roi-de-cinetique-blog

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Smokin!! por lifeboat1721 Por Flickr: 61994 K4 The Great Marquess getting ready to leave Carlisle on the Last “Fellsman” tour of 2012

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i think it'd be fun if molly and neville and murdoch were a trio

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Does y’all fw 8x9

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How to upset the railway

For some reason my favourite part about Thomas and Friends is the roasts, but we also can’t forget the sayings and developed slang the engines all seem to share, love makes the world go round but throwing shade keeps the railway from collapsing out of boredom.

It wouldn’t shock me if engines took stabs at each other as a boredom breaker, but it also wouldn’t suprise me if engines spent most of their travel time thinking of better comebacks for their next meeting at the junction.

Here’s some of the sayings and insults I’ve heard in the show

Fizzling fireboxes (Any feeling)

Bubbling boiler (Shock or excitement)

Flatten my funnel (Suprise)

Bust my buffers (Shock and frustration)

Bossy boiler (Standard clapback)

Old square wheels (Henry)

Galloping sausage (Gordon

Rusty red scrap iron (James)

Some steamy remarks seem to follow alliteration as seen above but some of the insults don’t so I guess it’s not a rule. I think that vocabulary could be expanded on with some more fun insults though.

Let’s try and follow that steam style and sling some mud.

Wheezy whistles (Young to old)

Bunker brat (Oof any tank engine)

Little shed stirrer (Old to young)

Ya puny pipe peeper (Fun jab)

Cheeky chuff (Old to young)

Stink stacks (insult)

Old tired tender (Young to old)

Tender ache (Probably directed at Gordon on weekdays)

Don’t get your tubes in a knot (Calm down)

Wee wally whistle (Donald and Douglas to anyone)

Boring bogies (Anyone)

We’ve seen that Steamies have their own slang and lingo which is interesting in of itself, but it makes me wonder if Diesels also have their own culture, insults and quirky sayings too.

Let’s try and make some for them.

Guzzle gasket (Engines with poor fuel efficiency)

Greasy guts (Standard jab)

Flippin’ flywheels (Suprise)

Creaking crank n clutches (frustration or shock)

Buzzling batteries (More frustration)

Thumpin’ throttles (Joy or shock)

Well sugar my tank (Giving up)

Old backwards bogies (directed at poor BoCo)

We could even assume Electric engines have their own list of clapbacks too.

Tap my charger (Suprise)

Dinky DC (Small jab)

Fuzzy fuses (Intelligence insult)

Circuit clowns (Group stab)

I’m shocked (Of course)

Get bolted (Go away)

Flip my fuses (Shock)

Buggy battery (Quick stab)

I wish I had more for electric locomotives but it occurs to me that I don’t even understand how they work let alone know half of the parts.

There’s no end to banter and arguments engines can have with each other, if a story feels a little flat some lively spice between the characters lifts things up.

hopefully the next thing I post is a little more wholesome cause heaven knows I was raised better then this.

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"I wish they actually shipped you off to The Front," grumbled Billy, "So this yard wouldn't be such a mess!"

Thomas fumed, scrambling for a retort as Charlie laughed. "We-eell, if I wasn't here, the yard wouldn't be here at all! I built it, you know! And besides, what do you know of managing a yard, without that stationmaster back in Suddery?!"

Charlie 'ooh'ed. "That's a good one."

"Who's side are you on?!" Billy demanded his twin.

"The side that's funniest." Grinned Charlie.

TRAINTOBER DAY 20: TWINS ( + what might've been... if you squint.)

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once, the engines had an indignation meeting about who did the 100 mph run first. gordon championed flying scotsman. duck, of course, was on the side of city of truro.

it was chaotic, and then rosie coming in swinging with "actually it was nyc 999" did NOT help.

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The sheds were quiet, with only two of them. The others have given them privacy, when they heard the news about his siblings.

Thomas sent a sidelong glance at Edward- there's an unimaginable grief that is currently permeating from his smokebox, despite his valiant attempt to hide it. His steam practically danced around him, covering his face like a shield.

But it was brief, and Edward smiled at him sadly- he was trying to comfort Thomas, after all- and Thomas felt terrible for asking Edward about his own siblings... despite Edward dancing around the subject most of the time, still treating Thomas like he was fresh out of the works.

"... But Driver likes to say 'it's all in good hands'," Continued Edward delicately, "So perhaps it was the same for your siblings."

Maybe they really were in good hands- for all the rebuilding Thomas got that extended his working life, his siblings still had a long, Useful career without any changes to their shape. And Thomas knew, vaguely, that Southern engines were going to be replaced by electrics sooner or later. Perhaps they faced death with dignity.

So Thomas gave a sad smile back. "... Thanks, Edward."

