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mean-scarlet-deceiver · 1 year

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Hi! What’s your favorite Railway Series book? I have another question too, what do you think of the engines faces being the smokebox doors?

I'm not sure what I think about the smokebox faces? It's peculiar when you try to think through it and make it "realistic" but the notion is so natural that there's not much to think about.

People really get on Awdry's case for not having thought through the implications of his sapient engines but I feel like we gotta cut the man a break. He clearly never had any interest in worldbuilding. It's not like he had some wild oddball idea that he just then neglected to nurture to maturity. Almost everybody has imagined smokeboxes to be the face of a steam engine (and the grill and headlights to be the face of a car, etc.)

No idea if that answered anything. Anyway!

What isn't my favorite RWS book?

Honestly it changes every week or two. At one point or another it’s been:

Thomas the Tank Engine - the structure is so simple yet so sound. this is some Joseph Campbell bullshit right here (positive)

Tank Engine Thomas Again - simply a classic from the moment it was penned. not my personal favorite (i think the ffarquhar line is just a bit too twee as a setting for my tastes?), but you can't beat these stories or this character. objectively, the best stand-alone book in the series. you don't have to know anything about anything to read this and to fall in love and to sense at once that it's an indispensable part of classic childhood literature.

Toby the Tram Engine - this kicked off the era of somewhat darker themes of obsolesce as well as new characters having really great introductory arcs/backstories❤️ points off for the last story tbh—but points on for seeing the Fat Controller and his fam on holiday as well as the parts dunking on busybody cops

Gordon the Big Engine - another one that just has really good structure—plus some underrated character moments in this—plus stories 1 and 3 are hilarious

Edward the Blue Engine - the vibes are impeccable

Eight Famous Engines - altogether, just a really good ensemble romp

Duck and the Diesel Engine - I N T R I G U E

The Little Old Engine - another just-really-good ensemble romp

The Twin Engines - I N T R I G U E, also irony; it's just very ambitious, grow-the-beard stuff

Very Old Engines - the sheer layers going on. also i'm a sucker for prequels.

Main Line Engines - just very classic Golden Age rws stuff, witty and warm, nothing to criticize, all clover. it feels like home.

Enterprising Engines - hooooooooooly crap, it's so good. some bits are shaky or pudgy, i kinda wish i had been the editor for this one, but you have to forgive the nitpicky stuff in the face of all the wealth. a triumph.

Oliver the Western Engine - the books just kept getting better in this era? wtf?????

Duke the Lost Engine and Tramway Engines - i could write ESSAYS on both these books. i SHOULD. like at this point you can start doing high-grade LITERARY ANALYSIS (enthusiastic)

Christopher Awdry's stuff is alllll on a lower tier than the above but while i'm on a roll i gotta give some props here too:

Jock the New Engine - i don't know how to defend it, it just makes the mini railway feel very real to me in a way that their first book (funny though it was) didn't

Gordon the High Speed Engine - it's overrated by certain Thomas bros, who to my eye seem to be deliberately obtuse when they insist that it's every bit as good as any Wilbert book (WHAT??), but it is enjoyable, thoughtful, and certainly the most consistently high-quality Christopher book

Henry and the Express - i'm here purely for the arc and the book's ending. as a final word on Henry's character development, the last couple of pages are unmatched and give him a new and hard-won layer that even Enterprising Engines didn't quite get him to

Thomas and the Twins - the interactions between Thomas, Edward, Bill and Ben are delicious. even if the Trevor story is pretty lame, i'm still soooo glad this book exists, i can't believe it, it feels like someone wrote a self-indulgent fanfic... and i am Here For It

#chatter #the railway series #what even are engine faces #thomas the tank engine (rws)#tank engine thomas again (rws)#toby the tram engine (rws)#gordon the big engine (rws)#edward the blue engine (rws)#the little old engine (rws)#the twin engines (rws)#very old engines (rws)#main line engines (rws)#enterprising engines (rws)#oliver the western engine (rws)#duke the lost engine (rws)#tramway engines (rws)#christopher awdry #the fact that thomas and toby originally bonded over heckling a policeman is amazing 🙏 we stan

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leatherbootlace · 2 years

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TrainTober2022 #15: Destination

Story Blurb & Credits Under Cut

"Excuse me," asked Toby, "but is this Knapford? I was supposed to be meeting a... a 'Sir Top Hat' there today."

