#weirdowithaquill

[weirdowithaquill]

Fish in An Engine's Tank? It's More Likely Than You Think:

So, recently I wrote a story for my 'The World Famous Engine' fic (read here) which focused on the Flying Scotsman getting fish and weeds into his tanks, which clogged up his injector.

While on the surface, this sounds like a rehash of 'Thomas Goes Fishing' from Season 1, it's actually a rehash of a real-life event that happened to 60103 Flying Scotsman in 1958.

The story of the original incident goes as such: back in the late 1950s, the Flying Scotsman worked on the ex-GCR mainline through Leicester. On the way to London, the injectors failed one after the other, leading to pandemonium on the footplate as they were forced to basically drop the fire at speed and try desperately to get the injectors working again before their engine blew up with a full express. You can imagine their relief when the water started flowing again!

And despite all of this, they were only five minutes late to Marylebone!

The reason for this absolutely frantic and tense few minutes? Well, the outlet pipes from the tender to the injector were protected by wire mesh, which was absolutely clogged with algae and weeds! And then they managed to extract roughly three buckets worth of live fish - and not little minnows, I'm talking bream and rudd - from Flying Scotsman's tender!

And the cherry on top? The fireman, Ken Issett, recalls a lady who said to the crew: "Thank you for my safe journey."

Yeah, this actually happened. The world's most famous engine was very nearly destroyed by some weeds and fish.

But how did the fish get into Flying Scotsman's tender? The answer lies in where railways got their water supply from: anywhere and everywhere. Railways needed a lot of water in an era when pump infrastructure and feed-water was treated a lot less carefully. Furthermore, a lot of railways (in the UK at least) also owned canals, which they would simply take the water from and use. The water was moved to water towers via either gravity or pumps, and then stored before being loaded into the engine's tanks. And the pipes were big, to handle the amount of water required by steam railways.

Some firemen from the era recall using homemade rods to go fishing in tenders and water towers and catching fish! Others recalled the fact that they disliked going into the water tanks to clean and inspect unless they were ordered to. One account literally says:

'The bigger tanks were best, not the smaller side tanks. Better than the canal, though.’

Another said:

‘On Friday afternoons they had trouble finding cleaners because we were all up in the water tank with rafts!’

From this, I'm pretty sure we can all agree that Thomas getting a fish in his tank after having to use a bucket is surprising, not because there was a fish in his tank, but because it wasn't pumped in months ago! Apparently steam locomotives were just massive, unwilling fish tanks.

Considering this, it's a real wonder that there weren't more stories about fish causing an absolute menace on the railways!

For those who want to read the article this is based on, here is the hyperlink and the URL:

#fanfiction writer #weirdowithaquill #railway series #thomas the tank engine #ao3 stuff #ao3 link #real world trains #fish #steam engines are just massive fish tanks #railways #flying scotsman #ttte thomas

[eeveeandme05]

@weirdowithaquill as you wished to see! :D

For context: GWR Castle Class engines, Clun Castle and Earl of Mount Edgecombe, double-heading a special passenger train to Stratford-upon-Avon, UK.

Beautiful, no? It was quite the sight to see! (And super loud...)

Gladly filmed courtesy of my dad...who of course joked about them sounding like diesels. 😂

#trains #great western railway #castle #weirdowithaquill

[anonymousboxcar]

Murdoch’s glad to receive smoke deflectors that won’t worsen his migraines. He’s less than glad, however, to see Sir Stephen Hatt at the works. Now he has to explain why he avoided telling Sir Stephen about all of this. ———————— I’ve been reading The Extended Railway Series on AO3, and I was inspired to write this small fic about Murdoch and Sir Stephen Hatt.

Thank you to series creator @weirdowithaquill for your permission; I hope it’s to your liking!

#ttte #rws #ttte fic #rws fic #inspired by weirdowithaquill’s extended railway series #ttte murdoch #the fat controller #ttte sir stephen topham hatt iii #my fic

[jobey-wan-kenobi]

WIP GAME

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPS.

Thanks for the tag @youcandalekmyballs ... (this forced me to organize my Evernotes so now i hopefully actually have all my WIPs in one place!)

--

Okay, so now (even after deleting a few) my WIP evernote tag is RIDICULOUS, i have more WIPs than i have mutuals (what a loser thing to say), so that last bit ain't gonna exactly happen like that

They're all Railway Series/Thomas the Tank Engine fic unless otherwise noted. Yes, these days i am THAT cool 😎 S'how i roll now

(ph) 9 Times Lena Ebsley's Orientation Didn't Serve Her (and 1 Time It Did) — original fiction

(ph) The Positive Truth — original fiction

(ph) Two Time — original fiction

(ph) Untitled ("It wasn't odd to hear a stray zipping siren on the Lordeway at any hour of the day or night...") — original fiction

3 and 4, con't — rws/ttte meta

'10s

125 & 36

125 fic prologue

anonymous prequelly edward

another crew #2 scenelet coz WHY NOT

baby 124 + 125

barbara/stephen + bridget

barbara + edward

Bird - autumn

Bird - wherein we unlock the coppernobs' tragic backstory

Counterfeit — original fiction

Crow

diesels deserve ghost stories too

early 20s just put it here

early 20s—Bits

early 20s—Clearing a Line #2

early 20s—detritus?

early 20s—Firelighters

early 20s—H.'s first goods

early 20s—Names and Numbers

early 20s—One Eye Open

early 20s—Railman's Holiday

early 20s—The Autumn After

early 20s—The Conspirators

early 20s—The Express Engine****** v6

early 20s—The Spare Engine

early 20s—Timetables

engine mental health ask — rws/ttte meta

Ex Condor Through the Time Machine

Geometry in Jewels/Irmafax — original novel

good place/cheers crossover — the good place & cheers

Henry Tricks the Clergyman

James prequel

James the branch line BOSS 😎

joscelyn—beginning?

Les Frenês — original fiction

oliver & boco

philip !

rocks fall lansky wins — original fiction

splendid spin-off — edward & henry

splendid spin-off — scrapyard

splendid spin-off

splendid spin-off — emily

splendid spin-off — scrapyard 2?

splendid spin-off — thomas & toad

splendid spin-off — toby & joe

Stack Alone

Steam and Light II

Suited — the fugitive

the gays can have a little gordon!angst. as a treat

The Penitent — original fiction novel

The River — original fiction

the problematicness of thomas & friends — rws/ttte meta

Taboo2 — original fiction novel

Tobeisel

Trouble in the Big Station

Untitled ("The bump wasn't so much hard as unexpected")

Untitled ("36's entire world was bitter")

Untitled ("Trusty old Dumpling was missing")

Untitled (" 'Bless my bell,' Toby murmured, staring at the receding train")

Untitled ("The return had to be the best run of Edward's life")

Ward B — original fiction

@shinygoku, @academicgangster, @angryskarloey @houseboatisland, @joezworld, @lswro2-22, @putuponpercy, @whumpster-fire, @janetm47, uhhh yeah my brain's pretty fried and i am blanking on writer mutuals, @savageandwise, @youcandalekmyballs (why not have another go? idek), @weirdowithaquill ... @anyone at all who sees this and wants to play

[rexs-models]

So, ive only made 2 models of NWR engines so far, one of which being Edward, who I've already posted about, and the other is an oc of my dear friend @weirdowithaquill

It's actually how we got to talking! They write a series on Ao3 called the Extended Railway Series where, as you can guess, they've extended the railway series. The most recent book is Boco the Metrovick Engine, which is the 46th in the series. I really suggest you give it a read!

