sudriantraveler

[sudriantraveler]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64106128/chapters/164483146

The foreword of the first novel in my new canon universe, which I call “Reading Railway.” It tackles MY take on the three mystery engines from the time of the first few RWS books. (None of them look like this much.)

I can’t stress enough how much this book and myself owe MeanScarletDeceiver and their QLIR universe, thank you thank you!

Enjoy!

[sudriantraveler]

L Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh! Have this collage of Irish trains (and the like)

[sudriantraveler]

Thomas and Friends S13E05 "Slippy Sodor"

So "Slippy Sodor". Kind of a middling episode, far as that goes during this time period. Not much of substance actually happens, three strike rule adherence, ridiculous freight. That said, you can see them experimenting a bit and testing the boundaries that the CGI expands over the model series in this one.

So the episode starts out by telling us that Mr. Bubbles and his clown show are coming to town and everyone's real excited about it...

Except for Thomas, who has a cracked funnel.

He goes to the Steamworks to have it repaired. In the meantime, he'll have to use a loaner funnel.

Look at this bald boy.

This is the first place where you can see them playing a bit with what can be done in the CGI. Kevin pulls out a spare funnel, they'll try it on Thomas, and Victor will say it's too big or too small. They go back and forth for quite a while here, trying all the porridge so to speak, to find Thomas a funnel that fits correctly. And all the while, not only does Thomas have no lines, but there's also no narration. It's all just Victor and Kevin rolling through in almost exactly the way they do in the late seasons; slips of the hook from Kevin, patient exasperation from Victor, and they're both getting to speak normally rather than in the stilted narrator style.

A lot of this relies on two things: Kevin is very mobile and the faces are animated now. Aside from the writing, a lot of what's happening in this scene is only possible because CGI provides a lot more control over physical sight gags and because the faces being able to move also allows Victor (who can't really move otherwise) the ability to react to things he can't see but can definitely hear.

The strength of the CGI is that the faces can react in real time so they don't need the narration to give them the space to do so. In the CGI, it actually comes off a bit Wonder Years to have that shot stay on a face when the narrator is expositing.

This is incredibly useful when you've got voice actors like David Bedella and Kerry Shale (I'm sure Matt Wilkinson is great too, but my copies are the US versions) and I think these two are how they realized this was ultimately the direction to go even if it would mean abandoning some of the more unique narrative structure of the model series production. 'Cause yes, the way a story was told in the model series was very identifiably Thomas and Friends and not quite as standardized as the CGI becomes, but the broader picture is that the strength of Thomas and Friends is the characters and the CGI gives them more room to express that.

In fact, they have so much room now they they can even afford some subtlety.

Not this funnel, obvs.

They try all the funnels and unfortunately for Thomas, this is the only one they have that fits him. Why do they even have novelty funnels? Yakety Sax-ass railway.

One of my favorite things about Victor - that I am delighted to find existed as early as five episodes in - is that he is pretty aware for an engine (having bedside manner and all) and he knows that he cannot be seen to be laughing at another engine in a situation such as this, but he does have a particular delivery that does give away that he thinks this shit is funny. It's always very understated so as to be plausibly deniable, but it makes these moments funnier.

Thomas is embarrassed of his funny funnel, but Victor assures him that it's "splendid" and that, more importantly, it will allow him to go do the special Sir Topham Hatt has waiting for him at Brendham Docks.

So Mr. Bubbles has his bubble liquid in this giant barrel with no fucking lid and a couple of straps screwed into the chime to secure it. Yeah, that'll hold her! Because there's no lid on the barrel, Thomas is instructed to go to Knapford Station slowly and carefully with it so that it doesn't spill. Meanwhile, Sir Topham Hatt is going to drive Mr. Bubbles to Knapford where they'll all meet back up for his show.

Uh oh!

Well well well, if it isn't the guy who literally just learned this same lesson two episodes ago. James, of course, laughs at Thomas' funnel because no one ever learns anything on this island and Thomas tears off to get away. He forgets his instructions and the bubble liquid starts sloshing about precariously.

Then he sees Gordon at the crossing and, of course, Gordon laughs too. And off Thomas rushes again. But this time, bubble liquid actually splashes out of the barrel and onto the road.

Remember what I said about how the CGI affords them more control over physical comedy? Here, they're really taking that out for a spin. Literally.

