#Tidmouth station

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2024: Day 7 - Sleepy

Dennis' Napping Spots:

Dennis has a number of nap spots around the Big Station, which he has rated from 1 to 10 – here is a few of them (though you mustn’t tell the Fat Controller or the other engines, or else they’ll find poor Dennis and make him work!)

The Big Station: 1/10. Absolutely not the place to sleep. For starters, the Big Station is always busy and noisy – there is no way to get any sleep when there’s so much noise running through Dennis’ radiators! Worse yet, being at the Big Station means Dennis is visible. And when he’s visible, he can be found and made to work. Dennis absolutely does not sleep here unless he’s desperate.

The Dockside: 1/10. Just as bad if not worse than the Big Station, because Dennis is always having his naps interrupted by Salty – who isn’t so interested in making Dennis work as he is keeping Dennis up with his sea shanties and tall tales. Worse yet, Dennis is not only still visible, but he’s getting sprayed with salty air. It is the one place Dennis never sleeps.

The Freight Sidings: 2/10. The trucks love to give Dennis away if Sir Topham Hatt is looking for him – they use it as an opportunity to butter up the Controller before they pull their next horrible stunt. Worse yet, it’s noisy and engines are always around and wanting Dennis to work. It is however, better than the Big Station or the Dockside because there is some cover behind the trucks.

Behind the Big Station: 3/10. There is a small siding behind the Big Station which is accessible via the Little Western only. It has a brilliant patch of sun for a snooze – but it’s also where Duck, Donald or Douglas can find Dennis the easiest. And those three are the most likely to drag Dennis back to work – once Douglas physically did so! So it ranks low on the list for that reason.

The Big Sheds: 4/10. At night, these sheds are good. They’re a little noisy thanks to the snoring, but it’s alright. However it is also always busy and every engine passing through Tidmouth will always check here first to try and find Dennis. It is covered though, so the elements can’t disturb Dennis… but then again, one time Dennis attempted to hide in the sheds for a nap and got awoken by a livid Gordon glaring down at him.

The Carriage Sidings: 4/10. There is a lot of great cover here to hide behind, and coaches are much quieter than trucks. They don’t find much interest in ratting Dennis out to the yard foreman or Sir Topham Hatt – however the coaches are almost always being brought in and out of the yards and almost every engine passes through, so Dennis is easily found and dragged off to work.

The Dockside Goods Shed: 6/10. Now this is a spot Dennis frequents. It’s in the docks complex, but inside a lesser-used goods shed. It would rank higher were it not for the fact that Salty does still sometimes use it – and well, if he find Dennis then the lazy diesel is not getting any more sleep. Moreover, once Dennis got locked in by Salty, who pushed a line of trucks in and blocked Dennies in place!

The Carriage Sheds: 8/10. This is one of Dennis’ favourite spots – it’s sheltered, quiet, hidden and near the back of the yards. The sheds are also only really used when the coaches are put away for the night and for storing the vintage stock, so there’s very little in the way of movement back here. However, Dennis is often interrupted in his napping by one very preachy coach named Samantha.

Behind the Old Fuel Pump: 10/10. If there’s a golden spot for Dennis to sneak away and nap in, it’s here. Before the diesel pump was moved inside the Big Sheds, it used to be a separate building with a track behind it for fuel deliveries. The building still stands, and the siding is completely hidden from view. No one looks there either, cause very few engines ever dropped fuel off there! But Dennis uses it sparingly so no one discovers his favourite spot and ruins it.

Napping is very important, after all!

Back to the Master Post

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

Do you prefer knapford as a station (like in the TVS) or knapford as a junction (like in the RWS)?

I personally prefer it as a station, I like having these big grand stations in the main city's, and I like having more of these bigger citys, like irl.

Great question. Let's make it a poll!

[mrlazycheese]

Cheese Alternate Universe Content

[trainsandkitties]

Name: Thomas Billinton

Age: appears 18, is actually 75

Height: 175 cm/ 5'7

Sexuality/Gender: cisgender/ bisexual

Pronouns: he/him

Extra:

-Thomas grew up in Brighton with his brother Timothy and worked as a station pilot before the death of his brother and being hired by Sir Topham Hatt

-He lives in Tidmouth sharing a home with Percy, Annie and Clarabel and being close neighbours with James

-He struggles with body dysmorphia

-He adores comic books and skating

[duskstargazer]

[1967]

This was a first for Oliver. He'd hid in big station yards before, that was nothing new.

But tonight, his stake-out was in efforts to catch someone working under the cover of the night sky.

“Hey.” A voice broke Oliver from his thoughts.

“Hello, Ryan.” Oliver said, his tone rigid and monotonous.

“Hey. I wanted to um… thank you.” Ryan began, awkwardly. “For helping me with the burning dynamite. What you did was so brave, I-”

“It wasn't brave.” Oliver sighed. “It was cowardice.”

“What?”

“I should've warned you about that bad coal. I was just… afraid.”

Ryan looked perplexed. “Afraid of what?”

“You.” Oliver winced as the word left his smokebox. “I'd finally gotten here, and now I'm making one mess after another. I was starting to worry Sir Topham Hatt wanted you to replace me.”

“But he ordered both of us, didn't he?”

Oliver winced again.

“Not… even remotely. Let's just say Sir Topham Hatt didn't come to my railway. I came to his.”

Ryan's brow furrowed. “Huh…?”

“I left the Other Railway on completely my own terms. I… I ran away.”

Ryan gasped. “You're the Mystery Train?! I heard so much about you- we all did! Even after news and leads seemed to die down, word of your heroism still managed to reach us in preservation-”

“It would've been heroism if I'd been able to take even one of my relatives with me.” Oliver said, darkly.

“Hey. You did everything you could with what you had. No one can take that away from you.” The purple engine sighed. “I only wish my story had a bit more heroism like yours.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow.

“I was bought into preservation. My owner wanted a tank engine, and I just happened to be in the yard at the time.”

“You're one of the bravest engines I've ever met, Oliver.”

A silence fell upon the sheds.

“Soo… why don't you spend the night in the shed? There really is plenty of room.”

“Thanks, Ryan, but I think I ought to spend tonight in Tidmouth.” Oliver started away, looking down at the tracks. “Just in case.”

“Oh.” Ryan looked away, disappointed, until the rest of what Oliver had said hit them.

“In case of what?”

[808airsoftbros]

The Half Engine (Blackpink)

Author: Just a teaser hint for my upcoming Halloween oneshot. If you want to see more of my stories check out my Masterlist

The Original Half Engine story was by: [thebogieboy] (His Youtube) Genre: Crossover/Horror

~

Author's POV

It was a ordinary day on the island of Sodor, the engines had been working hard all day on their branch lines delivering passengers and goods across the island.

They were all looking forward to a goodnights long rest at the sheds, everyone that was except for James.

"How long are we going to be kept waiting? At this rate, will be home by nightfall," James sighed as he was waiting at the station.

"Have no fear, James, I'm confident will be back home in no time!" His driver assured but that didn't help ease his mind one bit as he had already seen the sun about to set down soon.

But it didn't help the fact that the weather forecast that there will fog this evening meaning their visibility is limited and travelling down the tracks will be dangerous.

Thankfully for James, he didn't have to wait much longer as his last passengers boarded the coaches.

James blew his whistle as he puffed out of the station to the next, the trip lasted about a couple hours and by the time he shunted the coaches into the yard, it was dark and foggy as predicted.

Despite Jame's headlamp shining brightly, he could hardly see a thing ahead of him so he had to travel down the line cautiously to prevent him from hitting anything.

Despite the Driver and Fireman being experienced navigators, they were eventually lost in the fog, and they didn't know they travelled down into a abandoned siding on the line.

"Stupid fog... I can't see a thing..." James muttered as he puffed down the line.

