#rws au

[hazel-of-sodor]

This is going around on twitter so let's try it here

Feel free to send an ask if you want an elaboration on any of these.

1. Thomas/Cassandra as a J72 is long established lore. But something never said is the fact they dont know what they are until the preservation era. As far as Thomas/Cassandra knew, they were an LBSCR E2.

2. British Railways had a secret program from the 60s to the early 80s where they would allow groups to buy engines for preservation, but only if they agreed to keep the engine's survival secret. This was to make the engines/classes seem rarer than they were and driver up their price.

3. Blue Peter was originally male, but after the 1994 Durham wheelship accident and the emergency repairs carried out at Crovan's Gate, Blue Peter reawoke as female.

4. The world is a little bit larger in the AU, with more passengers and freight. This means more members of existing classes like the LNER Raven A2 and Gresley P1, and some classes that weren't built in ours like the GWR Cathedrals and Stone Circle Class.

5. Preservation is a larger movement, due to the engines being alive. There are more preservation railways, and those that exist in our world are better funded, and often larger.

6. It is now possible to circle the island by rail, via the Mantauo line which runs North from Vicarstown to Mantauo, and the Little Western, which extends North from Harwich to Mantauo.

7. Both Stanley and Smudger exist. Smudger, offically named Jennings, was the original No.2 of the Mid-Sodor Railway. She was eventaully sold to the Cronk and Harwick, with Stanley being bought to replace her.

8. Yes Nicole and Samantha are together, and adopted Claire

9. Many 'extinct' classes of British Locomotive have surviving members in other countries. Most commonly in the Americas and Asia, but British Railways refugees can be found in most countries.

10. Flying Scotsman has been part owned by the NWR since the American Tour, which they funded the latter half of in turn for majority ownership. Alan Peglar readily agreed, as it meant Scotsman was secured no matter what happened to him. In the present day the other portion is owned by the NRM.

11. With the greater interest in preservation and the existence of Crovan's Gate, many new builds were finished earlier. For example Lady of Legend was completed in 1975. Tornado is notable in the Au for being the first standard gauge steam engine built entirely on mainland Britain since Evening Star, as all the others had Crovan's Gate built components.

12. With the extension to Mantauo, the "Little" Western is a full fledged mainline, sporting many GWR Locomotives including Castles, Stars, and Cathedrals. Despite this, all agree Duck is still the head of the line.

13. Thomas/Cassandra and Duck dated during the Summer of 1976 while the No.1 was on the Little Western due to storm damage on the Ffarquhar Branch. It ended amicably, although no one but the two of them is certain whether it was due to the pair not working out or Thomas/Cassandra returning to her Branch Line.

14. While LNER P2s were transferred to Sodor during the war, and remained on the island afterwards, they were rebuilt in a manner similar to Gordon and so are considered P2/1s by Railfans. The 2007 Prince of Wales new build is intended to bring back the Gresley condition design, and the P2/1s are all excited to meet their new sister (they all insist it will be a girl, and engines are almost always right about such things).

15. The LNER U1 Typhoon and Big Emma (Big Bertha) work together on the Mantauo line and are shedmates...They're also girlfriends.

16. There were plans to rebuild Henry into a Hudson before the Flying Kipper accident, but the damage he stained was great enough Hatt used a favor Stanier owed him to have Crewe repair and rebuild Henry. As his trailing axle had been destroyed in the accident, Stanier had him rebuilt as a Black 5

17. The Sodor engines take great offense to the "Two Henry's Theory" and more than one pushy railfan has got blasted with a face full of steam over it.

18. Nancy Rushen is now the Thin Controller of the Skarloey Railway.

19. The NWR fleet list is over 100 hundred engines long, despite only containing engines that have appeared in either stories or art.

20. Midlothian is safe and sound on Sodor, although she refuses to set one wheel on the mainland.

21. U.S.S. Enteprise CV-6 is in service with the US Coast Guard as a Helicopter Carrier.

22. LNER 10000 "Hush Hush" does survive, but in her rebuilt form and her name is British Enterprise.

23. All the of the engines from the Fifteen Guinea Special survive, as 44781 Excelsior was saved by the Sodor Railway Musuem when the original preservation attempt fell through.

24. Excelsior joined her sister 45318 Intrepid, who the museum had already preserved, as she had pulled the last regular timetabled steam hauled service on British Railways.

25. HMS Hood survives the Second World War, and remains in service until after the Falklands War. She is now a museum ship.

26. All three Olympic Class would survive to enter Sodor Star Line Service in 1935 (Titanic having forced herself into a turn a second earlier), sold off by White Star Line as a final act of Defiance in the face of their impending forced merger with Cunard.

