#skarloey the old faithful engine

[masterjarthub]

Here are my old drawings of The Skarloey Railway engines 1-6 plus Proteus all made in June, 2021. (^ー^)

I'll be remastering these at some point.

[naurasweetarudesu]

So, I see this post on Twitter and it got me thinking.

Since Talyllyn Railway had Race the Train event, what if Skarloey Railway had fucking Tug of War against the engines competition instead?

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2024: Day 22 - Duck!

But Who Warned Them?

When Skarloey returned from the works, he had something Rheneas had never seen before: a cab. “A cab is the latest thing for engines,” Mr Mack the manager told him. “I hope it will cheer you up after your disappointment.” It cheered Skarloey up too much! And the silly coaches made him worse. “Such a handsome engine!” they tittered. “Six wheels and a cab – so distinguished, my dears! It’s a pleasure to see him.”

He soon grew too big for his wheels. He boasted about his cab till poor Rheneas was tired. “You should get one like me, and be up-to-date,” he said. “No thank you! You look like a snail with that house on your back. You don’t go much faster either.” “Slow, am I? Let me tell you…” “Who was late three times last week?” “Oh, it’s no use talking. You’re just an old stick-in-the-mud.” The two called each other more names, and they quarrelled so bad that they ended up back to back – not speaking. It went on for days and days. Neither Mr Mack nor Skarloey’s driver Mr Bobbie could think of a solution to their quarrel, and as the days passed, it did not get any better. Worse yet, the rains came early that year.

They were heavier than usual too, making working a nightmare. None of the crews wanted to work in Rheneas, who had no protection against the elements. They much preferred Skarloey, who at the very least gave them a roof and something of a windshield on two sides. Unfortunately, the cab had no sides to it, only a front and a back. When the wind and rain so desired, it changed direction on the little engine, spraying in through the open sides and drenching his footplate.

Still, Skarloey lorded it over Rheneas. “At least I’m still getting used,” he said one day, when Mr Bobbie mistakenly forgot to park them back to back. “In the driving rain, yes,” retorted Rheneas, gazing out into the gloom. “You must feel very important, being used as a glorified umbrella.” “Umbrella?!” squawked Skarloey. The pair continued to bicker bitterly, until Mr Bobbie returned from his lunch break. He groaned when he realised his mistake. Out of sight of the two engines, a group of navvies helping to expand the big railway had gathered to place bets on who they thought would win the argument. Mr Bobbie rolled his eyes at the group, and climbed aboard his engine.

“Come on, Skarloey,” he said. “We’ve got the afternoon copper run to do.” With that, the little engine set off up the line, complaining bitterly about the biting wind and rain.

The line up to the copper mines and slate quarry was long and winding, passing by the lake Skarloey was named after before swinging around and dividing in two. One line led to the slate quarry and the first copper mine, while the other continued north, towards the base of Culdee Fell and over a deep gorge. After the old wooden bridge had collapsed, a new iron one had been built in its place, creating what looked to most of the men and their engines as a leap of faith.

As Skarloey puffed along, Mr Bobbie gazed out the cab. There was a great deal of built-up earth and mud near the top of the cutting – it looked unsafe. “We’ll have to check it when the rain stops,” he muttered to the fireman. “That could become a landslide very easily.” The fireman agreed, and the trio continued on, their long line of empty trucks clattering behind them.

Skarloey headed out across the new Iron Bridge, and arrived at the copper mine. He had hoped for a quick turn-around so he could get back to his warm shed before nightfall, but when they reached the copper mine his hopes were dashed. The heavy rains had loosened the rocks near one of the shafts, and the entire mine had stopped production until it could be safely cleared away. Poor Skarloey was used to shunt empty trucks around, and even to pull some of the more dangerous boulders down so they could be broken up.

It was tiring work, and it took a great while. By the time they had finished and loaded up Skarloey’s return train, dusk had already been and gone. The moon was steadily rising to the east, barely illuminating their return journey through the driving rain and thick fog that had begun to settle.

The little engine made his way back down the line, shivering at the cold weather. “I hate the rain!” he complained bitterly. Mr Bobbie secretly agreed. Even with the lamps he’d affixed to Skarloey’s bufferbeam, it was nearly impossible to see through the fog.

As they crossed the new Iron Bridge, the wind stirred up again. It tugged Mr Bobbie’s hat right off, stealing it away into the ravine below. Mr Bobbie felt a chill go down his spine. Something didn’t feel right, but he wasn’t sure what. They reached the other side, and began to pass through a steep gorge which had a number of jagged rocks sticking out either side.

“Duck!”

Mr Bobbie and the fireman both dropped to the floor in shock, just in time. A huge chunk of sharp, piercing rock screamed through the open cab and slammed into the opposite wall of the gorge, embedding itself in the rockface.

The fireman gave out a great yell, and practically fainted on the spot. Mr Bobbie just stared, unable to even process what had just happened. “Thank you, Skarloey!” he exclaimed. “If you hadn’t warned us… we’d be gone.” “I didn’t say anything, Mr Bobbie,” Skarloey replied innocently. “What’s going on back there? I felt something fly through my cab.”

Even as Skarloey spoke, Mr Bobbie felt his blood turn to ice. If Skarloey hadn’t warned them, who had?

Mr Bobbie didn’t say anything more until they reached the sheds, thoughts whirling in his mind. Someone had saved their lives, but he just didn’t know who. He did know one thing though: he was never driving an engine past dusk again.

Next time, there mightn’t be someone to save him.

Back to the Master Post

[duskstargazer]

[1973]

Rosie was excited. It had only been a couple years since she’d last been to the Works, but she would take any opportunity to traverse the Main Line, especially to her old stomping ground.