"Yeah, can't see anything in the distance either, no signs, nothing I'm afraid..." His driver replied and sighed.

"In that case, why don't we just get rid of these unused..." James paused as he saw something that caused his boiler and firebox to freeze.

James applied the brakes slowly putting him into a halt, the fireman and driver were confused and asked what he had stopped for.

However, James couldn't mutter a word out of his mouth as he shook nervously and the Driver got out of the cab to see what was wrong and they gasped as they caught the sight of a scrap engine.

"W-what the bloody hell?! What kind of sick person would scrap an engine like that?!" The driver exclaimed as they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

It was indeed a sorrowful sight to see the empty soul of an engine lying on the side but this was different... The engine was cut perfectly in half without error.

Half of the boiler, cab, funnel, and whistle can be seen, and they wonder how this would be possible as no skilled scrapper is capable of such a thing.

"I don't wanna know! Get me out of here! Get me out of here!" James demanded as he was too terrified to linger any longer.

The crew were quick to agree, they boarded into his cab and James reversed out of the abandon line as fast as his pistons and wheels can take him.

Back at the sheds, the engines were finally able to rest after a long day of work, Sir Topham Hatt arrived to deliver some news to the engine but they had to wait as James was absent.

Finally, James arrived back at Tidmouth sheds and the others were a bit worried and curious as to where James has been all this time as it was late in the night.

"Ah, James, so glad you can join us," Sir Topham Hatt greeted but James didn't reply as he was still too shaken from what he had seen earlier.

"Anyway, onto the point, I've come here to inform you all that we will be visited by celebrities from Korea, so I expect all of you to be on your best behavior, we do not want to give a bad impression, do we? Gordon, I'd like you to transport them from Vicarstown to Tidmouth Station, there we will begin the tour," He explained to the engines and they were quite intrigued and excited as they never had celebrities coming from across the world.

After that, Sir Topham Hatt got into his personal car and drove away from the sheds.

The engines chatted a bit about tomorrow until they eventually fell asleep except for James who could hardly sleep as he had a dreadful feeling that something or someone was watching them from the distance.

The night went on without any incident, James hardly got any sleep but still carried on with his duties as Gordon coupled to the express coaches and made his way to Vicarstown to pick up the guests along with Sir Topham Hatt.

When they arrived, Gordon saw a group of four young women, they stared at him with such curiosity and fascination that it almost made Gordon nervous.

"Ah, good morning, girls, I hope you all had a safe and pleasant trip! It's such a pleasure to have you all come to my railway, my name is Sir Topham Hatt II, and I'm the second generation running this fine railway. This is one of my prestige and trustworthy engines, Gordon, he will be taking you all to Tidmouth station, and we will begin our tour from there!" Sir Topham Hatt greeted to the four girls and they all smiled.

"Thank you for having us, sir, my name is Jisoo, I'm the eldest, and this man here is my manager," Jisoo introduced herself.

"I'm Jennie, I'm the second oldest, surely, you've once watched our music videos?" Jennie introduced herself with a hint of pride.

"My name is, Chaeyoung but everyone calls me Rosé, it's a pleasure to meet you~," Rosé introduced herself with such elegance in her voice.

"Hello, I'm Lisa, the Maknae of the group! This railway is such a nice place!" Lisa introduced herself as she admired the scenery and countryside.

After the introductions, the girls and the Controller boarded onto the express coach and Gordon puffed out of Vicarstown and began the journey to Tidmouth station.

~

Y/N's POV

As I finished doing my morning routine, I put on my work uniform, put on my coat, I put on my shoes, and walked out of the dormitory to Tidmouth sheds.

It was early in the morning at five am, I yawned a bit as I greeted Thomas as I was his driver.

"Good morning, Y/N, I heard we're getting visitors all the way from Korea!" Thomas greeted and I nodded.

"Yeah, I heard about it, they're a Kpop group called Blackpink, I doubt you heard of them... Ya know, since you're an engine," I replied.

"Oh, you'd be right, who is Blackpink and what is Kpop?" Thomas asked as he was slowly generating steam in his boiler.

"Kpop is a music genre, it's quite popular nowadays, can't go one day without hearing one of their songs, and they are talented singers and dancers, I watch them some time," I answered as I was shoveling coal in his firebox getting ready to start the day.

Then we heard a loud whistle and I recognized it to be Gordon as he rolled onto the rolling platform and joined the rest of us in the sheds.

I was wondering what was going on as Gordon should be heading out to take the express coaches by now but I was shocked to see Blackpink themselves.

They were walking with my boss Sir Topham Hatt, and they all stared at the engines with wonder and fascination.

"Good morning, everyone! I'd like to introduce you all to Blackpink, and they have come here for a tour around the island as I announced last night! To start things off, I'd like you all to introduce yourselves!" He instructed.

Henry, Emily, Thomas, Percy, and Edward all introduced themselves to the girls and letting out loud whistles as they generated enough steam in their boilers.

All except for James who still looked uneasy but he snapped out of his trance and introduced himself giving a fake smile trying to hide something.

"Wah, it's such a pleasure to meet you all! I heard so much about this place and it's amazing to be here in person!" Lisa replied as she walked up to the engines.

"Now, Thomas, Y/N, and Elliot, I'd like you to give them the tour around Sodor. Toby will be taking over your branch line for the day, that will be all!" The boss ordered us and we nodded.

"Yes, sir!' Thomas acknowledged and the controller got into his car and drove away leaving us alone.

I showed the girls inside of Thomas's cab, I let them blew the whistle a few times, but while I showed them around, I noticed James looked uneasy and so does the others.

"James, is everything okay?" Edward asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Oh, it's nothing..." James tried to play it off but it wasn't going to deter Edward one bit.

"Well, if I don't know any better but is quite rare... Poor little James has seen a ghost," Gordon teased.

Henry and Gordon laughed but the others remained silent including Y/N and the Blackpink members.

"I-I did see something..." James softly spoke up and the two stopped laughing.

"And what is that?" Henry asked in an amusing tone.

"I saw a scrap engine..." He answered and their smiles dropped to a confused to look.

"A scrap engine? That's it? I understand it's rather distressing to see those poor souls but we've all seen them plenty of times yet you never once looked this disturbed," Gordon pointed out but James sighed.

"T-this one was different, the engine was cut in half without a fault... Never seen anything like that before," James mentioned and the others were deeply disturbed.

Myself, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé, we're also disturbed about this, except for Jennie was very skeptical about the whole thing and wondered if they were just hallucinating the whole thing.

"James, you must've seen a victim of... 'The Half Engine'..." Thomas replied to him with a nervous look on his face.

"Thomas! This is no time for teasing!" James angrily growled.

"I'm not teasing you! I know exactly what happened!" He assured and Edward insisted on telling us.

Looking at Jennie's skeptical expression, I thought she wouldn't bother listening but she stayed and paid attention to Thomas anyway.

"A long time ago, when Sir Topham Hatt I was running the railway, it was the time when the North Western Railway was founded, many engines had been brought here to help including myself and others. However... there was one engine that was different," Thomas paused as he recalled the tale.

"Something horrible went wrong with her construction, she only had half a face, and the other half being her smokebox door, we could hardly understand what she was trying to say, maintenance on her was a nightmare to watch or listen to, and through all of this... She was in immense excruciating pain, every night we heard her crying and pleading for the pain to go away, it was so horrid that many of us could hardly stomach it," Thomas explains the whole story and the girls were in deep shock about this and again deeply disturbed.

Lisa and Rosé looked at each other with fear written all over their faces and Jisoo didn't say a word but Jennie was skeptical as ever.