27. When the American Ocean Liner SS Moro Castle caught fire in September 1934, a White Star Liner recieved her distress calls and came to her aid. R.M.S. Titanic had been leaving New York Harbor when the sos was recieved and immedaitly turned to assist. Her crew helped the Moro Castle's contain the blaze and evacuate the passengers, before towing the stricken vessel to safe harbor.

28. America has had locomotive and sentient machine rights on paper since the 1890s, but it only truly came into effect following the first world war.

29. After the second World War ended up aligning themselves with either the USA or USSR. The USSR, like the USA also had rights for sentient machines. Never content to let the other take the lead in anything, the two superpowers pushed for their allies to take similar measures, leading to most nations steam fleets being protected by the time they were economically capable of replacing them.

30. The exception for Sentient machine rights is Great Britain. Even by the 2020s, the British Government doesn't recognize sentient machines as anything more than beasts of burden, if even that. This has led to political tension between Britain and both the USA and USSR.

31. As a result of the larger world/passenger numbers, the White Star Line planned a fourth Olympic Class. Tentatively named R.M.S. Gigantic, the hull was still early in construction when WW1 broke out. The Royal Navy claimed the unfinished hull, planning to finish the ship as a troop ship, but Germany caught wind of the project, and the unfinished hull was bombed on the slipway by a German Zeppelin. The hull was a total loss, and the White Star Line cancelled the project. After the war, the Line would eventually receive the newly completed S.S. Bismark as war reparations in 1922, renaming her R.M.S. Majestic.

32. As the Titanic Disaster never unfolded, with the liner instead surviving her maiden voyage, J Bruce Ismay would remain the managing director of the White Star Line until its merger with Cunard in 1935.

33. In the United States, roads never took over like they did in our timeline. The Railroads pushed for cars to have the same rights as their engines. While seemingly benigh, this place cars outside the budget of all but the rich. Roads certainly still exist, but are primarily for emergency services and for transporting freight in areas where railroads are impractical for one reason or another.

34. Since R.M.S. Titanic survived, why did the rules and regulations following the disastestill occur. Two reasons, 1. I play by the rule of the elastic timeline. While Context may change, most global events (or at the very least their consequences) still play out. 2. The Liners went on strike. Quite simply it was thie lives and passengers on the line. Unlike Humans, you can't just replace a ocean liner when they Strike. The fact the White Star Liner immediatly announced refits for Titanic and Olympic further forced the shipping companies to fall in line.

35. Sailing ships are often senient, although it takes longer for them to Awaken than those with engines.

36. As computer systems were installed in locomotives, it was found the engines were pefectly capable on instinctually interfacing with them, allowing engines to eventually access the internet, and games.

37. Engines are capable of consuming human food, although wether they like to varys engine to engine. No one is quite sure where the food consumed food and drink go.

38. While the original 26 books of the railway series are based on actuall events on the NWR, they have often been tweaked to better works in their role as children's books

[calitheheart]

"Skarloey's boys, they call us."

so here's something I've been whittling away at ever since I got back into the railway series - a ttte fire emblem-esque au! it's a niche within a niche but I've had it in my brain for ages and just wanted to get SOMETHING out! Presenting Sodor Cipher!

To start off, some of the members of the Skarloey - Sir Handel, Duncan and Rusty! In my general canon for this au I like to imagine the Skarloey as a Duchy with a heavy emphasis on their physical prowess and mineral mining thanks to their close proximity to the Culdee Fell mountains and the Blue Mountain Quarry - As such, Shane Dooiney is the industry capital for the area. Being far out from the rest of the towns and kingdoms means that many come to the Skarloey for a fresh start, and those that do inevitably forge stronger bonds than they've ever known before. Those bufferbeam-style belts aren't just for show, Skarloey's boys are so good at what they do that they have the sheer force of will to expertly maneuver mining equipment with just their bodies.

As for character bios/ mini backstories (can you tell ive never actually made an au before and dont exactly know the most eloquent way to explain things oop) we've got:

Sir Handel - Once known as Falcon in another kingdom, moved to the Skarloey after receiving a knighthood to get away from the life of a knight. Despite maintaining that he's an excellent mentor, he is rash and impulsive - all for a good cause though, he just wants to get through the day and clock off for some good-old-fashioned banter. Still good with a sword, but prefers to not have to touch it in favour of staunchly gathering resources.

Duncan - Once a lower member of a Mercenary group, he learned that being brutally vocal was the only way to get by. Not a bigot, but not exactly a saint either, he has a hard time letting new people into his life - not exactly the best disposition to have when you're leaving your life behind to work in the chattiest mountains on Sodor. Despite being in a merc group and being a supposed dab hand with an axe, he isn't the most well-travelled.

