#Edward the A1 Pacific

[blaze-aus-steam-lover]

Victorian Railways S class

Builder's photo of S300 Matthew Flinders, 1928

The Victorian Railways S class was a class of pacific type express engines, built in 1928 for Victorian railways (VR). Only 4 where built and none of them survived. They where built when VR was at its most successful period of time. They were the final design of the VR's Chief Mechanical Engineer Alfred E Smith, The design was influenced by Nigel Gresley's GNR A1 class.

The class was assigned the broad gauge leg of the Melbourne to Sydney, run for express passenger services. The class was the most prestigious class of locomotive that VR had until the early 1950s when diesel electric locomotives started to be used. They were the first pacific type locomotive that where ran by VR, as well as the first 3 cylinder locomotive type for VR. Known for their power and speed, in their first 10 years of service the time of the Sydney express service was reduced by 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The improvements to the service, the Sydney limited was replaced with the art deco streamliner the spirit of progress and the S class was fitted with streamlined casings to match the new set of carriages. They were equipped with long range tenders so that the 306.6km (190+1⁄2-mile) journey could be a non-stop run, making the service the fastest in Australia's for next 20 years.

The Spirit of Progress headed by S301 Sir Thomas Mitchell near Kilmore East in 1938

As the class only had 4, they were highly utilised, they annually ran up mileages double that of other classes and by 1954 had a combined total of approximately 9,200,000 km (5,700,000 miles). Their size and heavy axle load made the class unsuitable for regular service on any other lines that the north eastern line and in 1954 within the first 6 months of the B class diesel being on the spirit of progress roster by that April the S class had been all been withdrawn and scrapped.

The scrapping of the class was the catalyst for the rail preservation movement to lobby for the preservation of the remaining VR steam locomotives, which resulted in the establishment of the Australian railway historical society museum in williamstown north in the 1962. The numbers of the class where S300, S301, S302 and S303. S301 was the first scrapped in October 1953 and the S300 in September 1954. their names where S300: Matthew Flinders, S301: Sir Thomas Mitchell, S302: Edward Henty and S303: CJ La Trobe. they were named after prominent figures in early Victorian history.

Two of the four tender frames have been saved for preservation by the Newport Railway Museum and are currently used as workshop vehicles at the Newport Workshops. these are numbered VFGA3 & VFGA4. One tender frame and tank are stored by Steamrail Victoria. The fourth tender frame is owned by the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre, which now has had a tender body placed on it.

One of the S class locomotives' whistles survived and was fitted to the R class locomotive R707, the City of Melbourne, to recreate the sound of the original S class-hauled service. for the 50th Anniversary run of the Spirit of Progress on 14 November 1987, operated by the Australian Railway Historical Society.

[trainalt22]

End of the line

Edward sat in the cutter's shed. He had accepted his fate. His accident had left him damaged. He knew that if it were up to Sir Topham, he would have been repaired, but BR was the one pulling the strings. He didn't fear the diesel that sneered at him, hurled insults at him, and would like nothing more than to see him cut up for parts. Edward was anxious about one matter, though: Thomas. He worried about what the poor engine would do once he found out. He would be inconsolable, for sure. Edward saw Thomas as a son. He re-taught him everything he needed to know, and now he had his very own branch line. Edward couldn't be prouder of him. He just regretted that he didn't get to tell Thomas that. He would miss James as well. The two had begun to bond before his accident. After he caught James as a runaway, the mogul seemed to warm up to him. James deep down was a good engine; he just needed to stop obsessing over what others thought of him. Edward closed his eyes, tired from the pain and the reminiscing.

He was awoken by a bright light shining on his face. He stirred, finding an unusual tank engine next to him, and she smiled at him. "I suppose it's about time. I've had a very long career, and I thank you for that," the peculiar tank engine said nothing nodding humbly.

Outside, a familiar blue Pacific blew his whistle, charging the gate and breaking it down instantly. Behind him, a small blue tank engine was chasing away the diesel shunters. Gordon was a mighty sight. The last Gresley A1 in steam, and he was well maintained. To be on the other end of his fury was for most a one-way trip to the cutter's torch. He stormed the scrap yard looking for his fleetmate.

Gordon found him in the cutter's shed, asleep and snoring lightly. He gently pushed Edward's buffers to wake him. The old iron woke with a start, confused as to where he was. "G-Gordon? How ever did you find me?" Edward asked.

"I had something to do with that," boomed the voice of the Fat Controller as he stepped off Gordon's footplate. "I'm sorry they took you, Edward, and I'm glad to see you safe."

Edward just smiled. "Thank you, sir."

Edward and Gordon were coupled up, and Gordon began to pull him gently out of the shed. "Edward," Gordon started, "I'm sorry for my treatment of you in the past. Losing you was a challenge we all had to overcome, and in truth, it was Thomas who convinced me to come to your aid."

Edward hummed. "I cannot accept your apology, Gordon, not now anyway. However, if you truly want to change, then you have my full support, and I must ask you a favor."

"Of course, Edward," Gordon replied. "What do you need, old iron?"

"If something happens to me again, I want you to look after Thomas," Edward said.

After a brief pause, Gordon responded, "You have my word on Gresley's honor."

From across the yard, they heard Thomas shouting with joy at seeing Edward.

Edward smiled as Thomas pressed his buffers against his, crying. The long trip back to Sodor was one Edward was excited for.

[wysteriaisapenguin]

Based on a post about Percy and Harold:

If Percy is older than Edward but looks younger than he is, what was Edward’s reaction to finding out that Percy is older than him if he did or ever found out?

How would the others react if they ever found out? Or would they not believe Percy is older than Edward? Because then that would make Gordon the youngest.

(Gresley a1 Pacifics were made in 1922. Furness K2 “Larger seagull made in 1896. E2 tank engines made from 1913-1916. And L and YR class 28s made from 1909-1912. And for the heck of it: Sterling singles made from 1870-1895. Also Toby: J70 tram engines made from 1903-1921)

I feel like if the others ever found out about Percy’s age they’d lose their minds since Percy doesn’t act that old.

Ok so I found out that the Avonside 0-4-0 saddletank engine was built sometime in 1897-1900, so Percy is technically younger than Edward. But it’s a one year difference at most, so that still means he’s REALLY old. Sorry if I was wrong about that fact!

That being said! I think Edward would be the first engine to know about Percy’s real age. One day, he was feeling upset about being called “old” by the others. Percy tries to cheer him up by telling him that he can’t be that old since Percy claims to be ‘even older’. Edward doesn’t know what he means by that, so Percy tells him his actual age.

The blue engine is surprised to hear about this. He never would have guessed that a small and energetic tank engine like Percy would be just as old as him. Edward laughs and tells him that he’s still a year older than Percy, but he appreciates the support. He then asks why Percy never told anyone about this and the green tank engine replies that no one would believe him if he did. Edward understands since Percy does get teased a lot for being little, so he promises to keep it a secret.

A few years later, Percy’s crew wanted to celebrate Percy's build date (they have an estimated guess) so they surprise him with a birthday cake. That is when all the other engines learn about Percy’s real age. Needless to say, they were all in shock. (Except Edward because he already knew.)

Emily and Toby are confused about why Percy never acted his age but they don't mind that much. He’s still the same cheerful and hardworking little saddletank they know and love. Thomas bombards Percy with a million questions while Henry starts to feel bad about being rude to him in the past and apologizes by saying that “he didn’t know”. Percy happily forgives him since he's nice to him now. He also teases Thomas to "respect his elders" from now on, but Thomas teases him back saying that an elder can be his best friend too.

Gordon and James are freaking out and refuse to accept that Percy is older than them. This hits harder for Gordon since he is technically the youngest of the Steam Team.

[ratslovepinktoo]

My Thomas AU I suppose? (Headcannons and what not)

Age

In this AU, everyone has the ability to become a human. Engines live for a significantly longer amount of time than an average human being does. Despite the fact that they can get older, their physical appearance doesn’t change. They’re kinda just eternally young. Engine years are much different from human years. An example being that my oc Pamelle is only around 30 in engine years even though she was built in 1920.

Speed + Strength

The engines (when in human form) are significantly faster and stronger. Their speed and strength in human form depends on the speed and strength of themselves in engine form (E.g. Percy can move at a speed of about 35 mph, meaning that he can go this fast in his human form)

Gender(s)

The engines can really be any gender they want, if they use enough energy then they can possibly make their human for the desired gender. Or they can just use an identity. Whatever floats their boat.

Shifting Form

It can feel uncomfortable at first, as their bodies are quite literally reforming into something they generally aren’t used to. It can be awkward to walk at first, but after some time it does eventually become easier.

(In case you, or anyone else is asking, no. They can not reproduce)

The main 6 in my au

(Please be respectful about what headcannons I might have)

Thomas

💙 Adopted by Edward 💙

💙 Can go at a speed of about 30 - 70 mph 💙

💙 All of his siblings were scrapped, causing him to have depression for quite a long time 💙

💙 He’s #1 because he was actually the first to be officially purchased to work on the NWR 💙

💙 He stayed at Edward’s home until he was confident enough that he knew just enough to start working on the lines 💙

💙 Based off an LBS&CR E2 class tank engine 💙

💙 Very cheeky and loves playing jokes on others (especially the big engines) but knows when to act mature and serious 💙

💙 Can get very salty if he feels like he’s going to be replaced 💙

Edward

🩵 Adopted Thomas and kept him at home until he felt ready to let him work on the mainline 🩵

🩵 He’s #2 on the NWR because he was the 2nd to be bought 🩵

🩵 Has a speed of about 70 - 80 mph 🩵

🩵 Very wise and kind 🩵

🩵 He currently has feelings for James, but is very subtle about it 🩵

🩵 Overall just very relaxed 🩵

🩵 Eldest of the main 6 🩵

🩵 Based on a Stewart and co “Larger Seagull" K2 Class 🩵

Henry

💚 He had helped Edward take care of Thomas if he ever had to leave for work 💚

💚 #3 on the railway because (you guessed it) he was the 3rd to be bought 💚

💚 The plans for his construction were failed plans and were accidentally stolen, therefore causing him to be a failed prototype and thus leading to his extensive rebuild 💚