"But the nastiest of us and even some of the crews saw it as nothing but a joke, this would all boil up inside of her and one day, her behavior changed for the worst... She became more violent, snapping at everyone she came across, even those who pitied her, and to make things worse, at night, she traveled down the sheds and down a heavily forested line, and when she returned, she swore that we would all perish on this railway, in her gargled barely identical speech, and we began to believe she was possessed and deranged in all her suffering, seeking any ways to get rid of her deformity,"

"Eventually, the Director of the Railway had enough, and he ordered another engine to take her down the smelter yard to be cut up for scrap, at the same time, myself and another engine were heading home from work, but as we made our way down the line, we saw smoke and multiple sounds of fire engines, we rushed to see what happened, and there was a sight I'll never forgot..." Thomas again paused.

"We never saw her again after that day... But rumors spread from workmen about noises on foggy nights, they all told us the same thing, it sounded like someone screaming in pain, and now it seems like her spirit still roams around the railway to this day..." Thomas finished his tale.

Again, the others were silent as the grave, deeply disturbed and terrified of this, the girls were shivering as they looked down the line wondering if perhaps the Half Engine was watching them.

"Pft. What a load of rubbish! Come on guys, you can't be seriously believing this is all real?! It's fake! Just like every other folklore tale! James, what you say may have been a hallucination!" Jennie exclaimed but the others didn't seem to agree with her.

"Jennie, I'm being serious here! It's all real and I was there!" Thomas warned her but she scoffed.

"Yeah, sure... Almost as real as any other scary ghost engine story!" Jennie sarcastically replied and Thomas sighed in defeat.

But little did Jennie know was that something was lurking in the shadows of the yard, watching the others before disappearing in the wind.

I swore I caught a glimpse of an engine down near the shunting yards but it vanished before I got a good look but I have a bad feeling about the whole situation especially for Jennie's safety.

We continued on the tour as scheduled, the camera crew and the girls were vlogging around the island as Thomas, Eliiot and I, were travelling down the main lines.

When it was getting dark, we head down back to the main line and concluded the day as we got good footage for their Youtube channel, and we arrived back to Tidmouth sheds.

After I finished putting Thomas into his designated shed, I guided the girls to the dormitory where they'll be sleeping for the rest of their stay.

"For a railway dormitory, it sure is nice..." Jisoo complimented.

"Yeah, not bad, right? Provided a place to stay and get paid, can't really beat that," I replied and chuckled.

"By the way, Y/N, is the Half Engine, real?" Rosé nervously asked and I sighed.

"If I'm being honest... That is up to you to believe what is real and what is not," I spoke to her with a solemn tone and she gulped.

Not wanting to intrude any further, I bid them goodnight and I went back into my own dorm to get some rest for the night.

~

Jennie's POV

As we settled into our dorm, the girls were getting ready for bed and go to sleep but I wasn't tired yet as I wanted to find out myself if the story of the Half Engine is real or just made up to scare us.

Regardless, I don't believe in the thing but I'm willing to give it a shot, I grabbed my phone and flashlight.

I snuck out of the bedroom without waking up the girls as I quietly exited the dormitory, the night was foggy and quiet giving an uneasy ambience.

Despite all of that, I pressed on as I made my way into the heavily forested line where the Half Engine is said to reside.

I pop up my camera app on my phone beginning to record my investigation.

"Alright, Blinks, this is the investigation of the legend of the Half Engine, where it says is a ghostly engine with half a face and the other half being her smokebox door. To be honest, guys, I'm not too sure about the whole thing, so let us find out!" I started the recording as I ventured down the foggy line.

Ten minutes into my mischief yet dangerous investigation there was nothing out of the ordinary that appeared other than some owls and occasionally deer.

Eventually I was starting to grow bored and figured this whole thing was a waste of time and began pondering if I should just head back to the dormitory.

"Aish, you know what Blinks, I'm tired so this concludes-" She was cut off when she heard a loud banshee like scream causing her to freeze.

"U-uhhh... D-did you hear that...?" She nervously asked the camera and again the scream was heard but this time it was louder.

Then I heard a faint sound of puffing of a steam engine heading my way along with the banshee-like scream.

"W-whos there?! This isn't funny?! Thomas is that you?!" Jennie called out but there was no response.

But at the corner of my eye, I looked into the fog and my stomach dropped as I saw a rusted engine charging at me. But her face was skeletal and the other half being her smokebox... IT CANNOT BE!!!

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!" I screamed in terror as the deranged engine was charging torwards me and was about to run me over.

I closed my eyes standing still then I heard someone shouting out my name as I was trembling and frozen in terror.

"Jennie?"

"Jennie?"

"Jennie!"

I opened my eyes fearing to see that ungodly engine but it was long gone and I sighed in relief when I saw Y/N with Thomas with worried looks on their faces.

"Are you okay, Jennie?" Y/N asked as he shined his lantern in his hand.

"I-I guess..." I answered as I was shaken.

"You really shouldn't have gone out this late, do you know what could be out here? Bears, wolfs, and maybe even dangerous people," Y/N scolded me and I looked down in shame.

I pulled out my phone to call my members as they are probably worried sick about me but I gasped when I saw my phone cut clean in half without error...

"N-no way... How is this possible...?" I trembled as I tried to figure out what the fuck happened to my phone.

"You should consider yourself luckty it was your phone... Instead of you," Thomas spoke and I looked up to him.

"What do you mean...? The Half Engine did this to my phone...?" I nervously asked and Y/N nodded.

"Not many people live to tell their tale... Instead, they are found with their corpses cut in half... Just like the engines. I saw her once myself and that's why I consider myself the luckiest man on the island," Y/N explained and shivers ran down my spine as I felt thankful that it took my phone instead of me.

Thomas and Y/N gave me a ride back to the sheds and he guided me back to the dormitory and I was in for a lecture from Jisoo that night but that was the least of my concerns.

Whatever I saw... Whether it be the Half Engine or not, I will never forget it and I feel like this will haunt me for the rest of my life.

I feel sorry and regret that I didn't believe Thomas and instead risked my own life to prove that the Half Engine is nothing but a made-up folklore tale.

Throughout the rest of the trip, nothing happened and I never saw the Half Engine again, but the thought of it lingered in my mind, and sometimes... At night, when I sleep... I feel being watched by something or someone.

[edwards-exploit]

Not pictured: The Fireman, Micheal Moraghan.

Anyway, Rushton! I know the W&SR only had four 0-6-0 tank engines but I bent canon a little to make him work (who says that they didn't have OTHER engines who helped them out that didn't make it...?)

Thomas and Edward never met him, but they WERE told of him...

more about him under the cut, though some of it might be subject to change

Rushton was built in October 1871 along another of his class MR no. 67, and he was bought by the W&SR to keep up with increasing passenger demand in 1904. His train, the "The Coastal Express", was to be an express passenger train that ran from its terminus station of Crosby to Brendam, as the railway planned to extend their line there (before abandoning the project in 1909 and moving to Tidmouth in 1912).

The fact that he's a tender engine and an express passenger engine very much got to his smokebox, as he began treating everyone and everything beneath him and developed a cold attitude- goods trains, maintenence, the tank engines, the passengers (though, in all fairness, he didn't outwardly show this and was polite to them), his own crew...

Which, for Micheal. with his short temper, did not go well. Rushton and Micheal got into arguments and Alec, who tried to play mediator between the two, got into the crossfire often. Unfortunately, the two were the only ones willing to put up with Rushton's attitude and were the ones who were semi successful in reining him in when he bullied the tank engines or when he went too fast. so he was stuck with them and they with him.

In 1909, before the closing of the Brendam Port project, Rushton was his usual self- snobbish, cold, and hard to work with. As per usual, his crew was Alec and Micheal.