Rusty - Born in the Mainland before immediately being raised in Skarloey, Rusty has an undying love for the people of the Duchy and the rest of Sodor in general. They have a keen eye for detail and are quick to educate fellow knights on proper conduct - even if they don't exactly ask for it. Rusty runs double duty, conducting inspections in the mining sectors and guarding Crovan's Gate as a surprisingly adept Halberdier.

I'm still working out the specifics of details in this au as it's a blend of each era and general medieval fantasy worldbuilding, so I welcome any and all questions ! <3

[lnwrcauli]

Percy the Small Engine [NWR AU]

Yeah, still not ready for Henry.

History

Percy’s origins before coming to the NWR aren’t very well documented. It’s known that he was outshopped in 1917 for the Barrow Hematite Steel Company, but not who he was built by. It’s thought that he was made in-house by the company to plans from the then-defunct Gibb & Hogg engineering firm of Airdrie. Whatever the case may be, by 1919, he was declared surplus to the company’s requirements and sold on. He bounced between industrial companies until 1925, when he was purchased to take up the role of Vicarstown’s station pilot from Thomas. He worked the role, if somewhat reluctantly, for years. In 1935, The Fat Director struck a deal with the Great Western Railway and Duck was taken from his duties at Paddington to work the station at Vicarstown. The pair worked together for a while, with Percy showing him the ropes and Duck teaching him to stand up for himself. At the end of the year, Percy took his leave from Vicarstown and was reallocated to Ffarquhar with Thomas.

Shortly after his reallocation, problems began to arise. Percy’s coal capacity was too small to work the whole length of the line, as was proven in 1938 when his fire died out on the incline into Knapford harbour. With no more steam and no vacuum brakes, the trucks took their chance and surged Percy onto a sunken quay , past a danger sign and into the harbour. He was recovered the next day, after which he was sent to Crovan’s Gate works, where they fitted him with a rear bunker to supplement his internal one, extended his frames, fitted him with both vacuum and Westinghouse air brakes and replaced his deep-toned hooter whistle (which scared the local horses) with a higher-pitched Midland Railway one sourced from Killdane Ironworks. While working on the Ffarquhar Branch he's been involved in a fair few accidents including running away with a stone train, striking a lime cart on a crossing, being covered in treacle and running over a sack of porridge, receiving a works visit more frequently than any other engine on the railway. By 1992, his original boiler was completely worn out. Due to Gibb & Hogg having been defunct since 1912, he lay out of service for a long while before finally being reboilered in 1995, returning to work the same year. He has worked faithfully on the Ffarquhar Branchline ever since.

Personality

Percy is a name that needs no introduction. He's cheeky, silly and laid-back, often playing games with the trucks in the yards. He likes teasing and annoying his friends, seeing pushing their patience as a bonding activity. All in all, Percy is a dedicated and loyal worker while also being a funny, silly and laid-back character.

Thank you for reading this, if indeed you still are, and I hope to see you in the next one.

Cheerio!

[anonymousboxcar]

RWS Stanley Time: Museum Edition

In my posts about my Moving Forward AU, I’ve talked a lot about Stanley on the SKR. So here’s tidbits about his life at the museum!

———————————

-Stanley pulls visitor trains around the museum grounds. He doesn’t like being an indoor exhibit, but he can manage being stationary if visitors see him in his shed with the doors open.

-The museum primarily uses him as an example of a trench engine, educating its visitors about trench railways. As part of his job, he’ll explain his class and his WWI service to visitors.

-If guests ask about his MSR days, he’ll wince. But he’ll still talk about them. It’s important for people to know how railways used to treat their engines, even if it’s difficult to talk about.

-Stanley also shares embarrassing stories about the MSR management. Is it petty? Yes.

-Does he delight anyways in generations of children knowing That Time Manager Fell in a Scummy Pond Trying to Catch His Hat? Yes.

-It can be difficult for him to discuss WWI, too. But unlike the MSR management, he respected and befriended the soldiers. Those young men never left him behind. He wants to make sure people remember them — and what they endured.

-On Remembrance Day, he wears his wartime livery. He also pulls replicas of the rolling stock he hauled in the trenches. He tells guests about names and faces, about in-jokes and tragedies.

-For the most part, Stanley gets along well with the visitors. He’s still a little rough around the edges, but he’s a smooth runner and he’s patient while answering questions…

-…unless you’re rude to him, other engines, or other guests. Then he’ll make a game out of telling you off without violating museum policy about “professional language.” And he’s very creative.

-He credits Neil with teaching him how to interact with visitors. In fact, Neil showed him the ropes of museum life in general.