As for the engine I've modeled, he's a BR Standard 5, introduced in book 22 "Molly the Overlooked Engine" and his name is Andrew.

I used a bachmann standard class 5 for him, and frankly it was a rather simple project, seeing as it was just a repaint. I used the same type of decals I used on Edward, the only difference being that Andrew has the number 17 on his smokebox door, on his BR number plate. For that i just used some small white lettering that came with a wagon kit i had lying around.

He's not a complex build, but one I am quite proud of, and one that introduced me to a good friend.

#Rex's Models #Andrew the Standard 5 #ttte

[fanficfish]

Ttte ranch au but its mdoern

im bored and listened to too much of the Peoclaimers again. Oops.

Main Post

None of this is canon to my au btw its all for funsies. Basically this is if the au was set in a time with like. Computers and cellphones and whatever.

Donald and Douglas have had "I'm Gonna Walk 500 Miles" throb at them so many times by both the other ranch hands (back when they first joined officially) and by visitors who heard their stories (later on). They don't mind, since they get to sing a good excuse to break out into song.

Theyre also the ones who own a shelf full of records and CDs and have a Spotify playlist for everything. They have one made for each person on the ranch that they interact with on a semi regular basis.

duck is into those true crime podcasts. Oliver is mildly terrified for his well-being but can't say anything when he himself has spent hours consumed by the Lords of the Ring. Yes he can speak Elvish, no he doesn't want to talk about if he can remeciste half the books by memory or not.

Gordon FaceTimes his brother, and even some of his cousins, all the tiem. Scott always shows off wherever he is in the world and Gordon grumbles wheneve this phone dies halfway through a call.

James has a tiktok. Undoetunatley.

Edward watches so much Maaterpiece. He's also watched Once Upon a Time. He sometimes even manages to con the others into joining him, and both Gordon and Henry hate that they somewhat enjoyed some of the series. Edward noticed and now there's three people running around on the ranch arguing over Game of Thromes and Downtown Abbey. Good times.

Tony loves monopoly. Especially with Thomas and Percy, with Daisy and Mavis for spice.

thomas has a mild kbsession with chocolate, as does Percy. On Easter and Halloween they can be found logging out kn candy. Toby enables them.

james got a tindr account and made a fiver sometime not long after his TikTok blew up. He defintiely gets small modelling jobs in his spare time, and gets it as a good chance for free cosmetic items.

Duck watches a lot of The Food Network, and some he, Percy, and Thomas have food network marathons. Duck loves Maaterchef, Perfy likes the Great British Baking Show, and Thomas thinks Chooped or Who Beat Bobby Flay are the best. (Man how did I not absorb any info when I watched so much food network? Huh....wild..-)

Duncan is a gamer and he, Rusty. peter Sam, and Sir Handel have some royal Mario kart tournaments. Compete with saltiness and a lot of swearing from certain parties when Rusty beats them all. Fred videos it and laughs.

Among Us

Henry is low-key considering becoming a park ranger. He settles for junior ranger books and the ranch life.

Someone turned the barn into both a wifi hotspot and a Pokémon go stop and everyone is denying this. Especially Donald and Douglas.

Football night is game night on the ranch and nothings stopping it from Happening, ever. Gordon's express doesn't run starting from the last minutes of the pregame show to the next afternoon, mail is delivered by either anyone not watching (usually Emily, she isn't as interested just opinionated on the matter), or alternate transport. Bertie the bus driver has his happiest and fulelst load days on these weekends.

Sir Topham Hatt joins in on the Super Bowl weekend fun too btw. If the team you cheer for wins and it's one he's cheering for, you get free rounds (read: he'll buy you abStarbucks drink.)

edward, Toby, and Duke all invest too much in Starbucks. (Adaptation of @weirdowithaquill 's thing in the ERS with engines and teabags)

Bill and Ben have too many whopper cushions and other prank items in their arsenal.

I'll add more if I think of any.

#Ttte #ttte human au #ttte humanized #ttte humanisation #headcanon #Ttte headcanon #fanfic #au #human au #modern au

[stories-of-the-nrm]

My Deviant Art

To get an idea of what I write, my Flying Scotsman series can be found here:

Tagging @mean-scarlet-deceiver, @tornadoyoungiron, @klein-sodor-bahn and @weirdowithaquill.

I hope there's still an active fandom here.

#national railway museum #lner a3 #flying scotsman #deviantart

[lswro2-222]

I’ve been tagged in a WIP Game post by @weirdowithaquill!

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPS.

(I’m… fairly certain most of the people who I would tag to continue the game have already been tagged by others, though. @the-secondman, @sparkarrestor, @angryskarloey, have any of you been tagged yet?)

Anyway, here’s my titles, if anyone’s interested:

Playing Roundabouts

Brace For Impact

Unusual Patients

The Man in the Old Yellow Coat

His Grace(s)

BoCo’s Secret

Angels

#ms conductor talking #thanks for tagging me! glad to be able to participate!

[weirdowithaquill]

Flying Scotsman in 2004 - A Comedy of Errors and Owners:

Ok - so this is something I've been sitting on for a while now, but I feel like with 'The World Famous Engine' now being uploaded to Ao3, now is the right time to cover this rather insane topic. See, we all know the story of Flying Scotsman and the NRM: the NRM bought the engine for the nation, and then sent it into the Works for 1 years' worth of work in 2006... One year of work that ended up spiralling into ten years and £4.2 million.

But behind that story is a rather more shocking story, and one that really needs more recognition to help people understand just how absolutely shockingly Flying Scotsman had been treated before that overhaul.

Sir William McAlpine:

Our story most likely begins under Alan Peglar, but I have a rather sneaking suspicion it actually gets interesting under McAlpine. Sir William McAlpine bought 4472 Flying Scotsman in 1972 to save the engine after Alan Peglar went bankrupt in San Francisco, leaving the engine on a US Military Base.

He brought Scotsman and had the engine restored at Derby Works in England, and then successfully owned and ran the engine for another 23 years, making him the longest-lasting and most successful of all Scotsman's owners.

Pretty good achievement!

But, during this era, Flying Scotsman visited Australia, broke the record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive, pulled the Royal Train, ran on a multitude of heritage railways and mainline excursions, got an overhaul three times - including one at Barrow-in-Furness (story idea, anyone?). This is not where the worst of the issues arose from, but it does give you a good idea of the kind of work this engine was being tasked with.

And then in 1995, it was involved in an accident at Llangollen Railway. When put back into steam, smoke emerged from a crack separating the boiler and the front cab. It was deemed a total failure and immediately withdrawn from service immediately - and that's what did McAlpine in. He sold the engine off to cover some debts, and Tony Marchington

What do I think went wrong here? I have a feeling that Scotsman was run pretty haggard in Australia (which, fair - it's not always a very nice country to machines) and when refitted to his BR livery, several... shortcuts were made to get the engine back in service. All the same, this isn't where the trouble came from.

Tony Marchington:

And here's where things went south. Fast. Flying Scotsman was bought, went through a three-year long overhaul worth £1 million and then was set to work. Thing is, that overhaul had a number of red flags surrounding it - perhaps most notable being the fitting of an A4 boiler working at 250psi. Now, for those unaware - the original A1 class ran at 180psi, and the upgraded A3 class ran at 225psi. The engine was being run at a pressure it was extremely unfit to operate with.