Duncan and Rheneas were chatting in the station when she arrived.

“Hello, Rosie!” Rheneas called. “It’s a surprise to see you on this side of the island again.”

“Hey Rheneas! Hiya Duncan! I’m on a special job -- bringing these vans to the Works!”

Duncan snorted. “You call that a special job? Lassie, once I had to deliver an elephant statue.”

“Well- I don’t get to take trains down the main line often, so yes, it is a special job. It might not be delivering something crazy like a statue of an elephant or a dinosaur skeleton on a flatbed-”

“I had a job like that!” Rheneas chimed in. “Sorry I spoke over you there, Rosie. But I did carry a dinosaur once-”

"You are a dinosaur." Duncan scoffed.

"Shush." Rheneas stifled a chuckle.

“Oh, I was joking…” The American tank engine muttered.

“Oh yes, one of my first jobs. We were working in the former Skarloey Slate Quarry. I didn’t even have my cab yet. We were working on the site when we uncovered the remains of a Dacentrurus! And Mr. Mack asked me to deliver it here to Crovan’s Gate! Of course, in those days, I didn’t have nearly as much faith in Skarloey as I do now -- mind you, he was still a Bucking Bronco, no cab or trailing wheels to speak of!”

Rosie zoned out as Rheneas told his story, wishing to herself that she could have a more exciting delivery than just some old vans in need of repair when no other engines were available to take them.

[traintrainingmontage]

Skarloey Appreciation Essay: Interpersonal Intelligence

I know that I still have several ficlet ideas to write, but instead, have an analysis. This one's about Skarloey, mostly because he's my absolute favorite, but also because there's a lot to say about him. This is primarily based off of the Railway Series and Model Series seasons 1-5, since they're what I'm most familiar with (although it's been a while since watching the show, so please pardon me if I miss anything from that perspective).

For this analysis, I want to briefly mention how the various sagely characters excel in different types of intelligence. Some know a lot about the world and are happy to share their knowledge (Edward), while others are highly experienced and have that experience to fall back on when trying to guide and help others (Toby). However, out of all of them, I would argue that it's Skarloey who has the best interpersonal intelligence, in that he's great at creating healthy relationships between himself and others, and by extension, maintaining a measure of relative peace on his railway.

(There's also an Edward Appreciation Essay for you all to enjoy!)

Interpersonal intelligence is defined as "the ability to understand and interact effectively with others. It involves effective verbal and nonverbal communication, the ability to note distinctions among others, sensitivity to the moods and temperaments of others, and the ability to entertain multiple perspectives" (University of Tennessee).

To start, I'd like to give some examples of how Skarloey is good at this. Skarloey is a "do no harm, but take no shit" kind of character. When done well, this kind of character tends to be highly compelling. (In fact, Toby could also be classified in this way, albeit differently flavored.) Some Skarloey-specific examples include:

-Skarloey scolding the coaches after they sabotage Sir Handel (Old Faithful). Skarloey essentially scolds them for endangering the passengers, and when they try to blame Sir Handel, Skarloey's not having it. What's particularly notable is that he doesn't take sides here; he doesn't validate the coaches' feelings nor does he defend Sir Handel. Instead, he focuses on their professionalism, and the coaches really don't have anything to say in their defence.

-Building on the previous point, this whole event, especially with Skarloey pushing himself on the passengers' behalf, resonates with Sir Handel. It ends with Sir Handel thinking that "Skarloey is the best engine in the world," which is high praise coming from an engine that referred to Skarloey as "rubbish" in his debut (Sir Handel). It's almost a shame that Skarloey left for six years to be mended, as if he'd stayed, a number of Sir Handel's more overbearing qualities might have been ironed out sooner.

-Skarloey's own character growth is also on full display in terms of the way he treats others. The worst comeback he actually has in the RWS, toward anybody, is when he says to Sir Handel that all respectable engines want to work, and then immediately follows that up with advice for Peter Sam (Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady). Every other time another engine says something rude or ridiculous, Skarloey says nothing and winks at some other engine, or keeps it to himself ("Rusty told Duncan about the bad bit of line, and warned him to be careful. 'Huh!' he grunted, 'I know my way about, thank you! I don't need smelly Diesels to tell me what to do.' Rusty looked hurt. 'Never mind,' said Skarloey, 'you've done your best.' He said no more, but he thought a great deal.") (Rock n' Roll). He's come a long way from the hot-tempered engine who threw petty insults at Rheneas (Stick-in-the-Mud).

-Skarloey delivers lessons in ways that aren't just "you shouldn't do this because I said so." This way of giving advice to headstrong engines often gets ignored, as seen when other sagely engines try it. Instead, he takes a more cunning approach, as seen by his tactic of goading Sir Handel into facing off against George (Steam-roller). There are other engines who are cunning, certainly (just look at Donald and Douglas, or some key Thomas moments), but they don't really try to pit other engines against each other. The only other one who does in a notable way is Diesel, and he's not really protagonist material for most of the series.

In this case, the other engines (let's be real, it's Peter Sam and Duncan) are fed up with Sir Handel's boasting, so they tease him. However, he just shrugs them off. By contrast, Skarloey recognizes that trying to be straightforward won't work, so he decides to appeal to Sir Handel's pride in the hopes that he and George might teach each other a lesson. It's a strategy that ends up working exceedingly well, and also doesn't undermine his standing with Sir Handel himself. Honestly, Skarloey can be a little bit devious and that's such a fun character trait (it shows up again when Skarloey just doesn't tell the others that Culdee's Godred story is made up (Bad Look-out), choosing to let them stew and perhaps be a little more mindful of their behavior, and those moments are some of my favorites).