The blue engine thought for a moment. "Well..." they began, "I'd certainly hope this is Knapford, otherwise I'm on the wrong railway altogether!" They laughed at their little 'joke', though Toby didn't find anything funny about it.

"Yes, you're at Knapford." the engine sighed. "And the man you're looking for is Sir Topham Hatt. I'm Ed. What's your name?"

"Tobias, and this lovely old soul behind me is my dearest Henrietta~"

"Hello!" chimed Henrietta.

"Pleasure to have you two here! I take it you're going to help sort out that trouble with the police?"

Toby gulped. "what?"

"You know, so that Thomas doesn't get arrested."

"What???"

"Honestly, I don't know what xe gets itself into these days. First there was the snowplough, then that race with Bertie Bus, and now this! Anyways, must be off now - they'll be needing me on my Branch Line!"

Ed puffed off, leaving Toby quite flabbergasted.

"What have I gotten myself into..." he thought to himself.

Original Sprites by Princess-Muffins, Cj-The-Creator, Diamond-Jubilee, wyattloughrie, RedEngineStudioNo5 & SplendidEngine02.

Any & All Edits made by Myself, LeatherBootlace.

#ttte #ttte au #Bootlace's TTTE AU #traintober2022 #ttte toby #toby the tram engine #ttte edward #edward the blue engine #rws #sprites #pixel art #it took me way too long to come up with an idea for this prompt #which sucks because i absolutely love what i did for 'Shadow'#local country man and wife arrive in big city immediately find themselves in the midst of a criminal investigation. more at 11.

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shelli-gator · 8 months

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Hi I don't know if you're taking requests for the outfit meme but just in case you are, I think 5C is perfect for Edward! And then 7B for James because it is the reddest! 💙❤

You're right, he's very cute in this! 💙🍂🍁🌟

#rws #ttte humanisation #edward the blue engine #ttte #ttte edward #thomas and friends #edward is that fall bitch #ttte humanized #i'll do the james one when my commissions clear hopefully #put that old man in a dress #ALL THE LASSIES SAY HELLO #EDWARD WHERE'S YOUR TROOSERS?#i wish trains were real

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visionarylocomotiveworks · 28 days

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"There's not a mountain that we can't climb. There's not a river we can't make it over. There's no tomorrow we can't find if we try. Y'know we're gonna make it. Nothing can stop us now!"

#thomas the tank engine #ttte thomas #ttte #thomas #thomas and friends #ttte fanart #the railway series #rws #edward the blue engine

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transsexualunderground · 1 year

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okay for a little sake of promo, amidst the henry campaigning, do consider some ttte nominations for the @bluecharactertournament, because, y'know, might be fun to rally for more silly trains okay thanks bye

#ttte #rws #thomas and friends #thomas the tank engine #secondman says #secondman shorts #railway series #the railway series #(ive nominated thomas edward n gordon so far)#(might consider sir handel but he's only blue in the tvs so...)#(indecisive)

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eosr-by-muxse · 3 days

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"It's Just a Little Derailment!"

May 1930

The Adventure Begins (2015)

Word Count: 579

Thomas derails in the yard.

By the time the sun fully rose, Thomas was the last one sleeping in, loudly snoring. The other engines didn’t mind it. Besides, they were used to Gordon’s snoring and James’ muttering. A little more noise wouldn’t hurt. The tank engine struggled to sleep in his new home the night before and fell asleep hours after Edward did.

Said engine was accompanied by James, and the pair poked their smokeboxes—“like curious dogs,” their crews often joke —into the sheds. The latter stuck around for amusement, only to be annoyed instead.

“Thomas!” whispered Edward as the tank engine’s crew struggled to keep his fire going. “Thomas, get up!”

Heterochromatic eyes rolled at the bronze-eyed engine's attempts. “With that voice, you’re just pulling him into deep sleep!”

“I rather no’ wake him up wit’ a start!”

“Well, I'm not sticking around any further!”

“Whit ur ye-?”