TRAINTOBER DAY 25: THE LAST ONE

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unknown photographer. Trains at Paddington Station. London. 1900s

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The sheds were quiet, with only two of them. The others have given them privacy, when they heard the news about his siblings.

Thomas sent a sidelong glance at Edward- there's an unimaginable grief that is currently permeating from his smokebox, despite his valiant attempt to hide it. His steam practically danced around him, covering his face like a shield.

But it was brief, and Edward smiled at him sadly- he was trying to comfort Thomas, after all- and Thomas felt terrible for asking Edward about his own siblings... despite Edward dancing around the subject most of the time, still treating Thomas like he was fresh out of the works.

"... But Driver likes to say 'it's all in good hands'," Continued Edward delicately, "So perhaps it was the same for your siblings."

Maybe they really were in good hands- for all the rebuilding Thomas got that extended his working life, his siblings still had a long, Useful career without any changes to their shape. And Thomas knew, vaguely, that Southern engines were going to be replaced by electrics sooner or later. Perhaps they faced death with dignity.

So Thomas gave a sad smile back. "... Thanks, Edward."

TRAINTOBER DAY 25: THE LAST ONE

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once, the engines had an indignation meeting about who did the 100 mph run first. gordon championed flying scotsman. duck, of course, was on the side of city of truro.

it was chaotic, and then rosie coming in swinging with "actually it was nyc 999" did NOT help.

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"I wish they actually shipped you off to The Front," grumbled Billy, "So this yard wouldn't be such a mess!"

Thomas fumed, scrambling for a retort as Charlie laughed. "We-eell, if I wasn't here, the yard wouldn't be here at all! I built it, you know! And besides, what do you know of managing a yard, without that stationmaster back in Suddery?!"

Charlie 'ooh'ed. "That's a good one."

"Who's side are you on?!" Billy demanded his twin.

"The side that's funniest." Grinned Charlie.

TRAINTOBER DAY 20: TWINS ( + what might've been... if you squint.)

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what did i miss…

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traintober day ten: flora!

pitch is just having the worst time she absolutely hates stuff like this poor girl!!!

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"Aw, wow!" Cried Driver, as he marvelled the flora that bloomed next to the tracks, "Look at that, thistles!"

No. 667 was puzzled, "Whit's so special aboot them?" He asked, curiously. Driver was usually a serious man, so hearing him so joyful was a serious change of pace!

"Aye, they're Scotland's national flowers, ken? They mean resilience, defiance, resistance- a' that jazz."

"Huh!" No. 667 didn't know plants could hold such meanings! Looking at them with new eyes, he couldn't help but smile.

---

It was the spring of 1960, and Douglas brightened as he saw a familiar sight. "Look, thistles!"

"Huh," Kirk Darrow, Douglas' newest driver, leaned out from the cab, "Ah didnae ken they grew on Sodor!"

Hayden Myers, his stoker, also leaned out of his cab- but they didn't share their companion's enthusiasm, "What's so special about them, anyway?"

"Why, they're the national flower o' Scotland, of course!"

LATE 10/10 + TRAINTOBER: FLORA

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Edward Appreciation Essay: The Choice to Be Kind

I was hoping to have this done as a 50-follower (and birthday!) milestone, but as always, life's chaos has gotten in the way. However, it IS here just in time for the Thomas TV series' 40th anniversary!! Happy Birthday, Thomas!! With that milestone in mind, let's get to it.

In much the same vein as my Skarloey Appreciation Essay, I'd like to point out something that I genuinely love about Edward, and that is his conscious choice to be kind, even when he's been mistreated by others. There's plenty of kind characters--Percy immediately comes to mind, as well as Henry (although his kindness varies depending on the depiction), Toby (to an extent), Duck, the Scottish Twins, and others. However, for Edward, kindness is one of his defining traits, especially a kindness that not only bolsters him in the face of adversity from outsiders and "friends" alike, but is a quality that he chooses to feed and fall back on, even when so many others would give in to their less generous inclinations. Please note that although I'm celebrating the anniversary of the TV series, this analysis is primarily based off of the Railway Series, since it's what I'm most familiar with. I'm also not going to focus on famous stories, such as Old Iron and Edward's Exploit, for this particular analysis.

I think there's a lot to be said for Edward's forbearance in terms of dealing with people being rude to him. He's not interested in getting even with other engines or rubbing their misfortune in their faces. He doesn't even ignore them them! Instead, he continues to be kind and to be friendly, greeting everyone he sees and helping out those who need help, and in the end, continues to come out on top by choosing to not hold a grudge the way so many others on the railway do.