Sir Topham Hatt hits that bubble liquid, spins out, and hydroplanes right into a muddy ditch.

They also somehow collect a backseat passenger in the accident.

Thomas comes upon Henry at the signal and Henry, of course, also laughs at Thomas' funny funnel.

So off he fkn goes, nary a care in the world for Mr. Bubbles' bubble liquid. Hatt catches up to him and Mr. Bubbles yells for him to slow down, but Thomas is in such a hurry to not be seen that he doesn't hear. As he crosses the bridge, he spills more liquid and Hatt crashes his car again, this time into a haystack.

Relax, he's fine. Woolly bear activities.

Thomas doesn't notice the crash and goes even faster.

There's a pretty dynamic shot of Hatt's car pursuing Thomas at this point where they're also playing with their camera angles and shit.

It's like the cinematic mode in Grand Theft Auto. Rad.

Anyway, Thomas doesn't see them and he's still not paying attention so he splashes more bubble liquid on the road. And you know, at this point, you'd think if you're Sir Topham Hatt and you know Thomas is splashing bubble liquid about all willy-nilly, maybe you yourself would be driving a little more carefully, but what do I fuckin' know.

Third strike is into a pond. This duck does a pretty cool little turn in the water in this shot. Maybe the story and premise is a bit thin, but honestly, maybe a thin story is a good place to fill time with your experiments with the medium.

Finally, Thomas arrives at Knapford. But as you might have guessed, he spilled all the bubble liquid out of the barrel and it's almost time for the show!

You ever think about how there's a certain point in a bottle of bubbles that there's still plenty of liquid in there but not enough to fully coat the wand anymore?

Mr. Bubbles explains that the only backup barrel of bubble liquid is back at Brendham Docks and Thomas assures him that he can get it back to Knapford on time while being very careful.

You know, Mr. Bubbles is very serious for a clown. He's very dedicated to his craft, I guess. Imagine having to call a clown "sir" though.

But, when Thomas says he can get the liquid back there in time, he does consult with the pig briefly before agreeing to give him the chance. Now that's a gag they wouldn't do in the model series. (I feel like maybe Tug noticed this too, or at least this kind of gag if not this one specifically?) It's subtle! We have room for that now!

And if you're the rare soul writing something with Mr. Bubbles in it, it gives you a hint as to how to structure a joke around him. You play him as a straight man, but then have him do something nonsensical offhandedly.

So Thomas goes to get the bubbles and he's going carefully now when he meets Edward at the crossing. And Edward... well, this is fun. Edward is all wise and shit but, like, Victor has the presence of mind not to laugh at Thomas, right? Edward? Nah! Of course, he's laughing. Quite a fun comparison! You might think it's out of character for Edward and that'd be legit orrrr you could embrace it the way some people embrace him being dismissive of non-rail vehicles. I think it gives him depth and a little fallibility he otherwise does not get to enjoy.

Thomas still doesn't like his funny funnel, but at this point (maybe because it is Edward?) he starts kinda gettin' with the program and laughing at it too.

Then he sees some children on the bridge and they laugh too, but it's becuase they apparently think he's going to be part of the show. Thomas likes that his goofy-ass funnel made them laugh. Engines do like making people happy, after all.

He arrives at Knapford with the every metric litre of bubble liquid accounted for and just in time for the show, which he also gets to attend.

And as it turns out, Mr. Bubbles' apparent stage costume includes a hat that looks just like Thomas' funny funnel. So Thomas does get to be part of the show.

You know who else got to attend the show?

The pig. I guess he'd been there so long it would have been weird not to invite him. Especially after his sage advice to let Thomas try again. We wouldn't even have arrived at this point if not for that pig's wisdom.

So morals?

Well, you might think this is the same as "Tickled Pink". It's very close in concept. The difference is, in this case, Thomas overcomes his embarrassment by laughing with others at his stupid hat. Sometimes, the answer to this problem is not simply to power through, but to be like, "I know, right? Look at this shit Victor gave me. And then he tried to convince me it was splendid! We oughta get him some clown shoes since he thinks he's a comedian."

[sudriantraveler]

dream 💖🟧

[sudriantraveler]

"Why are you here? Where have you been?"

"Ah. That's a very long story. Do you like stories, Thomas?"

"Yes! The little engines in the hills tell me stories all the time."

"Then, I hope you will like mine."

Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails (2009)

[sudriantraveler]

This is how the Duck V. Diesel arc went, right?

[sudriantraveler]

1945

The new engine sat just outside the shed.

Amidst the dreary, weather-beaten yard, her smart green paint with yellow stripes glowed like sunshine.

She glanced over curiously at a tank engine shunting nearby.

The tank engine looked enviously back at her, and coughed wearily as he rolled by.

In a sea of austere and soot-stained black, she stood out like a sore thumb.

[sudriantraveler]

Thomas and Friends S13E04 "Double Trouble"

Oh fuck, two bangers in a row? Well, bangers for this era, but still. And we're only four episodes in!

This is the one with Sir Lowham Hatt, Topham's no account brother.

So it's Sir Topham Hatt's birthday and Thomas is supposed to pick him and Lady Hatt up to take them to the party. When he arrives at Maithwaite station, however, he finds that Sir Topham Hatt has a mustache all the sudden.

He also greets Thomas in oddly familiar way and laughs a bit obnoxiously about it. Fuckin' strange! Stranger still, Hatt wants to go to the Whispering Woods instead of the planned destination, saying that there's plenty of time before the party.

Now Thomas is perplexed by all this. Hatt's acting weird! And Thomas wants to ask about the mustache and the other weird behavior, but he "doesn't want to look silly".

Now one thing I do not care for in this era of the show is that being afraid of "looking silly" is a plot point in a lot of episodes. I don't like it because it encompasses a lot of nuanced experiences and feelings. However, I do see why they've elected to phrase it this way.

How much of learning to navigate the world as a child is worrying about looking stupid? Almost all of it! Thomas and Friends, though, ain't about to be throwing the word "stupid" around. It's immediately negative and demoralizing and it's not keeping with the Awdry styleguide anyway. So everything is about "looking silly".

But Looking Silly can be a stand in for any number of specific scenarios a child might experience. In the previous episode, Looking Silly meant when you have to wear an outfit you don't like and you think people will tease you for. In this one, it's about the risk of speaking up when you don't understand why an authority figure is behaving the way that they are and you're not even sure if you're allowed to question them.

So Thomas decides not to ask.

He takes Hatt to the Whispering Woods and finds that Edward is there with the children he's supposed to bring to the party. Hatt gets out and Thomas reminds him that they can't stay long because they have to get to the party on time.

"Party smarty," he says. So I guess that's a thing on Sodor around this time. "We got plany off time." And then he goes to play Hide and Seek with the kids.

Now here's the coolest part of this episode. Edward, wisest motherfucker on railway, notes the strangeness of this behavior too. Sir Topham Hatt never plays Hide and Seek. And he's got this weird new mustache. He and Thomas have this short little gossip session about it and I'm sure it's a great relief to Thomas that Edward thinks this is fuckin' weird too.

Mustache Hatt finally decides to get back on the train when Thomas tells him that they'll be late for the party and Edward comments that the children will be late too. To which Hatt instructs Edward not to rush the children to leave.

And Edward does not question this, thereby signalling that not questioning Hatt here is the appropriate thing to do.

Now, granted, Edward is still being mischaracterized by the show at this point in time, but I think there's one other thing at play here that's not actually being articulated.

I think engines observe an etiquette that, like children, states they are mostly to be seen and not heard. On the whole, this is probably just a good idea because you don't want large, loud machines calling passengers out and demanding their attention on the platform. Certainly we're shown that if a person wants to speak with an engine, they are welcome to do so, but an engine asking for a person's attention seems to be frowned upon.

There's one other episode later on, Series 19's "Thomas and the Emergency Cable", where Thomas does break this protocol to ask a birdwatcher what he's doing (because he's also appears to be behaving strangely). When Thomas asks, though, he does so rather gingerly, like he knows he's overstepping his bounds a bit. Another one of those things they reached back to revisit maybe?

Anyway, if this is the case and in view that they do think this is Sir Topham Hatt, it explains why even Edward doesn't want to speak up and address the strangeness he's observing and just does as he's told.

So Thomas is on his way again, when he has to stop at a junction. And as he's waiting, Hatt jumps out and just invites himself into the signal box, much to the surprise of the signalman too. And of course, the signalman also thinks this is Sir Topham Hatt, so he also does not question letting him "have a turn" on the levers. As a result, Gordon (who is bringing all the important visitors) get switched to a branchline and away from the party so he's going to be late too.

