here with these little bundles of joy?" He asked, squatting down a little to see Bruno and Tabitha who were hiding under the blankets. Charles beamed at the question "Oh! That's actually the reason..." he said as he pulled the stroller closer "...you see, these two little flower petals have a little surprise for you"

Inside the stroller, the two pups were squirming around in blankets. Theodore pushed down the roof more and gave the blanket lumps a little poke as Sir Topham Hatt moved closer to see.

Tabitha and Bruno finally shook the blankets off themselves and looked up at Topham, who gasped – the two pups had finally opened their eyes!

The two little babies babbled and giggled as they looked up at the controller and their surroundings, leaving the stout man dumbfounded.

"W-Wow...oh goodness me, their eyes are open!" He stuttered, still bewildered at the sight. Toby's crew chuckled at his reaction, because it was the same as theirs.

---------

Theodore and Charles, a pair of divorced old men who shared a house and drove an elderly steam tram. Their kids often came around every couple weeks or so, so they weren't depressed or lonely. They both had each other as well, so it wasn't entirely sad. They also had Bruno and Tabitha to look after while their parents were sleeping.

Theodore had just woken up when he went over to the playpen with his mug of coffee.

"Good morning, lil' ones..." he cooed, sticking his hand down to tap the blankets. To his surprise, Tabitha shot right out of the little makeshift pillow den she and her brother somehow made. She pinned his hand down with her wheels and nibbled at Theodore's wrist, which didn't really hurt as her teeth still haven't came through.

The old train driver chuckled "Good morning, Tabby-catty, still attempting to fight my hand, eh?" He then gently pulled his hand away, much to the steam tram's disappointment. She looked up at Theodore and whined for attention, ringing her bell and making little wheeshing noises. The moment he got a good look of her face, Theodore nearly spat out his coffee – Tabitha's eyes had opened at last. She was now staring at him with those little dough eyes.

"Oh my..." he gasped, hands trembling as he set down his mug. Bruno came rolling out of the den, and sure enough, his eyes had fully opened as well, though they were more half-lidded that his sister's. Theodore stood there in amazement, taking in what he saw. The pups looked up at him blankly, making little chirping noises. Another pair of footsteps were then heard behind the old man, accompanied by a yawn and the creak of the door. It was Charles "Morning, Theo... heard you gasping and –"

"Call Sir Topham Hatt"

"Huh? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Theodore then snatched his shirt and pulled Charles over to the playpen, at first Charles complained, but once he saw what Theodore talking about, his mouth was shut tight. He looked down at Bruno and Tabitha, then back at his co-worker in stunned silence.

"I'll call him..." he said in a quiet whisper.

--------

"Ah, so this was why Charles sounded so hyper on the phone" Sir Topham Hatt commented, petting Bruno's roof, making the latter blush with embarrassment. He then paused momentarily, remembering Toby and Henrietta and sighed "It's quite a shame their parents aren't here to see this wonderful change"

Theodore and Charles both frowned and exchanged deflated looks as Sir Topham Hatt took a step back from the stroller, adjiusting his hat "Now, gentlemen, I must get back to my office, you never know when that telephone will go off"

"Of course, Sir. We'll see you at Christmas Eve then?"

"Certainly! Oh, and one more thing?"

Theodore raised an eyebrow "Yes, Sir?"

"Could you maybe collect the star for the Christmas treeat Brendam Docks? It will be arriving on Christmas Eve afternoon, i...erm...couldn't get an earlier date" He said. The driver and firemen exchanged looks shrugged "Sure?"

Suddenly, the loud honk of a horn filled the station, accompanied with Diesel oiling in at Platform 1 with a big rectangular crate on a flatbed "Oh Sir! I've got a special gift for yooou~!" He called out in a sing-song tone. The Fat Controller perked up "Ah, finally! The Christmas tree is here. Got to go, lads! I'll be sure to see you at the party" He said, bidding farewell as he walked off the platform. Indeed, on Christmas Eve, there was to be a big party in Knapford. Tabitha and Bruno both babbled and cooed as they watched the man with the top hat get smaller and smaller until he disappeared. Then the stroller began to slowly move, letting them see the rest of the station.