-In return for helping him adjust, Stanley covers Neil’s work during Skarloey’s visits so he can spend more time with him.

-Because he goes back and forth between the SKR and the museum, Stanley is popular with the museum’s full-time residents. They crave information about “the outside,” hounding him for news and gossip.

-He spills the tea during a weekly occasion: To practice for his poker nights with Duke, Skarloey, and Rheneas, he teaches the museum engines how to play. One of the coffeepots is his star protégé.

-But there’s one person with whom Stanley isn’t popular — George.

-I don’t have any justification for how it happens, but I like to think George winds up at the museum after his company retires him. He demonstrates how little sense he learned when he tries to razz other “has-been, useless” engines in front of Stanley.

-George says he’s only being honest. Stanley snaps back that since George is out of service, he’s describing himself, too.

-George hates Stanley for this. He either tries to goad him or sulks whenever he goes by. For his part, Stanley manages not to waste too much time needling him.

-However, others notice that if anyone else tries to trash-talk Stanley, George shuts it down with the insistence that only he gets to do that. It’s up for debate if this is a sign of character growth or not. Stanley, who learned the value of hope, spares a little bit for George.

[toast-com]

Cruel Beasts (4-3-23)(WIP?)

"The heart of the matter is thus, Stanley." Godred began, taking the cigar the younger engine had offered him. He lit it, watching the smoke curl idly in the air. "The world sees you and I as monsters, beasts to be broken and tamed. Our existence scares them, because we are living proof that engines still have claws and fangs to fight with." Godred glanced at him, feline eyes glowing faintly in the dark.

"That may be true," Stanley grunted, his features fixed in a fearsome scowl. "But they still were dead-set on getting rid of me, and you as well. It doesn't matter if we bend to their whims or not, they won't care for us, never will."

"That doesn't matter though, does it?" Godred crossed his arms, a teasing smirk on his face. "As long as you've got Monty with you, the world could go in flames, could it not?" Stanley said nothing, though the faint blush that colored his face spoke volumes.

[fantasiasodapop]

His origins are kinda spoiler so… Well, I’ll put it under this bar down there. If you want to keep reading, click the button. If not… Well then, I won’t judge.

A long, long, long time ago, there were some wizards trying to create a superweapon. An assassin that could hide in the shadows, become any shape, be unkillable, and be efficient. It would be the perfect killer, the tipping point in an unending war. Unfortunately, all the soldiers and assassins were already on the battle-field, and they weren’t sure the spell was going to work anyway, so they tested it on someone expendable: a servant boy who worked in the castle.

It succeeded, and the wizards rejoiced. However, their weapon had one fatal flaw: a child’s soul was not meant to kill.

The wizards tried everything from bribery to threats to even casting a spell that created a second consciousness in the weapon to counteract the child’s soul, but little Cassiel refused to fight, refused to kill. Furious with Cassiel’s stubbornness, they began torturing him to get him to do other things: forging notes, creating false decrees, and so forth. Poor little Cassiel was miserable.

Slowly, the spell-mind that they had created grew in Cassiel’s ink as well, watching his surroundings with curiosity. One night, after Cassiel broke down sobbing once again in the ink well he called a prison, the second mind spoke to him.

“What’s wrong, little one?” it asked softly, only to be startled by the child’s mind wrapping itself around it in search of comfort.

“I just want them to stop,” he sobbed, holding onto this second person in his prison like a lifeline. He had been so lonely, perhaps this presence could make it all just a little better.

“Why do they do this to you if it hurts you so much?” the presence asked curiously, carefully wrapping itself around Cassiel in an immaterial hug to try and make him feel better.

“Because I don’t want to kill anyone, and they don’t like that,” Cassiel sniffled, letting the presence hold him close. It had been a long time since anyone had held him so lovingly, and he was desperate for the contact.

“I think it’s okay not to want to kill anyone,” the presence said.

“Really?” Cassiel asked.

“Yeah. And you know what? I don’t want to help them either. They’re cruel to you, so I won’t listen. And I’m going to protect you. We’ll be together forever.”

Cassiel smiled softly, curling up against his guardian. “Thanks. That means so so much to me.”

“I know, Cassiel. I know.”

And together they stayed for many a year, protecting each other from the evils of the world. As for how they found their way to Henry and Joey… That is another story indeed.

[lnwrcauli]

What are some of the weirdest conspiracies that Ms. Raven/Vanessa ever told the other engines?

Alderney: Well, she's tried to convince me that King George was a lizard person...

Larkspur: And she's spewed some utter nonsense about me being "an associate of Dr. Beeching"!

Henry: And she's convinced that I'm not the same engine as I was before my rebuild!

Thomas: Yeah, but are you? Ship of Theseus and all that.