The black tender engine blasted his whistle. The shrill pierced Edward’s smokebox, startled the crews, and shook Thomas awake. “Bloody hell, James!” scolded the khaki tank engine.

“Bloody hell, yourself!” retorted James, scoffing at Edward's glare. “You didn't think your muttering would actually wake him up, did you?”

“Naw, but-”

“And don’t you have a train to pull?”

“Aye-!”

“Then you should be grateful!”

“I am!” Edward internally winced at his own volume. Raising his voice? Who did he think he was? “I am.” Much better. “I just wish ye could've given a warnin’.”

“To you?”

…Maybe. “Naw.”

“Excuse me!” Thomas piped up. Maybe that whistle was a good wake-up call as he couldn't feel sleepiness in his system. “I can't get out if you’re in the way!”

Bronze eyes widened. “Och, dear- Sorry!” As quickly and carefully as Edward could, he backed away and switched tracks. “Is thon-?”

“I’m running late!” The khaki tank engine bolted out of his berth.

“Thomas-!” Edward braced himself, knowing he didn't have enough time to move out of the way. He squeezed his eyes shut, but the feeling of crushed buffers never came.

With a peek, Edward was surprised to see Thomas mere inches away from him, derailed.

“No"s spilled from the E2, who tried getting back on the rails. He jerked back, jostling his crew in his cab like a wild bull, who tried to calm him down. To other engines, it was a small derailment. Nothing to fret about. But to him? Oh, god, they’ll find out how defective he was. And when they do, they'll send him packing to the Southern Railway, and who knows what they’ll do to him.

The Southern Railway sold him off to this small railway, quicker than any sale he’s ever seen or heard about. He wasn't oblivious. His siblings weren't either. They were very aware of their poor performance. They failed to do their intended job because of how they were built, and they couldn't change that.

Thomas couldn't change that.

So when Edward buffered up to him and pushed him back, Thomas was shocked. The voices of Mr. Perkins and Archie guiding Edward came to him, the pair having climbed off at some point. “What-?”

“Thare ye go!” cheered the blue tender engine. “Back oan the rails! Come oan, ye two. We've got work tae dae!”

Stumped, Thomas didn't catch onto James’ muttering as he distantly followed Edward. The smaller tender engine pushed him back on the rails with ease. It was practically a nudge.

Was it really that simple? pondered the large tank engine as his crew opened his regulator and released his brakes. With a slow start, Thomas rolled down the tracks onto the Main Line.

Notes

This was supposed to be part of another part but I felt like there would've been too much going on in that part, so I cut it down to just this scene. SO here we are. A short one at that! Not including TGR 2x5 Roleswap, this is my shortest fic by far.

I didn't consider this a rewrite until I remembered the scene where Henry is trying to wake Thomas up so yeah-

I like both newbieTAB!Thomas and RWS/ClassicEra!Thomas, so I combined both for Thomas' introduction arc.

Rewriting this from scratch actually helped, as well as finding out that music does not help (I rewrote it in between class 💀 I had time to kill so why not, pft-)

Hope you enjoyed! Comments + reblogs are appreciated :]

#my writing #engines of sudrian rails (shipverse) by muxse #engines of sudrian rails by muxse #ttte thomas #ttte edward #ttte james #ttte fic

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stories-of-the-nrm · 5 months

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The RWS 75th Anniversary - 3's A Crowd

Narrator: The next day when all the engines finished their work, they arrived at Tidmouth Sheds. Henry decided to tell everyone his own story.

(Zoom in on Henry).

Henry: Hello, everyone. I have something I want to say.

Edward: Oh, what is it, Henry?

Henry: Well Edward, I was thinking about the story you told last night. I've been doing some thinking and I realized that I wanted to tell everyone my own story.

Gordon: Copy cat.

(Henry rolls his eyes).

Henry: You see I was built somewhere.

Thomas: I didn't know you were from somewhere else. I thought you were built on Sodor.

Henry: Oh no, Thomas. I wasn't built on Sodor. When Sir Topham Hatt bought me, I was in the works to be mended.

Gordon: That's right. You were built off of my stolen plans.

Engines: What?!