-Skarloey earnestly compliments others when they do well. He's incredibly grateful to Rusty for fixing the track, and tells him so. He speaks earnestly about Rheneas, and compliments Culdee upon hearing about his railway. Not a lot of other characters do this unless under duress or when they feel bad for taking things too far! In fact, tying into this point is that Skarloey doesn't kick others when they're down (see above), and stops the other engines' teasing when it gets out of hand (Peter Sam and the Prickly Problem).

There are certainly other examples of Skarloey's excellent character (one of my favorite character traits of his is how he owns up to his mistakes and even talks about them as proof of how he's grown instead of trying to hide shameful moments from his past, making him more relatable), but I'll instead pivot to why he's my go-to for a shining star of interpersonal intelligence by comparing him to some of the fandom's other favorite sages.

-Edward is probably the most wholesome character in the whole series. He's kind, he's giving, he doesn't complain, and you just want the best for him. However, he's also been worn down by life to an extent. His coworkers are often rude to him for no reason, even while they begrudgingly respect him, and unlike Skarloey, who is undoubtedly the moodmaker on his railway, Edward simply isn't; Gordon is. While I feel bad that Edward is treated this way, I also can't help but wish that Edward would have stood up for himself and others more, particularly in the early days when the railway's culture was still being figured out, because everyone on the NWR always has something to prove. It's super fulfilling when Edward proves his worth and shows that not only is he still useful, but that he has an unmatched will. However, while letting his actions speak for themselves is great, all he's really done is prove that he too can still run with the young'uns. He's earned their respect in terms of his abilities, but not their respect for his authority as an experienced engine with good advice to give, or their respect as an equal, really. He's a coworker who's shown that he can handle his work, but his opinion doesn't hold as much weight as theirs.

Perhaps part of this is that Gordon is a physically larger engine with an ego to match (after all, size DOES matter in the inherent engine pecking order, and the Skarloey Railway engines are all the same size so that's much less of an issue). Perhaps it's that Edward simply isn't confrontational, and would rather just let a lot of this slide. Perhaps another part of it is that the NWR just has so many more engines now and without that groundwork, it's very unlikely that the railway's culture can be changed at this point without a lot of effort from multiple engines. However, everybody constantly picking at each other's old wounds and feeling defensive all the time does not lend itself to a kind railway. Edward just doesn't stop that nonsense in its tracks the way Skarloey does, and he doesn't really come to the defense of some of the smaller engines. He moreso manages the fallout and is a counselor for the others, reactive but not necessarily proactive. Edward is a kind, nice character, and I absolutely adore that about him, but he often comes across as just rolling with the punches or being a shoulder to cry on for the others instead of taking a proactive role in setting the other engines straight. (To be fair, what he needed most was James or Henry having a character arc that would let them get out of the shadows of their inferiority to Gordon or their own selves/circumstances and back Edward up more often so that people actually heeded and respected his advice, but that's hardly Edward's fault.)

-Toby, on the other hand, takes no shit from anybody and will bite you if you give him grief. That's also a great character trait, but it has the side-effect of making him difficult to get along with. He's filled with great advice, but the other, haughtier engines don't want to listen so Toby doesn't want to give it; he's happy to watch them fail abysmally and come crawling back. I absolutely love Toby as a character, but these kinds of people are rather difficult to get along with in real life. I find that Toby and Duck are particularly similar in this regard; they don't take shit from the other engines, but come off as more prickly for it. Everyone except their closest friends are coworkers at best, and so they also don't necessarily improve the vibes of the railway as a whole. Toby and Edward are two ends of the spectrum, two extremes in this regard.

Thus, to me at least, it's Skarloey who wins out in terms of being the most interpersonally intelligent sage character, who makes his railway a good place to be for everybody on it. He uses a couple of different strategies to help other engines see sense, whether it's being straightforward with them, using a story as an example, or cajoling them a little bit. He scolds others when necessary, but doesn't use their shame as ammunition and doesn't tear them down. People may not like the story "Pop" Special because it makes Duncan seem too nice, but I like it in the sense that it shows how decades of being around people who are good to you and treat you well can lead to an insular, angry person becoming kinder and more thoughtful. Who made that the culture on the railway and enforced it? Skarloey.

Like I said at the start, this analysis is limited to the Railway Series and Model Series seasons 1-5, so I'd love to hear others' opinions on what I've put forth here. I hope you enjoyed; ficlets to come soon(-ish)!

[littlewestern]

See what happens

Bingo! Sir topham hatt/ Mr percival

Oh boy, lol.

At the risk of being the boring adult in the room once again, this is another one that just doesn't do anything for me as a romantic relationship. Far be it from me or Sir Topham to get in the way of what is clearly a very loving and robust relationship between Peregrine and his darling wife.

(I mean, goddamn. Look at all those kids.)

That said, I do think their business relationship is one that contains as many weird facets and nuances as a romantic one, and that's why I find it so fascinating. If I thought people would read them, I have more than one fic idea involving these two just sitting down and talking over tea.

See, Hatt's a real hardass, especially in the bad old days. I think part of the reason he ran the NWR the way that he did for so long was because it *was* just him, his five pains in the ass, and the zero dollars he had to split between them. Anyone else might have sought out a business partner early on to help ease the financial and operational strains of running this kind of slapdash outfit. The way Hatt was doing business though, I think he didn't trust anyone else to see his vision and to let him make the decisions he felt needed to be made. Not having to answer to investors or business partners meant he could run his railway however he liked. At a certain point, though, I think this became untenable.