Bruno was too busy giggling and looking around to notice the same man from his dream at the platform opposite from them.

_________________________________________

It was an early Christmas Eve morning, the whole station was getting prepared for the big party, and all the workers were invited. All the decorations had been set up and the tree was standing right in the middle of the station. The tree stood tall and was already being decorated by the many workmen and stationmaster. Sir Robert Norramby was even there, insisting that he wanted add some extra "razzle dazzle" to the place. By "razzle dazzle", he meant littering the station with fake elves and reindeer, along with a few mini christmas trees. He even added a fake Santa Claus with his sleigh and reindeer on the roof (which Sir Topham Hatt thought was quite unnecessary).

"So, what do you say, Bertram? Does the station have the razzle dazzle that you needed?" The older man asked, hand falling on the stout man's shoulder. Topham jolted a little from surprise and smiled with a little strain "W-Well, it certainly looks festive"

"Indeed, all that's needed now is the star! In fact, I believe it should be at Brendam as we speak. Are any of your engines free to go and collect it" The Earl chirped cheerfully. Sir Topham Hatt sighed "Afraid not, the rails on the mainline are severely icy, and there's been a shortage of sand recently, so I've sent Toby's crew to collect it. In fact, I'd say they should be coming from Brendam Docks as we speak!"

—-------

And so they were.

Theodore drove along the frosty road of Suddery, Charles sat beside him with the star in his hands, humming a merry Christmas song. The darkening sky was a beautiful orange, but the road ahead was dark, so they had their headlights on.

"Well, to Knapford station we go then, aye?" Theodore piped up, glancing at his co-worker

"Yeah..." Charles replied quietly. An awkward silence filled the car, neither had much to say. The only noise was the ringing of a bell.

Theodore broke the silence "Charles, check on the little puppers" Theodore told him. Charles huffed and set aside the star before looking at the back passenger seats. Playing on a nest of heated blankets were Tabitha and Bruno. Bruno was currently nudging at his sister's bell.

Charles looked back at Theodore "Yeah, they're alright" he murmered. All was silent on the drive, until Charles spotted two little pin prick eyes up ahead, they were very small but still noticeable.

"Hey, there's eyes on the road"

"No there's not. I don't see any" Theodore replied.

"Uh, yeah. There are, just look!" Charles argued. Theodore glanced at him "No, there's not –"

Just then, Bruno began jumping up and down, making little barking noises. Tabitha just giggled and babbled, as if she were encouraging him. Theodore sighed annoyingly and looked over at Bruno "Bruno, settle down —"

"COW!!"

Theodore yelped and looked back at the road to see a escaped cow on the road. The car slid and slipped on the road and careened down the slope towards a stretch of tracks. Everyone screamed and the pups squealed as the car hit the rails and went over them. Finally, the car came to stop as it hit a muddy ditch.

The two old men stared at nothing for a dead minute, their eyes blown wide, their hands trembling, Tabitha and Bruno were whimpering, and everyone was catching their breath.

Slowly, Charles dragged a glare towards Theodore "...I told you there were eyes on the road" He hissed.

"Oh, shut up..." The driver spat back, narrowing his eyes. Their attention was quickly drawn to the pups behind them, who were crying and whimpering. Theodore's gaze snapped to them, and his frustrated look softened into a more sympathetic one.

He let go of the wheel and opened the door "C'mon, Charles. We gotta get outta here" Charles shoved his angry mood and followed suit , taking the star with him.

Bruno and Tabitha watched tearfully as the men left the car. They wanted their parents, they were so scared.

Soon enough, the men came back like they hoped and lifted them out of the car.