Percy: Where were you stolen from Henry?

James: Did the builders sell you because of your paintwork?

Henry: Well to start, only the plans were stolen, Percy. In a way you're right Gordon. While there was some basis for your design, I was meant to be an attempt of the LNER's first hybrid engine between the prototype for the A1 and a C1. As for my paintwork, I had worse problems than that. But, I better start with when I was built.

(Fade to the past where we see an old abandoned factory).

Henry: You know the old saying “three’s a crowd”? Well for a long time I had known exactly how that felt. I was the third engine built from a series of stolen plans. The people that built me didn't just steal plans from the LNER but the LB&SCR as well. Unlike the first two that were built, I was made out of incomplete plans. I was meant to be built after Sir Nigel Gresley completed his prototype for the LNER A1.

(Back to the present).

Gordon: So you were supposed to have been built after me? No wonder the plans were incomplete. The main basis of your design wasn't even built yet.

Henry: That's right, Gordon. In fact, I think those plans were meant to be experimental and not something that should've been actually built.

Gordon: What happened to the other 2 engines who were built from stolen plans?

(Fade to the factory where we see two engines. One is green and the other is blue).

Henry: The first one was an actual design for the LNER’s B12 named Alfred. His design was stolen from the original GER. He was very rude and would often make fun of me for being an incomplete engine. The other engine was actually a hybrid that was based on the K class of the former LB&SCR engines. He was simply named by his number 87546, and also made fun of me. I think that was because he didn’t want Alfred to make fun of him for being a hybrid engine like me.

(Back to the present).

Edward: That must have been terrible, Henry. I can imagine how it would have felt to have just been built and have to experience that. I know you were a poor steamer when you first came to the island. Surely, it must have been worse back then?

(Fade to the factory where we see Henry open his eyes for the first time).

Henry: Since the plans for the hybrid weren’t finished when they were stolen, naturally things didn’t go well when I was built. I was amazed that the builders even let me see the light of day. When I first opened my eyes, I couldn’t even describe how I felt. I felt about every emotion at once. Then I started to feel very sick. My boiler was hurting me. My firebox, no pun intended, burned. It was so bad, I started to cry. The builders didn’t listen to me when I told them how much pain I was in. They tried to put me to work but they didn’t realize I was going to be a bad steamer until after I had my first run. Everything was wrong with me.

(Back to the present).

Thomas: It sounds like those no good thieves just wanted to build you just to make money. They sound like they didn't care about you at all.

Henry: You're right, Thomas. It actually gets worse from there.

Thomas: What do you mean, Henry?

(Fade into the set of tracks by the old factory where there were some trucks and an old shed).

Henry: They named me C*nt as I was nothing but a very crude engine that wasn’t meant to exist. At least in their eyes. They would also say rude things to me that quite frankly I don’t want to repeat. Everyone on the railway said rude things to me. Even my own crew told me how much they didn’t want to work with me. The only reason why they worked with me to begin with is because they were getting paid and that was it.

(Back to the present. All of the engines look horrified as that's a very offensive word).

Percy: Oh Henry, that must have been awful.

Gordon: Indeed, such behavior is simply disgraceful!

James: Disgusting!

Henry: Despicable, I know.

Thomas: How were you able to handle it?

(Fade into the sheds where it's night time. There is a forest clearing nearby Henry's shed).

Henry: The only peace I would get was looking out of my shed at night towards the forest clearing. I would look at the clearing every night until I fell asleep. It made all of my bad days more bearable. But then, something terrible happened.

(Henry paused).

Edward: What happened, Henry?

(Henry just stared).

Gordon: Henry?

(Henry closed his eyes and took a deep breath and continued as we fade back to Henry leaving his shed).

Henry: One night while I still had some steam left, I snuck out of the shed to the line by the clearing. I took in the night air and it was the happiest I've ever been. I could have sworn that all of my aches in pains disappeared. At least by a little. I thought at that point that everything was going to get better! Until of course, the owner found me. When he found out that I snuck out of the shed well … they put my fire out and I was forced to stay out there while it started to rain. At the time I didn’t know what rain was so when I heard the thunder crash and the lightning flash, I never felt more scared in my life.