There's some question as to what their business relationship is exactly. I've seen it suggested that the Skarloey Railway is Mr. Percival's and that the NWR and the Skarleoy Railway have nothing to do with each other, but I prefer the idea that Hatt actually bought all the railways on Sodor and then ceded their operation to Mr. Percival (and later Fergus Duncan). Personally, I think it's tidier if Hatt's in charge of everything and is simply delegating power where needed. In either case though, Hatt is clearly the one with the raw captial, and Mr. Percival answers to him if not strictly in chain of command, then at least in spirit, because Hatt's is the biggest and the one setting the tone for how all the other railways on the island should comport themselves in advertising and operation.

For Hatt to go through all the hardship and trouble of bootstrapping his way to that position of power, and then to put that much of it in the hands of some other guy... I think that speaks to how much trust Hatt puts in Mr. Percival, and rightly so in my opinion. Mr. Percival runs a tight ship, has a great deal of faith in his engines, and doesn't take any shit when they start acting up. We can surmise from this that he and Hatt are very much of the same mind on how engines ought to be treated, and I think that was as much a determining factor in Hatt's decision to appoint Mr. Percival as his business acumen or service credentials.

Yeah, I could go insane about these two for a while, but I'll cut it here. This is a dumb shipping bingo, after all.

That said, if you really did want to make it shippy, I will say that Mr. Percival's history is left deliberately vague and there's no reason that he and Hatt couldn't have met while both working for the GWR in some capacity. Probably as young, unmarried men... Just a thought.

[pinkyberet]

TTTE Narrow Gauge Ocs: Archer And Faith

Names: Archer & Faith

Basis’: Hunslet 2-4-0 589 ‘Blanche’ (Archer) & Hunslet 2-4-0 590 ‘Linda’ (Faith)

Genders: Male (Archer), Female (Faith)

Jobs: Pulling Passenger Trains/Goods Trains, Pulling Trucks From/To Quarries (Sometimes)

Friends: Skarloey, Rheneas, Ella-Rose (Closest Colleague On The Previous Railway), Sir Handel, Peter Sam, Rusty, Luke, Duncan (When He Behaves), Francesca, Freddie, Duke, Mighty Mac

Enemies: Jordan, Duncan (Mostly When He Grumbles, Complains And Causing Trouble), Sir Handel (Back Then Before He Became More Mature For Pretty Much Kinda The Same Reason As Duncan)

Likes: Pulling Passenger Trains, Remenacing On Their Old Days (Sometimes Accompanied With Skarloey & Rheneas Too), Being Really Useful Engines, Engines Learning Their Lesson(s)

Dislikes: Engines Causing Trouble, Engines Ignoring Their Advices/Warnings, Having To Lecture Engines About Consequences Of Certain Actions (Unfortunately, These 2 Can Get Impatient From That Pretty Easily)

Personas: Basically Like Skarloey & Rheneas But With Some Minor Differences (yeah…), Mentor Figures For Ella-Rose And Somewhat Later For Francesca Too

[skarloeyspa]

The Two Good Fairies (Wait, Two?)

Just a bit (a lot) of re-imagining of the finer details of Duke's rescue and the episode Sleeping Beauty. I haven't exactly posted my writing publicly before so don't expect stellar content lol. I also took some liberties between the tv series and RWS canon, but most of the inspiration is from the tv series. Also crediting @/ryan1014n2 for the aluminum works HC for Stuart and Falcon!

“...and that’s why they call you a hotbox!”

“Hotbox?! At least I’m not the one with steamroller wheels!”

Rheneas watched the two new engines bicker with amusement as he waited for his own departure, passengers still slowly filing into the coaches attached to his back buffers. The two new engines, Sir Handel and Peter Sam were double-heading a heavy freight train, passing by the station slowly.

“Steamroller! Wait until Duke hears about this one!”

Sir Handel proclaimed, and the bickering had all but stopped. Rheneas couldn’t see the expression on either engine, they had already passed the station by then, and were speeding along the line once more. 

A familiar whistle sounded across the platform, Rheneas whistled back as Skarloey pulled into the station.

“Rheneas! How does it feel to be back on the line?”

“Just wonderful, is that even a question? I was so glad to finally get overhauled, but I’m even more grateful to be back.”

The two old engines shared a laugh, before settling into the buzz of the busy station. Tidbits of the earlier conversation between the two new engines resurfaced in Rheneas’ mind.

“Say, Skarloey. You know that Duke person that Sir Handel and Peter Sam bring up? Who are they?”

The red engine froze, before returning Rheneas’ gaze, a hint of bitterness in his eyes.

“Duke is…an engine. He was on the old railway that Sir Handel and Peter Sam used to run. It closed after some time and…they couldn’t find Duke a new home.”

Rheneas felt dread pool at the bottom of his boiler.

“Was he…”

“Oh, no, they didn’t scrap him. They just…sheeted him. But who knows what happened to the poor old engine?”

Rheneas opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of guard’s whistle kept the words on his tongue. Pursing his lips, Rheneas simply whistled back as he pulled out of the station, left to ponder about this mysterious engine’s fate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several years had passed since their conversation, and Rheneas would have forgotten, if he didn’t hear passing mentions of Duke whenever the two new engines were around. 

No, calling them new would imply they were strangers, Peter Sam and Sir Handel had far outgrown that title.

Sometimes, when the rain was heavy and the trees rustled against the brick of their sheds, the two engines would recount tales on their old railway. It was from these stories that Rheneas and Skarloey would learn more about the mysterious engine named Duke. 

Duke, or as Sir Handel and Peter Sam liked to call him, Granpuff, was the old faithful of their old railway the Mid-Sodor. When they were still called Stuart and Falcon, Duke was the one to keep them in check and out of trouble. They talked of the time that Duke gallantly pulled Sir Handel back up the mountain, or the time Duke humbled Peter Sam by roaring loudly on the mountain as though he were the one with a packed passenger train and an engine pulling on his coupling. The two told of many stories, some more savoury than the others, but not once had they spoken Duke’s name without love.