Perhaps it was the weather, perhaps it was the fact that it was night and things were less visible, perhaps it was Rushton going way too fast to finish this train already so he could go back and sleep, perhaps it was Micheal arguing with Rushton and telling him to suck it up, or perhaps it was Alec not paying attention to the water levels or the tracks as he tried to tell them both to knock it off...

In any case, there was a very, very nasty accident.

...

The other engines could swear up and down that they could still hear Rushton passing them by. Especially at night. And if you listen closely, maybe you can hear the men on the footplate, trying to tell him to slow down.

(not pictured: a young thomas immediately crying because he didn't know HUMANS CAN DIE FROM RAILWAY ACCIDENTS, wellsworth and suddery no. 3 laughing at thomas- what, he's been coddled enough, let him learn!- and young edward trying to soothe a crying thomas)

[hazel-of-sodor]

Day 11 A-Stalled

Day 11 A-Hill

Other Stories

Other Days

Thomas was sitting on a siding next to the mainline sheds at Tidmouth, resting in the sunlight pleasantly. Or he would be if not for the commotion in the sheds. Percy had taken a train of skate to Kellsthorpe Road, but had stalled on the Maron Incline, Gordin’s Hill.

James and Henry of course delighted to tease him about it, which led to Percy bringing up the times they had gotten stuck on the hill.

Soon the engines had all been fussing over who had the least stalls on the hill.

“It's named Gordon's hill!” James said triumphantly, "It can't be him.”

 Gordon cracked open an eye to fix an unimpressed look on the mogul. “I only stalled on the hill once, shortly after I arrived on the island, and there was no established banker for the hill at the time. The trucks began calling it Gordon’s hill after that, and despite everyone else's innumerable failures to climb the hill, the name stuck.”

“Gordon probably has it then.” Henry said ruefully, “I think everyone else has stalled at least twice.”

Edward tilted his head thoughtfully “I'm not certain about that Henry. I can't recall Thomas ever stalling on the hill.”

“Of course he has!” James snapped, “he's one of the smallest here.”

“Then when?” Edward asked simply.

The engines all paused, thinking before slowly turning to the tank engine.

Thomas tried to ignore the questioning looks, but eventually gave in with a sigh, “I don't remember ever stalling there. I might have, but I don't remember doing so.”

“How?!” James demanded, “there's no way you've never stalled.”

Thomas looked irritably at the mogul, “I just said it's possible I have, but I don't remember it. I've never been a mainline engine so I don't cross it that often.”

Edward nodded, “Except for the few times they've all been stuck in the shed, you had no reason to climb the hill. Well, other than when you were banker.”

James stared at Edward disbelievingly, “No. There's no way he was banker.”

Thomas glared at the red engine, “What did you think I was doing at Wellsworth your first day?”

“I thought you were just the yard pilot!”

“The Wellsworth Pilot has always acted as banker,” Henry reminded James.

Thomas sighed, “To be fair, I had been given my branchline by the time he was repaired. They finished Wellsworth’s overhaul, although she had not been named that yet, and she relieved me before James returned to service.”

Henry tilted his thoughtfully, “I forgot James never knew you as station pilot.”

Edward chuckled, “that was probably for the better. James bossing him around might have been the thing that made Thomas snap.”

[karl-jensen]

CONNOR and CAITLIN — My Headcanons

Since American steam locomotives are a thing in Thomas and Friends, I am quite weirded out with Connor and Caitlin's in-television designs since they are based on American streamliners. The production didn't even look up different streamliners from the United Kingdom and missed out on a handful of interesting trains such as the LNER W1 Hush-Hush, LMS Streamlined Coronation Scot, the P2's and many more. For my headcanons for the two Streamliners of Sir Robert Norramby, I made Connor and Caitlin an LNER P2 (fictional) Prototype and an LMS Coronation class to fit the series' theme of British Steam Locomotives.

Headcanons for Connor

Connor is now an LNER P2, specifically a fictional prototype just like Gordon.

He is now painted Blue to match the color scheme of the A4's and their Coronation liveries. However, Connor's wheels are black instead of red.

Prior to being painted Blue, he was once Green like many of the LNER's engines.

His personality is rather snarky and would often tease anyone as well as rolling stock and humans.

He is numbered 2000 and is named "Lord Connor".

He used to pull the Coronation, a train service from London to Edinburgh.

Connor was the first to be purchased and saved from scrap by Sir Robert Norramby. He would be heartbroken to find that Caitlin wasn't rescued until 1971.

Headcanons for Caitlin

Caitlin is now an LMS Coronation class locomotive.

Her streamlining works as follows: A spare firebox door was specially built for Caitlin and the other Coronations to cover up the smokebox. Whenever their casings are removed, their original smokebox doors are placed back. The face that you see in Caitlin's illustration IS her original smokebox door, while the one inside the casing is the spare one.

Her number is 6249 and is named "City of Sheffield", a real-life locomotive. Caitlin hated that name and would often get called as "Sheff" from many of her colleagues, especially Connor. She would call herself "Caitlin" since it suited her better.

She is quite friendly to everybody, but gets easily irritated whenever someone teases her or hears an annoying sound like screeching.

She once pulled the Coronation Scot, a train service from London to Edinburgh.

Caitlin was rescued from the scrapyard in 1968, months after Connor. She was purchased by Sir Robert Norramby with financial support from Sir Charles Topham Hatt.

She was restored to working order in 1971 where she surprised Connor.

The Edinburgh Incident, 193X

Headcanons in General

Connor and Caitlin's character dynamic in the show is similar to Hercules and Lillie Lightship from Tugs. Both are portrayed as lovers.

Connor first met Caitlin in the 1930's. He tried racing her to Scotland but ran out of water after refusing to scoop up water from a trough along the way. He was scolded by the Stationmaster and was reported to the LNER's head office for his reckless and irresponsible behavior.

During World War II, both engines shared a close relationship. They would often help one another until they became very close like star-crossed lovers.

Both engines were out of service by the 1960's. Connor was the only engine in his class to have never been streamlined, while Caitlin continued her British Railways career without her casing.

Connor fell into a deep depression after he was restored to working order, but he was informed by Sir Topham Hatt and Sir Robert Norramby that they will raise money to save Caitlin from the cutter's torch. His depression ended in 1971 when Caitlin arrived at Tidmouth Station with a passenger train.

Prior to Caitlin's restoration, she was transferred from the scrapyard to Crovan's Gate late at night so that Connor wouldn't see her. Sir Robert wanted to surprise him once Caitlin was restored to working order, but rumors by some engines say that a Coronation Class is in the Island being restored. The crew tried their best in hiding Caitlin by putting her in the shed so that her partner wouldn't see her, and tried their best in hushing up rumors.

The two engines pull special coaches with observation cars, or "Beavertails" as they are called. The TV show did not acknowledge their presence in real life, so I added them to stay true to railway history.

Connor: I'll race ya to Edinburgh, Sheff. See ya in the blink of an eye!

Caitlin: Do NOT call me that, you green goblin! Call me by my preferred name, CAITLIN!

Connor: Alright then, darling. If I reach Edinburgh, I still get to call you 'Sheff'. But if you reach there first, then I shall call you 'Caitlin'. Is it a deal?

Caitlin: It's a big fat damn deal. I'll race ya to Edinburgh!

[jessythebunny]

🚂Gordon the big engine⚡

💙Gordon is the biggest engine in tidmouth sheds, but not the same size of Henry, Gordon is a bit bigger than him.

💙he's a very proud and grand engine. And he doesn't give a shit about what the small engines say about him

💙Gordon likes to pull the express in the engine form, it's his favorite and his life job, but he really hates when someone else pulls the express instead of him

💙Gordon has gray marks under his eyes from lack of sleep because he sometimes doesn't sleep much, or because of his nerves because he always gets angry.