What motivates this particular choice, though? I'm hardly the first to speculate on why Edward is the way he is, and others have and will done far deeper analyses on this point than me, but nonetheless, I'll offer a few ideas. In the context of the TTTE universe, I think that part of Edward's kindness simply stems from being old, wise, and experienced. He's seen engines come and go, and his class replaced and was replaced by another. The engines that are so proud of themselves now will find themselves in his wheels eventually. Plus, it's quite likely that Edward knew of engines who were replaced and eventually scrapped; back then, it wasn't the terrifying thing that it became later in the series because it followed the idea of engines simply living out their full and natural lives. Scrapping and modernization became such threats because even engines who hadn't lived out their service lives were being withdrawn and scrapped, and an early death is much more terrifying to engines than death itself.

But Edward's experience aside, he's well-versed in yard politics. If he causes trouble, then that won't make him friends with either other engines or the management. Edward has, in a sense, been abandoned for being a shy steamer, and unlike the others who are here on trial, this is his home now. They may be being rude to him in his own home, but whining and whinging will get him nowhere, and he's learned that lesson well from watching countless upstart engines be put in their place or live long enough as kings to eventually lose their crowns. He knows he's older, that he's almost lived up to the end of his expected service life, so all he can do is put on a brave face and do his best to prove that he's Useful still.

Outside of the book's context, Edward's character feels very much like an ideal of the upstanding Christian, which makes sense given Awdry's profession. Edward consistently turns the other cheek when people are cruel or rude to him. He stands up for himself through his deeds rather than giving in to anger. And that's a very important lesson to teach young children; being good and kind individuals leads to much better outcomes down the line. Edward feels like an intentional role model by which Awdry could deliver these stories to his son, and keep him as an interesting protagonist who taught important lessons about the importance of being kind and persevering through and despite adversity from both one's friends and family and outsiders. Many of us see Edward as a role model, as someone to aspire to, for this very reason.

The first example of Edward's kindness comes up in the very first story of the Railway Series. The coaches ask Edward to "not bump and bang [them] like the other engines do" (Edward's Day Out). And Edward obliges! He comes up to them "very, very gently" and takes them along. They're so grateful that they say they're glad he's the one who took them out. At the end of the story, he does have a moment where he tells the other engines: "I'm going out again tomorrow[;] what do you think of that?" (Edward's Day Out). Admittedly, this could be seen as slightly snarky, but I think it's moreso coming from a place of genuine excitement and wonder, like "Wow! Finally! Finally, I got to go out, and tomorrow, I get to do it again!" It doesn't feel malicious so much as wanting to share his joy with the others, mostly because he falls asleep right after. If he actually cared about their opinions or being right, he likely would have stayed up to hear them.

In the next story, Edward helps Gordon up the hill, and naturally, is not thanked by Gordon himself, but rather, his driver decides he'll ensure that Edward gets a nice new coat of paint in thanks for his hard work. It's quite clear though that Edward didn't help Gordon out of any expectation of a reward, or even a thank you. He did it because it was the right thing to do, and the driver noticed that. But an even better example of Edward's kindness being notable is in the next book. After Henry is shut up in the tunnel for being vain, Gordon teases Henry about it, and Edward does not. This is pretty significant because it's rather likely that Henry was one of the engines teasing Edward in the first story:

It's quite likely that that's Henry on the left, there, with Gordon being on the second to right, next to Edward. Plus, looking at all of their smiles compared to Edward's distress, it's clear that Edward is the butt of the joke and everybody's laughing. Thus, it makes it all the more satisfying when Henry and Edward work together to pull the express, and Henry is rewarded with a new coat of paint. He wants a blue and red one, as then, he says, "I'll be like Edward" (Edward, Gordon and Henry). It's just delightful to see how Henry, who had also been unkind to Edward, now strives to be more like him due to acknowledging and seeing the kindness and grace that Edward has shown him even when Edward truly didn't have to. Edward, I think, is much more interested in making friends than remembering faults, and seeing this happen is just proof that his efforts are starting to bear fruit. What he's been doing matters. His kindness has begun paying off. And I think that this is more than enough to prove to him that his efforts AREN'T in vain. That choosing kindness will work. Edward has never been one to shy away from hard work, and this proves that it's both working and worth it.