And, as Rheneas would later recognize in their voice, grief.

One day, after returning to the sheds for the night, with Skarloey being the only other engine present, Sir Topham Hatt approached Rheneas and Skarloey along with a group of men holding rolls of paper and small suitcases.

“Starting from tomorrow,” announced Sir Topham Hatt, “I’d like the two of you to assist in a special job,” and he quietly explained to the two old engines the visitors’ proposal.

“They want to find Duke!” Skarloey exclaimed as the men left with the Fat Controller, “Goodness! Wait until Sir Handel and Peter Sam hear about this, they’ll be ecstatic!”

But Rheneas shushed his brother, “Best keep it a secret until we actually do find him,” he replied, “It would be such a letdown for them if we build up all this hope only to end up finding nothing.”

And so, the two engines and their crew agreed to keep this operation a secret. In the following days, either Rheneas or Skarloey would take the visitors and some workmen into the faraway mountains, going through old tunnels and over high bridges, trying to find the old shed that still housed the lost Duke. Every day, they would go deeper and deeper into the hills, and with each day their hope dwindled, but the search carried on, the crew refusing to give up. 

Skarloey waited on the old rails, watching as the search crew climbed further and further into the old station, looking like ants as they scrambled over the overgrown ruins. Bored, Skarloey observed the mountains around him. 

From the moss-covered tracks to the rusted barrels and rotting wooden crates that strewn about the grounds paved with gravel, Skarloey’s gaze trailed to the empty decaying shed, the first thing they had found upon arriving. Pieces of the roof had broken off and fallen onto the ground, the glass on the windows cracked and filled with holes, and vegetation ate away at the bricks and wood that still struggled to keep the shed intact.

Skarloey’s observations were interrupted by the sound of a distant crash. Returning his attention to the search crew, they were rushing towards the top of a particularly shallow cliff. Skarloey squinted his eyes. Was that…smoke? 

The men crowded around the clouds of dust, and Skarloey was too far away to hear their conversations, but soon cheers and laughter erupted from the crew. 

“We found him! We found our sleeping beauty!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Skarloey and Rheneas waited patiently as the crew secured the old engine to the flatbed, chains pulling over the engine’s dusty, worn brown paint. Some of the men discussed among themselves what to do with the decade-old coal that still remained in the old engine’s little tender, but neither Skarloey nor Rheneas caught the end of that conversation as their crew prepared for departure.

Rolling along the old track, Skarloey was coupled up to the flatbed, curiously observing the old engine they had just rescued. Duke’s eyes were wide and filled with glee as he watched the mountains pass. Soon, the old engine’s gaze landed on Skarloey.

“Oh? Hello there, I don’t believe we’ve met before,” Duke inquired of Skarloey. 

“No, we haven’t. But I’ve heard a lot about you,” Skarloey replied, and the two began chatting, with Rheneas soon joining in from behind. They talked of the stories that Peter sam and Sir Handel would tell, now hearing Duke’s perspective as well, chuckling over how the two had been such cheeky engines in their youth.

“Really now? Seems like Peter Sam hasn’t changed a bit!” Rheneas retorted, and the three laughed once again, though a sadness settled in Duke’s tired eyes.

“Peter Sam, is it? Everything does change, I suppose.” The old engine murmured solemnly.

“Perhaps, but I’d say the joy I hear in their voices when they told your stories was all genuine, and so was the sadness they'd tried to hide,” Skarloey said in return.

Duke contemplated Skarloey’s words in silence as they passed over the viaduct. With his gaze trained on the ravine below, Duke smiled tenderly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sir Handel bit back a retort, imagining all the ways he would one-up Peter Sam once given the chance. As he waited for his coaches to be uncoupled, Skarloey rolled into the station, strangely muddy for a day at the quarry and barely contained excitement.

“Hello Skarloey, what’s got you all excited?” quizzed Sir Handel.

“Oh, has the Fat Controller not told you yet? There’s a surprise waiting for you and Peter Sam at the sheds!”

“Surprise? How nice of him! What is it?” Peter Sam replied.

“Well, I’m not one to spoil surprises, but there’s someone you’ve been longing to see, just as he’d been longing to see you again.”

…huh?

“You mean…Duke?”

Skarloey’s grin widened. Next to him, Peter Sam bounced about on his tracks, shaking with joy, but Sir Handel remained frozen on his spot, disbelief still rampant in his mind. Distantly, he could hear his driver’s comments about his fire going on and off, unstable and incapable of producing good steam. Skarloey spoke again, but his words faded into a buzz, settling into the background with the rest of the bustling passengers at the station.

…

Glimpses of the mountain cliffs flashed through his mind, the pull of gravity on his buffers and the drafts of wind from the bottom of the mountain, the sheer cry of the eagle that pierced through the screeching and humming of his Granpuff’s wheels as he pulled and pulled against the tracks. Then, the comfort of the ground, of being pushed back to the station, standing safely next to his Granpuff as he shushed him to sleep later that night with a rare softness to his gruff voice.

…el…

Then there was the bitterness, the painful panging in his boiler when their old railway closed. The gut-wrenching fear, clawing and clambering at him as he was driven away from his Granpuff, who stood faithfully to the very end at his shed at the foot of the mountain. 

…alco…

Short flashes of those brief years at Peel Godred, the coldness of the factories where he found his only comfort next to his brother, wishing and hoping everyday that maybe, just maybe, someone would be nice enough to bring their Granpuff back. 

Drip. Drip.

Wishing, praying, oh he’d have done just about anything to have his Granpuff back, if only just for one day-

“Falcon!”