Henry: ...Thomas, just please stop talking.

[lnwrcauli]

Larkspur the Racehorse Engine [NWR AU]

History

Larkspur was built in 1962 by English Electric for British Railways as D9022. She was delivered to Gateshead Depot in Tyne & Wear to work express trains on the East Coast Mainline. She worked this job tirelessly for 17 years until her withdrawal in 1979 following a crack in one of her engine blocks. She languished in the scrapline at Doncaster for half a year before she was found by Sir Topham Hatt II who purchased her and had her restored to running order.

She was outshopped in NWR Diesel Black and returned to service in 1980, taking Ms. Raven's spot on the Wild Nor' Wester's roster. She often butted heads with the Raven atlantic, not liking her archaic mannerisms and eccentricity.

In 2011, the loco-hauled leg of the Wild Nor' Wester was axed completely and Larkspur was assigned to high-speed freight service and railtours.

Personality

Larkspur is a cheeky, spritely and (relatively) young engine who contrasts the older, more "proper" steam engines. She's very close friends with Gordon, Bronzino and Velocity, often being entranced by their tales of the glory days of steam. All in all, she's the energy in a somewhat mellowed-out group.

Thank you for reading this, I hope to see you in the next one.

Cheerio!

[lnwrcauli]

Gordon the Big Engine [NWR AU]

Yeah, I'm not quite ready for Henry yet.

History

Gordon was built in 1922 as the prototype for the Great Northern Railway's A1 Pacifics. The tests proved less than satisfactory for the GNR's needs, and thus he was sold to the North Western Railway to work the Wild Nor' Wester express. He was repainted into North Western Railway blue upon his arrival and given the number 4. He was stabled at Vicarstown sheds, where he'd often butt heads with the other engines due to his arrogance. During Henry's periods of illness, Gordon would take the Flying Kipper service, gaining much of his grumpy attitude from sleep deprivation.

During the Second World War, Gordon worked fast freights, troop trains and evacuee trains, his speed and power making him a valuable asset. This all came to a very abrupt stop in 1942 when he fractured his central cylinder outside of Wellsworth. In no position to lose one of his main fleet, Sir Topham Hatt sent him to Derby Works where he was fitted with a pair of larger Stanier-designed cylinders to replace his trio of Gresley ones. To fit these, however, they had to raise his running board at the front, forever altering his appearance. Seemingly unfazed by this, Gordon returned to service in 1943 and continued to work just as hard if not harder than before, being reallocated to Tidmouth in 1945.

In 1949, British Railways offered to rebuild Gordon above the frames to the specifications of an A3. Sir Topham Hatt accepted and Gordon made the trek to Doncaster light engine and under his own steam. When he returned to traffic a few months later, his driver remarked that the increase in his engine's power output was so great that he felt he was an entirely different engine. This was demonstrated in early 1950, when Gordon slipped violently outside of Tidmouth Station, bending his eccentric rods and melting the bearings on his return cranks. He was sent to Crovan's Gate Works, where the engineers spent a long while tinkering. When he was returned to traffic in 1951, he had finally been fixed for good. He went on to run the express as usual, joined by Bronzino and Velocity in 1963, Blenheim in 1965 and Larkspur in 1980.

In 2011, the loco-hauled leg of the Wild Nor' Wester express train was axed for good with Gordon and Edith double-heading the train. Since then, Gordon has been assigned to regular fast passenger trains and railtours.

Personality

Gordon's colourful personality needs no introduction, being arrogant, grumpy, snooty, aloof and boastful. Though he has calmed down in recent years, he's still very much the same Gordon he was in 1922. He has a close relationship with Henry and James, the three often being inseparable at the sheds. He also has quite a strong bond with Velocity, Bronzino and Larkspur, all 3 having been ECML staples at some point. All in all, Gordon may be grumpy, irritable and obnoxious at times, but is a trustworthy and formidable ally to have.

Thank you very much for reading, I hope to see you in the next one.

Cheerio!

[lnwrcauli]

Before The Fleet [NWR AU]

Sorry for my lack of AU posts recently, I've been rather busy. To get things rolling again, here's a bit about some of the engines that were loaned to the North Western but didn't stay. Seeing as I'll be talking about multiple very different engines, I'll format this slightly different to my usual posts.

Brooke the Bullying Engine

Brooke was a Great Central Railway Class 1 that was loaned to the North Western in 1915. She was meant to be the engine pulling the express, but mostly found herself rostered on heavy freight work due to her size and power. Her official name was City of Lincoln, but if you called her that, you might just end up in the turntable well. She was a horrible bully by all accounts and along with her accomplices Ashley and Micah, she reigned over Vicarstown through fear and violence until her return to the Great Central Railway in 1922.