Theodore and Charles grunted as they scrambled up the slope and past the splintered and broken fence with the pups (and star) in hand.

Theodore panted as he set Bruno on the wide track, Charles doing the same.

"Oh man..." The fireman panted, hands on his knees. They took a moment to gather their breath before setting their focus on the situation;

"Alright...wheeeere did we crash?" Theodore drawled, looking around. Charles hummed, taking in the sight around them "I think...this is where Edward broke down during that passenger run"

"What do you mean?"

"Edward's driver told me a story he heard from Edward; Edward's crank-pins broke somewhere in this area. He had his siderods taken off and still had to pull the train home, but he pushed through the struggles and got back safely...I think he got an overhaul after that or something" he told him in a rather ominous tone, which was a little opposite to the story's actual tone.

Theodore raised his eyebrows with intrigue "Huh, never knew that" He muttered. He then glanced back at the car "How're we gonna get to Knapford now? Car's a wreck and we need to get that star there before 6pm" He said, pointing to the decoration.

Charles shrugged "I suppose we have no choice but to continue on foot"

"In this weather and time?" Theodore exclaimed "It'll be two to three bloody hours or so until we reach Knapford!"

"We might as well try. Here, hold this" Charles replied, handing him the star "I'll be right back" and then he went back down the hill to where their car crashed.

After a few minutes, he came back carrying a small green wagon "This will do" He grinned.

His co-worker frowned "How's that old thing gonna help? It's as old as you!"

Charles rolled his eyes "Very funny. I got it when I was 5! Quit your whining!" He shot back as he set it on the track in front of Bruno. He then went back and grabbed the star from Theodore's hands. He placed the star gently in the wagon and beckoned Tabitha and Bruno to come closer. The pups rolled up to him with curious little chirps and squeaked as he lifted both of then into the wagon.

"Tada! It's like a baby-sized flatbed. We'll just pull this to Knapford and–"

Theodore cut him off "Woah woah woah...what do you mean by we?" He asked. Charles picked up the handle and started pulling "We'll take turns!"

Theodore just watched as Charles walked to Suddery with the star and pups in tow. Tabitha and Bruno babbled and gurgled as they were taken along the track. Reluctantly, Theodore groaned and followed behind. This was gonna be a long trip...

They travelled...

...and travelled.

...and traveled. It was until they reached the Wellsworth bridge that something happened.

"Ah shit!" Charles cursed, picking up the handle which had snapped and came off. They in the very middle of the mainline, and things were a little tense but all the more cold. It was now 5:00pm, the two were miraculously fast walkers, so at least it didn't take several more hours.

"Oh that's just great!" Theodore growled, smacking his face. Bruno sniffed at where the handle used to be and sneezed.

"We should just wait for an engine to come by" Theodore told Charles "Maybe if we shout, they'll hear us. They have ears like a rabbit!"

"There are no engines here or nearby! The mainline is closed for maintenance and gritting you stupid plonker!!"

While the two were arguing, both Tabitha and Bruno had climbed out of the wagon. Bruno was at the back and Tabitha at the front. They felt agitated and nervous from all the frustrated noises the two men were making, and it was almost night time.

"Tablpfffffffh! Ba...!" Bruno chattered, using his pilot wheels to pull himself up to see his sister.

"Braappffh! Gabah...bah!" She blabbered back. Just then, the two heard the sound of footsteps crunching against the ground. A fire-yellow colour drenched the snow in its hue, and a funny sense of calmness overcame both babies.

They looked up, and Bruno squeaked as looking back down on them was the man from his bad dream a few nights ago. He loomed over them, and Toby's crew didn't even acknowledge his existence, it was almost as if they couldn't see him.

He stared down at them, even with that creepy mask, it still felt like he was boring his eyes into their souls. Behind him, there was something big coming closer, it was gold and slightly sparkly; it was a golden cloud of mist. As it came closer, outlines appeared, along with two angelic eyes.