At this point, Thomas really thinks he ought to be asking Hatt what the fuck he's doing, but when he has the opportunity, he stays quiet. And I mean, fair, right? Both Edward and an actual person didn't speak up either, so what place does he have to question Sir Topham fkn Hatt?

They end up back at Maithwaite (to pick up Lady Hatt, in a bit of logic that might have given the gag away if Thomas wasn't a dumbass train), but when he arrives, the stationmaster is mad at him because the actual Hatts had to go to the party in Bertie the Bus when Thomas didn't show up on time and neither the children nor the important visitors are at the party either.

And now Thomas is like, "If Sir Topham Hatt is on Bertie, then who the hell is this?"

So finally, Thomas asks.

"Excuse me, Sir Topham, you don't quite seem yourself today. Is everything all right?"

"Yes, Thomas, but I'm not Sir Topham Hatt. I'm sir Lowham Hatt, Sir Topham's brother!"

Son of a bitch.

Thomas also realizes that if Sir Topham isn't at the party yet, that means Bertie must have broken down and needs to be found, which Sir Lowham thinks is great fun. But now Thomas is stern; he's had e-fuckin-nough of this guy today, engine etiquette or no. He tells Sir Lowham that he has to work very hard very quickly to fix all the confusion and delay he's caused and they won't be playing fucking Hide and Seek about it.

They find Bertie pretty easily and at first Sir Topham is cross with Thomas, until Sir Lowham gets out and immediately Sir Topham recognizes the real culprit here and directs all his ire at his brother. Which just goes to show that he understands how this could come to pass, that an engine was not likely to question his brother or his behavior because they would not question him.

Thomas rushes about getting Edward and Gordon back on track and everyone gets to the party eventually. And once everyone is there, Sir Topham Hatt enjoys himself so much, he actually plays with the children and laughs even louder than Sir Lowham did. Curious behavior indeed!

It's hard to say there's a moral in this one exactly, because at every turn, not asking was reinforced as the correct course of action. However, is that not also something that happens in real life? Maybe the moral is that sometimes some weird shit is afoot and everyone else is going to ignore the elephant in the room. Maybe you will join them; maybe you will finally say enough is enough. If it's the former, good odds no one will blame you, especially if they didn't ask either.

[sudriantraveler]

IT'S FUCKING 3/3 BITCHES

HAVE IMAGES OF HENRY AND SIR HANDEL

OOH HERE HAVE THIS TOO

[sudriantraveler]

"There was no doubt in my mind that steam engines all had definite personalities"

-Rev. W. Awdry

[sudriantraveler]

Train Family

The folks on Discord really liked this one. :)

The year after the Great War started, Robert Sam came up to the two narrow-gauge engines, looking absolutely thrilled. In his arms was a little boy, looking up at Skarloey and Rheneas with wide, curious eyes. "Skarloey, Rheneas," Robert Sam began, "this is my son, Peter. Peter, say hi to them."

The baby gurgled, a smile on his little face. The two engines couldn't help but coo, and off to the side, Mrs. Sam looked on, finding the entire situation absolutely adorable. "He's going to be a railway man one day," Robert Sam said proudly. "I can tell! And then he'll be your driver, Rheneas."

Rheneas managed to tear his eyes away from the baby long enough to frown at his driver. "Robert, I know how enthusiastic you are about this, but you'd best not pressure this boy into doing anything he doesn't want to do. His future is his own, and even if he doesn't come to work the railway, you WILL support him!"

Robert simply laughed in response. "Of course, of course. But I can feel it in my bones; my boy's going to be just like me."

Rheneas rolled his eyes. "Oh lovely," he replied, his tone deadpan. "I can't wait to have to put up with two Sams' worth of antics."

At this, Skarloey and Robert broke into laughter, with even little Peter joining in, and Rheneas couldn't keep but grin—the joy was absolutely infectious.

-----

"Hi, Pop!" called a youthful voice, and Robert Sam alighted from Rheneas' cab to see 8-year-old Peter running towards him, waving wildly. A beaming smile so wide it seemed like it might hurt stretched across his face. "Hi, Rheneas!"

"Good afternoon, Peter," the crimson engine smiled. "Did you have a good day at school?"

"Of course I did!" Peter grinned. "I even saw Skarloey go by today, and I waved at him!"