💙Don't mess with Gordon or call him slow and useless because he will get rid of you by any means possible

💙Gordon rarely likes to give advice to the little engines and is keen to tell them to stick to it, especially Thomas and Percy, but unfortunately they do not follow the advice and he regrets it in the end.

💙Gordon belongs to a famous family called the “Gresley Family,” which is a famous family in the mainland, that's why some people respect him

💙anything related with vanilla, he'll love it.

💙Gordon doesn't like to pull the goods train because he thinks that it's not a special job for a grand engine like him

💙He has a crush on Rebecca and he makes sure to make her happy and he worries about her if something happens or will happen to her

💙He likes some peace and quiet, Yes. Gordon is a quiet person and does not like to be disturbed. He just wishes to rest in peace, but this is impossible with the presence of small engines, especially Thomas.

💙In his free time, Gordon likes to race one of the fast engines, like Spencer or Rebecca

💙Everyone thinks that Gordon is the sulky and nervous father and does not like anyone telling him what to do or not do. To Thomas, he is his boring and grumpy father.

💙Gordon is arguing with Duck about the names of the stations in London, and this is funny to me ngl but they're arguing in days and nights

💙close with Edward, James, Henry, Rebecca, scottsman(brother), Spencer, Boco

💙good friends with Thomas, Percy, Hiro, Nia, Daisy, not from the nicest type of the engines but every engine gives it its value

💙he's often rude to Toby bc he thinks that he doesn't deserve to stay in the railway

💙Bill and Ben piss him off and they play in his nerves, and he avoids diesel 10.

[traintrainingmontage]

Railroaded

Summary: Edward gives some life advice to the future Sir Topham Hatt the Fifth.

Rating: G

Word Count: ~2.5k

Characters: Edward, OC, mentions of BoCo and other engines

I've been having a lot of thoughts about the roles of engines and people, as well as the differences between what they want out of life, and thus, this Edward appreciation fic was born.

Crossposted to Ao3!

The sun had long set above the island of Sodor, making way for the moon to head off across the skies. Beneath the twinkling stars lay Wellsworth station, gateway to the rest of the Brendam Branch Line, and in the sheds at the back, BoCo was fast asleep in his berth by the time Edward puffed in.

Some things ran in the family, it seemed, and Edward couldn't help but marvel at it.

Truthfully, the blue engine preferred the berths at Tidmouth, what with their familiar hustle and bustle (as well as their vibrant excitement). That said, it was already so late, and going all the way up to Tidmouth would certainly guarantee that both the engine and his crew alike would be a rather unprofessional level of grouchy tomorrow.

"Alright, Edward," called his driver, Tiffany, as she patted him companionably on the buffer. "We're putting you up for the night. Catch you bright and early tomorrow!"

Tiffany Sand, much like her late grandfather, was a cheerful and capable sort. Edward had watched her grow up, smiling widely at him as he'd passed her hometown, and it had warmed his soul when she'd enthusiastically applied to be his driver as soon as she possibly could. The entire Sand family had always treated him well, and it had been Charlie who'd been with him during his most memorable exploit. The man had been in his early 60s, then, but the smile he'd worn all those years hadn't changed a bit. In fact, Edward could see that same smile etched on Tiffany's own face.

Driver and fireman headed out of the shed, lured by the siren's song of their warm beds. Just as Edward was about to sink into satisfied slumber as well, however, a quiet knock roused him once more. "Ah, hullo?" Edward mumbled sleepily. "Who's there?"

After a moment, a vaguely familiar face hesitantly peeked in. Short brown hair framed inquisitive hazel eyes, and a well-groomed beard and mustache complimented the fine clothes that the visitor wore. Although not terribly tall, this particular gentleman carried himself with a certain level of poise and grace that made him stand out in a crowd. The man's entire look and demeanor spoke to someone who would sport a black silk top hat one day.

Before the man could speak, Edward's eyes widened and his face broke into a broad smile, all hint of sleep forgotten. "Ah, hello, Sir!"

The visitor's brief unease evaporated at the warm greeting, and he returned the engine's grin with one of his own. "I'm no Sir yet, Edward. Please, call me Adam."

Edward momentarily made a thoughtful expression, as if he wanted to protest, but then thought better of it. He had seen the future Sir Topham Hatt the Fifth from afar a few times before, and they had exchanged pleasantries a handful of times, but they were hardly close. Still, since the man himself allowed it, and for the sake of making his surprise guest feel more at ease, Edward would do as his Controller's grandson asked.

"As you like. What can I do for you, Sir--er, Adam?" The Seagull did not bother commenting on the late hour, feeling that Adam was already well aware of the time and thus needed help with something that could not wait. As to what the problem could be, however, much less one that a steam engine could solve, Edward had no idea.

The heir to the railway sighed, digging his hands into the pockets of his blazer and idly kicking at some gravel. The poise from before seemed to have retreated, leaving only a tired-eyed gentleman standing before the blue engine. "I... I need some advice, Edward."

The engine blinked, not expecting such a comment. Yet, before he could speak, Adam began to elaborate. "My father and grandfather have always said that you're the wisest engine on our railway. They said that you were the only one they could ask questions of without feeling like... I don't know... like it would undermine their authority or be a show of favoritism or make an engine feel bad that they or you didn't have all the answers. And right now, I just need another person's perspective." Adam blinked as he registered what he'd said, giving Edward a sheepish look. "...Or, well, in this case, an engine's."

Edward carefully considered the request. It was true that previous Fat Controllers had come to him for the occasional answer to a question they had or to get his opinion on something, but it was usually a matter of them already having a plan or idea in mind and confirming it with him as a matter of course; a supervisor conferring with a trusted employee to ensure that the idea was a sound one.

Adam was not doing that. Instead of the confident tones that Edward had come to associate with the Controllers' family, Adam's voice sounded... lost, almost. Vulnerable. And from the way he was speaking, he had nowhere else to turn.

Somehow, in this moment, Edward was reminded of Thomas.

"Very well, Adam," Edward replied gravely. "I'm happy to hear you out and assist you as best I can."

A look of pure relief came over Adam's face, and he gave a quiet sigh. He then approached Edward slowly, pulling out and setting up a nearby folding chair so that he could sit beside the engine's buffers.

As he made himself comfortable, the heir took a deep breath, clearly trying to determine what he was going to say and how to say it. Edward waited patiently, expression unjudging. "I... the truth of the matter is that I'm not sure I'm cut out to run the railway," Adam began, his eyes flicking up to Edward's to see what the engine thought.

Edward blinked, surprise evident all over his face. "Really? I would never have guessed. Whenever I see you, you always exude such confidence."

A self-deprecating laugh escaped Adam's lips. "All part of the act, I'm afraid." He ran a hand through his short hair, his gaze lifting toward the ceiling. "I'm already 28 years old, Edward. I've gone to university, graduated top of my class in engineering, and know everything there is to know about train maintenance. But finance? Management? Oh, Edward... there's still so much I don't know."

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as his eyes slid over toward the steam engine once more. Edward met his gaze calmly, simply listening and taking it all in.

"Father is just over 50, but he's already said that he plans to pass everything off to me once grandfather retires. He enjoys traveling alongside the Duke and promoting the railway much more than he likes staying here and working. That's why Uncle Charles and Aunt Emily have stepped up in his stead. But... I..."

Adam's hand slipped down to cover his face, obscuring all but the wan smile creasing his lips. "Everyone expects that I'll take over for my grandfather, become Sir Topham Hatt the Fifth, and run the railway as well as they all did. But truthfully... I'd rather work in the Steamworks. I've always enjoyed repairing machines, being more hands-on than anything, and I don't want to worry about the finances and business negotiations and investments. My sister Courtney is much more money-minded than I am; she should run the railway! But I just... I don't know. Everyone's expectations are just so... heavy."