The outline soon took the shape of a ghostly engine, a steam engine, coming up behind the conductor. The ghost soon came to a stop directly behind him, both stared down at the two with golden eyes.

Theodore and Charles seemed to have faded out of existence, now only the siblings, the engine and the conductor remained. The conductor turned to face the engine behind him, the engine's mouth moved like she was talking to him, and he nodded. He turned back to them and stepped forward.

He gazed and crouched down to them, holding some sort of sparkly golden powder. Gently and slowly, he sprinkled some into Tabitha's funnel. Next, he sprinkled some gold powder into Bruno's funnel (tube? I know he's a brakevan but I'll just call it a funnel–). Both ended up sneezing and coughing a bit.

The gold dust felt weird, but nice...it was like having some lovely warm soup enter your stomach.

Soon, a burst of adrenaline coursed through the pair! Their faces lighting up and their wheels itching to move! Without waiting for Theodore and Charles to stop arguing, Tabitha and Bruno rolled forward at an amazingly fast pace.

"Wait, wha..." The driver and fireman noticed the two leave, moving the wagon themselves along the track. In panic, they gave chase.

"Stop! No, stop!!" Charles yelled.

"Oh god, Toby's gonna KILL us if they get hurt!" Theodore fretted, following Charles.

The two little pups panted and hurried along the tracks, whizzing past the nearby Nunnery.

Even with the energy burst, both babies were getting tired. Tabitha sweated profusely, on the verge of crying from the ache, even Bruno was crying a little.

Eventually, the sped past Crock's Scrapyard, where the workers gasped and yelled. Then, they zoomed through the town of Crosby. Bear gasped as he watched the two whizz past, confused and startled.

A tunnel soon came along and consumed them. It was dark and scary for a moment, but the light came back, what a relief! Bruno cried from the funny burn under his wheels, but kept pushing from behind while Tabitha pulled. They had the feeling of doing something important; never ever EVER give up!

After what felt like an hour of irresistible energy bursts, the two pups soon came to a halt, and found themselves pushing the wagon off the rails and up on to the platform where Sir Topham Hatt and his wife stood along with Mr Percival, Mr Fergus Duncan and the Earl.

Tabitha weakly rang her bell and squeaked for their attention. The Earl was the first to notice, and as soon as he did, he came running over "Oh my goodness!" He exclaimed, stopping and scooping up the two babies "Oh you poor poor things! What were you doing pushing such a heavy decoration?!"

Sir Topham Hatt and the other controllers came over as well, baffled and dumbfounded as well at the sight.

"What is the meaning of this?! Where are Theodore and Charles??" Sir Topham Hatt said, looking around angrily, angry at the thought that his own employees may have forced the two babies to work their frames off. It wasn't right!

"Sir!" Came a new voice.

Following the voice, two cold and out of breath men came running on to the platform. But before they could say anything, Sir Topham Hatt cut them off.

"What were you two THINKING?!" He boomed, stepping forward "...making an engine and her brakevan, who are still INCREDIBLY young do your own work?! Why, I am BEYOND disgusted!"

"W-Wait, no, Sir! Please, let us explain!"

"Explain?! Explain why you—" just then, Lady Hatt interrupted him with a hand on his shoulder "Hold on, Bertram. Let them explain...we need the full story if we are to understand the situation" She said soothingly.

The Fat Controller glared at the driver and fireman before sighing "Alright then, you two...tell us what happened"

And so, the duo explained their actions. They explained how it all started with nearly hitting a cow on the road, crashing into a ditch. Then how they used a little old wagon to pull the star across a chunk of the railway, then entering a problem with the handle snapping off. Finally, they ended on how the two pups suddenly began speeding off with the wagon in tow.

The group stared at them with blown wide eyes. They were as silent as mice, not a peep. Finally, Mr Percival spoke up "Ehem! Well, considering how our engines became giant furry train monsters, that story doesn't seem our of the ordinary!" He chuckled. Everyone took a second to murmer their agreements and giggled themselves.