💚 He’s probably a tree hugger 💚

💚 Has a huge garden 💚

💚 He also probably names his plants too 💚

💚 He’s kind of like a father or big brother to Percy 💚

💚 Has Ombrophobia 💚

💚 Can go at a speed of about 96 mph 💚

Gordon

💙 Obviously very moody and grumpy 💙

💙 LOVES COFEE 💙

💙 Doesn’t like most animals but will tolerate cats 💙

💙 He loves all his friends. He just doesn’t show it 💙

💙 THRIVES when it come to certain interests 💙

💙 4th to be bought 💙

💙 Can go at a speed of about 100 - 105 mph 💙

💙 Likes reading the Sodor newsletter 💙

💙 Fiercely loyal to his controller, friends, and railway 💙

💙 HAS TOO MANY SIBLINGS AND COUSINS (lots of which sadly were scrapped) 💙

💙 Based of an LNER A1 Pacific Express Engine 💙

James

❤️ HE THE LIVING DEFINITION OF PRIDE (Both the self-conscious emotion and the 🏳️‍🌈 kind) ❤️

❤️ He most likely tries to kiss himself when looking in a mirror ❤️

❤️ He prefers to take passengers coaches rather than cars ❤️

❤️ HATES dirty stuff ❤️

❤️ Short tempered ❤️

❤️ Seems like the guy who only cares about himself. Most of his room actually has pictures of everyone he cares about ❤️

❤️ Can go at a speed of about 70-80 mph ❤️

❤️ He’s easy to humble, most people don’t try though. They think he’s too selfish to even try to humble ❤️

❤️ Based off a LYR class 28 engine ❤️

Percy

💚 He’s just as cheeky as Thomas. That’s why they’re so close 💚

💚 Very selfless 💚

💚 Often seen as a not-so-bright person, but this is only because he’s easy to put upon 💚

💚 He’s a baby. Protect him at all costs. 💚

💚 He’s a child at heart 💚

💚 He still treats his plushies like real people 💚

💚 Has trouble paying attention 💚

💚 Smallest and youngest of the main 6 💚

💚 Based off an Avonside 0-4-0ST and can go up to speeds of about 35-45 mph 💚

💚 LOVES mail runs 💚

[ttteanimalau]

If we were going off of the IRL based, Edward would actually be significantly weaker than Thomas, the E2 outputs 21,307 lbf of tractive effort, the Furnece K2 on the other paw does only 13,770 lbf in tractive effort and size wise too (the E2's are freaking massive tank engines) I feel like Thomas would be almost as big if not slightly bigger than Edward

My AU isn't written based on any IRL information about train classes, it's mostly based on the show and how I perceive the characters.

But speaking of which, Thomas isn't fully grown in any of the images I've drawn of him and Edward. After the events of the series (specifically, I cut off just before BWBA), he does get a bit bigger but he's still a couple inches smaller just because being the runt of the litter sucks.

Most of my lore pieces with them involve Edward and Thomas when the latter was a baby, but during the shows events, Thomas is actually stronger than Edward, mostly due to his young age and genetics (his father was wild and his mother used to be one of the strongest wolf workers in the country, she's too old to carry that title tho now). Also, all the shit he goes through, it would be strange if he didn't develope more muscle. If he could take Desiel 10 in a fight, I think it's fair to assume.

That being said, there are also a lot of other things changed from IRL or even canon to the show, biggest example is the fact that Edward raised Thomas on Sodor, but another change from IRL is the fact that Gordon is older than Thomas. IRL Gordon is a Pacific A1 Prototype, built in 1922, while E2 tank engines were built in 1913, making Thomas years older in the canon series.

My AU has no canon years atm so don't ask xD

I hope that explains how I run this AU, it's mostly based on my perception of the characters.

[heartsofironau]

List of custom engines made for Hearts of Iron so far!

(Note: these are either OCs or my own twists, the original cast remains the same otherwise)

•Ramon: LNER Gresley Class A1 Pacific

Gender: Male

Original paint: Asphalt black with silver stripes

Repaint: Navy blue with black stripes

Relatives: Gordon & Flying Scotsman

Transferred to Sodor Railways due to negligent mini conductor and repair for a tear in the metal near his face and a busted buffer

•Sherrie: LNER Peppercorn Class A1

Former model: LNER Gresley Class A1 Pacific

Gender: Female

Original paint: Silver with gold stripes

Repaint: Snow white with grass green stripes

Requires Welsh coal due to House coal damaging her boiler and firebox

Transferred to Sodor Railways due to negligent mini conductor and rebuild after damage caused by derailment and continued use afterwards

•Jackson: L&YR Class 5 (Former Name: Jamie)

Gender: Male (FtM transgender)

Original paint: Crimson Rose

Repaint: Crimson Rose and gold

Transferred to Sodor Railways due to negligent mini conductor and to replace rotting wooden brake blocks and receive new funnel and tender

•Summer: LB&SCR E3 class

Gender: Female

Original paint: Sky blue with white stripes (repainted due to peeling and scuffs)

Repaint: Indigo with white stripes

Transferred to Sodor Railways due to abandonment by mini conductor

•Raymond: Furness Railway K2 Class

Gender: Male

Original paint: Royal blue with cyan stripes (current paint)

Relative: Edward

Transferred to Sodor Railways due to mini conductor resigning to different railways

•William: BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T

Gender: Male

Original paint: Forest Green with black stripes

Repaint: Orange with white stripes

Relative: Alfred (tense relationship due to model differences)

Transferred to Sodor Railways due to mistreatment, competition and tension between adoptive relative

•Carter: NER Class Z

Gender: Male

Original paint: Sunrise yellow with orange stripes (Repainted due to weathering and peeling)

Repaint: Amber with navy blue stripes

Transferred to Sodor Railways after being forced to assist in the local Dieselworks with Locke

•Locke: BR Class 42 D821 Greyhound

Gender: Male

Diesel type: Diesel-Hydraulic

Original paint: storm grey with yellow stripes

Repaint: Ash grey with yellow caution stripes

Hydraulic claw modification illegally attached by old railways without consent (Eventually named Krusher)

Transferred to Vicarstown Dieselworks due to butting heads with meaner diesels, negligent Dieselgirl and unwanted modifications

[diesel292]

Edward the Blue 1896 Furness Railway 21/K2 Class Engine, Henry the Green 1919 London North Eastern Railway Gresley A1 Engine, Gordon the Big 1922 Great Northern Railway Class A1 Pacific Express Engine, 87546, 98462, 1923 London Midland & Scottish Railway Cattle Truck, 1925 London Midland & Scottish Railway 10 Ton Banana Van & Troublesome 1925 Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway 7-Plank Open Trucks - The Three Railway Engines 12th May 1945

Thomas the 1915 London Brighton & South Coast Railway Class E2 0-6-0T Tank Engine, Annie & Clarabel the 1870s London Brighton & South Coast Railway Stroudley Coaches, James the Red 1912 Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Class 28 Engine - Thomas the Tank Engine 14th September 1946

Bertie the 1935 AEC Regal "T Class" London Country Area Bus, Terrance the 1934 Caterpillar Model 70 Tractor - Tank Engine Thomas Again 31st December 1949

Percy the Small 1925 Avonside SS Class Trojan Engine - Troublesome Engines 15th January 1950

Toby the 1914 Great Eastern Railway Class C53 Wisbech Steam Tram Engine, Henrietta the 1884 Great Eastern Railway Wisbech & Upwell Tramway Coach, 1921 14-Ton Tar Tanker & Green 1935 AEC Regal "T Class" London Country Area Bus - Toby the Tram Engine 26th July 1952

Trevor the 1927 William Foster & Co. Traction Engine No. 14593 - Edward the Blue Engine 23rd November 1954

Skarloey the Famous Old 1864 Talyllyn Railway No. 1 "Talyllyn" Engine, Rheneas the Gallant Old 1865 Talyllyn Railway No. 2 "Dolgoch" Engine, Peter Sam the Friendly 1920 Talyllyn Railway No. 4 "Edward Thomas" Engine, Sir Handel the Wise Old 1904 Talyllyn Railway No. 3 "Sir Haydn" Engine, Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima & Beatrice the 1865 Talyllyn Railway coaches Nos. 1 - 5 - Four Little Engines 22nd November 1955

Duck the 1929 Great Western Railway 5700 Class, Harold the 1949 Sikorsky S-55 helicopter - Percy the Small Engine 1st January 1956

1950 British Railway 16-Ton Mineral Truck, 1925 London Midland & Scottish Railway Class 3F “Jinty” & 1932 London Midland & Scottish Railway OF Kitson “Pug”, 1930 London Midland & Scottish Railway "Patriot" Class Big City Engine - the Eight Famous Engines 15th September 1957

1903 Great Western Railway 3700 No. 3440 "City of Truro", "Devious" Diesel the Mean 1952 British Railway Class 8 Engine, 1903 10-Ton Salt Van - Duck & the Diesel Engine 23rd June 1958

Duncan the Stubborn 1928 Talyllyn Railway No. 6 Douglas Engine - The Little Old Engine 1st January 1959

Rusty the Little 1957 Talyllyn Railway No. 5 Midlander Diesel Engine - The Little Old Engine 1st January 1959

Cora the 1885 Talyllyn Railway Tool Van No. 6 - The Little Old Engine 1st January 1959

Ada, Jane & Mabel the 1955, 1956 & 1957 Talyllyn Railway Coaches Nos. 11, 12 & 13 - The Little Old Engine 1st January 1959

1959 Talyllyn Railway 2-Bar Slate Truck - The Little Old Engine 1st January 1959

Donald & Douglas the Scottish 1909 CR McIntosh 812 Class Engines, 1929 British Railway 20-Ton Spiteful Brake Van - The Twin Engines 15th September 1960

1925 Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway 5-Plank Open Ffarquhar Quarry Truck, Daisy the 1960 British Railway Class 101 Diesel Railcar - Branch Line Engines 15th September 1961

George the 1950 Aveling-Barford R Class Steamroller & JTK 62 the 1962 Wolseley 24/80 - Gallant Old Engine 1st January 1962