Finally, his hand fell back down to his side, exhaustion clear in his young face as he stared at Edward. "Edward... what do you when you've been given a job that you're not sure you can do and never asked for, but everyone says you'll do a good job and you need to do a good job or else everything will fall apart, and... and... and..."

Adam's voice finally fell quiet, the only sound rumbling through the shed being that of BoCo's quiet snoring. Edward silently thanked the Lord, and the Lady of Gold, that BoCo was a sound sleeper.

That said... what was he to say? Engines thought very differently about work and duty than humans did. Part of Edward wanted to comfort the young heir, but the kind of thing that Adam found comforting would probably be very different from what Thomas or Bill & Ben would need to hear. Not to mention that Edward hardly knew what a human would find comforting. But truthfully, Edward was a fan of giving truthful advice, and trying to tell Adam what he might want to hear didn't sit well with the old engine. If that was the case, there was really only one track open to him.

After a long moment, Edward finally heaved a sigh and hesitantly started to speak.

"Well, Adam, I don't know how helpful my advice will be, but I shall try to answer as I would if an engine asked me such a thing."

Adam simply nodded, some of his exhaustion seemingly turning to curiosity.

"You see, engines are born to serve and live to serve. It's our purpose, our reason for being, and it's said that our drive to do right by our railways is a gift granted by our patron saint, the Lady of Gold. I'll tell you about her another time, if you don't mind," Edward smiled, seeing the young engineer's curious expression.

"But all the same, many of us still have preferences regarding which jobs we prefer to do. James, for example, is very vocal about which tasks he enjoys doing." The blue engine gave a quiet chuckle as he said this, and the young Hatt laughed along with him. "And yet... he, like the rest of us, will do whatever he needs to do for his railway. We are all made for different things, with different builds and specialties, and we place our trust in our Controllers to tell us how best we can help."

"Ah..." Adam sighed despondently. "So I guess I should just listen to my family's wisdom, then?"

"Well..." Edward paused, mulling over his words. "At the same time, if an engine was given a task that they weren't built for, that would cause problems. The task needs to be assigned to the right engine, and if the engine knows that a task isn't simply something that they don't want to do, but something that they aren't made for, then they are duty-bound to tell their Controller. Of course, their Controller should know better than to force an engine into taking on the wrong tasks in the first place."

The Seagull sighed, feeling slightly frustrated at not being able to give as clear of an answer as he would have liked. "But Adam... you aren't an engine. You are a person, and as a person, the number of things that you can do in this world is greater than I could ever fathom. If you held no affection for this railway, I would have no idea as to what advice I could give, but I can tell that you love the North Western Railway as much as both us and your predecessors."

A quiet smile crossed Edward's face as he thought of Tiffany.

"On this island, a love of railways seems to be an inherited thing. Your father and grandfather are likely placing such pressure on you because they believe in you, and truthfully, it is my opinion that you could indeed rise to the challenge. If it was simply an issue of confidence, I would encourage you to believe in yourself and take up the task that your Controller has entrusted you with. To do what you were 'built for,' so to speak."

The tender smile on Edward's face did not wane, but his gaze softened as he looked upon the young Hatt. Ribbons of moonlight cascaded through the shed windows, illuminating their faces. "However, Adam, it sounds to me like this is more a matter of what makes your fire burn. If you truly believe that you are better suited for a different set of tasks than railway oversight, speak with your sister. Form an alliance. Show your worth as a mechanical engineer to your father and grandfather, and prove to them that you can do the job that you want better than the job that they wish to give you. As I said at the start, we all have preferences. As long as your desires align with your capabilities, there is no shame in pursuing what you want within the bounds of reason."

Adam stared at Edward for a long time, awe reflected in his hazel gaze. "They were right," he murmured. "It won't be as easy as you've described, but somehow, you've given me the confidence to try. You really do know everything, Edward."

The blue engine barked a charmed laugh, pleased that his advice had been useful after all. "No no, don't give me that much credit! I really just..." Edward quickly cut himself off as he looked almost guiltily toward BoCo, who was fortunately still snoring away. Once reassured that the diesel hadn't been disturbed, Edward looked back at the future head engineer with a smile. "I really just have experience to thank. Whatever your role on this railway, Adam, I have every confidence that you will do it wonderfully. I swear to place my trust in you, just as I have with every Hatt before you. And all of the other engines will do the same."

Slight tears had begun to bead in Adam's eyes, and he swallowed sharply, staring with a glassy gaze up at the engine. A tentative hand came to rest on Edward's buffer. "I'll take care of you, Edward. You and all the others, whether I become Controller or a mechanic or whatever else lies before me. I promise."

"I'll look forward to it, then," Edward replied softly, his voice tinted by a gentle camaraderie, and Adam smiled lightly, wiping the remains of the tears away. A beat of silence stretched between them, the moon the only witness to an inherited promise sealed in soul.

Suddenly, vibrations sounded from Adam's pocket, and the young Hatt reached a hand in to grasp his phone. He glanced at the screen, eyes widening at what he saw. "Oh goodness, it's already this late... I'm so sorry to have kept you, Edward. I should be going home, and you ought to get some rest."

Edward just sighed; he probably didn't want to know what time it was if this was Adam's reaction. "Yes, I believe I shall. Take care on your way home, Adam, and please--feel free to seek me out again if you'd like. This has been quite an enjoyable talk."

The young man grinned, some of the poise from earlier creeping back into his posture as he made to leave the shed. "I think I'll take you up on that sometime, Edward. Good night!"

"Good night, Adam," Edward echoed, a smile on his face as the young man let himself out and quietly closed the shed door behind him. Once again, Edward was alone, save for BoCo's snores, but his firebox felt light.

As his eyelids fluttered shut, the engine's smile remained, and a single thought echoed in his mind.

Good night... Sir.

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2024: Day 19 - Admire

Douglas Couldn't Help It!

Douglas smiled softly as he watched the station. It had been only a couple of years since his dramatic escape from British Rail and arrival on Sodor, but Oliver was already fitting in like a natural. The Great Western engine was an absolute social butterfly, able to charm the big engines with ease even as he made Duck laugh with all his in-jokes that only the two truly understood. He was admittedly still a little wary of the diesels - especially Bear and Daisy whose classes had worked around where Oliver had lived and replaced him and his siblings - but even then he was growing more confident around them with each passing day. 

“It’s nice being on Sodor,” Oliver had confided in Douglas. “Diesel and steam engines can live in harmony here without fear of one replacing the other.” Douglas couldn’t agree more, he himself feeling more at peace with the diesels on Sodor with each passing year. But the way Oliver seemed so relaxed and confident in himself, it made Douglas feel all sorts of things. Douglas couldn't help it! Oliver was so suave and witty and brave - how could he not admire him? 

As if on cue, a cheerful whistle blasted in the distance, and Oliver steamed in. Douglas puffed over, a broad smile already growing on his lips. “Hullo Oliver, how was yer run?” “Oh, hi Douglas,” grinned Oliver. Douglas felt like his fire was about to melt right through his firebars and fall all over the line. “The run was good - I don’t think I’ll ever get over how beautiful this line is!” “Aye, it is a fabulous little line, though I’m sure yer old line was also nice.” “Oh it was!” Oliver began, “but… then the diesels began to arrive, and we didn’t get to use the line as much. And that was after they replaced most of the Autocoaches with their Mark 1s… nasty, heavy things!” Douglas just hummed, a little dopily. Oliver chuckled, shooting Douglas a megawatt smile that went straight to the poor Scot’s boiler.

“I’ve got to go, and I think you do too,” grinned Oliver, already beginning back down the line with his train. Douglas blinked, and looked back. His guard was tapping his foot impatiently, and when he spotted Douglas finally paying him some attention, gestured to the trucks. Douglas went red with embarrassment and hurried to get back to work.