Sir Handel was snapped out of his thoughts, Peter Sam had stopped just before his buffers, with Skarloey looking on from the side with concern. 

“...Stuart?”

Tears welling in the corners of Sir Handel’s eyes splashed onto his footplate, only then did he notice how blurry his vision had gone, muddled by emotion. Blinking rapidly, Falcon cleared his eyes and took a good look at his brother before him, just to make sure he didn’t mishear.

It was like they were back at the aluminum works, where Stuart would feign bravery and act strong for both of them, keeping a smile on his face as he pushed on. But Falcon always saw the fear in his brother’s gaze, the trembling young engine who just wanted to be comforted too, but had put on a brave face because one of them had to. 

Now, wearing the same expression that Stuart had on when he tried to calm Falcon down the same way their Granpuff used to, there was still a fear that had long since lodged itself within him, but there was also something new. Like their very first night at Peel Godred, Peter Sam had hope, and maybe just a little bit of his own tears.

“Come on, Falcon, looks like we have to keep Granpuff in check.”

For one last time, Sir Handel dared himself to spare a glance at Skarloey. The old engine, now joined by Rheneas, smiled at him assuredly. Squeezing out all his remaining tears, Sir Handel beamed at Peter Sam.

“Yeah, gotta keep Granpuff in order, Stuart.”

[ryan1014n2]

Omg Sir Handel's jealous face is sending meeee 😂... Actually, if you don't mind me asking.... Does he have a 'special someone' he really likes? (In your HC, of course) mean, not everyone NEEDS to have a partner etc., but now it got me thinking. Especially since I fell down the Skarloey/Neil and Peter Sam/Rusty rabbit hole thanks to your adorable art (not complaining, I friggin love it❤️)

Honestly I haven't thought about it much! I've been much more interested in his relationship with his Mid Sodor family: Peter Sam and Duke. I see their little family unit as being the most important thing to him.

Okay, ships:

I've briefly considered what Sir Handel and Duncan would be like as a pair. I think they would either love each other or hate each other. Like "ugh I can't stand those other engines. YOU understand me" in a case where it works out. I think this also has the potential to be very funny.

There was also the period shortly after Skarloey rescued Sir Handel's train in “Old Faithful” when Sir Handel thought that Skarloey was "the best engine in the world." Interpret that however you want, but I'm just saying. . . an unrequited crush? Sir Handel hopelessly pining for Skarloey, who's off being overhauled? Very entertaining to me. Skarloey never finds out about this.

But, no, I haven't seriously considered Sir Handel being in a romantic relationship with someone.

[clancy14guy]

Puffing Billy (My TTTE AU)

He is the sage of the railway and is an old, faithful little big engine, he was very brave once he backed up from a terrible landslide in 1953, which made his railway unfortunately close down, but when the days came, he, Cody, Alex, Melissa and Timmy get to run again, he is also good friends with Skarloey, Rheneas and Duke

[johnny-kobayakawa-television2015]

Thomas and Friends: Sodor Online Journeys (Story 39): Old Faithful

One day, Sir Handel was having trouble with Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima, and Beatrice. He tried to be kind, the coaches didn't trust him. They were awkward, and rude. There was worse to come. Some careless sheep had strayed on the line, Sir Handel grounded to a halt. "He's Bumped Us!" screamed the coaches. "Let's pay him out!/Let's Get Back at Him!" They surged into Sir Handel by pushing him off the rails. No one was hurt, but Sir Handel was disappointed as he limped back to the shed.

"No more work for you today." said his driver. "How are we going to pull the visitor's train without an engine?" "What about me, Sir?" asked Skarloey, who was right beside Sir Handel. "Skarloey." said Sir Handel's Driver. "Can you do it?" "I'll try." said the Old Engine.

Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima, and Beatrice stood on the platform when Skarloey came in. "I'm ashamed of you." scolded Skarloey. "You might've hurt your passengers." the coaches quivered. "We're sorry, Skarloey." The Guard/Conductor blew the whistle, and their journey began.

Skarloey remembered all the gates and stiles where he had to stop, and whistled to his friends.

The sun shone, the rails were dry. "This is lovely," he thought.

But presently they began to climb, and Skarloey felt short of steam. "Bother my tubes!" he panted. "Take your time, old boy," soothed his Driver. "It'll be better downhill." Skarloey said to himself. But it wasn't. His springs were weak, and the rail-joints jarred his wheels. At last, a spring gave-way. "I feel all crooked!" cried Skarloey. "That's it, we'll need a bus now for our passengers." said his Driver. "No!" pleaded Skarloey. "I'll get them home, or burst!"

Meanwhile, James was waiting at the platform. Groaning, Clanging, and Clanking, Skarloey steamed in. "I'll do it, I'll do it….I've done it. I made it." James waited for his passengers to get on, and respectfully puffed away. "You were right, Sir," said Skarloey to his Driver after James left with the Local, "old engines can't pull trains like the young ones can." "They can if they're mended, Old Faithful," said his Driver, "and that's what will happen to you, you deserve it." "Oh, Sir!" said Skarloey happily.

Story End

[defencebeetle]

So, a while ago I ran across a fan made movie poster for a "The Adventure Begins" style TTTE special based on the Narrow Gauge engines.

And then, yesterday, my brain randomly decided to summon it back into remembrance and refuse to put it down till I wrote up a concept for how this could work.

Warning, it's long.

(and not well written, I might come back to fix it later)

Concept:

A "The Adventure Begins" style TTTE special centering on the Narrow Gauge engines, particularly Sir Handel and Peter Sam. The movie will use the "Duke the Lost Engine" as bookends for the film, while filling in the middle section with various Railway Series (and 2 famous/infamous TTTE original) stories.