"Well then, now that we got our star...I believe the party should be going underway right about now?" Sir Topham Hatt asked. Now that was something everyone would settle with.

So, the star was taken to the new Christmas tree and placed on top where everyone would see! The light shows were spectacular, and the music was amazing. It was certainly the dawn of a happy new year!

Happy New Year!!

Credit songs (listen to if you want ^_^)

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hazel-of-sodor · 3 months

Text

A Life Well Lived

Ch.1 Morning

Other Stories

Other Chapters

The warmth of the sun washed over Sir Topham Derek Hatt as he sat contentedly on his front porch. The aching chill in his bones slowly soothed as he took in the wonderful morning. Birds sang from the trees, children laughed in the nearby park, and a street over one of the Wellsworth trams rang out a good morning from their bell. From inside the house he could smell the breakfast Jane was cooking, the smell of bacon, sausage, and eggs wafting in under his nose. In the distance he heard Edward start off with his morning train with a cheery whistle and determined puffs. Yes all in all, a most perfect morning.

He leaned back in his chair as Jane came out the door with two plates and set them on the table between them. He was enjoying his toast when he noticed the tear running down his wife's face. He resolutely set his breakfast down and reached over, wiping the tear away.

"Come now," he said softly, "its too lovely a morning and you too beautiful a Lady to be wasting tears on old me."

He smiled as Jane huffed a little laugh.

"Im sorry dear but I can't get the doctor's news off my mind."

He sat up and grab her hands in his, "My dear, you are worrying for nothing."

"But Doctor Stephen thinks..."

"Exactly my dear, he thinks, not knows. Stephen may be one of the best doctors around, but he is just a man, not God. He does not decide how much time I have left, he can only guess. We may have many more mornings together, my dear."

Jane looked down at her lap, "And if he's right?"

Derek gently reached out and lifted her chin so their eyes met. "Then I would have your last memories of me be happy ones, not ones of grief. Do not mourn me yet My Dear, there will be plenty of time for that when I'm gone."

She sighed as he pulled back, " Very well Derek, I'll do my best to put it out of my mind."

"Thank you my dear, " he then smirked and said," besides it won't be long before you find a younger man and forget all about old me."

She smacked his arm with an angry huff, causing him to chuckle. "You're forgetting I'm older than Edward, dear. No young man would be interested in me."

"And yet you're as beautiful as the day I married you." he said.

She snorted at this, but leaned in when he pulled her close for a gentle kiss.

When the kiss ended, neither pulled back, instead taking comfort in each others closeness.

"Younger they may be, but none of them could ever measure up to my husband," she said firmly.

"Your cooking would soon fix that my dear," he chuckled.

He expected her to laugh but instead she gave him a searching look. "Are you truly ok Derek? This news would be a weight to anyone, but you seem almost unbothered by it."

He was quiet for a moment then sighed, " I can't say I was surprised by this my dear…"

She laid her hand on top of his as he continued.

"While I've never been in the best shape, it has been harder to catch my breath the last few years. The last few months it became even worse with aches and pains to match. I'm old my dear. I was an established engineer before Edward was even built."

He was quiet for a moment, taking her hand between his. " Doctor Stephen merely confirmed what I already knew. That I've lived a long full life and its finally catching up with me."

They sat there quietly for a long moment, letting the warm of the morning sun and each others presence sooth the ache.

The sound of a familiar but unexpected whistle, echoing from Edward's yard interrupted them. Derek turned and frowned towards the station as Edward's whistle rang out in happy reply.

"I had no idea Thomas was coming to Wellsworth." He said bemusedly, "Charles would normally have told me..."

Jane gave him a knowing smile, "Would you like to go see him after breakfast, dear?"

He chuckled," You know me all too well."

The familiar whistle sounded again, closer this time.

Derek raised an eyebrow, "If I didn't know better I'd say he was on the tram line."