Caroline the 1926 Morris Oxford Bullnose Cabriolet Car, 1875 London Brighton & South Coast Railway A1X 55 "Stepney" Bluebell Engine, 1960 British Railway Class 40, D701 the 1959 British Railway Class 31, 1961 British Railway Class 52 "Western", D782 the 1960 British Railway Class 40 - Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine 15 August 1963

Culdee the 1900 Snowdon Mountain Railway's No. 4 Snowdon, Godred the 1900 Snowdon Mountain Railway's No. 1 L.A.D.A.S, Wilfred the 1900 Snowdon Mountain Railway's No. 3 Wyddfa, Lord Harry the 1962 Snowdon Mountain Railway's No. 6 Padarn, Alaric the 1962 Snowdon Mountain Railway's No. 7 Ralph, Catherine the 1900 Snowdon Mountain Railway No. 4 Coach, 1900 Snowdon Mountain Railway Culdee Fell Coach, 1900 Snowdon Mountain Railway "The Truck" - Mountain Engines 15th August 1964

Neil the 1856 Neilson 0-4-0 Box Tank - Very Old Engines 15th June 1965

Bill & Ben the 1948 Bagnall "Alfred" & "Judy" Tank Engine Twins & BoCo the Big Friendly 1958 British Railway Class 28 Co-Bo Diesel - Main Line Engines 15th August 1966

Rex the Miniature 1923 Ravenglass & Eskdale No. 7 River Esk Engine, Mike the Miniature 1966 Ravenglass & Eskdale No. 9 River Mite Engine, Bert the Miniature 1894 Ravenglass & Eskdale No. 3 River Irt Engine, 1928 Ravenglass & Eskdale Open Bogie Arlesdale Coaches, 1967 Ballast Cleaner, Willie's 1964 Ford 5000 Tractor - Small Railway Engines 1st August 1967

Oliver the 1934 Great Western Railway 14xx Class 0-4-2T Engine, 1923 London & North Eastern Railway Class A3 4472 "Flying Scotsman", Bear the 1964 British Railway Class 35 "Hymek", Diesel 199 the 1963 British Railway Class 46 "Peak" - Enterprising Engines 4 October 1968

Isabel, Dulcie, Alice & Mirabel the 1954 British Railway Hawksworth Autocoaches, Toad the 1940 Great Western Railway 16-ton Brake Van - Enterprising Engines 4 October 1968

S.C. Ruffey the 1926 7-Plank Open Truck, Fred Pelhay the 1926 8-Plank Open Truck & Bulgy the 1960 AEC Bridgemaster Double-Decker Bus - Oliver the Western Engine 15th November 1969

Duke the Lost 1879 Ffestiniog Railway 0-4-0TT Engine, Stanley the 1917 Baldwin Class 10-12-D - Duke the Lost Engine 15th October 1970

Mavis the 1962 British Railway Class 4 Quarry Diesel - Tramway Engines 15th October 1972

Algy the 1947 Daimler CVD6SD - Bertie Saves the Day December 1984

Old Stuck-Up the 1960 British Railway Class 40 & 1964 British Railway Class 47 "Brush" Works Diesel - James & the Diesel Engines 17th September 1984

1884 London & North Western Railway 6 Ton Refrigerated Van, 1934 Great Western Railway Diagram V24 Ventilated Van & Thomas' Old 1925 Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway 7-Plank Open Truck - Thomas & Gordon 9th October 1984

Dark Green Tank Engine - James the Red Engine & the Troublesome Trucks 19th November 1984

1878 London Brighton & South Coast Railway Railway Diagram 8 Van & 1904 Great Western Railway MEX B Diagram W8 Cattle Van - Thomas, Percy & the Coal 24th September 1986

1979 Short Wheelbase Truck - Thomas & Trevor 8th October 1986

Sigrid of Arlesdale the 1969 Ravenglass & Eskdale Shelagh of Eskdale, Blister I & II the 1932 Ravenglass & Eskdale “Cyril”, Ivo’s Flying Bedstead the 1953 Talyllyn Railway “Toby” & Jock the New 1976 Ravenglass & Eskdale No. 10 Northern Rock Engine - The Island of Sodor: It’s People, History & Railways 1st September 1987

Pip & Emma the 1975 British Railway Class 43 HSTs, 10751 the 1959 British Railway Class 127 & Diesel 31120 the 1959 British Railway Class 31 - Gordon the High-Speed Engine 7th September 1987

1020 the 1883 London & North Eastern Railway J15 & Bulstrode the 1920 self-propelled coastal barge - Toby, Trucks & Trouble 19th September 1988

Frank the 1967 Ravenglass & Eskdale Perkins - Jock the New Engine 6th August 1990

1944 Great Western Railway "Iron Duke" Replica, 1938 London & North Eastern Railway A4 Pacific No. 4468 "Mallard", 1938 London Midland & Scottish 8P Princess Coronation "Duchess of Hamilton" Class 6229 & 1936 London & North Eastern Railway Class V2 4771 "Green Arrow" - Thomas & the Great Railway Show 12th August 1991

Big Mickey the 1920 USN 20t Tower Crane - Thomas, Percy & the Dragon 18th November 1991

Caterpillar Crane - Thomas Comes Home 15th June 1992

Flying Thistle the 1923 London & North Eastern Railway A3 Pacific - 1992

Elderly 1929 London & North Eastern Railway Diagram 61 "Toad D" Brake Van - Galloping Sausage 1992

1953 Hunslet Austerity "Wilbert” Forest Engine & Sixteen the 1943 Hunslet Austerity - 8th August 1994

Bright 1925 Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway 7-Plank Open Truck - The Bright Truck 28 July 1995

Smudger the 1888 Fletcher Jennings Class Bb, Red & Blue Narrow 1865 Talyllyn Railway Coachs - Granpuff 25th September 1995

Green Narrow Llanberis Lake Railway open-sided 4 wheel coach - Sleeping Beauty 25th September 1995

1896 London Brighton & South Coast Railway Stroudley Play Coach - The Play Train! July 12th 1996

Fred the 1950 Talyllyn Railway No.9 locomotive "Alf" & Ivo Hugh the New Little 1996 TR No. 7 Tom Rolt Engine - 8th August 1996

Station Coach - Clever Carriages 1997

1947 Beadle Integral Ice Cream Van - 9 July 1997

The Posh Coaches - 6 August 1997

Tiny Blue 1998 Eastleigh Lakeside Railway “The Monarch” Engine - 1998

Old Friend the 1896 London Brighton & South Coast Railway Stroudley Coach - 29 April 1998

1925 Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway 7-Plank Open Carols on Wheels Truck - 1998

Old Bennett the 1926 Railway Clearing House 8-Plank Mineral Truck - The Most Troublesome Truck 1998

Pink 1925 Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway 7-Plank Open Truck - Think Pink 1998

The Dodgems - 1998

1960 AEC Bridgemaster Special Service Bus - 1998

White Van Man - 1998

Thirteen - The Unlucky Engine 1 April 1998

1960 AEC Bridgemaster Open Top Double-Decker - The Best Bus 29 April 1998

Float Lorry - The Carnival! June 24th 1998

Butch the 1939 Scammell Constructor Breakdown Truck & Cranky the 1920 Crane - Cranky Bugs 14th September 1998

Horrid 1938 Foden OG Lorries - Horrid Lorry 15th September 1998

Derek the 1962 British Railway Class 17 Diesel - Double Teething Troubles 29th September 1998

“Iron” Arry & “Iron” Bert the 1952 British Railway Class 8 Ironworks Twins - Stepney Gets Lost 30th September 1998

Bertram the Old 1879 Ffestiniog Railway Small England “Prince” Warrior -

Old Slow 1893 Great Western Railway Diagram E39 Falmouth Coupe TRI Brake Coach - Thomas, Percy & Old Slow Coach 5th October 1998

Tiger Moth the 1916 Nieuport 17 Bi-Plane - Sir Topham Hatt’s Holiday 9th October 1998

Thumper - Rusty & the Boulder 16th October 1998

Sidney - The Scenic Railway 9th December 1998

Angus the 1905 N-Type Dennis Fire Engine - False Alarm 1999

Little Barford the 1921 Kerr Stuart Tattoo - The Cloud Factory! 2000

Victor the 1879 London & North Eastern Railway Drummond D50 - Old Victor 2000

Lady the Lost 2000 Steam Engine, Diesel 10 the Big Bully 1958 British Railway Class 42 Warship Diesel, Splatter & Dodge the 1952 British Railway Class 8s - Thomas & the Magic Railroad 14th July 2000

1962 Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight Tandem Rotor Helicopter - Size Wise 2001

Rickety the 1926 8-plank Open Truck - Sodor Mining Set 2001

Salty the 1962 British Railway Class 7 Dockyard Diesel - Salty's Secret 16th September 2002

Harvey the 1901 Dübs Crane Engine No. 4101 - Harvey to the Rescue 17th September 2002

Elizabeth the Vintage 1926 Sentinel DG4 Steam Lorry - 20th September 2002

Jack the 1963 Nuffield Front Loader -

Alfie the Small 1960 K1C10&K Excavator -

Oliver the Big 1920 Russian KV series Excavator -

Max the 1949 Scammell Mountaineer Dump Truck -

Kelly the 1942 Austin K6 Crane Lorry -

Byron the 1926 Caterpillar Bulldozer -

Isobella the 1931 Sentinel DG4 Steam Lorry -

Ned the 1916 Erie Type B Steam Shovel -

Emily the 1894 Great Northern Railway G3 Stirling Single Engine -

Fergus the 1926 Aveling & Porter TJ "Blue Circle" Traction Engine -

Arthur the Big 1946 London Midland and Scottish Railway Ivatt Class 2MT Tank Engine -

Murdoch the Orange 1954 British Railway Standard Class 9F Engine -

Spencer the 1935 London and North Eastern Railway Class A4 Pacific Express Engine -