The way I've written this out, it can be viewed as a sort of coming-of-age film for Stuart and Falcon.

Characters:

Stuart/Peter Sam

Falcon/Sir Handel

Duke

Skarloey

Rheneas

Duncan

Rusty

Thin Controller/Mr. Percival

Duke of Sodor

Cameos:

Nancy

Stanley/Smudger

Ms. Jenny

_____________________

Prologue:

Brief introduction as Stuart and Falcon learn they have been bought by the MSR.

Act I:

Introduction of Peter Sam and Sir Handel to Skarloey and Rheneas.

Sir Handel begins his bastardization arc, actively shaping himself into what he fancies is a combination of Skarloey and Gordon, but really only taking on their worst traits. Meanwhile, Peter Sam is just plain busy, while occasionally getting into minor scrapes.

Possible stories here:

Sir Handel

Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady

Trucks!

Special Funnel

Old Faithful

Act II:

(Imply the passage of time)

The SKR is doing better and with all its engines back is looking forward to considerable expansion. They plan to open more branches to their tourism lines. These plans are put on hold however, when nearby mines (once part of the MSR) are found to still be quite rich in [mineral].

Duncan and Rusty are brought on (Duncan for extra roadwork, Rusty for rail restoration and maintenance).

Restoration of the mines begins. An interplay of "Rusty and the Boulder" and "Duncan gets Spooked" plays out.

Rusty is worried about safety in some of the mining areas (he knows what he's talking about, he's done similar work before).

A soft re-opening of the mines is set as a celebration for when the Duke of Sodor will visit in [X] months.

Peter Sam and Sir Handel are delighted to be back to part of the MSR (I assume they never visited this part of the line, they didn't run this far out, and the mines were closed several years before the MSR as a whole).

Some incidents happen, Duncan showboats. Peter Sam and Sir Handel decide to pay him out.

They get a ghost story off Skarloey (it doesn't have to be the exact same one as in "Duncan gets Spooked", but if it can fit all the better), modify it as if they knew the engine and it happened on the MSR.

They play the prank on Duncan, while he's at the mine alone, he swears other stuff happens (bolder face scare, falling rocks, cracking ground) that simultaneously acts as set dressing and foreshadowing.

The prank plays out as usual.

Construction continues, the Duke's arrival draws near.

The boulder incident occurs, shutting down the mine project.

Sir Handel has a character moment and is one of the engines to buoy up Mr. Percival in the aftermath, suggesting that they go back to building the loop line. All the engines gather together, and are determined to make the most of the situation.

ACT III:

What they have salvaged from the mines helps balance out some debts. Other assets from the project are ripped back to use on the completion of the tourism line.

Everyone pitches in. (Everyone pitches into big project trope/mandate fulfilled).

They run a few promotional trains and then have the celebration with the Duke opening the line. Everyone's happy. Everyone should be happy, but Peter Sam is not. Being back on a part of the MSR, failing to restore it, and thinking about loss has brought back his worries for Duke.

Peter Sam makes the awkward interruption of the speech, asking if he's the real Duke and why he hasn't asked about his engine. The Duke is obviously confused.

Queue the Bittersweet Act 4.

ACT IV:

The movie takes a sad turn. Eventually, rail enthusiasts, including the clergyman band together and launch the expedition to find Duke.

In the RWS, the Arlesdale Railway is used to get back to the old MSR. In the version, I propose that Peter Sam and Sir Handel get to take the expedition back through the mine pathway and further into the hills.

Queue an expedition montage. Sir Handel and Peter Sam get back to the old line, cutting to some flashbacks of back when they ran on the rails and the rails were new.

Bonus: if we can slip the Bulldog story (even a reference) into the story before, have a flashback of the incident--just for a second--as Sir Handel goes through the same tunnel.

I originally didn't want any diegetic musical numbers in this. But as I though of this scene, I thought of a little ditty for them to sing during the travel montage, hitting the final note as they pulled into the main yard where the sheds used to be.

They make it back to the yard, and can't seem to locate the shed (everything is overgrown after all). The search party splits up and begins searching.

This scene has similar feeling to those sad fake-out deaths shoehorned into the end of all sorts of movies (which I am sick and tired of but I think those emotions work here).

Triumph over bad guy = Pulling into the old MSR yard.

Oh no, main character has passed out, I think they're dead, moment of silence. = Realizing that the shed is nowhere to be seen.

Eyes crack open. Main Character lets out a wheezy "...farfanaludingus...?" Everyone celebrates the miraculous recovery. = The Fat Clergyman falls into the shed and we hear Duke's voice. "Excuse me... Are you a vandal?".

They bring Duke back to the SKR.

The movie cuts out as they pull back to the return journey.

Maybe some mid or post-credit sequences of Dukes repairs and such, or interactions with the SKR fleet.

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Edwards exploit?

It's one of my favourite Edward story's next to old iron.

Hmm, sometimes I prefer “Old Iron” myself, at least so far as TVS goes ♥ (that long tracking shot over the bridge is friggin’ gold, man.)

But only in TVS. Story-wise, while both are great, there's just a little extra something going on in this one...

So many people have noticed the similarities between those two stories, of course, and indeed you can throw in Edward’s introductory arc too—this story doesn’t really break new ground in the Edward-proves-himself genre. And with it, the genre is DONE. Okay y'all? DONE. NO MORE. FIND ANOTHER PLOT. YES, SHOW WRITERS OF YEARS PAST, I AM TALKING TO YOU. Nor is the “exploit” really any more impressive than “Old Faithful” and “Gallant Old Engine,” which in RWS actually come before this story, and in which the stakes were higher.