As he back down onto his trucks, Douglas looked over and spotted Mike sitting on the Arlesdale Railway’s tracks next to him. Mike was shooting Douglas the most disgusted look an engine could, his face scrunched up comically. “What?” “You’re besotted,” sneered Mike. “It’s pathetic to watch – just talk to him like a normal engine, ask him out if you have to! But stop gazing after him like he’s some damsel in a Hollywood film!” Douglas just sighed. “Ye'll understand ane day.” “No I won’t! Who would I even look at like that? Frank?! You’ve lost it, Douglas!” Douglas ignored the little pillarbox of an engine and steamed away.

Douglas worked hard all day, trying his best to find another time when his schedule matched up with Oliver’s so they could chat – only much to his dismay, it just didn’t happen. Poor Douglas was never in the right spot, and all he could do was watch as the cute Autotank vanished out of view with his passengers.

“Ah canae tak it anymore! Hou is it thon A keep missin Oliver by mere seconds?!” burst out Douglas to his twin that night. Donald snorted. “Ye're juist unlucky. Iver considerit playin cards - ye'd have more luck thare than i love!” Douglas rolled his eyes at his twin and went unhappily to sleep.

An entire week went by in this manner, with Douglas managing one or two short conversations each day where Oliver would leave him absolutely flustered and whining to his twin about the Western engine he had rescued. Donald indulged his twin with a wry grin, remembering similar conversations he’d had to listen to back in Scotland and back at Tidmouth.

Finally, Douglas managed to strike good fortune. On Saturday, he finished up his duties near Tidmouth, and convinced his driver to let him sleep there the night, so he could try strike up a conversation with Oliver again. But as he neared the shed, he heard voices – it was Oliver! And… Gordon?

“I mean, he’s just so strong,” sighed Oliver wistfully. “I suppose, though I don’t see the appeal personally,” came the reply. Douglas felt his boiler pressure drop. Who was Oliver talking about?

“I mean, have you seen him?” went on Oliver. “Especially at night! Watching him go by is a true sight.” Gordon snorted. “You talk like he’s me! Please, just because we—” Douglas reversed back down the line as fast as his wheels could carry him. Oliver liked another engine. Oh.

Oh no.

And Douglas knew who it was too – a strong engine who ran at night and Gordon could relate to? It had to be Henry! Gordon and Henry had shared a shape, and Henry hauled the Flying Kipper. It made so much sense, didn’t it? Of course Oliver would want someone like Henry, who was strong and caring and determined! And the two shared a shed too, so of course they had gotten to know each other well; and to think Douglas thought he had a chance.

Douglas managed to get James to agree to trade his late evening coal train – which was not that difficult, all things considered – and got as far away from Tidmouth as quickly as possible. He delivered the coal, then slept unhappily at Vicarstown.

Douglas didn’t say much for the next few days. He did his work, sighing quietly but still treasuring every smile Oliver sent his way. The Fat Controller had listened to his rather sudden request to help out on Edward’s branchline and agreed – for a few days at least, but all too soon Douglas was back on the Little Western.

Donald had noticed Douglas’ change of mood almost instantly, but waited a few days before confronting his twin.

“Richt, ye've been mopin aw week. Whit's wrong wi ye?” snapped Donald at the sheds. Douglas jumped, and looked at Donald for all of three seconds before gazing down at his buffers, a defeated look gracing the Caledonian’s features. “Oliver likes a different engine. A dinnae want tae get i the way thouch - A'm no some insane jealous idiot wha refuses tae see him happy without me thouch – e'en gin it's wi Henry. A'll juist admire him from afar an wait for these feelings tae gae away.”

Donald stared at his twin for a long, silent minute. He didn’t know what to say – Douglas believed, of all things, that Oliver liked a different engine. “Are ye sure?” he asked delicately. Douglas sniffled a little. “Ay, A overheard him at the sheds. He wis talkin tae Gordon aboot his crush. A'll be ok, juist... give me some time, aw richt?”

Donald agreed, and watched as his twin fell asleep. Then, he groaned aloud. “These twa idiots,” he grumbled. “A'm gaun'ae have tae talk tae Duck aboot this.”

Duck agreed with Donald. “Oliver’s been moping about Tidmouth too,” he huffed. “These two are as dumb as each other, I swear. We need to do something about it.” “Douggie wonae dae anythin - he's committit tae "just admirin him from afar" like some sort o chivalrous knicht.” “So it’ll have to be Oliver,” Duck realised. Donald agreed grimly.

These two would definitely need a push in the right direction – and thankfully, Duck knew exactly what to say…

“You’re an idiot and now Douglas thinks you like Henry.”

…Or maybe not.

“He thinks what? How?!” “He overheard you talking to Gordon about him and somehow misunderstood everything. The only reason I know is cause he told Donald, and I put ten and eleven together and figured out how dim-witted the pair of you are. Go ask that dumb Scot out already or I will dump you with Thomas.” “I get along fine with Thomas,” huffed Oliver. “He’s having another spat with Percy,” Duck replied with a groan. Oliver shuddered. The two still remembered the screaming match the pair had had in the middle of the Big Harbour a month back – it had been so bad that Gordon had to drag Thomas away while Henry held Percy back from chasing after the blue tank engine.

“Those two fight like cats and dogs,” sighed Oliver. “inconsistently and whenever it suits their fancy.” Duck couldn’t help but laugh, before pausing. “Don’t try and distract me – go ask Douglas out!” Oliver groaned, and puffed away to go do just that.

He found the Caledonian dozing in his shed up at Arlesburgh. Thinking quickly, Oliver convinced the signalman to let him roll onto the same line as Douglas, puffing right up to the Caledonian’s bufferbeam. Douglas opened a sleepy eye – and then bolted right awake.

“Oliver?!” “Hi Douglas. You know, I heard a very interesting thing today.” Douglas gulped, feeling his fire go cold. “O-oh?” Oliver grinned at the nervous engine, and smiled cheekily. “Oh yes – a birdie told me that you liked someone. And imagine my delight when I found out who.” Douglas listened intently – and then it sunk in. “Delichted? Are ye…”

Oliver smiled at the Caledonian, and rolled forwards until he buffered up to him.

“You’re an idiot, you know that? I like you, not some other engine. Strong, runs at night, saved me, blue like Gordon? It’s you.” Douglas just blinked dumbly, then groaned. “O course Gordon wad compare our paint juist sae he coud talk aboot himself!” “Of course,” agreed Oliver. “But I’d rather not hear you talk about other engines when we’re talking about us.”

Needless to say, Douglas was flushed bright red for the rest of the day and Oliver scored himself a Caledonian boyfriend.

Back to the Master Post

[just-an-emily-existing]

Poor Percy bro, he’s like the little servant for the railway! No wonder he feels put upon

"The Deputation" is a stupid title. It shoulda been called "Percy Has To Do Bloody Everything Around Here."

[steam-beasts]

Fun Game Concept!

So as you know, Choo Choo charles is a open-world game that has you constantly being hunted down by a man-eating steam engine monster while also gathering enough upgrades and weapons to kill it. Well, I just thought...

...what if it was on Sodor and the monsters were the ttte characters we know and love?

The game would take place after BWBA (but better), and would be followed up as a sequel to my TATMR, which I'm currently writing. There would also be a few elements from Security Breach, which would involve you getting collectibles or weapons that would benefit the player independently, having to sneak through certain areas.

The Story

It's been years since Lily and Patch, along with Mr Conductor had saved Lady and her magic railroad from doom. Both are now young adults when Lily gets a strange letter from her grandpa, asking for help. She decides to see what's going on and Patch tags along for the sake of it. One thing leads to another and the two find themselves on Sodor again.