1938 Foden OG Lorry 4 - Round the Rails Board Game

Molly the Yellow 1903 Great Eastern Railway D56 Class "Claud Hamilton" Engine -

Mighty Mac the 1879 Ffestiniog Railway Double Fairlie “Merddin Emrys” Engine -

Neville the Friendly 1942 Southern Railway Bulleid Q1 Class no. 33010 Engine -

Proteus the 1878 Corris Railway Nos. 1-3 - The Magic Lamp 14th October 2005

Dennis the Lazy 1949 British Railway 11001 Diesel -

Thomas’ & James’ New 1948 British Railway 8 plank end-door open Trucks

Monty the 1949 Scammell Mountaineer Dump Truck -

Patrick the 1943 Mack NM 6-ton 6x6 Cement Mixer -

Buster the 1903 Aveling & Porter R10 Class Steamroller -

Jeremy the 1963 BAC One-Eleven Jet Plane - Thomas & the Jet Plane 10th September 2006

1923 Midland Railway Suburban Animal Sanctuary Coach - A New Home 9th June 2004

“Fearless” Freddie the 1906 Welsh Highland Railway Hunslet “Russell” -

Rocky the 1945 Ransomes & Rapier 45-ton Rescue Steam Crane - Big Strong Henry 8th October 2006

Rosie the Little Purple 1942 United States Army Transportation Corps S100 Class Engine -

Whiff the 1869 North Eastern Railway No. 66 "Aerolite" Rubbish Engine - Emily’s Rubbish 3rd September 2007

Victoria the 1882 Furness Railway 4-wheel coach, Albert the 1891 Furness Railway J1 Class - Thomas & Victoria 3rd September 2007

Hector the 1936 ICI Bogie Hopper Wagon -

Billy the Orange 1923 Manning Wardle L Class Engine -

Madge the 1964 Scammell Scarab 6-ton Tractor Snub-Nosed Lorry -

Stanley the Silver 1920 Hudswell Clarke/Kitson No. 5459 "Austin I" hybrid Engine -

Hank the Giant 1914 Pennsylvania Railroad K4s Class Pacific Engine -

Colin the Green 100 Ton Steam Crane - The Party Surpise 11th September 2008

Flora the 1904 Moseley Road Kitson Steam Tram - Tram Trouble 17th September 2008

Hiro the Old 1935 Japanese National Railway Class D51 "Mikado" Steam Engine -

Victor the Busy 1951 Minaz No. 1173 Engine -

Kevin the 1923 Ransomes & Rapier 6 ton Mobile Crane -

Charlie the Playful Purple 1881 Manning Wardle L Class Engine -

Bash & Dash the 1892 Bear Harbor Lumber Company No. 1 Logging Locos, Ferdinand the 1903 Climax Class C Logging Loco, Captain the 1945 RNLI Liverpool-class Lifeboat - Misty Island Rescue 4th September 2010

Scruff the 1946 Sentinel 100 HP BE Type No. 9369 "Musketeer" Scruncher -

Belle the 1951 British Railway Standard Class 4MT Fire Tank Engine - Day of the Diesels 24th August 2011

Den the 1959 4DH Sentinel Diesel-Hydraulic - Day of the Diesels 24th August 2011

Dart the 1961 Bagnall No. 3207 Leys - Day of the Diesels 24th August 2011

Flynn the 1964 Oshkosh W800 ARFF Fire Engine - Day of the Diesels 24th August 2011

Paxton the Young 1952 British Railway Class 8 Diesel - Day of the Diesels 24th August 2011

Sidney the Forgetful 1952 British Railway Class 8 Diesel - Day of the Diesels 24th August 2011

Norman the Orange 1949 British Railway 11001 Diesel - Day of the Diesels 24th August 2011

Pink Narrow 1865 Talyllyn Railway Coach - 2012

Stafford the 1917 North Staffordshire Railway Battery-Electric No. 1 Shunting Engine - Welcome Stafford! 3rd March 2012

Luke the Little Green 1922 Kerr Stuart Wren Class No. 4256 "Peter Pan" Engine -

Mine Trolley, Winston the 1960 Type 4B Wickham Trolley, Merrick the 1954 Stothert & Pitt Crane, Owen the 1873 Dinorwic Slate Quarry Incline Engine - Blue Mountain Mystery August 2012

Stephen the 1829 Stephenson's Rocket - King of the Railway 29th June 2013

Connor the Fast 1938 New York Central Railroad J-3a Hudson Engine -

Caitlin the Speedy 1927 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad President P-7 Class Engine -

Millie the 1911 Decauville No. 8069 “Tabamar” Estate Engine -

Porter the 1917 H.K. Porter 0-6-0ST Dockside Engine -

Logan the 1929 Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway Sentinels -

Dan the 1964 Ford 5000 Front Loader - The Busy Engines 10 July 2014

Gator the 1934 Colombian Steam Motor, Timothy the 1908 Bell Open Cab Oil Burner Engine, 1911 Marion Model 40 Railway Steam Shovel, Reg the Scrapyard Crane - Tale of the Brave 13th July 2014

1928 Great Western Railway Diagram F16 Double-Ended Slip Coach -

Sam the 1945 Virginian Railway Class AG - Sam & the Great Bell 2015

Samson the Proud 1867 Neilson 0-4-0 Engine - Marion & the Dinosaurs 25th January 2015

Glynn the 1905 Head Wrightson & Co Ltd. Type 1 "Coffee Pot No. 1" Engine, Judy & Jerome the 1906 Cowans Sheldon 30-Ton Breakdown Crane - The Adventure Begins 3rd March 2015

Settebello the 1959 FS Class ETR 300 - Thomas Visits Pompeii June 10th 2015

1953 South Australian Railway 400 Class Garret - Thomas Crosses Australia June 24th 2015

Marshall the 1899 Colorado & Southern Rotary Steam Snow Plow No. 99201 - Thomas Meets Marshall in the Canadian Rockies July 8th 2015

Ryan the Purple 1920 Great Northen Railway Class N2 Tank Engine, Skiff the 2000 Eastport Pram Railboat - Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure 17th July 2015

1968 Japanese National Railway 481 Series - Thomas Travels to Japan September 9th 2015

Rajinda the 1947 Indian Railways WP class 4-6-2, Coran the 1951 Class P 4-6-0 31652, Abiar the 1964 Indian Railways Class WDM-2C - Thomas Goes to India November 18th 2015

Nuria the 1899 Renfe 030-0219 - Thomas Joins a Tomato Fight in Spain 2nd December 2015

Philip the 1930 Pennsylvania Railroad Class A6 "Boxcab" Diesel - The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead 13th December 2015

Dustin the 1912 Oregon Short Line No. 762 - Dustin Comes in First 2016

Yen the 1958 C2 Class 0-8-0 - Thomas Celebrates the Chinese New Year 10 February 2016

Ashima of India the 1914 Nilgiri Mountain Railway X Class, Axel of Belgium the 1939 NMBS/SNCB Type 12, Vinnie of North America the 1936 Canadian National Railway U-4-a 6400 Class, Raul of Brazil the 1931 São Paulo Railway Type W No. 166, Carlos of Mexico the 1910 Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México GR-3 class, Frieda of Germany the 1957 DB Class 10, Gina of Italy the 1883 Ferrovie Nord Milano 200, Ivan of Russia the 1962 TGM23 Class, Etienne of France the 1954 SNCF BB 9004, Rajiv of India the 1855 Fairy Queen, Shane of Australia the 1943 South Australian Railway 520 class, Yong Bao of China the 1958 Chinese Railway RM Class 4-6-2 Pacific, Ulli the 1952 British Railway Class 8 Mainland Diesel - The Great Race 21st May 2016

Bradford the 1933 London Midland & Scottish Railway 20 Ton Brake Van - Bradford the Brake Van 9th September 2016

Hugo the 1929 Schienenzeppelin - Engine of the Future 29th January 2017

Dilly - A Visit to London for Thomas the Tank Engine 7 April 2016

Tracy the 1951 W6-class Melbourne Tram - Thomas Visits Shane from Melbourne 11th July 2017

1917 H.K. Porter 0-6-0ST Dockyard Engine - Vinnie is Back in America 25th July 2017

Theo the 1926 Aveling & Porter TJ "Blue Circle" Experimental Engine, Lexi the 1901 North Pacific Coast Railroad No. 21 "Thomas-Stetson", Experimental Engine, Merlin the “Invisible” 1925 London & South Western Railway N15 Class King Arthur No. 783 “Sir Gillemere” Engine, Hurricane the 1902 Great Eastern Railway Class A55 "Decapod", Frankie the 1958 MSC No. 4002 Arundel Castle “Billy”, Beresford the 1892 Stothert & Pitt Rolling Gantry Crane, Narrow Talyllyn Railway 2-Bar Slate Truck - Journey Beyond Sodor 8th August 2017

"Hasty" Hannah the 1883 Great Eastern Railway Wisbech & Upwell Tramway 4-wheel coach - Hasty Hannah 26th September 2017

Carly the Four-link portal harbour crane - Cranky at the End of the Line 27th September 2017

1959 Swiss PKP 0-8-0T TKp No. 5485 Tank Engine - Yong Bao & the Monster in the Tunnel 13th December 2017

1935 Russian 9P Series 0-6-0T Tank Engine, 1910 Russian C Series 2-6-2 Tender Engine - Ivan's Chilly Way Home 26th December 2017

Golden 1895 Pennsylvania Railroad Class A3 Steam Engine - Thomas & the Beanstalk 30th January 2018

1951 W-class Melbourne City Circle Tram - Thomas Comes to Australia 30th January 2018

Da Li & Xiao Hu the 1956 QJ Class 2-10-2 & 1959 ET7 Class 0-8-0T, Mean 1958 Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México GR-3 & Chinese Railway RM Engines, 1940 Chinese Ruston-Bucyrus RB 17/19 Caterpillar Crane, Chinese Helicopter - Yong Bao & the Tiger 7th July 2018