And yet I still feel like “Exploit” is in a league of its own, and judging from its insane popularity I’m not the only one who feels that way.

At least one thing that sets this story apart, something I’ve come to really treasure: The feat is such a group effort. The crew’s contribution in “Faithful” and “Gallant” was mostly to get out once the train stopped, do an examination, and pronounce, Huh. You’re broken. And we're stuck. *awkward pause* Soooo, uhh… whatcha got, hotshot? And it was really all down to Skarloey and Rheneas. Whereas in this story the main character’s willpower alone is not enough, and the crew had to contribute their own talents. More than once, actually. True teamwork. So, like, yes, this is a story about perseverance, it’s a story about beating the odds, but it’s not only about that. This time at least (for we’ve seen that old theme in RWS before—many times) there’s also something about it that moves me in a similar way to the Henry arc.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that this story also shows something important about disability. If your only takeaway here is “Edward is an inspiring badass,” it’s not that you’re wrong, but there’s more. Specifically—he could not have done it without help. Even with the help, he could have done it but it would not have necessarily been a triumph. I mean, this could have easily been a story about a stubborn, in-denial old git finally learning his limits the hard way and limping back home, shamed and beaten and probably damn sure never taking another “important train” ever again. In fact it could very easily be this sort of story, given the big engines’ gossip at the beginning and, at the end, good ol’ STH being on hand and proper pissed off about the extreme lateness.

Why isn’t it an L? Apart from the meta that Edward is a ray of sunshine and one of Awdry’s favorites? Mostly it’s because of the passengers—so let’s give them props, too. They had all the power to define this narrative! But instead of being put out and caught up in their own inconvenience when stranded in the middle of nowhere during a wild dark wet rainstorm, they had the sense to notice and appreciate the efforts of engine and crew. Instead of stropping out onto the platform and complaining, they celebrated and thanked everyone. Whether this incident was a disgrace or an “exploit” is really all a matter of perspective. Hell, they literally changed STH’s!

And, of course, we see it as a triumph because of the way Awdry frames it. Do we always see it that way in real life, though? I hope so. I wish we lived in a world where the need for aid and accommodation does not invalidate what we do. I wish we lived in a world where the disabled or old or sick or just the plain not-as-gifted were always respected rather than disparaged due to the fact that it may take them three times as much trouble and effort to accomplish things that are easy to others.

But let’s be honest: we don’t live in that world. We’re a long ways from it. And while there are lots of RWS stories that inspire us to persevere and to press on and to do our best and to never give up… “Exploit” really hits me in the heart because it also portrays how the need for others’ help and for adjusted expectations isn’t shameful at all, in fact it shows me how interesting and impressive it is when people (people and, I guess, the occasional sapient locomotive) work together in complementary ways—not to mention, it portrays how much more exciting life is when we show each other genuine, unstinting grace.

[princeluckybug13]

@mean-scarlet-deceiver wanted to see my timeline, so here it is! Obviously this is for the Skarloey Railway and is completely based on my canon. So this is not meant to be super accurate to the any actual timeline. Hopefully this makes some semblance of sense, and I did rearrange many episodes (that are getting major overhauls). Feel free to ask any questions, and I’ll do my best to answer!

(ps Jobey, the project was just my horrible abomination of my “Murphy’s Law” AU lol) 

Crosspatch (1864)

Bucking Bronco/The Grand Opening (1865)

Rheneas and the Dinosaur/Push Me, Pull You (1866)

The Old Bridge (1867)

Stick-in-the-Mud (1868)

Skarloey Storms Through (1871)

Wharf and Peace (1874)

Missing Trucks/Missing Cars (1875)

 Skarloey Remembers (May 1952)

Sir Handel (May 1952)

Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady (May 1952)

Old Faithful (June 1952)

A Smooth Ride (1953)

The Refreshment Lady's Tea Shop/The Refreshment Lady's Stand (1953)

 Rusty Saves the Day (1957)

Which Way Now? (1957)

Trucks (1958)

Home at Last (1958)

Rock n Roll (1958)

Little Old Twins (1959)

Dunkin' Duncan (1959)

Trusty Rusty (1959)

 Special Funnel (January 1961)

Steamroller (March 1961)

Passengers and Polish (July 1961)

Gallant Old Engine (July 1961)

Duncan Does it All (May 1962)

The Runaway Elephant (1962)

Duncan Drops a Clanger (1962)

Rusty to the Rescue (February 1963)

Duck and Dukes  (June 1964)

Sleeping Beauty (August 1964)

 Patience is a Virtue (1982)

Peter Sam and the Prickly Problem (1982)

Pop Special (May 1983)

Sir Handel Comes Home (April 1984)

Fearless Freddie (May 1984)

Ding-a-Ling (June 1984)

The Party Surprise (December 1984)

 The Magic Lamp (August 1988)

Mountain Marvel (September 1988)

Duncan Gets Spooked (October 1988)

Rusty and the Boulder (September 1989)

Toby's Discovery (October 1989)

 Speedkiller (April 1996)

Dirty Water (May 1996)

Sir Handel's Plan (May 1996)

I Name This Engine… (September 1996)

Ivo(Skarloey) the Brave ( December 1996)

Cool Truckings (January 2005)

Whistle Trouble/Tuneful Toots (March 2005)

Wash Behind Your Buffers (April 2005)

Mighty Mac (July 2005)

Duncan and the Hot Air Balloon (July 2006)

Duncan’s Bluff (August 2006)

Duncan and the Old Mine (November 2006)

 Don't Bother Victor! (April 2012)

Blue Mountain Mystery (October 2012)

The Switch (July 2013)

Luke's New Friend (August 2013)

Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger (September 2014)

Duncan the Humbug (December 25, 2014)