"Oh?" his father chuckled. "I'm quite sure that was us, though. Wasn't it, Rheneas?"

The engine gave his driver a sidelong look, but his smile didn't waver. "Don't involve me in your nonsense, Robert Sam."

In that mercurial way that only children can manage, Peter's earlier grin vanished, replaced by a pout that caused his face to scrunch up like he'd sucked on a lemon. "Yeah! Leave Rheneas alone, Pop! Besides, it wasn't you; I know how to tell the difference between Skarloey and Rheneas! I have to know these things if I'm going to be a driver one day."

This proclaimation caused the easygoing smiles on Robert and Rheneas's faces to subtley shift into twin expressions of wonder, both sets of eyes wide in surprise. "Peter... you seriously want to be a driver one day?" his father asked.

"Yeah!" the boy replied, his grin bubbling back up at the thought. "Rheneas and Skarloey are my friends! I want to go up and down the line with them, just like you!"

Engine and driver felt their hearts swell. But before either could respond, there came a call of "Peter!" Mrs. Sam had arrived, ready to take Peter home, and the boy waved at his father and his friend one last time before running off.

"Robert... you didn't—" Rheneas began.

"Not at all," Robert marveled. "He decided all on his own. See, Rheneas? I told you he was like me. You'll have a friend for life!"

Once again, Rheneas rolled his eyes, but the sparks in his firebox felt bright. Maybe these things did run in the family after all.

-----

"You have everything you need, right?" Robert asked, a rarely-heard trace of worry in his tone.

"Yes, Pop," a 16-year-old Peter Sam smiled, seemingly unaffected by his father's aura of anxiety. "I'm all packed!"

The young Sam had quite a bit of luggage, and Rheneas idly wondered how well he would be able to manage it all. Peter was going to be away for quite some time, off on an apprenticeship and volunteer opportunity with another railway. Both father and engine were excited for him, but Rheneas couldn't deny that he also felt somewhat sad.

"Do your best, Peter," Robert counseled. "Ask for help if you need it, accept advice as it makes sense to do so, and while not everyone is your friend, not everyone is your enemy either. Make friends, learn a lot, and please do write to us." With that, the driver embraced his son in a hug, and Rheneas couldn't help but smile.

"Your father's right, Peter," he seconded. "If you are truly committed, then you must give it your all. No being half-hearted about it!"

Peter laughed as his father finally let go, his familiar cheer bringing Robert and Rheneas no small amount of comfort. "Ok, ok! Geez, it's like I have two dads! I'll be alright, and I'll write you when I get there."

Suddenly, a loud whistle sounded as Gordon pulled up with the Express.

"There's my train!" Peter exclaimed, eyes bright as he began corralling his luggage. "Off I go. Bye, Pop! Bye, Rheneas!"

"Good luck!" Rheneas called.

"Have fun!" his father shouted.

And with a bevy of bags and bustle, Peter Sam got himself on the train, waving good-bye to his father and (self-proclaimed) second dad. In a few short minutes, the train pulled out of the station, leaving Robert and Rheneas to watch it go with complicated emotions on their faces and in their hearts.

"...Do you think he'll come back?" Rheneas asked quietly, his words almost imperceptible over the sound of Gordon's grand exit. "He's a good lad, but there's so much more out there than here on Sodor, especially our little railway. Maybe he'll find work on some large railway somewhere."

"Truthfully, I don't know," his driver replied, his anxiety now replaced with a resigned somberness. "But just as you said, whatever he does, we'll support him. And hey... you'll have me for as long as I can manage, old friend."

Rheneas smiled as Robert Sam gave his boiler a companionable pat, the familiar gesture appreciated amidst all of the change.

"And as always, I am grateful for it."

-----

Robert Sam walked out of the Crovan's Gate stationmaster's office with tired eyes, but a wide smile on his face. "Well, Rheneas, it's official! Sir Handel Brown wants me to take over as the next railway controller!"

Rheneas beamed in response, all of his earlier anxiety vanishing like steam in the wind. "That's wonderful, Robert! You'll do an excellent job."

After a moment, however, the engine's good cheer waned as a quiet hesitance took its place, his next words coming out a little slower than he would have liked. "I suppose that means that I'll have to have a new driver, though."

Robert Sam gave his engine an understanding pat. "I know you're not thrilled by the prospect, old boy, but it has to be done. I can't manage the railway effectively if I'm running trains."