Nia the Helpful 1926 Kenya-Uganda Railway ED1 Class Engine, Kwaku the 1955 East African Railways 59 Class, Natalie the 1961 Bagnall No. 3207 "Leys", 1958 American MSC No. 4002 Arundel Castle “Billy” Diesel, 2003 Chinese Siemens Eurorunner Series 8000 Diesel, Ace the 1962 Triumph Spitfire 1500 Racer, Angelique, Tony & German Rally Car the 1956 Volvo Amazons, Beau the 1868 Virginia & Truckee No. 12 "Genoa", Fernando the 1952 British Railway Class 8, Emerson the 1972 Beechcraft King Air B200, Kobe the 1920 WWII USN 20t Tower Crane, Cassia the Four-Link Portal Harbour Crane, Carter the 1892 Stothert & Pitt Rolling Gantry Crane, Shankar the 1962 TGM23 Class, Chinese Cargo Ship - Big World! Big Adventures! 20th July 2018

Rebecca the Happy 1945 SR Un-rebuilt West Country/Battle of Britain Class Engine - Confusion Without Delay 6th August 2018

Gary the 2011 Ford Ranger T6 - Thomas & the Brownlow Meadal 7th August 2018

Hong-Mei the 1958 Chinese Railway GJ Class -

An An & Yin-Long the 1870s London Brighton & South Coast Railway Stroudley Coaches -

Dexter the 1872 London Brighton & South Coast Railway Stroudley Classroom Brake Coach-

Noor Jehan the 1962 Indian Railway WDM-2 Class -

Lei the 1939 London & North Eastern Railway Diagram 102 12-Ton Van -

Aubrey & Aiden the 1913 Pullman First Class Parlour Cars, Isla the 1972 Beechcraft King Air B200 Flying Doctor’s Plane - Outback Thomas 14th September 2018

Tamika the 1905 South Australian Railway SMC Class No. 1 - Banjo & the Bushfire 26th September 2018

Gustavo the 1946 EF-4 Little Joe -

Gabriela the 1852 Baroneza II -

Lorenzo the Lost 1940 FS Class 743 Engine -

Beppe the Lost 1866 Turkish Sultan Abdulaziz's Private Coach -

Ester, Stefano the LARC-LX Super Cruiser - All Tracks Lead to Rome 7th July 2019

Brenda the 1954 Caterpillar D9H Bulldozer - Mines of Mystery 7th July 2019

Roadinator - First Day on Sodor! 31st August 2019

Darcy the Roadheader EBZ-200 Tunnel Borer - First Day on Sodor! 31st August 2019

Duchess of Loughborough the 1937 London Midland & Scottish Railway Coronation Class - Thomas and the Royal Engine - 1st May 2020

Kenji the 1964 0 Series Shinkansen -

Sonny the 1868 Haydock Foundry Well Tank - A New Arrival 1st May 2020

Marcia & Marcio the 1912 Associação Brasileira de Preservação Ferroviária No. 215 Maria Fumaça Forest Engines -

Cleo the Road Engine - 22nd June 2020

Australian 1960 AEC Bridgemaster Double-Decker Buses - Ace's Brave Jump 2nd July 2020.

[bolters-and-rivets]

OK, had a sleep, now I'm ready to delve into the real insanity

Summery: One man is thrust into the spotlight as the new Cheif Mechanical Engineer of one of the western world's most renown railway companies, and in doing so would set in motion a chain of events which would see him come to be regarded by many railway enthusiasts as the anti-christ of Britain's railways second only to Dr Beeching (who for context is regarded as the man responsible for getting rid of steam power on the railways and nuetering our railway network) Part 2/2

You remember Flying Scotsman, engine number 4472, right?

well this ain't about her! this is about her older sister, the first member of the Gresley A1 class, 4470 Great Northern (as an aside, if you remember TTTE, Gordon the big engine is based on this class of locomotive)

Pictured: an extremely rare colour image of Great Northern prior to 1945

she was the first of the class built, all the way back in 1922 (Scotysman being built in 1923). She had been the prototype, and thus the oldest and subjected to the most milage of the entire Gresley A1/A3 fleet. and she was, at this time, receiving attention at the works.

Edward Thompson, seeing that war was drawing to a close, sought to have a dedicated express passenger locomotive, unfortunately wartime autierity did still apply, so he did what he had already done 10 times previously and had an engine rebuilt. So, Great Northern entered the works in wartime blackboard black, and exited with a new boiler, a brand new line, and a smart coat of Prussion blue paint.

Pictured: Great Northern after innitial rebuilding (top image), and later with her final form after innitial testing was carried out to illiminate teething troubles (bottom image).

Simon A.C. Martin believes that Thompson lacked tact, had misread the attachment of the railwaymen to Great Northern and that the selection of the locomotive was not his decision, but that of the Locomotive Running Superintendent. Such a decision would have been based on the proposed locomotive's age, total mileage to date, mileage since last shopping and overall condition. The late Richard Hardy, a draughtsman working on Great Northern stated that had the Chief Draughtsman Teddy Windle remonstrated with Thompson, Thompson would have replied that it was not his decision. As the first Gresley Pacific, Great Northern had been in service since 1922 and was being shopped at the time of the selection, hence its selection. Enthusiasts who happened to publish books when this was hapening allege that Thompson had the first and only say in what loco as selected and why.

this, reader, was NOT received well by the enthusiasts of the time. O.S.Nock, a man most known for publishing timings and speed runs but otherwise making a number of spurious claims in his writings about railway history over the years, called it "the most disappointing and tactless act in his short and stormy career as CME", another enthusiast, C. J. Allen, stated ‘he turned it into a machine of such hideous appearance as might well have made its designer turn in his grave"

I must take the time to note that the outline of Thompson's pacific locomotive was not unique nor unusual. The positioning of the cylinders so far back between the bogie and driving wheels (rather than in line with the bogie like Flying Scotsman), was an established design practice; the LMS and GWR had used such a layout on their own express passenger locos, and it saw popularity in countries on the continent such as Switzerland.

Pictured: The LMS "Princess Royal" Class, the LMS's competitor to Gresley's A1

Pictured: GWR King Class, the GWR's most powerful steam locomotive

Pictured: SSB (Switzerland) class A 5/3

be that as it may, the position of the cylinders are sighted as the main reason the Thompson 4-6-2s are seen by LNER enthusiasts as "Ugly" and "Ungainly", that because it's different to the Gresley pattern it's therefor wrong, and the descision to have Grwesley's locomotives, Great Northern among them, rebuilt is frequently attributed by fans to malice alone, with the circumstances of the time having very little to do with it. For YEARS they were universally decried as bad engines; poor runners, unreliable.

The facts of their collective performance are as follows:

"A set of comparison trials were undertaken during May and June 1945, the first comparing the A1/1 with an A4 and the second comparing an A4, the converted A2/1 and A2/2 on identical express passenger and freight duties, overseen by Arthur Peppercorn and Bert Spencer. Representing the classes in the second trials were A4 No. 2512 Silver Fox, A2/1 No. 3697 Duke of Rothsay and A2/2 No. 2003 Lord President. During the trials, the A4 performed the best on the express passenger service, while the A2/1 performed best on the freight services, with the A2/2 being in third place on both trials. Locomotive Running Superintendent George Musgrave commented that "During the trials, the A2/1 and A2/2 Class engines did not have to be worked to their full capacity. It was considered by the Locomotive Inspector that they both worked the freight easier than the A4.

Cecil J. Allen acknowledges the design with a log of a run behind No. 60502 Earl Marischal with a 220 ton gross load train (about average for Britain, with the very heaviest passenger trains reaching 300+ tons), achieving a speed of 95 mph, possibly the highest recorded speed by a 6 ft 2 in (1.880 m) driving wheel locomotive.

However, the engines had a high power to weight ratio and led to being extremely prone to slipping and were "light on their feet", limiting their haulage capacity and did not fully realize their theoretical power, although coal consumption was reduced and reliability improved. The divided drive design worked well, although the frame required modifications due to flexing and stress damage from the stretched design. During retirement, Thompson came to believe that the divided drive was not ideal and the solution adopted by Peppercorn (his successor as CME) and his team was better. According to O.S. Nock, they "acquired a particularly bad reputation for wild and unsafe riding at high speed!"

In addition, due to prejudice against the rebuilt locomotives (A2/2s), especially in Scottish depots, by 1949 the engines were sent south of the Border with three stationed at York and three at Peterborough New England shed. During their lifetime in service Earl Marischal was the only A2/2 to cover over one million miles, 360,907 as a P2 and 673,947 as an A2/2.

Great Northern had excellent steam generation due to utilising an A4 boiler and had a tractive effort of 37,400 lbf (166.36 kN), which made it one of the most powerful pacifics within the LNER, surpassing the Gresley A4 with only the A2/2 surpassing it. In the same year with only three working months, it achieved 22,052 mi (35,489.25 km) engine miles, compared to the A4 locomotives working in Scotland, which had the highest mileage that year and averaged 57,065 mi (91,837.22 km).

It then went on to become the highest mileage Pacific with an annual figure of 68,304 mi (109,924.63 km), outperforming the next best Gresley Pacific by around 15,000 mi (24,140.16 km). Engine report cards from the LNER archives at the National Railway Museum shows that Great Northern's rebuilt form achieved 55,882 mi (89,933.36 km) per year, matching Gresley A4s and Peppercorn A1s.

For the rest of its working life, Great Northern achieved significantly higher availability than other Pacific classes on the LNER, with its first working year, 1946, achieving 83% (that is to say it was available for use pulling trains 83% of the time, and out of use receiving some form of attention, such as regular maintainence, just 17% of the time, which for a single locomotive is almost unheard of). This is partially due to the difference in maintenance approach between the Gresley locomotives, which were often run to failure, while Thompson Pacifics had preventative maintenance and desired high availability.

Wartime was now over, and Thompson was finally free to put everything he had learned from the pacifics into use in a brand new locomotive design, built from scratch rather than rebuilt. and so it was that the A2/3 was born with the class leader being named Edward Thompson in honour of the designer.

since I want to make known any potential bias I may have, I would like to state that the A2/3 ranks among my favourite class of locomotives, with some of the most evocotive names applied to Doncaster's stud of racehorses (LNER pacifics were often named after horse race winners, hence are aften referred to as such), with certified bangers like Steady Aim, Straight Deal, Airborne, Sunbeam, and Ocean Swell. Gresley's locomotives, by comparison, numbered over 100, which, along some equally evocative names, had some slightly less grand titles like Seagull, Flamingo, Hermit, Call Boy, Sandwich, and Salmon Troute, though they did also have a locomotive named

Gay Crusader

So Gresley was also based it seems.

the A2/3s proved to be extremely capable engines in service, exactly what the LNER had needed; an engine as powerful as the record setting A4s, but able to take an express passenger north during the day and come back with an express freight overnight with equal ease.