It would be a bit like fitting a massive V12 motor to a Honda Accord. Yes, the car will move extremely fast and look impressive and move for a while, but every other piece of that car will deteriorate rapidly due to the pressure it's all under. Now transfer that to a steam locomotive - one where to reach that pressure, the firebox is under a lot of strain.

Flying Scotsman failed a lot during the Marchington era, and it's not surprising why. The poor engine was literally falling to pieces - as one NRM staffmember noted: "On our first inspection, the rear drivers had been removed to deal with bearing problems. The visiting NRM team was most unimpressed with the quality of work being done on the bearings. Other examples of poor workmanship (of which I cannot remember the detail) were evident on inspection.”

Please note, the bearings and valves had all recently been replaced.

Also note, Tony Marchington was under pressure from the shareholders of Flying Scotsman PLC - a company he set up - to make money, and so many of the fitters working on the engine may have been given far, far too many constraints in time and budget to properly overhaul the engine, in essence needing to just 'do the bare minimum to get it back in service'...

And this is the condition the NRM bought 4472 Flying Scotsman in.

The National Railway Museum:

All of the above is an indication of the condition that Flying Scotsman was in when bought in 2004 - but that only tells about half of the story. The other half is a bunch of issues surrounding the purchase, certification and understanding of just how bad things were. And make no mistake, the NRM is not blameless in this circus - it just managed to inherit a bad situation and then fumble with it until they sat down and figured out what had happened.

Let's take a moment to look at the AEAT report that the NRM got, then compare it to reality:

The AEAT report stated that:

"Whilst it was not possible to complete a thorough examination of the locomotive, or to witness it in steam, the condition of the locomotive has been monitored regularly as part of the VAB audit process. Taking this into consideration, it is considered that the general mechanical condition is satisfactory for continued operation, subject to effective maintenance, until the next General Overhaul in 2006. The scope of mechanical overhaul is not anticipated to be extensive but will involve strip down of the motion and axleboxes to gauge wear and remedial action. The cylinders all require re-lining and boring to nominal diameter."

The reality of the condition of the engine was far from this rather rosy portrayal given by AEAT. For starters, the engine was not properly examined, and several areas of testing were 'not possibly to be checked adequately' for a variety of reasons, including:

the locomotive was being prepared for a test run

equipment failure

4472 Flying Scotsman not being in steam

Anyone notice something off? Why exactly can the company not see how the engine is when in steam if the engine is being prepared for a test run?

Furthermore, AEAT had been the VAB (Vehicle Acceptance Body) for Flying Scotsman for 14 years by this point and finding a huge number of faults at this point very much would have raised questions about their work. More probably, the company had grown accustomed to the engine working, and simply assumed everything was satisfactory unless demonstratable to the contrary. Like the NRM admitted:

"[T]he previous owner’s VAB may not have been the best choice of inspector."

Thing is, AEAT included pictures in their report, but most of these were of the air brake compressor, locomotive air brake, tender air brake cylinders, TPWS antenna selection switch and the TPWS antenna mounting arrangements, which while critical to obtaining permission to operate on Network Rail, don't say much about the actual condition of the engine. And the photos that were of the actual mechanical parts of the engine were... telling.

The Stay Nuts in the firebox are rusting, melting and missing. And that wasn't the only major issue with the engine - several of which were extremely dangerous:

the Robinson superheater header doors had been seal welded;

other inspection doors had also been seal welded;

Repairs to defective studs on the superheater header were needed;

the smokebox door locking mechanism was broken;

the firebox stays needed caulking;

the boiler mountings and pipework in the cab was considered dangerous;

the air brake reservoirs were overdue re-certification;

two tender springs needed replacing;

Re-metalling one crosshead was needed, which resulted in having to remove the bogie, and led to the discovery that the piston rods were incorrectly fitted to the crossheads and required extensive repairs in order to make them fit properly;

Removal of the 'belly' access door in the bottom of the boiler barrel in order to remove a build-up of some 6 inches of sludge;

one of the tender wheel tyres was flat;

the air pump needed repairs;

the vital axlebox oil pads which were long overdue for replacement;

the tender handbrake just didn't work and needed repairs;

121 boiler tubes needed replacement (2004);

the boiler itself needed replacement (2006);

Foundation ring heavily corroded and cracked;

a large number of latent fractures throughout the whole of the locomotive's frame assembly;

the valves and bearings were faulty or broken;

there was a serious crack in the right-hand cylinder;

the entire firebox itself was in desperate need of replacement;

the boiler washout plugs had been fitted with domestic gas plugs;

the wheels are all in need of re-turning;

the frame hornblocks are all cracked;

one of the driving wheels was bent;

the frame stretchers were all cracked and beyond repair;

The centre-cylinder motion bracket also had cracks;

The frames were wrongly aligned;

And the frame's horn ties were scrap, and needed to be remade.

That is thirty separate issues that the NRM discovered between 2004 and 2012 restoring the Flying Scotsman. The Flying Scotsman needed such a complete overhaul to be restored that some people argued that it would cheaper to just build an entirely new engine.

A completely new version of this engine:

And remember, AEAT certified this engine to run on the mainline. The Flying Scotsman had turned into a literal moving death trap under its various owners, and I am not surprised it cost the NRM £4.2 million to rebuild Flying Scotsman.

In summary, 4472 Flying Scotsman was about as sick as an engine could get when it arrived at the NRM. The amount of work required to fix the poor engine was extensive - and some may argue unjustified. Personally, I disagree. Yes, Flying Scotsman cost a ridiculous amount of money to save and rebuild - but this is not an engine who would ever accept living on a plinth in a museum. This is an engine with a fascinating history filled with trials, tribulations and triumphs; and in my opinion the Flying Scotsman's place is on the mainline. Will there be a day when the old engine has to be withdrawn and placed in the NRM? Probably - it's the oldest mainline certified engine in the UK already, and it's not getting any younger. But by that same token, Flying Scotsman went through a massive, extensive overhaul to ensure that generations to come could see the majestic A3 doing what it always did best, and there's something truly inspiring about that.

A big thank you to the NRM for saving Flying Scotsman, and an even bigger 'what the hell?' to the people who almost destroyed it by being careless.

The pictures used in this post do not belong to me. All pictures belong to their owners. If you wish to read the NRM Flying Scotsman report yourself, this is the URL, and a hyperlink to its archived form on the Wayback Machine:

#weirdowithaquill #railways #real railway stuff #Flying Scotsman #4472 Flying Scotsman #NRM #The National Railway Museum #Flying Scotsman very nearly didn't get his happy ending #There was a lot wrong #this stuff is crazy #long reads #very long post #lner a3 #wayback machine

[weirdowithaquill]

Ships? But Sir, They're Trains!

It's Valentine's Day, and to celebrate, I thought I'd break my usual streak of not shipping the talking trains together and share the pairings that I like the best! But only of the original 11, and a few other RWS-related friends (and maybe a bonus or two from the TVS).

Also known as: local weirdo decides trains can kiss, but only on Valentine's Day.

Let's get into the ships... er... trains.

Thomas:

Almost chronically single. I'm sorry Thomas, but you're not very good at the dating thing. Maybe Hank if I swallowed my pride and went to watch Season 12 - just because Hank's calm and friendly personality would naturally balance out Thomas. But also because they are the epitome of 'gentle giant' and 'tank engine terror'. Also, Thomas blushes in this episode:

(Sorry for the Season 12 image, but it's the only Season Hank was in!)