"I know," Rheneas replied, his pensive expression once again being replaced by a small smile. "And you've been so good to me for all of these years. I've been quite spoiled."

At this, Robert gave a funny little grin that reminded Rheneas very much of Skarloey. "Well, as it happens, I'm leaving you in very capable hands. We received several applications for who would be your new driver, and it'll ultimately be your choice, but we have a candidate that I think you'll like very much."

This unexpected news caused Rheneas to blink, a look of surprise finding its way onto his face. "Oh? Who did you have in mind?"

Robert Sam chuckled knowingly, a twinkle in his eye. "He'll be out in a moment."

The newly-crowned controller had barely finished his sentence before the office door opened once again, this time to reveal a fresh-faced 21-year-old dressed in a good suit, with a rather dashing demeanor to match. However, Rheneas saw past the costume immediately, looking into the eyes of a boy whom he'd known since the time he was born.

"...Peter Sam? Is that you?"

"Hi Rheneas," the young man answered with an achingly familiar grin. "I'm home."

"So you are," the old engine breathed, willing the water in his tank to stay where it was. "But... what are you..."

"Well, I did say I wanted to become your driver one day," Peter replied sunnily, closing the distance between himself and the crimson engine. Once he was close enough for only Robert and Rheneas to hear, he continued. "And... between you and me, Pop said that if I was going to do it, I'd have to learn some secrets of yours, things that have been rather hard on you."

For the first time, Peter Sam's joy now had a hint of worry to it, a gentle kindness that he hadn't fully realized before he'd left but was so very him. "Pop said he wouldn't tell me what they were until you agreed that I could be your driver, but... whatever it is, I can handle it, Rheneas. I promise. You and Skarloey mean so much to me, and I'd be really happy if we could go up and down the line together. My apprenticeship and volunteer work was to learn how to operate engines, so that I'd be ready to drive one of you one day." Peter Sam bit at his lip, staring at the old engine with cautiously hopeful eyes. "So... what do you say?"

Rheneas was silent for a long moment, simply allowing himself to think back to Robert Sam's statement way back when. A friend for life. He couldn't deny that he'd been skeptical of Robert's bold claim, but looking at Peter Sam, it was clear that the lad loved railways, and that he loved this railway in particular. He'd really meant it when he said he was home. And Rheneas also couldn't deny the warm, fluttering feeling in his firebox at an outlandish declaration come to pass, through neither force nor coercion, all because the Sam family truly was, as Robert had said, a train family. A train family that had decided Rheneas would be their friend forever, just as he had decided to entrust himself to Robert all those years ago.

"Well," Rheneas said at last, a reassuring smile spreading across his face, "I suppose that I could be convinced to let you trial me. I've put up with your father for this long; I somehow doubt you could be any worse."

"YAHOO!" Peter Sam yelled gleefully, pumping his fist in the air before suddenly realizing that he was making a scene. "I mean, thank you, Rheneas! You won't regret this! We'll be great! Hahaha!"

Once again, Rheneas couldn't stop himself from laughing along as Robert also joined in. If there was one thing that he could say about the Sams, it was that Peter Sam's joy truly was as infectious as his father's.

[sudriantraveler]

Read an article about a steam loco that was thought to have been scrapped in the 70s but was actually hidden away in a mystery shed for years but was eventually found and rescued around 2017, has now been restored and is going to be making its re-entry into public service on a heritage line sounding straight out of a Railway Series book

[sudriantraveler]

may this be my contribution to the world

[sudriantraveler]

Thomas and Friends S13E01 "Creaky Cranky"

I'd been thinking about doing an episode by episode look at the Thomas and Friends for a while now, but I'm not going to start at the beginning. Everyone who does this starts at the beginning. There's a lot to like at the beginning! It's easy to find things to appreciate about the first few seasons of the show.

No, I'm going to start exactly where people vehemently fail to appreciate: Series 13, the beginning of the CGI era.

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of dogshit in the, say, eight seasons before that, but people seem to have inexplicable nostalgia glasses for those late model series seasons. So instead, we're gonna look at the show from exactly the point people stop giving it any grace. We're gonna examine each episode and find the interesting details that you could be doing something with if you were payin' attention.

So. "Creaky Cranky"

The premise is there's gonna be a party at the Duke and Duchess' new summer house and the engines are all collecting freight to set it up. James and Henry are given heavier loads because they're stronger engines, while Thomas is waiting for Cranky to unload some eggs for him.