There is an anecdote, though I can't verify it's origin, that in later years the nationalised British Railways undertook tests of express cement trains from East Anglia (think Cambridge University and you're in the right area) to Alba, they tested the A2/3 against the V2 along with later standard Classes Britannia and 9F, both regarded as very fine machines, with the 9f often hailed as the curtain call of british locomotive design, a leviathan of a heavy freight locomotive which could easily slog 1500 tons of freight up shap or haul a passenger tain at speeds of up to 90mph. the A2/3, it's said, is supposed to have walked it, being the only locomotive to keep to time over stoke bank (where Mallard set her record on the downhill stretch), and they were the locomotive of choice on that srvice for many years until diesel haulage took over.

Pictured: British Railways class '7MT', also known as "Britanias" for their patriotic titles as well as the name of their classs leader

Pictured: the BR '9F', the final development in British freight locomotive design, the only locomotive with 10 driving wheels to be built in any numbers in this country. their size and speed earned them the nickname of "Spaceships". Their final member, and the final steam loomotive built for British Railways, 92220, was given the fitting name of "Evening Star" to mark to end of a dynasty

and so we reach the heart of the discourse. Here we have a man who was given the job at the worst possible time, under the titanic shadow of his predicessor, and quickly found himself restricted in doing his job by cicumstances outside his control, and as such he had to make sacrefices that have seen him decried as the spawn of satan, if not satan himself.

he is seen as a foul man, wiesel faced, a hook nosed villain who made the choices he did with the apparent goal of destroying Gresley's Legacy with little other goal in mind, certainly not doing his damned job by ensuring the continued smooth running of the company he worked for by supplying them with new locomotives.

You see, British railway enthusiasts have a bit of an obsession with presservation, that is the continued existance of a locomotive after it has seen out its service life by being displayed in amuseum or working on a heritage railway. and the facts of the matter are that many thompson locomotives were not preserved, certainly non of his pacifics, rebuilt or otherwise, ignorring the fact that scrapyards in former LNER territory were scrapping locomotives as soon as they bought them and 99% of LNER locomotives were not saved despite attempts to the contrary with Flying Scotsman herself only just being saved by the skin of her teeth, is seen as tangible proof of Thompson's malisciousness and desire to destroy Gresley's legacy. Great Northern was ultimately scrapped, despite attempts by enthusiasts to save her, so this is seen as proof of Thompsons intent to destory Gresley's legacy

there are a number of myths surrounding Thompson and his locos, some range from the ridiculous and consiritorial, to the downright sinister and, had such claims ben published whilst Thompson was alive I am positive that many of the names who are regarded as trusted primary sources would have found themselves being dragged into court for libel.

The conspiritorial: Edward thompson, it is said, was the cousin of Sir Vincent Raven, the CME of the North Eastern Railway before the grouping, who had been offered up the role of CME for the LNER when it was formed, but turned it down because he was reaching retirement age, The conspiracy, it alleges, was the Thompson was bitter over Raven not getting the job, so he aspired to become Gresley's understudy with the sole purpose of rebuilding every one of his locomotives when he replaced him. This is a myth that plays into the false impression of CMEs and the rivalries they held so it is accepted as logical fact without a second thought.

The Libelous: there is a book called "Thompson & Peppercorn, Locomotive engineers" by one Col. Rogers which, along with chapters of some of the most hateful and contradictory diatribe I have had the displeasure of reading, such as constantly maligning Thompson's pacifics for their unfixable faults whilst in later chapters going to great lengths to detail how the locos of his successor had identical problems which were quickly solved, makes the statement of "so hated was this man that no one could be bothered to show up for his funeral". When you learn the fact the Edward Thompson was a private man who requested the funeral be kept private to his immediate family you start to get a picture of just how much people have let hate cloud their judgement to the point where every action is seen as catagorical proof of his innate evilness.

People reading this are probably familour with some flavour of discourse, this is Tumblr after all. But I speak from personal experience when I say that it is one thing to have someone shouting at you online where you can block and walk away and another thing entirely to meet such reactionary people in person as PENSIONERS when you are a child stepping out into the world for the first time

I used to enjoy railway modelling (I don't any more because it requires a lot of space and I now play warhammer because the fans are less toxic by far /j), it was the main special interest during my childhood, and let me tell you when you're a thirteen year old anxious Autistic child and you get told by someone in their 90s who remembers seeing the LNER in the flesh that if I ever obtained a model of a Thompson pacific, no matter how well made, he would smash it on sight with a lump hammer without hesitation, it has an effect on you.

I have gotten into lengthy arguments with people on the subject, and there's always a point where I quickly realise it's pointless to continue because they see the claims of Noch, Rogers, and others, as infallable objective proof and not the reactionary outrage of, likely undiagnosed Autistic, individuals both within and without the railway industry who saw select locomotives of their most beloved hero being rebuilt and took it as a personal afront motivated solely by malice.

And so we come to the end of our deep dive. I'm sure there's a lesson to be learned from all this about the danger of taking peoples' firsthand accounts as objective facts of history when researching without applying basic critical thinking skills like "could this person by motivated to say these things out of a personal vendetta?", and that even otherwise trusted sources can have their view of specific issues clouded by personal bias.

Now, if anyone has come away reading this and has any questions, plase feel free to send me an ask, I'd be very happy to have an excuse to re-ignite my old love of railways by info dumping to strangers.

I think there's something objectively funny about the discourse in railfan communities because it's always people loosing their shit about the most inconsiquential historical changes to something and taking it as a personal affront. I've legitimately read a book where the author was so biased against a specific locomotive engineer that he claimed a type of locomotive was "mutilated" because it was rebuilt by that engineer to be more efficient. when the locomotive in question looked like this before rebuilding

and this after rebuilding

the same author later went on to state, in the same book; "So dispised was this man that no one attended his funeral*" and if that doesn't meet the legal definition of libel I don't know what does.

*he had specifically requested a private funeral service. I just feel like Tumblr would get a kick out of the level of hate autistic people in the 50s and 60s and beyond could have for someone for daring to touch their train set (he rebuilt a locomotive used by a railway to make money to be better performing and cheaper to run),

British railfans from the 60s would have loved Tumblr, there would have been so much toxic discourse that would have the rest of Tumblr going "can you guys chill for a sec?". There would probably have been at least one site breaking drama because someone firebombed someone else's house for stating their favourite engineer was Vincent Raven and not Charles Collette.

if people are curious I would absolutely be willing to go into more details on the rebuilding discourse.

[redwryvernwrites]

King Edward II, Tornado and Sir Nigel Gresley all in Blue Liveries at Didcot.

[hazel-of-sodor]

Gordon is progressing nicely, in LNER Apple Green, NWR Express Passenger Blue, and BR Express Passenger Blue. Thomas and Edward for scale/fun.

[trainalt22]

NWR engine roster 1-12 (plus D1-D3)

NWR #1 Glynn (former)

Class: T.K&E.R A0 0-4-0 coffeepot

Service: 1915-1925 Farrqahur branchline passenger and light freight work.

1989-current on display at New Ulfstead Castle

NWR #1 Thomas

Class: N.W.R E2x 0-6-0T

Service:1950-1952 Tidmouth station pilot

1955-current Farrqahur branchline main passenger engine

NWR #2 Evelyn Edward

Class: Barrow-In-Furness K2 (modified)

Service: 1915-1922 NWR Main express engine 1923-1939 slow goods 1939-1945 Troop transport to the front lines 1950- current main engine for the Welsworth and Brendam branchline

NWR #3 Henry

Class: Gresliey Pacific prototype (flawed plans)1921-1954 LMS Stannier black 5 (reforged) 1957-current

NWR #4 Gordon

Class: LNER A1 prototype (modified)

Service: 1922-1939 Main express engine 1939-1945 wounded troop transport 1946-current main express engine

NWR #5 James

Class: L&YR Class 28 (modified)

Service: 1925-1950 Farrqahur branchline passenger engine and odd jobs 1955-current mainline duties and odd jobs

NWR #6 Percival (Percy)

Class: Unknown/contractor built

Service: 1955-1960 Tidmouth pilot 1960-current Farrqahur goods engine

NWR #7 Tobias (Toby)

Class: C53/J70 steam tram

Service: 1956-current mix traffic work on the Farrqahur branchline

N.W.R #8 Montague (Duck)

Class: G.W.R 5700 Pannier

Service: 1955-1965 Tidmouth pilot 1965-current mixed-traffic work on the little western (Tidmouth to Harwick branchline)

N.W.R #9&10 Donald & Douglas

Class Caledonian 612s

Service: 1960-current Mainline goods engines

NWR #D1 Boco

Class: BR Class 28

Service:1962-current Mainline mixed traffic

NWR #D2 Diesel Neil

Class:BR 08 1956-1962 BR Class 09 (modified) 1962-current

Service: 1960-current Tidmouth station pilot and occasional odd jobs

NWR #11 Oliver

Class: G.W.R 1400

Service:1963-current mixed traffic on the Harwick to Tidmouth branch

NWR #12 Emily

Class: N.W.R Stirling Single

Service::1965-current Mainline passenger work and odd jobs

NWR #D3 Daisy

Class: BR 101

Service: 1965-current passenger work on the Ffarquhar branchline

[theflyingkipper]

A TTTE AU I wrote about when I was bored on day. It's not so much an AU as it is a collection of random thoughts.

In short, this is an AU where Thomas, Edward, and Percy are not the basises described in the IoS book, but completely original designs. There are also notes about Henry in this possible AU.

- Thomas and Edward are original Island of Sodor built engines, one and only members of their class with no affiliation to the LB&SC or Furness Railway.

- Thomas is built to look how Awdry modeled him from wood, and Edward resembles his Middleton depiction.

Their given names are also the names of their classes.