A bell rang out as one of the trams started up the roadway into the city.

Derek rose from his chair. "The next tram isn't due for a while yet."

Jane joined him as the tram rounded the corner. Rather than its normal coaches, it pulled two North Western coaches. The pairs normal engine was being towed behind them like a strange guard's van.

"Morning Jupiter, Annie, Clarabel." Derek said as hed opened the gate, striding towards the engine at the back.

"Morning Sir!" They chorused back.

"Thomas, I see you've decided to try your hand at tram work?"

"I can't let Toby have all the fun," Thomas replied cheekily.

Derek chuckled, "Indeed not. Is there a reason you came to visit?"

Thomas smile faded. "I heard the news, Sir. There's something I need to show you."

"Oh?"

The tank engine nodded, "I wanted to wait a little longer just to be safe but..."

"Of course." Sir Topham Hatt smiled. "May I bring Jane, or is it a secret?"

"I would never ask you to keep secrets from her, sir."

Derek turned, only to find Jane had already grabbed her bag and was climbing into Annie. "Come along dear, you're taking me to the cafe in Elsbridge, and I want to beat the rush."

"Of course, my dear."

He patted Thomas's buffer fondly and walked to join his wife.

A/N: Hello Loves! While I'm writing the next Fic, I figured it was time to finally post 'A Life Well Lived to Tumblr', Love Y'all!

#ttte fanfic #rws fanfic #ttte thomas #fanfic #ttte sir topham hatt #ttte lady hatt #ttte annie #ttte clarabel #Sir Topham Hatt I #Lady Jane Hatt

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smol4bluengine · 5 months

Text

It was time for Gordon's check- up with Mr. Ramsfield. Sir and Lady Hatt walked up to the Ramsfield's office, Lady Hatt pushing Gordon's pram.

"Are you excited for your visit with Mr. Ramsfield today Gordon"? Sir Topham Hatt asked.

"Mhm." Baby Gordon simply replied.

"Is everything okay Gordon? You haven't been your usual happy self lately." Lady Hatt said.

"Boiwer ache." Baby Gordon replied.

"Poor dear, don't worry once we're done with Mr. Ramsfield, we'll head over the steam works and Victor can make you feel all better, okay"? Lady Hatt asked.

"Otay". Baby Gordon said.

Unbeknownst to everyone except Gordon, the baby engine had been hiding that he had regained his big engine memories quite some time ago. However, Gordon was loving his life as a baby engine and had planned on purposefully failing the big test to remain as a baby engine, but the weight of guilt had been getting to Gordon.

The Hatt family entered Mr. Ramsfield's office.

"Hello Sir and Lady Hatt and hey there little guy! How is everyone doing"? Mr. Ramsfield asked.

"We're doing fine thank you, but poor Gordon here has been having some nasty boiler ache lately." Sir Topham Hatt responded.

"I'm sorry you're going through that Gordon. I'll try to get through our meet up as fast as possible so that your mommy and daddy can focus on making you feel better, okay"? Mr. Ramsfield asked.

"Otay, mista Wamsfeeld." Baby Gordon agreed.

With that, Mr. Ramsfield began his examination. He first started by asking Baby Gordon some simple questions like asking him how he was doing, did anything exciting happened during the week, and reciting the alphabet and numbers. Finally, Mr. Ramsfield had Sir Topham Hatt place Baby Gordon down on the baby engine track he set out for some play time. On the track were some toys: stuffed animals, soft blocks, toy freight, and toy passenger cars.

Gordon stood at the switches looking at the two trains. The weight of guilt crushing him as Lady Hatt asked Gordon what he would like to play with.

A bad memory flashed in Gordon's mind, one where his mentor had him locked in a dark shed for weeks after he saw Gordon returning to the sheds singing happily while hauling a heavy goods train and giving a friendly whistle to passengers waiting on the platform.