Edward:

This engine has options! Or more to the point - this engine has suitors. Not all make sense to the poor engine - but that's the pain of being the one everyone looks up to. I would put him with BoCo, but I must admit I had a phase where I read EdwardxJames fanfics. So... nostalgia wins (that and Edward needs someone with a fiery personality to boost his confidence sometimes, and James needs a cooler head all the time).

(Look at the smile on James' face! He's ecstatic to see his engine.)

Henry:

Bear. The answer is Bear. I'm sorry, but that Hymek has it bad for Henry, and Henry fought for Bear to stay on Sodor. And after the early days when every engine fought, Henry has no interest in getting tangled up with them again, only this time romantically. Besides, the youthful energy and eagerness Bear has will only benefit Henry, who can be a bit of an old grump.

(Bear, I can't tell if you're looking into Henry's eyes or not...)

Gordon:

Hoo boy... Gordon, oh Gordon. What to do with you? Henry and James are taken, Edward and Thomas are more siblings than romantic interests - and engines 6 through 11 are just not close enough. But how about BoCo? (Yes, this is why I didn't pair him up with Edward). BoCo is calm and polite where Gordon is loud and brash - and Gordon does see BoCo as his saviour. It would probably be the plot of a b-list romantic movie, but I can see these two getting together, with Gordon being the jock and BoCo being the 'kid' of Edward.

(Look at that little smile Gordon has! This engine is smitten.)

James:

He's with Edward, thank you. More than that, he doesn't really fit well with the other RWS cast romance-wise. Thomas is something of a rival and friend, while he wants Gordon and Henry to acknowledge him and Percy is something of a little brother/annoyance to James. Edward and he have a lot to work out (mostly James groveling) but they got a lot of coding in the series from what I remember. Plus Edward saved him - so we've ticked the cliche box.

(Yes, this means Edward is the knight in shining armour. James is a diva anyway.)

Percy:

Has about as much luck as Thomas does, if we're honest. Young, childish Percy has no chance, while older, grumpier Percy is more interesting to consider. The Percy of Seasons 5 and 6 I could see bagging Harold. But then, we could also consider the absolute insanity of Percy and Diesel 10. Imagine the shock, imagine the story! (I'm a writer, let me dream about how I'd write this lot). Diesel 10 would be the delinquent who is soft for Percy and Percy only. It would also lead to an epic fight between the helicopter and the engine with a giant claw.

(Um, is Percy... blushing?! What are these faces?! I have questions.)

Toby:

Is married to Henrietta. They are old couple goals. Percy and Thomas are extremely jealous.

(Toby is grinning cause he knows his wife - that poor manager...)

Duck and Donald:

I considered Percy for Duck, but I feel like what Duck needs is an engine who can really bring out the playful side in Duck - the engine who helps him be more than just the railway he used to work for. That engine is Donald. When they ended up playing pranks on each other in Donald's Duck to the point where Duck stooped to putting a literal duck in Donald's tender knowing Donald would find it funny really says it all about these two.

(Look at him, so excited to play his little prank! His driver is wheezing!)

Douglas and Oliver:

These two practically have a kid in Toad already (or an advice-giving uncle. One of the two). Douglas saved Oliver, and that sort of thing has a lasting impact - especially because it's also the most likely relationship to actually happen. Both Douglas and Oliver are known for sticking it to authority, being a bit hot-headed and being led a bit more by spirit and the heart than by their heads. They have Toad for critical thinking. They live and work together too - and it would be hilarious to watch Duck blast his safety valve off when he finds out.

(Ah yes, let me just stare into your eyes for half an episode.)

Mavis and Daisy:

These two are disaster lesbians, and we love them for it. It's also the femme fatale (or as femme fatale as a diesel railcar can be) and the butch (she works in a quarry - this girl wears overalls) tropes - and they're disasters. Need I remind anyone that Daisy was the one who encouraged Mavis to ignore Toby? It would also be hilarious purely for how much Thomas and Percy would grumble about being single, while Daisy and Mavis rub their relationship in the pair's faces. Which would lead to that one memorable incident where Thomas tried to flirt with a very unamused and confused Bertie.

(Mavis, sweetie - don't listen to Daisy's advice. I know you're distracted but ple-- and she's gone.)

Annie and Clarabel:

Are wine aunts and siblings. And no, neither of them are interested in Thomas, so you can stop thinking that.

(These coaches are Thomas' wine aunts and best friends - and he loves them too.)

Bill and Ben:

Are children! Edward's children! That he has with BoCo (sort of) leading to the brilliant moments where Gordon has to 'babysit' them - which is mostly done with a lot of grimacing and begging BoCo to just hand this lot over to Edward and James - no seriously, please stop letting these two just randomly adopt you as their parent. They're evil, and they wanted to throw me in the sea, remember? No, I don't care that James doesn't like them, I don't like them! BoCo!

(He's petrified of them, but he wants to be nice for BoCo's sake...)

Emily:

Does not need a man, thank you. But she is entranced sometimes by Caitlin's streamlining (yes, I have seen some CGI - I am not a true purist, I am sorry Awdry). Then again, sometimes Emily likes Hiro - and then there was that one time where she was just so upset that Mavis wouldn't notice her. Emily doesn't need no man - but she's also not exactly got the best selection of potential candidates at her shed...

(She's got an amazing poker face. Caitlin however...)

So... that was a thing I did. Somewhere around Percy's entry, this gained a coherent plot in my mind - probably a High School AU? - and now I'm just thinking of Diesel 10 towering over Percy, blushing and trying to give him flowers (with his claw???) while Harold seethes. Clearly, being a single pringle has driven me insane.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, I hope you enjoyed this wild idea and if people want expansions on these ships (still trains) and why I like the idea of them, please go ahead and ask!

If people really like this, I will take on the Narrow Gauge engines.

#weirdowithaquill #railway series #thomas the tank engine #ttte relationships #edward x james #ttte henry x bear #ttte gordon x boco #ttte percy x diesel 10 #somehow that made sense in my mind #toby x henrietta #ttte duck x donald #ttte oliver x douglas #ttte mavis x daisy #valentines day #ttte characters #yes this is unusual for me #but i did it anyway #haters will get banished to the shadow realm

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2023: Day 5 - It's Only Me

The Words that Mean the Most to Edward:

Edward had been celebrating a successful rescue of Henry. Henry had just gone to push Gordon into the works siding, when he heard ballast crunch on the lineside behind him. “Driver…” “No Edward.” Edward jumped; a line of trucks behind him went flying. “It’s only me,” snorted the Fat Director, stepping around to the front of the old blue engine. “I thought I’d congratulate you on a successful job today.” “Oh, uh… thank you sir. I did my best.” The Fat Director chuckled. “That you did,” he said easily. “But next time… perhaps give Gordon some tips on what to lie about breaking down. Safety valve my hat! Did no one think to mention I was CME of the railway at one point?” With his piece said, the Fat Director strode off, leaving Edward speechless.

The old blue engine watched as James sulked away, banging the coaches roughly as he shunted them back into their sidings. “Stupid coaches, stupid passenger, stupid newspaper, stupid bootlaces…” the red engine muttered darkly under his breath. “Do you think we should keep him?” asked a familiar voice. Edward jolted – the Fat Direct—no, the Fat Controller was standing right beside his bufferbeam. “It’s only me,” chuckled Sir Topham Hatt, patting Edward’s buffer before leaning against his running board. “I just thought I’d ask your opinion on James.” Edward shot a look over at the red engine, then back at the controller. “I think he has a lot of potential sir, but I also think he needs to challenge himself to show off his potential. He’s in a new environment, with new engines and he had a crash – he’s just acting aggressive to try and hide his fear.” The Fat Controller nodded, and strode away.

