Here I go again with my writing spree! This time, it's a more historical story, set during the times of the Second World War, plus features a cameo from a certain clergyman. Time to enjoy...

ThomasAngryBirds' Remakes and Stories

Story 6: Sudrian Times of War

New story written by ThomasAngryBirds

It was 1938; the Great Depression was in its final years, the motor car became a more common sight, and rumors across Europe spread of a potential war.

A man known as the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry was happy; he was recently married to Margaret, and for their honeymoon, they came to the Island of Sodor. While they were there, they met with the first two engines Thomas and Edward, who told the couple about their early years on the North Western Railway, as well as Henry's and Gordon's early days (whilst the big engines were away at Crewe for rebuilds).

Now it was 1940.

The Second World War was now in full swing in Europe. German dictator Adolf Hitler had planned to exterminate the world of people of Jewish origin, and Japan was still bitter towards the United States of America for their promise being turned out false. Hungary and Italy had joined the Axis powers whilst Greece, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands joined the Allied powers.

This did not have much affect for the railways on the Island of Sodor; the North Western, Skarloey, Culdee Fell, and Mid-Sodor Railways were doing their best to help the Allies in the war effort, even with few locomotives on each railway.

The Fat Controller, the Thin Controller, the Culdee Fell Manager, and the Mid-Sodor manager had a meeting, and agreed that they needed spare engines to help with the heavy workloads, at least until the war had ended; if it ever ended.

One morning, Henry, Gordon, James, and Percy were standing at Tidmouth Station, waiting for the Fat Controller to make an announcement. Thomas, Edward, and David soon arrived separately, from their respective branchlines.

"Why are we all gathered here?" Gordon complained, "I could be speeding down with the express by now!"

"From what I hear, the Fat Controller must have some plans for us," said David.

"I hope we don't get sold to the War Department," grumbled James, "I don't want to be painted black again!"

"Oh, you and your shiny red coat," groaned Henry, rolling his eyes.

"Sh! Here he comes," said Edward. The Fat Controller addressed them.

"I assume you are wondering why I called you all here," said the Fat Controller, "I spoke with the controllers of the narrow gauge railways, and we came to an agreement that the Sodor railways need spare engines in order to assist with the war effort. This will only be until the war has ended."

"How long will the war last?" asked Percy.

"That depends," said the Fat Controller, "now, the Big Four railways have their locomotives in helping out the war effort, but the London and North Eastern, London, Midland and Scottish, and Southern Railways could spare a few engines; the LNER have loaned a J50 tank engine, a V3 tank engine, as well as a B12 tender engine. The LMS have let me borrow a 2P tender engine, and the Southern loaned a Z Class tank engine. I want you all to make them very welcome. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," said all the engines.

The next morning, David was taking a stopping train from Norramby to Barrow. One of his stops was at Vicarstown. Vicarstown was originally the headquarters of the North Western Railway, but when the line extended to Barrow at the LMS in 1925, Tidmouth became headquarters to the NWR, leaving no further use for Vicarstown, but it was still open to passengers and goods.

"You'll have an extended stop here," the stationmaster told the driver and fireman, "the five spare engines will be arriving soon."

David didn't mind having to wait, and neither did the passengers waiting to go to Barrow. David felt he could look around the yards at Vicarstown to pass the time.

Two minutes later, David heard a shrill Midland whistle.

"That must be one of the extra engines," he said. It was. The engine came into view, and stopped just outside the platform. He was a 2P tender engine, painted in LMS black with red lining. However, he didn't look very friendly; in fact, he looked like he had worked all night.

"Stupid rubbish," he grumbled to no one in particular.

"You must be one of the five engines to help," said David, "my name is David. What's your name?"

"Archibald," snapped the 2P, "I don't have time for chit-chat, I'm needed at Tidmouth!"

"It's on the westbound track-" David tried to explain, but Archibald puffed crossly away.

"Well, he was nice," David muttered sarcastically.

Four minutes after Archibald set off, there were three Eastern whistles blowing in the distance. The three engines came to a stop at the platform. The first engine was a B12 tender engine, numbered 8500. The second was a J50 tank engine, and the third a V3 tank engine. All three were painted in the LNER's apple green livery.