Ashley the Eastern Engine

Ashley was a Great Eastern Railway S69 fitted with experimental larger cylinders. They were loaned to the North Western in 1916 to undergo trials but ended up staying until 1922. They did the passenger work that Edith couldn't. Upon the purchase and subsequent failures of Henry in 1918, they had to pick up the slack from both engines. Being reportedly as rude and self-important as Brooke, they wreaked havoc upon Vicarstown until their return to the G.E.R.

Micah the Mineral Engine

Micah was a Caledonian Railway 600 class loaned to the NWR in 1918. He was brought in to pick up the slack in the freight work that Henry and Edith were meant to be doing. Out of the 3 horrid engines stationed at Vicarstown, he was likely the worst. He often bullied smaller engines such as Thomas, Edith and some of the other loaned shunters. He even sent an engine to the works once. Everyone on the line was glad when he was called back to Scotland by the C.R. in 1922.

Sprite the Buckjumper Engine

Sprite was a Great Eastern Railway S56 that was loaned to the North Western in 1916 to run the Ffarquhar Branchline. They took over from 2 of the much smaller TK&ELR Coffee Pot engines. They worked the line mostly without fuss or incident until 1925, when Thomas was reassigned to the branch and they were sent back to the Great Eastern Railway.

Elsie the Midland Engine

Elsie was a Midland Railway 1377 Class loaned to the North Western Railway in 1917. She took over the mantle of Tidmouth's station pilot from Wellsworth & Suddery Railway No.1. She worked the role without fuss for quite some time, becoming a favourite target of Micah's due to her small size and relatively low power output. She was sent back home in 1925 when the North Western Railway bought Percy.

Kirtley the Old Engine

Kirtley was a Midland Railway 700 Class loaned to the North Western Railway in 1914. She did short-distance freight work and other odd jobs. She was reportedly very kind-hearted and surprisingly strong-willed despite her age. She left the island in 1947 after 3 years of inactivity when the L.M.S. recalled her to Derby Works for scrap.

Jenny the Banking Engine

Jenny was a Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Aspinall Class 30 loaned to the railway in 1914. To start with, she worked the railway's heavy freight services but was reallocated to the Suddery Junction banker siding in 1918 when Micah was purchased. She worked through the 10s, 20s, 30s and 40s pushing trains up the gradient, during which time her northern bluntness and hospitality rubbed off on some. Sir Topham Hatt I had made plans to buy her from the LMS, but they came too late as she was recalled to Horwich Works for scrap in 1946.

Thanks for reading, I hope to see you all in the next one.

Cheerio!

[lnwrcauli]

Edward/Edith The Blue Engine [NWR AU]

History

Edith was built in 1890 as LSWR No. 577 of William Adam's X2 Class 4-4-0s. She originally carried the name Edward, but as she made the choice to change genders, I will be referring to her as Edith throughout this post. She worked out of Nine Elms shed between 1891 and 1915 when she was purchased by the NWR to work their express trains. Upon arrival, she was stabled at Vicarstown with her colleague Thomas. By the end of the Great War in 1918, her parts were thoroughly worn out and the workload was far too much for her, so The Fat Director purchased an "Atlantic" from a relatively little-known works in England to run his premiere express trains while Edith went in for refurbishment. Unfortunately however, the engine he received (Henry) performed far worse than expected, forcing the refurbishment work on Edith to be halted as she was pressed back into service once again. She soldiered on until 1922, when the railway bought Gordon. After Gordon's purchase, the railway was strapped for cash, so she was left in the back of the shed until repairs could be afforded. Unfortunately, in all the postwar stress, The Fat Director forgot to schedule her repairs and she was left there until 1924, when a driver took pity on the already life-expired engine and offered to take her out for a run, after which she was sent for repairs where it was found that the tolerances on her motion had been worn down so much that there was near an eighth-inch of play. After the works had finished with her in 1925, she was practically in factory-fresh condition.

Her life following this was relatively uneventful, up until her re-assignment to the Brendam Branchline in 1936, soon after which she had to chase a runaway James along the mainline to prevent a derailment. During the Second World War, Brendam Harbour was constantly full to capacity and often got raided by the Luftwaffe, which once again meant that Edith was thrashed to breaking point. Her schedule was packed to the brim with troop trains from every corner of the island to Brendam Harbour. Being relatively fast as well as light, she was the perfect engine for the job.