“I can’t believe they would… they would say such things about me!” hissed Edward furiously, sparks shooting from his funnel as his safety-valve popped up. As much as he’d tried to keep a calm face in front of the Fat Controller, to hear the engines he’d thought of as friends treat him like they did – speak to him and belittle him for just wanting to do his job and doing the job none of them would do. It… it hurt. “It wasn’t right of them,” agreed Sir Topham Hatt, stepping into the shed from out in the cold. “I… uh… sir! I apologise, I must have sounded a right—” “Edward, please,” Sir Topham huffed, pulling up a crate and sitting down beside the old blue engine. “It’s only me.” “I… I don’t know what to think, sir. They’re meant to be my friends, and yet they treated me like ash and clinker…” Edward spent all night talking, venting out his thoughts and feelings – and when he was done, Sir Topham Hatt simply patted him on the buffer, smiled and strode out.

Edward barely managed to keep a grimace on his face, and not burst into tears. Henry was one of his closest friends on the railway – in spite of years’ worth of teasing – and here he was, lying on his side half-buried in the snow. He was groaning lowly, and the way almost every piece of his running gear was skewed in some unnatural direction made Edward feel sick – but he had to help. He had to help clear away the splinters that remained of many of the vans, then position the flatbed and the cranes so they could hoist Henry up into the air. “The signal was down sir…” Edward couldn’t bear to listen. All he could do was wait and watch as James resolutely dragged the flatbeds away. “Are you alright, Edward?” “I… don’t want to talk sir.” “Oh Edward… it’s only me,” Sir Topham said gently, taking a moment to haul himself up onto Edward’s bufferbeam to sit beside the old engine. “You can talk to me about this, it must have been traumatic to witness.” Edward couldn’t deny it, and even though it was dangerous, and against railway regulation, and all sorts of other things, Sir Topham Hatt sat on Edward’s running board as the old engine slowly puffed home, releasing all his fears and worries and letting the kindly controller into his deepest, darkest thoughts.

Edward cried at the funeral. The Fat Controller was gone – dead, and he’d left Edward and the other engines right after British Railways had announced their plans to scrap them all. While he wasn’t the first owner Edward had had, he was certainly one of the men closest to Edward’s heart – for all that some controllers said engines didn’t have hearts, and didn’t care, Edward did. Almost all the engines did, for all their various relationships with their controller had played out. Sir Topham had kept him on long after another controller would have scrapped him, had listened to him in his darkest times and sought his advice when needed. And perhaps he wasn't perfect - no human was - but all the same, he'd done a lot more for his engines than history would ever give him credit for.  “Don’t cry, Edward,” whispered a voice on the wind. “It’s only me.” And for a brief moment, Edward thought he could see Sir Topham Hatt smile at him from beside his son, their new controller.

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#fanfiction writer #railway series #weirdowithaquill #thomas the tank engine #railways #traintober #traintober 2023 #It's Only Me #ttte edward #ttte sir topham hatt

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2023: Day 1 - Free Day

Preservation on Sodor:

Sodor must be one of the most interesting places to look at when it comes to railway preservation, if not also road, sea and air preservation. For starters, the island’s railways are all still primarily run by vintage steam traction – but there’s also Harold, who is in his 60s or 70s at this point, Bertie the bus (who is nearing 100), Trevor and Terrence and George – not to mention the fact that the island seems to continue to have antique ships within its waters, including steam ships and fishing trawlers.

But of course, I want to focus on the railways – and in particular how Sodor must be the British hub for heritage railways, museums and other attractions. For starters, Sodor has by far the largest heritage railway system in the world for its size, with over 80 miles of mainline, several branchlines, a narrow-gauge railway, a mountain railway and a miniature gauge railway. It also has a massive fleet of engines – 80 by the Reverend’s count on the NWR alone – making it possibly the single largest working heritage railway in the UK, if not Europe. This would instantly attract many preservationists wishing to run their locomotives, meaning that mainline excursions and visitors would be a frequent sight on the island. This in turn would bring in tourists, who would make money for the NWR and the railway the engines belong to, as well as helping the Fat Controller if one of his enignes is unable to work. It would also give us as railfans the chance to see unique motive power on a variety of trains - like a Coronation Class pulling a slow goods, or a Hughes Crab on a China Clay train - things we don't get to see anymore. 

Furthermore, Sodor is home to Crovan’s Gate Works, the largest steamworks of its kind in Britain. For its influence, I am going to turn to 60163 Tornado. When Tornado was built, her boiler had to be manufactured in Germany because there was just no one in the UK able to produce a boiler of the type, while the superheater header needed to be attempted by three foundries before it was assembled correctly. Crovan’s Gate Works, which is able to maintain a full fleet of engines including Gordon – who is also an A1 with many similarities – would have been able to do both in a far timelier manner. The same would go for all locomotive repair programs in the UK. Crovan’s Gate would either host locomotives or manufacture parts for them, becoming a hub for preservation across the country. Engines like Stepney or Green Arrow would be able to be overhauled at the Works, rather than be taken out of service. This would effect how many steam engines are in working order in Britain, if not Europe, as the refurbishment time would be significantly shortened - something that is compounded if said locomotive shares any components with a Sodor engine - like Talyllyn, Dolgoch, Flying Scotsman or any of the Black 5s, Panniers or Autotanks in preservation. 

This brings me on to the last point: International Tourism. Sodor must be one of the most visited locations in Britain in this universe. For starters, there’s all the fans of the book and TV series (which are both canon and referenced in the books). This means that Sodor would have tens of thousands of families coming to the island from around the world annually to see the ‘Eight Famous Engines’ or the ‘Steam Team’, bringing in a massive amount of revenue for hotels, local businesses and the railways themselves. But there would also be the railfans who come with the aforementioned railtours, as well as international railfans who want to see steam in action in a mainline setting – something nearly impossible anywhere on the planet. Sodor has at least one airport (and probably two, considering in real life there is an airport on Walney Island near the real-life Vickerstown), six ports connected to the NWR, and a rail and road link to the UK. The island has the infrastructure to handle the flocks of tourists, and this would in turn benefit much of the rest of Northern England. This would majorly benefit the preservation world by bringing in funding for Sodor, which is in turn able to fund things like track upgrades, or overhauls for engines beyond their own railway. It also gives other railways a good place to promote themselves, as Sodor has a guaranteed market for tourists who may travel to these other railways. 

You cannot understate how much these books have done for Sodor, and for railway preservation as a whole.

So, Sodor is at the very least a centre for preservation in the UK, with railtours, overhauls and masses of international tourists – but it’s also where a lot of engines were likely rescued from. We see it in Oliver and Douglas, but engines know of Sodor and its safety. I can imagine an alternate universe in which engines keep turning up throughout the 1960s, being brought to safety on Sodor and then sold to heritage railways, being overhauled at Crovan’s Gate before moving to their new homes. Sodor would act as an intermediate in this era, being able to do the paperwork to preserve engines due to its position in the national network while also being aligned with the cause of the heritage railways. Sodor is a safe haven for steam, and this would have a significant impact on its position as a preservation hub for the UK.