"Please professor let me out, it's too dark and scary! I'm sorry I took a goods train, I just wanted to be useful"! A young green Gordon cried.

Young Gordon couldn't see a thing in the shed, he feared a monster would gobble him up or worse, he'd be forgotten in there forever. By the time his professor let him out, Gordon had lost count of how long he'd been locked up.

Before him stood his mentor, the engine was only a bit smaller than Gordon, but the way he had Gordon cowering in the corner, one would've mistaken the professor for being a Union Pacific Big Boy. The professor looked at the young express engine in disgust.

"Get out." He spoke.

"W..what"? Gordon stuttered.

"You've been bought by another railway, meaning you don't belong here anymore. Get out." The professor said bluntly.

Without another word Gordon rushed out of the sheds as soon as his crew got him up to steam.

As Gordon made his way to the big station, he passed by the smaller engines who immediately fled to hide once they saw the young big engine approaching. Gordon wheeshed sadly as he watched the small station pilot cower behind a short train of coal cars, but it wasn't just Gordon they were hiding from. From the other side of the tracks a group of three young big engines steamed up, pushing any small engine who hadn't been fast enough to move out of the bigger engines way. Gordon hoped they wouldn't notice him as he pulled into the station.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here"? Came one of the big engines.

"Looks like they finally let the big crybaby out, what a shame, we were enjoying the peace and quiet away from your obsessive sobbing." Said another.

"Wah, waaah! I'm Gordon and I don't have a single friend! Wah"! The third taunted.

"Not even those silly little engines want to be friends with a weirdo like me"! Mocked the second.

"PATHETIC"! The big engines laughed.

Gordon fought the urge to cry as he struggled to speak.

"I...I got sold to...to another railway..." Gordon struggled to speak.

"Yes, to a railway of failures."One said.

"I heard their controller fell for a silly trick and bought some sort of sick chimera of an engine." Third said.

"A rather perfect fit for a big baby like yourself." The first said smuggly as they pierced deeply into Gordon's soul.

By now a few tears had managed to escape Gordon's eyes as the bit smaller big engines passed him.

When he managed to calm down, his builders arrived to instruct the big engine to head to London, where he would meet his new controller at King's Cross. Gordon just hoped he could make some friends on this railway and maybe, just maybe, he could have a family with siblings and a mother and father like he always wanted.

Back in the present, Baby Gordon could no longer hold in his emotions and began to whail.

"ME WIED!!!!!!!!! ME WEMEMBA BEIN BIG"!!!!!!!!!!! Baby Gordon admited.

The adults in the room were shocked as Gordon continued to cry.

"Me sowwy! Me no wanna be big! Too scawy! Too many inny ouchies"! Gordon cried.

The baby engine feared and awaited the out lash from a very crossed Sir Topham Hatt. Instead, Mr. Ramsfield spoke.

"I understand." Mr. Ramsfield told Gordon and the still processing Hatt's.

The watery eyed engine looked up towards the younger man as he knelt down to the best of his abilities to be on Gordon's level.

"Engine phycology is just now starting to be seen as a serious issue and yet there have been many, many engines ever since "The Rocket's" era that are in need of help. I don't know what happened in your past Gordon and I can't imagine how scared you must have felt telling us you remember being big, but know that the place where you are right now is a safe area for you to be you and to talk about anything you need to talk about." Mr. Ramsfield gently spoke to the little engine.

Gordon felt the soft rubs on his boiler from Sir and Lady Hatt.

"Gordon, does being a baby engine make you truly happy"? Sir Topham Hatt asked.

"Yes." Gordon responded.

"Then I don't want you to change alright? If being a baby engine makes you the best version of you then you are a really useful engine." Sir Topham Hatt told the baby engine.

"Dada"! Baby Gordon cried happily as Hatt's held their little blue baby engine close.

#ttte #thomas and friends #ttte gordon #thomas the tank engine #gordon the big engine #ttte sir topham hatt #ttte lady hatt

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