After the war, she was once again worn out completely, which was not helped by the increase in traffic due to the completion of the Sodor China Clay Company's Bill & Ben. Due to postwar austerity, she wasn't overhauled until it was far too late. While on an enthusiast's special in 1959, she split her left crank pin, causing her con-rod to break free of her wheel, bending her frame and splashers out of shape. Never one to give up, she slogged the eight-coach train as far as Wellsworth before being relieved by Mark, who was working thunderbird duties at the time. After her exploit, she received a very hasty and very desperate apology from Sir Charles Topham Hatt II, who gave her a complete overhaul as soon as possible. After her overhaul, she met a lonely Trevor the Traction Engine while passing by Crock's Scrap Yard. After making her crew aware of him, the three decided to consult the local vicar, and after a few negotiations, he was bought for the vicarage orchard.

In 1962, The Fat Controller noticed that Edith was struggling to keep up with the workload alone, and so purchased a failed diesel locomotive design from British Railways. The pair first met when Bill and Ben decided to play a trick on the newcomer, having their crews remove their nameplates and pretend they were the same engine. After Edith scared them off, the two got to chatting. Edith and BoCo have been firm friends ever since.

In 1971, Edith (then still known as Edward) made the realisation that she did not and had never felt male. With the support of Sir Charles, she changed her name to Edith, Sir Charles even having new custom nameplates cast for her. It took the others some time to come around, but they eventually all accepted her decision. By 2017, Edith was 127 and was certainly feeling her age. She put in a request to Sir Stephen Topham Hatt to formally retire from revenue service. Her request was granted and she went on an island-wide farewell tour. After her retirement, she was purchased by Sir Robert Norramby II for his (formerly his father's) estate railway/museum, where she resides to this day.

Personality

Edith is a caring, sweet and thoughtful engine, often putting others before herself. Though admirable, her selflessness sometimes leads to self-neglect or damage. Though she's usually the go-to engine to talk about your issues to, she shares very little about her own. Despite her shortcomings, she is a joy to talk to and was an asset to the railway.

Thank you for reading, I'll see you in the next one.

Cheerio!

[lnwrcauli]

Bronzino & Velocity the Peppercorn Engines [NWR AU]

History

In mid-1963, passenger traffic demands were on the rise as many Sudrians wanted to leave the island on holiday and an equal amount of tourists from Britain wished to visit. It got to the point that Gordon and was struggling to cope with the express work alone, and thus Sir Topham went on the hunt for recently-withdrawn steam locomotives. After searching several scrapyards, he found two recently-withdrawn Peppercorn A2 pacifics laid up at a scrapyard near Tweedmouth. After a small back and forth, he convinced the owner to sell him the pair at scrap value. Over the next couple of days, there was a lot of work put in to readying the two steam locomotives to be hauled over the national network to Crovan's Gate. During preparations however, numerous underlying issues with the pair's running gear and frames were noted, leading to them having to be stripped down and sent on a goods train. When they finally did arrive at Crovan's Gate, the engineers did a hasty refurbishment of their existing parts in preparation for work. While in the workshops, the pair were repainted with Bronzino going into NWR blue while his sister went into NWR green, being given the numbers 33 and 34 respectively.

When they did enter service in late 1963, the holiday traffic had mostly dried up, leaving the two colossal pacifics on express goods work, stopping trains and thunderbird duties, much to their dismay. This wasn't to last long however, as in December of that year, one of Bronzino's underlying flaws finally shone through as his middle cylinder exploded just outside of Maron while he was working an express freight. After he was returned to Crovan's Gate works, it was decided to temporarily withdraw Velocity from traffic too, out of fear she may suffer a similar catastrophic faliure. There they stayed for the better half of a year undergoing heavy repairs with donor parts from scrapped siblings and other withdrawn Peppercorn engines. They finally re-entered service in 1964 and ran on the express faithfully until 2011 until the steam-hauled leg of The Wild Nor’ Wester was axed for good, upon which they were assigned to stopping passenger work which they perform to this day.

Personalities

Bronzino was your typical hot-headed, arrogant express engine, but has relaxed somewhat since being relieved of express duties. He is quite the jokester too, often pulling small pranks on the other big engines (which are oftentimes followed by a very loud “Bronzino’d!”).

Velocity is much the same story, being her older brother’s partner in crime and often indulging him in his silly antics. Although both engines are silly, they know when to call it quits before it goes too far. The pair can be troublesome, but mean well and work hard and have definitely earned their keep.

Thank you for reading, I’ll see you in the next one.

Cheerio!

[lnwrcauli]

Otto & Mark the Suburban Tank Engines [NWR AU]

History

In 1925, the London, Midland & Scottish Railway entered a running-rights agreement with the North Western Railway, allowing them running rights as far as Tidmouth in exchange for the North Western Railway being given running rights to Barrow-In-Furness, as well as the LMS providing a station pilot at Vicarstown for five years. As part of the agreement, the LMS was allowed to stable their engines at Vicarstown. By 1926, four LMS engines inhabited the shed alongside it's NWR residents. Two of these LMS engines were Otto and Mark. The pair were built at Crewe in 1909 for suburban work between London Euston and Watford, being stabled at Camden Shed for a time.

