I'd very much like for everyone to read this before continuing on. I'll try to keep as concise as possible, but background info is important!

As you've read in the summary (and it didn't deter you, so we're off to a good start), this is a Thomas and Friends human alternate universe fan fiction; a story that reimagines the steam engine characters as if they were human and attempts to do so as seamlessly as possible with the preexisting world. This is not a human AU fic wherein the characters are popular high school drama tropes or something wildly different like that, but a fic that attempts to change little more than the character's biological make-up (and the consequences that come as a result of this).

Granted, that's a big change in and of itself, but we're still on Sodor. All storylines and characters stem from the pre-established setting of the function of the Northwestern Railway. The engines are still there, they just are no longer the characters. The characters are there, they are just no longer engines.

Why? Why write something like this? Where did the concept come from? If I'm honest, it came from hours and hours of watching Thomas with my son during the day and then catching an hour or two of a BBC workplace drama in the evenings (see: The Paradise and Mr. Selfridge). Don't get me wrong, I consider myself blessed to get to watch Thomas and Friends that much, as I sincerely enjoy it...but, inevitably, my husband and I were going to end up expanding on the preexisting universe. Asking ourselves the 'what if they were human?' question didn't take long.

I began writing this story about a year ago, using the ideas we had come up with. I felt like it wasn't enough just to dream up the 'what if' and leave it like that, I had to arrange and bring this alternate universe to life as a story- for the sake of my curiosity, if for nothing else.

You may have already guessed this, but I feel like a clear warning ahead of time is necessary. There will be shipping/pairing characters off in this story, as they are human now and there are no longer any of the boundaries that existed when they were engines and the whole concept of them having or wanting romantic relationships seemed a little too farfetched (to me). I say this now because I know shipping can be a sensitive subject, just as much in the TTTE community as it is anywhere else. There are those who are adamantly opposed to and disgusted by the whole thing, then there are those who are already very opinionated about who should be put with whom. I want to say now that the characters I've paired off in this story (and there aren't a TON) are those my husband and I cooked up together. They make sense to us and my hope is to have them make sense to you, too (whether or not you end up shipping them yourself). This is why I don't list these pairings out in the summary. I don't want people turning away from a story they might enjoy because the coupling listed didn't square with their personal bias. I only ask that everyone keep an open mind. In-depth questions are fine, but please no 'why did you put X and Y together?' in the comments. The answer is read. Read the story. The answer is there.

The story is already rated, but I feel I should restate this here; this is not a story meant to appeal to children. It's not an outrageously graphic story one way or the other either, but there are adult elements to this that I don't think younger children would find entertaining. Again, think of this as Thomas and Friends reimagined for Masterpiece Theater. I would not, personally, recommend this for readers under 13 or so- if only because anyone younger would find it immeasurably boring and just ask for another episode of the original, good stuff. Heck, some of you in your 20's might share that sentiment as well, I don't know.

I feel like there's more I should be saying/warning people of in this note, but I don't want to spend too long groveling and apologizing for a piece of work that I'm actually very proud of. I still have no idea how this story will be received. My year-long involvement in the community hasn't really assured me of anything one way or the other but I'm not about to let that stop me. Please feel free to share your thoughts, be they critical or positive. I really do want to know what people make of this concept.

Also, please note that I've done my best to employ what I've learned of railway function in this story. As I've never worked on a railway, nor consider myself an expert of how things are done, I'm bound to get something (if not many things) wrong. Railway function is still a crucial, pivotal part of this story that I don't feel these characters can exist fully without. Hopefully my attempt will be appreciated, no matter how ham-handed the execution.

Lastly, as part of a new agreement with myself to not start posting multi-chaptered fics until they are finished, this story is already written in full. It is the product of a year's worth of writing, editing, cutting and pasting. I will try to post a new chapter every week. In essence, if you like this story you don't need to worry about it being left on a cliffhanger for the rest of your life. Go ahead, indulge. The ending is already written and ready to be published.

I hope everyone can enjoy this story for what it is- or, at the very least, not feel shy about telling me why they don't. It's something new for this community and also a bit of a risk, but one I felt was worth taking.

Happy reading!