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#railway series #weirdowithaquill #thomas the tank engine #railways #traintober 2023 #railway preservation #rambles

[weirdowithaquill]

The Importance of Names in the Railway Series

It's been a hot minute since my last take on the world of Thomas & Friends - so here's one that has sort of been wandering about in the back of my mind for a while.

How important is a name to an engine? Cause we know the engines do put a lot of value into a name. Stepney and Edward say as such:

"[...] I think our Controller was right. All engines ought to have names." "Yes," agreed Edward, "it's most important."

And it's further reinforced by Bear later in the series:

"It's nicer than just having a number," he (Bear) says. "Having a name means that you really belong."

Donald and Douglas echo this by giving themselves names (partially to fool the Fat Controller) and the interesting thing is that Sir Charles actually uses their names almost exclusively from that moment on - unless referring to them by their new numbers.

Even BoCo gives himself a name! And it feels pretty on-the-spot too, seeing as he just goes "but you can call me BoCo".

But in contrast, every single rail-based 'villain' or 'antagonist' in the Railway Series only has a number, or is Diesel, who doesn't really have a name either. Check me! There's:

Diesel

The 'Big City Engine'

Class 40 (D261/D471)

D199

D40125

None of them have names - not even 'the Big City Engine'. They're given nicknames by the engines, but otherwise they are just numbers. And I think it runs a bit deeper than that. A little while back I did a post on the 'railway rulebook' - and something I said was that managers did everything in their power to both dehumanise the engines and make the engines loyal to them. What better way of doing that than only giving certain engines names? 'Flying Scotsman' gets a name because he's a prestigious express engine, but the engine who shunts his coaches? The goods engine who brought his coal? Why would management give them names - to do that is to undermine the class system they've built to keep the engines fighting amongst themselves. If the engines are on equal footing, then they'd want equal rights.

You know... this sounds a lot like the Communist Manifesto. I don't think the Rev. W. Awdry intended it that way, but it does.

But that's beside my point. Certain railways either don't want their engines to have names. In particular, I would point at the LMS and the LNER, which both had a massive roster of engines. Not only is recording all their names a pain, but it would also add a sense of individuality to them and muck up their spreadsheets. In most countries, people have an ID number for identification - and that's what these companies needed. Not names; numbers.

The GWR is a notable exception to this, and I think people have noticed that. Both Duck and Oliver arrive with names, and Sir Topham I was a Swindon-apprentice who would have grown up with GWR ideology. Edward got his name because he was built as an express engine, Henry and Gordon for the same reasons - and everyone else either gives themselves names or have names given to them.

Toby probably got his from his crew and the locals after decades of being in the same area - I mean, he literally runs into their town, of course they have a name for him. Percy is given his by Sir Topham, and we can infer Thomas and James got similar treatment. Donald and Douglas gave themselves names, and so did BoCo.

Another possibility is that a preservation society would give engines names, though that was more the engines on said heritage line - like in Stepney the Bluebell Engine, where Stepney refers to all his friends on the Bluebell by name, and says his controller gave out some names, like Bluebell and Primrose - but Adams and Cromford got their names from the other engines and they don't want the controller finding out. And again, Stepney and Edward both explicitly say that they believe engines ought to have names - and that they believe it really makes an engine feel like family.

This almost exclusively applies to engines in a steam-dominated society, and once again I have to return to my old nemesis: early British Railways. British Railways inherited a massive network that spanned a continent and had thousands of engines - not to mention the fact they were going to scrap all their steam engines and replace them with new diesel engines. Names were never ever going to be viable. But moreover, they were going to kill all the steam engines - if these engines were seen by the public to be very sentient and intelligent, then there would be an outcry. Dehumanising these engines was extremely important to their business model.

So almost every new engine built under BR got no name. And that includes steam and diesel engines. And this sort of environment, where engines referred to each other by number, became standard.

Names have a lot of meaning behind them. We give names to things we believe are very valuable to us, things we really bond with, like a teddy bear or a beloved family car. Names confer a level of love and care, as opposed to numbers, which have a level of 'repetitive factory conveyor belt' to them, for lack of a better term. These engines, referring to each other by number, didn't sound as human as those referring to each other by name.

For a good example, as mentioned above, the GWR gave all its engines names - and the GWR has the most engines from its company preserved. The fact that people knew these engines had names, and possibly by name, really contributed to how many were saved.

But what makes it even more interesting is the fact that often engines give each other names. Bear is given his name by the other engines, Duck is a nickname given to 'Montague' because he waddles. And I think the reason that none of these diesels have names is because no steam engine ever gave them a name, and company policy means no diesel has the mindset for giving out names either. Steam engines give each other names, but it becomes exclusive to them and friendly diesels, and thus dies out over the generations.

Engines today don't have names. They don't even really have a proper visible number. They have a serial number somewhere, but that's about it. And I think that says a lot about what happened to the tradition of names for engines.

To sum up a very long, winding ramble, I think names came from several places:

Themselves. Engines could name themselves, like Donald and Douglas - who got their names from (maybe) former drivers?

From crew and community. Toby most likely got his name from the people around him, being on an isolated tramway.

From their owners. Flying Scotsman, Mallard and Percy are good examples of this. It represents a level of importance and care for this engine, as well as in some cases reinforcing class.

From other engines. Duck and Bear are great examples of this, as they are given names by their friends that they like, as it makes them feel as if they fit in.

And these names were very common in the steam era as engines gave each other names and communities knew specific engines and gave them names. As everything became more commercial and bureaucratic, naming was lost. Numbers reinforced company identity and dehumanised the engines to make them less sympathetic to the public. Look at Donald and Douglas, who probably had their names for decades - given by their friends - but never learnt by management.

Wow, that took a bit of a dark turn. Thanks for reading, and as usual, none of the above pictures are mine.

#fanfiction writer #railway series #thomas the tank engine #weirdowithaquill #railways #the railway series #ttte stepney #ttte bear #ttte donald #ttte douglas #ttte diesel #ttte d199 #bowler #ttte duck #The Great Western Railway #gwr #The Bluebell Railway #names #names for trains #why do only some engines have names? #ao3 stuff #rws headcanon #ttte analysis #very long post #long reads #british rail

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2023: Day 12 - Something Borrowed

Maybe Don't Borrow Henrietta:

When Toby awoke, she was gone.

“Henrietta?” he asked tentatively, not seeing her, Annie, or Clarabel in the carriage sheds. It wasn’t normal. Annie and Clarabel, he understood. They had to go with Thomas on his first train of the day – but Henrietta was always waiting for him.

“Henrietta!” called Toby again, clanking through the yards. Had someone moved her? It didn’t make any sense. The tram engine circled through the entirety of Ffarquhar yard once, then twice. Percy opened a sleepy eye.

“What’s the matter, Toby?” he asked, yawning. Toby didn’t answer at first, instead ringing his bell and calling out his faithful coach’s name again.

“Toby!” Percy whistled, eyes now open. “What is going on?”

“Henrietta’s gone,” Toby replied frantically. “She’s gone! Percy, I can’t lose Henrietta – we need to find her.” Percy’s mouth set into a grim frown.

“We can’t leave our duties to go find Henri—” Percy was interrupted by Toby shooting him the darkest glare the poor little engine had ever seen. Percy went silent; Toby hurried out of the yard and down the line.

“What is going on?” demanded the station master.

“Henrietta is missing, and Toby’s on a warpath,” Percy replied. The stationmaster raised an eyebrow.

“Missing? Thomas borrowed Henrietta earlier for his first train – didn’t he mention it to Toby?” Percy winced. Thomas was about to be in for a wild ride.