Upon the agreement being reached, the pair were taken from their duties in the capital and re-allocated to Vicarstown Sheds to work suburban trains. Their hot heads and arrogance put them at odds with other LMS engines, as well as the NWR's fleet. In 1929, Otto heavily damaged his internal motion after pushing himself far beyond his limits in a bid to win an argument with Gordon, requiring heavy repairs which put him out of action for a few months, leaving Mark and Edward to take up the slack. When he returned, he was a much more cautious, sensible engine. The same could not be said for Mark however, as he was still as arrogant as ever.

In 1939, the Germany declared war on the United Kingdom, starting the Second World War and the beginning of evacuee services. Evacuee trains on Sodor were mostly worked by Otto and Mark. During this time, Mark truly began to shape up and mature, transforming from a self-centred, rude hotshot to a well-adjusted, level-headed engine. By the end of the Second World War, the pair were completely worn out. The LMS was considering scrapping them, but they were given full overhauls curtsey of Crovan's Gate works as a thank you for their service. They continued to run well past nationalisation before they were eventually withdrawn by British Railways in 1958, upon which they were given the numbers 18 and 19 respectively, repainted into NWR green and put back to their regular duties, where they have served ever since.

Personalities

Otto is the more level-headed of the pair, often being more realistic, which Mark sees as pessimism. He keeps to himself usually, but has a few engines he can open up to, namely Edward. Otto tends to underestimate his capabilities, which can sometimes land him in trouble when he turns down jobs.

Mark on the other hand is more confident and outgoing, and is usually the one to start conversations. He can be airheaded and cocky at times, but is quite kind too. His main weakness is his prejudice against freight, still considering goods work "beneath him", even in his old age.

All in all, the pair are dedicated hard-workers who are vital in the running of the North Western Railway.

Thank you for reading, I'll see you in the next one.

Cheerio!

[lnwrcauli]

Coaching Stock: An NWR Ramble

Following my earlier rant about Swindon engines and the NWR, I thought it appropriate to ramble about Swindon coaches. To me, the coaches in the early RWS illustrations resemble GWR B set coaches very closely. As it's canon that Sir Topham Hatt is an admirer of the Great Western, it makes sense that at least some of his coaching stock would come from there, so here are a couple of ideas for types of stock that might be found on the North Western.

GWR B Sets

The Great Western Railway B Sets were a type of coach built in the 1920s and 1930s for suburban and branchline service on the GWR. They were mostly allocated to the Bristol division, but could be found all over the network from Cornwall to Cardiff. They seem like they could be quite the interesting basis for the NWR fast passenger service coaches. The one problem I can see with this design is the lack of a corridor, which brings me on to my next idea...

Stanier Period III Coaches

The LMS Stanier P3 Coaches seem like a perfect fit for the NWR's express services in my opinion. I struggled to find information on these, oddly enough, so take this history with a grain of salt.

They were built from 1933 onwards and could be found all over the LMS system on everything from stopping trains to expresses, only really being phased out with the introduction of British Railways Mark 1 coaches in the 1950s. These both seem like excellent standardised fits for the NWR's coach roster, let me know your thoughts if you have any.

I'll see you in the next one.

Cheerio!

[hazel-of-sodor]

Presenting NWT Lady. The Quarry's original shunter, she served from the early 1900s until the arrival of No.2 in 1951 allowed her to be placed into storage awaiting overhual. The collapse of that section of the Quarry saw Lady lost for nearly 20 years, the shed burried under the rumble, until Tasha stumbled upon the shed in the 70s. The TK&ET Preservation Society restored her, and she would be there flagship locomotive (in service) until the group purchased the Tramway in 1971.

[hazel-of-sodor]

Entering service in 1885, No.3 Elsbridge was purpose built for passenger service on the Tidmouth Knapford & Elsbridge Tramway. A enclosed version of already proven design of No.2, No.3's would pull the inaugral passenger train. Much like No.2, No.3 would see a long service life with the TK&ET and later the NWT. 1915 would see No.3 transferred from Passenger service to Goods work in favor of the newly purchased No.5, where it would remain until 1951. No.3 would tranferred to pure maintence of way work until 1956 when it was sold to FQC, joining No.2. It was retired by the quarry in 1969 in favor of a new diesel shunter. The TK&ER Perservation Society purchased No.3 upon its retirement, and it joined the original No.1 and No.2 in the Tidmouth Rail Museum.