Once Henry and James leave, Thomas says good morning to Cranky and Cranky replies, "What's good about it?" Thomas tells him about the party and Cranky says "Party smarty. I don't go to parties. I'm stuck here loading and unloading all day. I haven't had a moment to rest my hook."

And hearing this, you think "Oh, I know the formula. They're going to move the party to the docks so the crane who never gets to party can participate."

No! It was a red herring. Cranky unloads Thomas' eggs and Thomas tells him he's creaky and asks if the eggs are too heavy for him.

Little shit. But Cranky flips that shit back around on him. No, the eggs aren't too heavy for him and furthermore, Thomas was given this load because he's not strong enough to pull anything heavier. That's why Henry and James got the heavier loads. "Tiny Thomas" can't pull anything heavier than eggs.

Thomas, being a dumbass train with inordinate ego, argues that he's just as strong as any other engine on the island (patently false). To which Cranky replies, "You're not as strong as me".

And now it's a pissing match! Except...

Cranky doesn't actually know he's in a pissing match yet. Like, he's busy, he's working. When Thomas shows back up with James' load and challenges him to lift it, Cranky's not actually trying to prove anything. It's merely one more thing he has to move to get it out of his dock. The quicker he indulges this little engine in his folly, the quicker he can unload the next ship.

He lifts James' freight - flatbed and all - and says "Told ya so." He's almost amused that Thomas is still on about this 'cause he forgot about it the second Thomas left. And just for wasting his time, Cranky calls him Tiny Thomas again.

Rinse repeat with Henry's even heavier load. "Told ya so."

But Thomas caint let that shit stand so he then challenges Creaky to lift him. And now Cranky's actually participating.

And Cranky does lift Thomas. He's strong enough to do it, but it also snaps his crane arm, rendering him inoperable and Thomas stuck on the hoist. Sir Topham Hatt shows up to give everyone a talkin' to, and points out particularly that Cranky is just as silly as Thomas, to Cranky's deep shame. He's a crane; he should know better! He's got all that perspective.

They get Thomas down and just then, Spencer rolls up. So Thomas proposes that Spencer, who is very strong, take all the loads Thomas brought back to the docks to the summer house, while he goes to the Steamworks to get Cranky replacement parts.

The scene at the Steamworks would be a waste of time (aside from introducing the location and its accordant engines to viewers who hadn't seen Hero of the Rails) if not for one line from Kevin.

"Give Cranky my best."

Crane solidarity. Crane admiration! This also might be foreshadowing to the Season 17 episode where Kevin actually visits the docks to help Cranky. Which is to say, a thing the CGI did quite often later on was reach back and allude to small details from previous stories. Entirely possible this was just a one-off comment to fill few seconds more time here and gave someone the idea for another story four seasons later.

Anyway, Thomas returns to the docks with Cranky's parts and Cranky remarks that the flatbed of parts he's brought is quite heavy to segue into conceding that Thomas is not tiny, to which Thomas agrees that Cranky isn't creaky.

So what's the takeaway here?

Cranky, despite his brusque manner, is really very indulgent of engine bullshit. Like, it wasn't until the third strike when Thomas challenged Cranky to lift him that Cranky succumbed to ego and was actually trying to prove himself. Up to that point, he was (to his thinking) just obliging an engine who wanted to see him demonstrate his strength.

We see this in other episodes too, like when he plays along with The Christmas Carol caper in "Diesel's Ghostly Christmas", looks for Timothy's supposed "rainbow" car despite how absurd it sounds, or points out Salty and Diesel to a panicked Paxton in "Disappearing Diesels".

He wants to find engines annoying and came to Sodor with every intention to, but I think despite himself, he finds them and their small concerns and the things they ask of him charming.

[sudriantraveler]

"Hurry up with those trucks" puffed Emily. "I'm not about to be late because of your dawdling".

"Is this even your train?" wheeshed Thomas. "I thought you were the Director's private engine".

Emily sneered, and blew steam at him. "I can do more than just drag around a stuffy old inspection saloon all day. Now get a move on so I can prove it".

[sudriantraveler]

on this the wee hours of 2/2, i'd like to give a shoutout to both edward and rheneas. the twos :)

[sudriantraveler]

They will have never seen anything like it.