“No… he did not,” Percy said.

***

Further down the line, Thomas was whistling merrily to himself as he dropped off passengers by the airfield. It was a lovely day! The birds were singing, the breeze was gently rustling the leaves in the trees, Toby was charging at him looking like he was about to fight the devil him— wait, what?

“Toby?” Thomas tentatively called out. The tram’s eyes locked onto Thomas; the blue tank engine gulped.

“Henrietta…” hissed the tram engine. Thomas nearly sprung a leak. From the rear of his train, the tram’s faithful coach piped up.

“Here I am, Toby!” she called. Toby hissed again, scalding steam blistering the edges of Thomas’ paintwork. Thomas jolted back. A few curious passengers tried to step forward to look – the stationmaster hurriedly herded them away.

“You took her,” Toby snarled. It was not a question. Thomas did spring a leak, water trickling out from under his tank and onto the track.

“I was just borrowing her!” wailed Thomas, sprinting out of the station. Thankfully, the stationmaster had uncoupled Henrietta, making sure she stayed put while Thomas sped for the safety of his own shed.

Henrietta sighed, watching as Thomas retreated.

“Did you have to scare him so much?” she asked. Toby didn’t respond at first, instead buffering up to his coach and trundling in the other direction.

“I don’t want to lose you,” Toby said softly. “You’re—”

“Mine,” finished Henrietta softly. “And I’m—” “Yours.”

Henrietta chuckled softly. If there was one thing Toby wouldn’t ever allowed to be ‘borrowed’ again, it was her. It just took poor Thomas springing a leak for the other engines on the branchline to figure it out.  

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#thomas the tank engine #fanfiction writer #weirdowithaquill #railway series #railways #traintober #traintober 2023 #ttte toby #ttte henrietta #ttte thomas #something borrowed #that you really shouldn't have

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2023: Day 6 - Special Letters

A Tale of Two Brothers:

When Flying Scotsman left Sodor in 1967, he left behind two things: a number of new friends and a mailing address. Alan Peglar was planning on taking Scott around the world after all – sooner or later at least – and using his owner’s address as a jumping-off point, Scott hoped to be able to keep in touch with his brother and his friends. These letters would forever remain special to Gordon, and the other engines knew it.

“Where is your brother off to?” BoCo had asked one evening, knowing Gordon had just received an envelope. “Apparently, he’s going to America!” Gordon had said, having just listened to his driver recite the letter written by Scott’s crew.

Gordon worried for his brother – and rightly so. Over the next four years of his life, Alan Peglar would drag Flying Scotsman right the way across the continental United States and Canada, tiring the middle-aged engine out and bankrupting himself. Flying Scotsman’s last letter to Gordon in 1972 read as follows:

Dear Gordon,

I’m sorry to say, but Mr Peglar has run out of money. We tried San Francisco, but it was no use. Now, I am unsure what will happen to me. They have moved me to a United States Military Base, and everyday I see large, aggressive diesels growl around. They seem to think that they will be able to tow me off at some stage – and considering that Mr Peglar has had to leave, I worry they may be right.

The United States isn’t all bad though – the people are nice enough. Even the soldiers and sailors sometimes stop to talk to me… but it’s mostly to ask about England, and I never really do have an answer for them. What am I supposed to say? That I miss my home and I miss my brother who you are all keeping me from ever seeing again? The soldier who is writing this for me just looked at me curiously, so now I will have to explain to him who you are. I bet you’re more famous than I am here!

I do hope to make it back to you one day – though it may be a little longer yet. Mr Peglar is unable to pay to bring me home, and no one else has offered to yet… well, apart from one gentleman – but that’s just a rumour. Wishing you dry rails and smooth running,

Your Brother, 4472 Flying Scotsman

Gordon had sent multiple letters in return, each more frantic than the last – but heard nothing from his brother until mid-1973, when Scott had clanked his way from Liverpool to Derby. Gordon was waiting for him, and spent a solid hour chewing out his brother, and then another three crying with relief. Flying Scotsman was his last sibling left, and those letters were the last thing tethering the two together, when a country, or an ocean, or even a continent separated them.

Scott never missed another letter. Not even when he travelled to Australia, during a far more successful journey that saw the locomotive break records and rake in new fans. Still, he took time out of his day to ensure Gordon got a letter, even once begging an old lady in Alice Springs to lend him the stamps necessary.

In the 1990s, the pair switched to emails, though sometimes they still send letters – especially on important occasions. Christmas cards from Gordon to Scott fill the NRM engine shed; Mallard resents them all, but Scott wouldn’t change it for the world. And in return, Gordon gets a birthday greeting from his younger brother every year, the cards and letters all being carefully framed and stuck to the back wall of his berth.

All letters are special, no matter how mundane, simply because they were crafted by one person specially for the receiver.

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#fanfiction writer #railway series #weirdowithaquill #thomas the tank engine #railways #traintober #traintober 2023 #ttte #ttte gordon #ttte flying scotsman #special letters

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2023: Day 27 - Record-Breaker

Mallard Broke the World Speed Record; It Broke Her:

4468 Mallard broke the world steam speed record in 1938, changing her life forever…

1938:

The quiet, almost timid engine sat in the works, listening to the workers. “You hear? That engine there is fastest in the world!” one said, pointing to the famous engine. Mallard blinked, amazed. She’d never been told if she’d actually broken the record – but to hear that she had, and to hear that it was major news! It was incredible.

There was no one better than her in that moment – she was the greatest!

“Ah, the engine of the hour!” cheered a voice. Mallard gazed down, spotting Sir Nigel Gresley himself walking over. Mallard gasped in amazement. The Chief Mechanical Engineer almost never visited his engines. “I came to congratulate you again, Mallard. I am proud of you – you are truly a credit to this railway. The poster child for what every Northeaster engine should strive for. Well done, and keep up the good work, Mallard.”

Mallard beamed, thanking her designer. Then, she turned to the gossiping workers. “Well? You heard him – I need to be back in service now! Hurry it up!”

1963:

“So, which of us is to be preserved?” asked Silver Link, staring down apprehensively at the members of the British Railways board. The men had come to decide on a Gresley Pacific to save from the scrapper’s torch.

“Who do you think?” snorted one of the men in the bowler hats. “We must choose the locomotive that achieved the greatest feat of a steam locomotive – 60022 Mallard, you are to be restored to your LNER looks and sent to the Museum of British Transport Museum. The rest of you… hope someone purchases you.”

Silver Link just stared in shock as several diesels sniggered in the background. “But I… but… She didn’t even make it back to London! I am the first! I reached 114—” “Stop speaking 60014, there is no reason for you to complain. You are already withdrawn, and shall be sent away once we have the time.” “Mallard… are you going to allow this?” asked Silver Link, eyes wide in horror. “Well, elder sister, some of us are just… more important than others. I represent our class, and I am the best at such an honour.” Silver Link went red in the face, but Mallard was already steaming away, blowing smoke at her elder sister.

Behind Silver Link, Flying Scotsman and Silver King shared a nervous look.

1975:

Flying Scotsman sat on the points outside the brand new York National Railway Museum, Green Arrow on one side and Gordon on the other. It was the first time that the four had seen each other – the fourth being an indignant Mallard sat opposite them.