Now, there's also times when Edward's kindness doesn't particularly help the recipient, and such an example comes in the form of the tale Thomas and the Trucks. Thomas wants to do something other than shunt, so Edward offers to let him take some trucks. However, Thomas doesn't know anything about trucks, and disregards Edward's advice about managing them. Perhaps it was irresponsible of Edward to allow Thomas to take the trucks--it could very well be a lapse in judgement that came about from wanting to do a favor for a younger colleague. However, I would also argue that Edward may not have known that Thomas had never dealt with trucks. When Edward offers, Thomas gives an enthusiastic yes. Plus, Edward clearly takes trucks to and from Barrow (he mentions that he's "got some trucks to take home tomorrow" in Thomas and the Trucks) and in the context of the story, it sounds like Edward isn't always at the same sheds that Thomas is at. Thus, he likely just didn't know that Thomas had no experience with trucks, and did indeed think that he was doing Thomas a solid. The Fat Director not being mad at Edward for his role in the mess also supports this; if he really felt Edward was at fault in any way, he wouldn't have given him compliments.

I think that a lot of the fandom also sleeps on James and the Top-Hat and Troublesome Trucks as great James and Edward stories. While it's true that James the Red Engine is often considered one of W. Awdry's worst, there's still some good moments to be gleaned from it. In the first story, James and Edward double-head a train as James has to get used to working on the railway. He gets steam all over the Fat Director's new hat and immediately wants to run away from his problems, urging Edward and his coaches on so that he can outrace consequences. He gets so overzealous that he accidentally overshoots the station, and he and Edward have to back up. Despite this, and his worsening mood, Edward is encouraging, getting them both up Gordon's Hill, and even tells him a story that causes him to laugh so hard he gets hiccups. Of course, James has to deal with the Fat Director's anger in the end, but it's clear that working with Edward, at least for a little while, brought him some comfort and relief. In Troublesome Trucks, when the coupling snaps on some of James's trucks and he has to figure out how to proceed, Edward offers help, but James refuses, wanting to do it himself. Edward then offers him encouragement throughout it all, and when James finally succeeds, is rewarded for his efforts by the Fat Director. This is an excellent start to James and Edward's friendship, which continues to deepen with time and makes their relationship in future stories such as Old Iron feel that much more organic. James comes onto the NWR as having messed up, by having a fiery debut that lands him in a field, and as seen in other stories, suffers from Gordon and Henry's derision as a result. It's my opinion that with this foundation, Edward's kindness is keenly felt and appreciated, even subconsciously, and pays off in dividends as the series progresses.

From the earliest point in their relationship, Edward is encouraging and kind, seeing James's attitude as a deep, genuine desire to do well and fear of being unable to live up to expectations. Edward knows those feelings! He's felt them keenly himself! And this is another reason why he chooses kindness: Edward has developed a keen eye for people (and engines). He has a good sense of how they're feeling, and why they may be acting the way they do. He can empathize with a lot of what everyone's going through, and that also makes it easier to choose kindness. After all, none of these engines are truly bad people. They can be arrogant and stubborn, but that comes with youth and prestige more than anything, and Edward has seen plenty of that smoothed away with time.

The last example I'll give is that of Edward and Skarloey in Skarloey Remembers. Edward knows Skarloey well, from bringing him passengers way back when, and seeing him looking worse for wear in an open-sided shed, stops to talk to him. He invites Skarloey to talk about his line and just reminisce for a while, because he knows that's what the other needs. Not to mention that he and Skarloey are on the same page about a lot of things; it's nice talking to a fellow older engine who just gets it. It's also very telling that Edward was chosen to introduce Skarloey and the Skarloey Railway; he's the best listener and it makes sense that he would have history with Skarloey. Just by listening and being invested in other engines' lives and things that they care about is he able to make genuine and meaningful connections with other engines, because Edward has learned that by listening to people, people will generally start also listening to you. It's another subtle expression of kindness that helps him connect with others and be part of their lives, and I get the sense that's really what Edward wants.

Part of Edward's idea of feeling Useful is not being lonely. He knows what loneliness is. He felt it when the Furness abandoned him on Sodor by selling him for cheap and essentially telling him to not bother coming home. He knows the shape of loneliness from staring at the other engines coming and going, never being chosen, his boiler cold. And so, when he sees other engines at their lowest, at their loneliest, when they feel foolish and without any support, he extends his kindness. He extends his empathy and support. He has been there, and wouldn't wish the same on any other engine. And he has seen how kindness pays off--perhaps not in the short term, but always in the long run. Edward's wisdom comes from one who has seen and experienced too much, and has worked hard to receive the love that he has. The world may be cruel to humans and engines alike, but that's what makes Edward's choice to be kind all the more meaningful--his kindness is given freely and rewarded handsomely, in ways both big and small.

Edward reminds us of what it means to be at our best. And it is that which makes Edward stand out for so many of us, 40 years on, as the kind of person we want to be some day.

Happy birthday, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, and a very, very happy birthday to you, Edward <3 Dry rails, and good running!!

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Day 8- The Ferry + Impact

I knocked the yellow engine into the sea...

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Traintober Day 8: The Ferry/Impact

Some deckhands try in vain to secure Victor before he falls.