W&S 4-4-0 "Edward"

NWR 0-6-0 "Thomas"

They are numbered so because of the purchasing order. (Edward is still older than Thomas in this universe) They're not the oldest on the island, but they are the first NWR engines built by exclusively Sudrian company.

- as an extension to this universe, Percy is the third engine designed and built on Sodor. He was a conglomeration of industrial engine designs, and was put together at Crovan's gate works. His builders called his build the "little caterpillar" class because of how round his saddle tanks made him look as they stretched all the way around his boiler. There were plans to make more of his design, but monetary restrictions prevented this from ever happening.

- I really like the idea of Henry not being exclusively a Gresley design. As he was put together in a shady unknown shop, I'd imagine a lot of his parts from his original build were taken off lots of other engines from other railways. His Great Western copper chimney cap and large GER style splashers that almost make him look like an Atlantic are just the superficial parts. I also like to think he was never a Pacific, and was always a 10 wheeler.

(note ends here)

I guess 1, 2 and 6 are all pretty removed from their basis (if any) in some way or another. The reason Gordon isn't included is because his LNER heritage and connection to the A1/A3 class is very important to his character. Thomas on the other hand only became an E2 because of Dalby's illustrations- and his character isn't impacted too much by changing his basis or design.

The idea for Edward being constructed for the Wellsworth and Suddery is inspired by @houseboatisland :)

[ice-to-orange-blossoms]

Edward Thompson may not have been the evil schemer that he's portrayed as, but goddamn did the man make some ugly ass Pacifics, that didn't even work very well. The good parts of the Pacifics were all due to Gresley (the A4 boiler used on the A1/1 or the P2 boiler on the A2/2) or the fact they actually maintained the things while letting Gresley's designs fail (this I don't blame on Thompson). He could make some mixed traffic designs though, although without any of the beauty before or after him.

[megalosaurusstudios]

(My AU) List of the North Western Railway’s Steam Fleet as of 2023 (Updated)

NWR #1 “Thomas”: Glyncorrwg Colliery #2 “Thomas” 0-6-0T (built by Kitson and Company in 1921).

NWR #2 “Edward”: LSWR X2 Class (Built by Nine Elms Locomotive Works in 1890).

NWR #3 “Henry” GNR C1 class (built as a Faulty Gresley Pacific in 1919 before being rebuilt into a C1 at Doncaster works in 1935).

NWR #4 “Saint Gordon”: GNR/LNER A1 class (built by Doncaster works in 1922).

NWR #5 “James”: USRA 0-6-0 with Sloped Tender (built by ALCO in 1919).

NWR #6 “Percy”: T. Brown Distilleries #3 0-4-0ST (Built by Kitson and Company in 1920).

NWR #7 “Toby”: GER G15/LNER Y6 Class (Built by Stratford Works in 1897).

NWR #8 “Duck”: GWR 6400 class (built by Swindon Works in 1932).

NWR #9 “Donald” and NWR #10 “Douglas”: Caledonian Railways C12 class (Built by Sharp, Stewart and Company in 1899).

NWR #11 “Oliver”: GWR 1400 Class #1420 (Built by Swindon Works in 1933).

NWR #12 “Murdoch”: British Rail Standard 9F #92015 (built by Crewe Works in 1954).

NWR #13 “Archie”: Brill Trolley (Built in 1927).

NWR #14 “Neil”: Neilson 0-4-0 box tank (Built by Neilson and Company in 1861).

NWR #15 “Hiro”: JNR 9600 Class (Built by Kawasaki Railcar Manufacturing in 1913).

NWR #16 “Bloomer”: LNWR Bloomer Class (built by Sharp, Stewart and Company in 1851).

NWR #17 “Emily”: GNR No. 1 class 4-2-2 Stirling Single (built by Doncaster works in 1895).

NWR #18 “Katie”: Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST (built by the Hunslet Engine Company in 1962).

NWR #19 “Sam”: Virginian Railway AG class #906 (Built by Lima Locomotive Works in 1945).

NWR #20 “Ashima”: NMR X class (built in the Golden Rock Railway Workshop in 2011).

NWR #21 “Big City Engine”: LMS Patriot Class #5533 “Lord Rathmore” (Built by Derby Works in 1933).

NWR #22 “Little Afton”: Peckett #1900 0-4-0T “Flying Bufferbeam” (built by Crovan’s Gate Works in 2015).

[agirlwholovesspe33d]

Here it is: The Main Eight (that name sounds 110 times better than Steam Team)

Thomas Billinton - Driver of NWR No. 1, an LB&SCR E2, NWR Blue.

Gender-fluid.

Dyed a lock of his hair blue because he thought he would look cool. (He was sorta right)

Her middle name is Brighton, prefers to be called Thomas. Please don’t call her Brighton or she’ll kill you.

Bisexual

Excellent singer

Currently dating James. ❤💙

Runs the Ffarquhar Branch Line, his local passenger service starts at Tidmouth, on his first return journey he goes to Knapford and alternates between the two every other return journey.

He sleeps in both Tidmouth and Ffarquhar’s Workers Hut.

Loves fruit as much as Sportacus (the blue guy from LazyTown)

If you offer her cake or any sweet stuff he’ll deny unless it’s an important/big/formal occasion.

He hates Duck, and Duck hates him. Mainly because (and yes I am quoting from The Unlucky Tug) “Duck is a traditionalist proud of his heritage and very by the books, he does things the proper way, contrast that with Thomas who will do whatever if he gets to have more fun“.

Arthur sorta holds a grudge for him since Thomas ruined his spotless record.

Literally the whole island except for Duck loves him.

My ideal voice for him: John Hasler.

Edward Pettigrew - Driver of NWR N°2, a Furness Railway K2, NWR Blue.

Decent singer, doesn’t like singing in public though

His good lifestyle keeps him looking young.

Mostly seen as a father figure by most NWR Workers.

Asexual/Aromantic (Aroace)

Loves milked coffee and can’t live without it.

Runs the Brendam Branch Line, currently resides at the Wellsworth Workers’ Hut, as it is at the start of the branch line. There he lives with Tiffany (his stoker), BoCo and Nia.

He’s one of the few Steamies Damian (aka Diesel) respects.

Henry’s bestie.

Close friends with Gordon, James, Thomas, Percy, Duck, Trevor, the Vicar of Wellsworth, Bertie, Salty, Porter, Nia, Bill and Ben, Neville and Molly.

My ideal voice for him: Keith Whickham.

Henry Stainer - Driver of NWR N°3, a “Black 5″ Class painted NWR Green with Red Stripes. (formerly a C1 “Atlantic”)

Strong, kind, friendly giant.

Loves the nature and usually goes to a forest near Vicarstown, where he and his stoker; Jessica, calm down from work.

Somewhat irritable.

Vegan

Big fan of chamomile tea,

Bisexual (and Hiro’s boyfriend)

Very tall

Loves to deliver the Flying Kipper. He collects it from Knapford South Harbour, A.K.A, the Harbour at Thomas’ Branch Line, being close to Tidmouth Sheds and all and with the other Knapford Harbour being used only for light goods. Although Brendam is still the main and largest port on the island.

He and Edward are besties. He’s also good/close friends with Thomas, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby, Emily, Bear, Murdoch, Arthur, the Scottish Twins and Molly.

When his engine was a GNR C1, he was ridiculously thin. He became stronger by exercising, something he liked to do while waiting for the locomotive to come out from Crewe Works after the Kipper accident.

My ideal voice for him: Kevin Frank.

Gordon Gresley - Driver of NWR N°4, a LNER A1 Pacific prototype nicknamed “A0”, painted NWR Blue with red stripes.

Used to transport the fast NWR Express Passenger Service, otherwise known as The “Wild Nor’ Wester”. Starting at Knapford and travelling Eastbound for Vicarstown and only stopping at Killdane, Crovan’s Gate and his final stop being at Vicarstown. But ever since the Kirk Ronan Branch opening, the Fat Controller gave this job to a new engine (whom I will enter into more detail in another post), so he does a local service now, stopping at junctions like Kellsthorpe Road, Wellsworth, and Maron. Elsbridge and Tidmouth both in return journeys and journeys to Vicarstown.

On return journeys, he uses a Loop Line via a junction in the middle of the Main Line, after Crosby, the line goes up, passing Elsbridge, stopping there and continues down until passing Tidmouth and entering Knapford from the south

A direct descendant of Sir Nigel Gresley, more specifically his grandson. Not biologically, of course. His father was very close to Gresley and worked with him. And thus Sir Nigel considered the son Gordon’s Father had as his very own.

This fact became stronger after Gordon’s father passed away.

Straight.

Loves tea, and fancy food in general. And would normally have a chat drinking tea with James and Henry. Or other drivers of the Main Line.

Has sort of an Uncle-Niece relationship with Rebecca.

Has a close bond with Thomas ever since the incident at the Lead Mines. Henry sees him as a big brother and he sees Henry as a sort of brother his same age.

My ideal voice for him: Neil Crone.

James Hughes - Driver of NWR N°5, an L&YR Class 28 with added boogie, painted Skarloey red with blue stripes. 

When the engine was in the Engine Works at Crovan’s Gate, James saw the Skarloey Railway engines painted in what was at the time, SKR red so he said “I want that for my engine” and it’s been red ever since. 

N°5 did have the original Class 27/28 wheel configuration of 0-6-0, and the extra pony truck was added at Crovan’s Gate Works to prevent accidents. (It obviously didn’t turn out well but it’s not like they can take it away now)

After his “Buzz Buzz” accident with some bees at Tidmouth Station, he held a phobia for them ever since.

Pansexual and currently dating Thomas

He has a special passenger service from Knapford to Kirk Ronan known as “The Special Express”.

As said, he enjoys the fancy food he could get if he hangs around Gordon and/or Henry but also is happy with Thomas inviting him to something as simple as an ice cream.

Emily’s bestie

Also close friends with Edward, Henry, Gordon, Percy, Toby, Rosie, Duncan and BoCo.

Admired Gordon and sort of have a Napoleon complex.

My ideal voice for him: Kerry Shale or Luke Marty.

Percy Avonside -  Driver of NWR N°6, a GWR Saddle Tank  painted NWR Green with added bunker for long-distance goods trains.