“What do you mean, he’s worthy of being the same level as me?” sniffed Mallard. “He’s a mixed traffic engine!” “Green Arrow is an LNER engine, same as us,” reminded Scott crossly, facing down his cousin. “And there are only nine LNER Pacifics left, so your levels are completely worthless! We need to end this… this… this…” “Elitist garbage!” Gordon snapped. “We are long past this, cousin. What’s stopping you from accepting Green Arrow?” “Green Arrow is a simple mixed traffic engine,” hissed Mallard. “I am the greatest steam engine to have ever been built! No one has ever, or will ever, beat my record. There’s a reason that I am in this museum, and you are out slaving away to keep in steam.”

“Slaving away?!” Gordon let off steam furiously. Scott just clenched his jaw. “There’s no point arguing with her,” he sighed. “We’re better off just getting the rest on side.” The three steamed away, leaving Mallard to be pushed gently back into the grand museum by a timid diesel shunter.

None of the other engines in the museum spoke to her as she was shunted into place. Not Evening Star, not Aerolite, not Coppernob. They all just shot her dark glances.

1988:

Mallard sped along the line, feeling the wind rush past her face. “I forgot what this was like,” she huffed, finally arriving back at Doncaster after crossing the country to reach Scarborough and back. Several relatives of her crew from back when she’d broken the world record sat in her coaches – but they were inconsequential. After all, any crew could have gotten her up to her record-breaking speed.

“So, how was the run?” asked Gordon politely, sitting in the next platform over. Mallard ignored him. Gordon rolled his eyes. Green Arrow and Spencer shared a look.

“I’m impressed,” hummed Spencer. “Though I’ve heard that the East Germans have built a steam locomotive that’s almost able to match Mallard’s speed.” Mallard’s eye twitched. “No they haven’t!” she suddenly snarled, spooking several of the passengers on the platform. “I am the fastest. That’s my role! Don’t talk such drivel around me.”

Spencer sighed. As the only one of Mallard’s siblings willing to speak to her, and one of only four engines that had spoken to Mallard (he’d checked with Duchess of Hamilton) in the last ten years, he was uniquely able to see just how much his younger sister had changed.

Where Mallard had once been a healthy pale, her pallor had grown almost dangerously blue – while her formerly vibrant eyes had gone dull, with just a hint of something… unsettling in them. And yet her paintwork was spotless, her brass polished until it glistened in the sun, even after a full run with passengers.

“Are you alright?” asked Spencer quietly. Gordon and Green Arrow pretended not to hear. “I beg your pardon?!” roared Mallard, spooking yet more passengers. “Are you insinuating something?! That such a simple run would tire me out? I am the fastest steam engine in the world – I am more than competent, thank you.” “I just wanted to ch—” “Well don’t!” sneered Mallard. “I am fine.”

Spencer’s tentative frown turned downwards into a scowl, and the great silver engine hissed steam as he started away. Gordon watched him go, knowing deep in the pit of his boiler that the silver engine wouldn’t be back.

Silver King had never truly forgiven his younger sister for the way she’d spoken to Silver Link, even if his name had changed, as had his owners and his lifestyle.

2013:

Spencer, Bittern, Dominion of Canada, Dwight D Eisenhower, Union of South Africa, and Sir Nigel Gresley all stood in awkward silence. Their sister – Mallard – was being wheeled out of the museum for a photoshoot. “So… did you hear her last night?” asked Dwight quietly. “She was screaming at the shunting diesels again.” “I can’t believe they made me agree to his,” hissed Spencer. “I promised myself after 1988 – never again. And yet here I am. At least Scott gets to hide in the workshops.” “It cannot be that bad?” tried Woodcock – only the humans called her Dominion of Canada, “I mean… she has to have made some friends in there, right?” “Unlikely,” snorted Osprey – the humans had given her that name in the 1980s, and she much preferred it to ‘Union of South Africa’, “she spends most of her days just glaring at everyone. Last I heard, it’s a real treat for them when she gets brought out here to be gawked at.”

“Shh! Shh! She’s coming,” warned Bittern. The six all went silent as Mallard was dragged off the turntable and over to the line of engines.

“Ah, good, you all made it,” Mallard said haughtily. “It’s what I deserve, getting the humans to bring you all here to celebrate our class’s greatest achievement.” “What you—” Osprey cut off, indignant. Beyond her, Dwight gawked in shock while Spencer just rolled his eyes. The shunter braked the famous engine to a stop, jolting slightly.

“Did you just jolt me?” hissed Mallard, voice deathly quiet. The shunter gulped. “Don’t you dare!” snapped Spencer, speaking to the world-record holder for the first time in nearly thirty years. “You cannot deride these hard-working engines, I refuse to allow it!” “Oh? As if you are any better, Mr Private Engine,” sneered Mallard. “Silver King, the weird runt of the class who galivants off to that backwards island where our Crewe-rebuilt cousin lives.” “Gordon still pulls his express!” roared Spencer, letting off steam furiously. “Gordon treats everyone with respect! He’s a far better representative of our railway than you are – he’s out there, pulling passengers and acting as the ambassador for Gresley’s work. He holds a record for the longest-serving express engine in the world!”

“He has Midland parts,” snarled Mallard. “He’s a mongrel of parts, and I can’t stand him! I can’t stand him and his righteousness! This is my celebration, my record, my museum! He can talk when he has a proper record of his own. Let’s see him try and beat me – oh wait, didn’t he lose his dome last time he attempted that?”

None of the other A4s spoke, and the moment the photoshoot was over, all four in steam left, taking Dwight and Woodcock with them, leaving Mallard alone.

2016:

Flying Scotsman sat outside the NRM, steam wafting from his funnel. He was the last one left. Spencer had permanently relocated to Sodor after 2013, the other A4s steered clear of York Museum, Gordon had his own work, and Green Arrow had moved to Shildon. So, it was only him left to talk to her.

“Oh, it’s the money pit.” “Mallard. I came to say goodbye.” “Goodbye? Where are you going, Gresley Disgrace?” “I’m going to run mainline excursions,” Flying Scotsman replied evenly. “I’m not going to have to listen to you anymore when you scream abuse at the others or rant about the new PRR engine.” “Rant? Abuse? 4472, you don’t understand! I am Gresley’s pride and joy! I am the greatest – he would roll over in his grave if he saw you now. It’s my destiny to be the greatest – and everyone needs to accept that!” “Sir Nigel Gresley loved us all equally,” snapped Flying Scotsman. “And don’t you forget, any one of your class—”

“I did it!” roared Mallard. “Me! Not any of you! I am the world record breaker – I am the greatest steam engine of all time! You’re nothing compared to me! I am Sir Nigel’s triumph! I am the legacy of the Northeasters! Me! How dare you speed to me like that?! Learn your place!”

Flying Scotsman stared evenly back at the shrieking engine. “I have,” he said simply. “And it’s not here. The other engines can survive listening to your abuse, but I don’t have to. You’re nothing, Mallard. Not anymore. You sit here, on this siding, in this shed, and you cling to the past because that’s all you’ll ever have.”

Flying Scotsman puffed out of the shed, the wrecked screams of his cousin following him through the sliding shed doors. They transformed from howls of rage into a hail of screeching tears, as Mallard’s entire self-worth crashed down on her. The former icon of steam and speed finally lost it, all the rage and anger and simmering hatred growing inside her frames boiling over as she cursed her cousin.

Flying Scotsman couldn’t help but feel sorry for the engine – but all the same, she had spent decades wrecking their designer’s good name with her attitude. Her stardom had placed her up on a pedestal – one where the loneliness of fame had engulfed her.

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