But something's wrong. The engines have transformed into beast-like creatures, attacking anyone they see on sight. Mr Conductor and the two soon reunite and are enlisted to help find a cure to stop the insanity. Along the way, Lily and Patch must dodge, weave, stun and defend themselves from the horrors of Sodor!

Gameplay + tutorial

In this (not real) ttte horror game, in the first segment, you play as Mr Conductor.

Mr Conductor is who you play as for the tutorial and the rest of the segment. The tutorial involves you learning how to collect items, sneak through areas where engines are roaming and how to shoot/throw and distract enemies using the environment around you. The location of this tutorial is on Misty Island, and the tutorial uses the location as an advantage to help the player be able to navigate through foggy or dark areas without a flashlight.

The three main antagonists for the tutorial are the Logging locos (they seem fitting for baby-step missions) who are always gonna be patrolling the Logging station and beach.

For the rest of the segment, Mr Conductor is tasked with helping around the camps that are inhabited by most of the Sodor residents. Here are the tasks;

1# Reach the other end of the Logging station without being spotted (tutorial begins here)

2# Find the storage hut to store the fish

3# Talk to Ruth

4# Collect 10 peices of jobi wood around the camp to help Ruth build the handcar

5# Give the wood to Ruth

6# Talk to the three railway controllers

7# Find Junior

8# Use the handcar and go to Sodor

Collectibles

Scattered around the island are a total of 13 wooden sculptures of the engines. They can be found in areas that are linked the most to them.

The Thomas sculpture can be located in the mines, a call back to Down the Mine.

The Percy sculpture can be found hanging off the edge of a dilapidated truck, a somewhat reference to Percy's Predicament.

The Edward sculpture can be located at the back of his old berth at Tidmouth Sheds. This is a reference to Edward's Day Out.

Style

The game would have ps1-style graphics and the environment is really dark to increase uneasiness for the player.

The engines

The engines are the enemies of the game. They don't have any dialogue as they've all gone nearly fully insane and feral, practically animals at this point. So good luck begging them to stop, your pleas will fall on deaf ears.

But they're not evil! They're just hungry...I promise. The hunger is strong, so powerful that it hurts. They are just as innocent as you...

The engines are so hungry that they don't want a friendly chat. You smell...so good, every fleshy creature they find smells so sweet...so divine...so delicious. Looks like you've got some massive mouths to feed, Sir.

They stalk around the darkness, looking for something to eat, somewhere to sleep, somewhere to be free. Sodor has recently been gathering a lot of dark clouds, making everywhere dark, but they don't mind at all. Too much brightness hurts their eyes.

You'll know who and where they are, just listen for the blast of a whistle or the honk of a horn.

[trainsandkitties]

Welcome to the North-Western! All aboard

Hello there ladies, gentlemen and everyone in between. Let me introduce you to our beloved gang of Sodor's steamies

Thomas Billinton

Age: appears 18, is actually 75

Height: 175 cm/ 5'7

Sexuality/gender identity: cisgender/ bisexual

Pronouns: he/him

Other: Thom struggles with self-esteem isses, often wishing he was bigger, stronger or faster; he lives in a house with Percy, Annie and Clarabel close to Tidmouth Station; currently doesn't have any relationships; he grew up in Brighton with his older brother Timothy as his only family; when skating became popular he'd do so with Percy; he's a huge comic book fan

Edward Furness

Age: appears to be in his early 60's, is actually 94

Height: 180 cm/ 5'10

Sexuality/gender identity: not labeled/ bisexual

Pronouns: he/they

Other: Eddie grew up in an orphanage in Barrow and Furness; he gets depressive episodes; during his first years on Sodor he had very little money and owned a tiny flat in Knapford before moving in with Gordon; he's a really good painter and can knit or crochet very complex pieces; he managed to graduate from art school; nobody on sodor can make apple fritters like him; before moving to Sodor he had a fiancé who was very toxic and left scared of relationships; he's married to Gordon (not legally)

Henry (Gresley) Stanier

Age: appears to be in his 50's, is actually 71

Height: 189 cm/ 6'2

Sexuality/gender identity: cisgender/ homosexual

Pronouns: he/him

Gordon Gresley

Other: Henry struggles with asthma and Crohn's disease; the Kipper incident left him an amputee (right arm, up to the elbow); he's considered Gordon's half-brother; he adores gardening; all of his plants have bames; he owns a small orchard and makes extra money from selling produce; he lives in a cottage around Knapford; Henry owns a little mongrel named Jackie and owned many rescue dogs before her; he's in a relationship with Hiro

Age: appears to be in his late 40's, is actually 69

Height: 195 cm/ 6'4

Sexuality/gender identity: cisgender/ homosexual /demisexual

Pronouns: he/him (she/her in drag)

Other: Gordon is on the autism spectrum, has severe depression and psychotic episodes; he has moderare h-EDS and anisocoria(uneven pupils caused by his TGR accident); he's a giant cat person and adores anything related to cats; he lives in his great grandmother's old summer house in Tidmouth; acting, drag and singing have always been his escapism; before Edward he had one girlfriend but both realised they were gay; he learned how to sew and tailor clothing and keeps this ability a closely guarded secret

James Hughes

Age: appears to be around 30, is actually 81

Height: 185 cm/ 6'0

Sexuality/ gender identity: non-binary/ pansexual

Pronouns: they/them

Other: James suffers from severe pyrophoba caused by their accident; they live in a bungalow nearby Tbomas and Percy; they have issues with upkeeping relationships so they often change partners, though they've been quite consistent with Spencer so far; James looks up to Gordon often trying to mimick him in many ways, but overtime they found their own style; James came out as non-binary around the 80's

Percy Avonside

Age: appears 18, is actually 93

Height: 170 cm/ 5'6

Sexuality/ gender identity: transgender (ftm)/ not labeled

Pronouns: he/him

Other: Percy was inicially named Priscilla but upon coming to the NWR he was able to come out and live life as his real self; he's often anxious and needs reassurance and support, but can be very brave and sometimes the voice of reason when Thomas and James start fighting; he's very imaginative and loves to hear stories from Salty and Edward

Emily Stirling

Age: appears to be in her 40's, is atually 95

Height: 177 cm/ 5'8

Sexuality/ gender identity: cisgender/ lesbian

Pronouns: she/her

Other: Emily is quite mature and kind but can be sassy and a bit impatient; she's one of James' closest friends and supports them through their ups and downs with relationships; she has a crush on Catilyn and they have a blooming relationship; She lives in a flat in Knapford;

Now some general info on the au etc. (Idk how to make titles ok? lolol)

[duskstargazer]

[2014]

Within a week, Stepney was back in steam. He was quite impressed with how quickly the Steamworks handled the overhaul.

Both Stepney and the controllers had agreed that he had to see the rest of the railway while he was on Sodor. It would, they'd decided, be a huge lost opportunity otherwise.

He decided the best place to start would be to see Tidmouth again. He was pleased to see that much of it had stayed the same. There were a handful of new faces, but the labyrinth of switches hadn't changed. It could be a nightmare figuring out signals to switches if you didn't know the area. It took the terrier a bit of a while just to make it through the big station!

When he arrived, he met Duck at the platform.

“Allo, Duck. Good ta see you again.” Stepney smiled.

“You as well!” Duck replied. “How have you been? It's really been too long since we last spoke.”

“It certainly has. Things back home've been great - we've taken in quite a lot of new engines, and many of our own from the old days are either back in steam or- well, back in working order at the very least.”

“Mm.” Duck wasn't sure what to make of that.

“Well, while you're here, come up the branch line some time. There's a small railway up there that'll blow you away.”

“I'll be sure to!” Stepney smiled. “But for now, how've you been?”

Duck grinned, and began recounting. Soon, the two were talking and laughing like the old friends they were, about everything from conniving shunters, to triple-headers, to small white ducklings.