(Henry shuddered).

Gordon: Oh dear, Henry. I know that you were treated disgracefully, but this is even more disgraceful!

James: Disgusting!

(They all waited for Henry to say his line but he never did. Instead, he took another deep breath).

Thomas: Are you alright, Henry?

Henry: Yes, Thomas. I just need to take my time with this next part.

(Fade into Henry being in his shed).

Henry: The next morning I was taken back to my shed. This time it was permanent. I was so traumatized by what happened that night that I cried myself to sleep. I stayed in the shed for a year but I only remember the first month. All I could only think of was that night. Eventually, I shut myself away in my own mind. The last thing I remember hearing before shutting myself away was that I should have never been created.

(Back to the present).

Percy: That's awful!

Thomas: I know, Percy. So what happened next, Henry?

(Fade into Henry opening his eyes).

Henry: I woke up a whole year later to the sound of cheering and people saying that STH wanted to see me. Probably because it meant that I was someone else's problem if STH did buy me. So they opened the door and all I could see was a man with a smile on his face.

(He takes a breath).

Henry: He asked me my name and I just burst into tears. I said my name was C*nt and that he shouldn’t buy me because I’m a terrible steamer. That I can’t do anything. That I’m nothing more than just an improper engine meant for nothing more than the scrap yard. I told him about my incident with the rain and the forest clearing and I couldn’t say anything else as I just couldn’t stop crying.

(Back to the present).

James: What about your paintwork?

Engines: James!

Henry: No, no. He has a point. Since a year had past and the shed I was in so run down, rain and snow came in through the cracks. My paintwork was all rusted and peeling. That's all the more reason why I was so embarrassed to meet STH.

Edward: What happened next?

(Fade into Henry and STH. Henry's paintwork was now a dull gray covered in rust).

Henry: A few minutes later I felt a hand on my buffer. I opened my eyes and saw STH with a hand patting me on the buffer. I asked what he was doing and why he was doing this. He told me that no engine should have to experience what I did. He told me that he had no intention of scraping me and that he will buy me. I asked him why and he said that he was amazed that I was such a poor steamer. Then he told me this was not my fault and that he’ll do his best to find a way to help me.

Thomas(As a voice over): What did you say?

Henry: Well I thought for a few minutes and all I ever knew was the forest clearing. I asked if his railway had a forest. He said yes and I told him that I wanted to work there. He agreed and I asked him about my name. I did wonder if I was still going to be C*nt. He said not anymore. He said that my name was Henry as a reference to many great English kings. I didn’t cry again but I was close. Then he said that I was going to be painted green with red stripes and have the number three. I can’t believe it. I'm Henry the green engine or Henry, STH’s number three engine.

(Back to the present as all the engines toot their whistles with joy).

Edward: That was a great story, Henry.

Gordon: Indeed, after all this time we finally know why you were afraid of the rain.

James: Gee, I feel bad that we would tease you about.

Thomas: Yeah, we're sorry.

Percy: It was like when we left you with all those freight cars, we didn't think there was anything wrong.

Henry: It's ok. None of you knew. I was scared about telling anyone that story for a long time.

Edward: So what happened to the other engines?

Henry: I don't know. I remember joining the railway in 1922, but I was in the works for a long time though. I think they were on a trial run in 1923, but were sent away. Either way, I would find out that three is no longer a crowd. I am glad that I met all of you and I wouldn't have changed anything.

(Everyone cheered. It's now night time).

Henry: Well Gordon, it's your turn.

Gordon: I beg your pardon?

Henry: Well, you were the last one of the original three to arrive on Sodor. Thomas was in the works for a couple of years before he started his service and James didn't join us until 1925. I think it's time that you tell your story about what happened before you came to Sodor.

Gordon: Yes, I see your point. However, I don't think it's time to do that now. It's late and I have to get some sleep.

(And one by one, all the engines fell asleep).

Narrator: As the engines slept, Henry had a peaceful sleep. He was relieved that he had finally shared his story. As for Gordon, he had a terrible night. He had nightmare after nightmare about his life before coming to Sodor. But that's a story for another day.

#tw language #use of the c-word #ttte henry #ttte fandom #rws fanfiction

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