Station pilot at Knapford, but after the work in the yard grew to be too much for him and River (his stoker), so the Fat Controller bought another engine and hired another driver, Montague “Duck” Collet, from the GWR. 

He currently assists with the goods on the Ffarquhar Branch Line and delivers stone trucks to Knapford Harbour. A work Rosie sometimes does when he needs help but the one who helps him the most is Sonny. Although Rosie did deal with Percy’s goods deliveries full-time during a time period where he and Thomas were off the Ffarquhar Branch helping out on other parts of the island.

Multiple accidents made him have memory problems, which explains why he doesn’t even know what a Railway Inspector is.

He sees River as the big sister he never had, mainly because he grew up at an orphanage for most of his life. He also saw Diesel 10 as a father figure during his stay at the Dieselworks. His engine is also of obscure antecedents, and Sir Topham Hatt I bought it second or third hand during a strike at Tidmouth.

Big fan of anything that tastes sweet, except for chocolate. He despises it ever since the accident at Mr. Jolly’s Factory.

He’s more familiar with the term “Father Christmas”, hence why he doesn’t know what “Santa Claus” is.

Ever since the scarf incident in Winter, Percy hates scarves and never uses them, even though he should.

When the siderods on Engine Number 1 were broken and had to go to the Works the day Thomas met Elizabeth, Harold helped Percy with the post, something he didn’t like until Harold crashed his helicopter in a haystack due to the mailsack being too heavy.

He was given a Daytime run with the Post Train after arriving late several times and after an accident with Gordon and trucks with tar barrels.

AroAce.

Evidently Thomas’ bestie, but also close friends with Edward, Henry, Gordon, Toby, Duck, Donald and Douglas, Emily, Gator, Sidney and Philip.

My ideal voice for him: Nigel Pilkington.

Toby Holden -  Driver of NWR N°7, a GER C53/LNER J70 Steam Tram painted brown with NWR Blue sideplates.

He’s preeeeety old, but younger than Edward

Straight

Loves tea, and it helps him to relax.

Helps deliver workman to the Ffarquhar Quarry with the coach of Henrietta, his wife.

He doesn’t care about self-image. He’s just happy.

He is a mutual to both Thomas and Percy but when they argue, Toby steps aside and watches the fire spread, and loves every second of it.

Mentor figure to Percy, even more so than Edward.

As user wrduckdog said “Edward has the kind of wisdom in that he knows just how to advise younger drivers and mentor them. Toby has the kind of wisdom where he knows how to get free candy of a machine if you hit it a certain way”.

Close friends with Mavis, Edward, Henry, Percy, Thomas, James, Emily, Farmers on the Ffarquhar Branch (McColl, Trotter and Finney), Bertie, Terence and Philip. 

Ideal voice for him: Colm Feore or Ben Small.

Emily Stirling -  Driver of NWR N°12, a GNR 1003 class “Single” Locomotive painted emerald green with gold lining.

Emily is also an orphan. After a business trip from which her parents didn’t return, Emily was left an orphan in Scotland, having to raise herself alone, having that tenacious and strong attitude of later model seasons until one day Addison, a granddaughter of Sir Nigel Gresley, saw her wandering through Scotland (where she went for a vacation) and seeing a 7-year-old girl struggling to survive on the streets, she took her in as her sister. In England, Emily grew up seeing the railway and becoming fond of it until she became an engine driver.

Pansexual.

Had feelings for Thomas during her first days on Sodor, but saw how happy he and James were, and slowly accepted them.

Also felt attraction for Spencer but it was more of a guilty crush.

She’s currently Caitlin’s Awesome Girlfriend (if you understood that reference I will love you)

She had a crush on Mavis for a while.

Due to the Peel Godred electric line not reaching Callan Castle and Black Loch, she helps with the tourism there. As well as Molly and Neville from time to time.

Loves fruit and staying healthy as much as Thomas does, in fact sometimes they do workouts together (Sportacus and Stephanie moment)

Sister figure to most members of the team, except for Edward or Toby.

James’ bestie.

Close friends with Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, Percy, Toby, Hiro, Murdoch, Molly, Whiff, Rosie, Mavis and Deci (my OC).

My ideal voice for her: Teresa Gallagher.

Note: Despite some voice actors I mentioned being from TATMR, set movie is not canon in my AU of stories, although I guess that goes without saying.

And there you have it folks, the Main Players on my Humanized AU. It’s been fun to come up with some of these ideas. I especially thank YouTube, Twitter and DeviantArt user https://www.youtube.com/@JamesAWilliams for inspiring me with some of them, as well as my best friend https://www.youtube.com/@ArtuTheBigEngine user https://www.youtube.com/@TheUnluckyTug_official/featured and @asktrio516 . All of them are really awesome. See you in the next post! ;D

[jayde-jots]

In 1908 Gordon Gresley was born in a breeding camp for the later to be A1 pacifics as its prototype. He was the firstborn and was the test subject to see if the module would be a success, and when he turned 12 he would be the fine result that yes indeed him and his siblings to come would be a success. He spent only a few months working in London before he was sold and taken to Sodor. Not being in the favor of the genetic pool of looking older than he actually was, he quite often stayed merged to his engine body to make it seem to the other older engines that he was older than he appeared. This didn't work all too well for when they used basic math the others were able to figure it out, but they let him have his little bubble that he cherished so much of being the most important engine. It came to a halt however when Gordon meet Henry still walled up in the tunnel. Gordon had heard of the Gresley highest in that thieves stole a sperm sample, so that meant Henry was Gordon's older half-brother by a year. Gordon actually dropped his guard and de-merged from his engine body to come talk to him from over the wall and the two really got to bonding over that time. It was made even better when Henry was taken out of the tunnel and later joined him back at Tidmouth. The two bonded over time and became as close as brothers, them often de-merging to rough-house or other such things with Thomas and Edward often playing parent or big brother to the both of them. Then when 1973 happened, and word of the Flying Scotsman's condition in America reached Gordon, he was very fast to get over there himself, and rescue his little brother.

In 1910, Scott Gresley was born along with 9 other brothers to different women. His older brothers of Gordon, Northern, and Frederick, being the ones to effectively raise them. That was until the day Gordon was sold and sent to an island called Sodor. The family did their best to stay together, the older siblings doing right by example to teach the younger siblings well. But as the years went on and their class became more and more popular, they were quickly being sold off once they discovered their engine bodies. This happened to Scott in 1923 at the age of 13. Scott at first heavily protested against leaving his younger brothers behind to fend for themselves, but he was henpecked into submission by his crews over the years and the threat of being scrapped by his own father. In 1934 however that came to a stop when Scott was after experiencing a particularly nasty fight with none other than his own older brother Northern. The young engine was heavily put into a fume over the fight, and it so happened that day was an annual exam. Fueled by anger and fury, he was the first recorded engine to go 100 miles per hour. This obviously caused a huge boost in popularity for the engine and as a reward he was locked in his locomotive body less and less, as long as he didn't show the public. This caused him to grow a lot of pride in himself going forward as well as a growing confidence. This especially came in handy when his driver tried to slap him for being disobedient, the man hit his mark only to have Scott smack him back 10x harder and sent him careening into a coal pot. Scott was not punished for this action and instead his driver was sacked at Sir Nigel Gresley's request himself. After that incident Scott and his other siblings began to hold out hope once again that they could have control over something, even if it would be a very rare chance. So it then became a competition to be the next best engine, so they could have that next taste of freedom. Then the human-machine wars took place from 1939 to 1945. Scott was under the belief that all youths deserved to be left out of the conflict, so he personally volunteered to take the youth trains out into the countrysides. Scott became a far more caring and mature person during this time, as he didn't care what species, race, or age these children were, they all deserved to be happy and safe. Many turning to look up to him as a father figure, and Scott would have been lying if he didn't sometimes stay longer in the countrysides to look after them longer. After the war was over, Scott was some of the few who decided to go back to the way things were with his job of still pulling passengers, the difference this time being that he was going to get paid and respected. In the 1960s the scare of the converter culling practice was upon Scott as the same as other converters. In 1962 however he was 'bought' by Alan Pegler, this at the time being one of the confirmed ways to have a steam locomotive converter be saved from death row. But when the scare passed and the law was not passed Scott decided to stay with Pegler anyway as he enjoyed working for him more than he did for British rails. Until it was when Pegler asked Scott if he wanted to do a tour of America. Scott found the idea thrilling as he had never been outside of the country before, so they got some plane tickets, and flew off to the USA. When they landed, apparently the US had different laws regarding converters. So Scott had to be administered with gold liquid while he was traveling on the rails as he was not allowed to de-merge while traveling. This royally ticked off Scott but confused him more, this was exactly what the human-machine wars fought to prevent, and here they were doing it all over again. But nonetheless, Scott sucked it up and begrudging accepted it. Little did he know this would become one of his greatest mistakes. After 10 years and then finally becoming bankrupt, did Pegler have to bid Scott goodbye as he had to leave the engine to rust because he could no longer support him. Scott was

quick to offer his own money but apparently the US didn't allow converter's money either. So Scott became in the hands of the US government and was taken to a local works to be scrapped. This was when Gordon came in. In 1973 The Galing Gallaway, Gordon Gresley himself traveled to the USA with commander Hundred Dollar by his side, unless the US wanted to start up another war the authorities wisely let them pass all the way to California. Gordon pulled his brother out of his engine body and then carried him in his arms all the way back to Tidmouth sheds back on Sodor. Gordon personally took to getting Scott back up to health as the resulting neglect on his engine body translated to him being incredibly emaciated and sick in his human body. Scott did not leave Gordon's sight for anything, they shared the same room, and even went to the bathroom together. It took nearly four and a half weeks but Scott eventually got there to having enough weight, but even then he had to relearn how to walk after being stuck as an engine for 10 years, this took 7 months. After all that time had passed, eventually Scott was strong and healthy enough to function again normally. And afterwards he decided to move to Sodor and work on its railway, this greatly overjoyed Gordon as well as many of the others on the island. To this day the island is very familiarised with the A1 brothers of Gordon, Henry, Henri and Scott.