"Hello there," said the B12 in a friendly manner, "my name is Sarah. This is Harry and Edwin."

"Good morning, mate," said Harry, the J50.

"Lovely to meet you," said Edwin, the V3.

"Nice to meet you three," said David, smiling, "I am David. Tidmouth is nine stations away on the westbound direction."

"Thank you for the directions," said Sarah politely, and Harry and Edwin agreed. The three engines blew their whistles, and set off for Tidmouth.

The last engine arrived ten minutes later. She was a Z Class tank engine with eight wheels, painted in Southern Railway black with yellow lining, and the number 958 on her side tanks. She didn't look friendly at all. She simply passed by and gave David a dirty look, and puffed away.

"She seemed nice," David remarked sarcastically, as the guard blew his whistle, and David set off to Barrow. He was worried that with the Southern tank engine and Archibald around, things would not end well.

Sarah, Harry and Edwin got along just fine with Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, and Percy, but Archibald and the Southern tank engine - named Sandra - were rude, arrogant, and above all else, extremely selfish.

"This shed is a dump!" complained Sandra, "It's not proper for an engine like myself!"

"I think it's just fine," insisted Harry, "and the others are quite friendly too, even Henry and James."

"Friendly?" Sandra nearly shrieked, "You're just a useless little Eastern runt who never understands!" And she rudely blew steam in Harry's face.

"Argh!"

Sandra said nothing, and puffed away to the water column, leaving a very annoyed Harry.

"That engine is silly," he muttered to himself.

Unfortunately for everyone, Sandra's and Archibald's crews were bad mannered too. They harassed several passengers, bullied the other crews, and insulted the Fat Controller behind his back.

One evening, Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Edwin, Harry, and Sarah all had an indignation meeting at Tidmouth sheds.

"Disgraceful!" exclaimed Gordon.

"Disgusting!" spluttered James.

"Despicable!" remarked Henry.

"Those two engines just get on our nerves!" burst out Sarah.

"Sandy nearly bumped me off the rails!" fumed Harry.

"I think I understand those two," said Edward, and everyone looked at him, "Sandra and Archibald are the engines who like to believe themselves to be perfect while making others look terrible in front of their controllers."

"A lot have said that in the past," said Edwin.

"Even me," admitted Thomas, who then looked over to Percy, sobbing quietly.

"If you should know," said Henry, "Archibald said nasty things to Percy, and used dirty words in front of him."

"What did he say?" asked Thomas.

"You don't want to know," said James, "Percy might get upset should he hear them again."

Next morning, Henry had left with the Flying Kipper, while Harry was arranging trains at Tidmouth with Percy. Percy dealt with Gordon's express, while Harry arranged James's goods to the LMS. It would have been easy, if not for Archibald's rudeness...

"Hurry up, you useless little bugs!" he growled, "And get my trucks ready!"

"Listen, you," Harry said firmly, hoping to avoid an argument, "we're already arranging trains for other engines, so be a good engine and wait your turn."

Archibald snorted, and before anyone could say "North Western Railway", he ran into Percy, causing the little green engine to crash into the coaches, damaging the first coach. Harry was shocked.

"OUCH!" exclaimed Percy, "You did that on purpose!"

"Did I?" Archibald smirked, "Well, that pompous blue Eastern git will be late, then!"

Harry coupled up to Percy and pulled him away from the wrecked coach, which was then taken to Crovan's Gate for repairs. Percy was shunted onto an empty siding, and Harry had to rearrange some new coaches for Gordon, which made the express very late.

Gordon was cross, but understood when Harry explained everything.

"That Midland prick!" he snarled, "Wait until I get my buffers on him!"

It wasn't the only incident of the day; Sandra shunted coal trucks hard into James, who was preparing to take his goods, and coal dust flew everywhere.

"Botheration!" coughed James.

Sandra giggled in a nasty way. "Serves you right, rusty red black wheels! You'll be late, and Fatty doesn't like late engines!"

James was livid and felt he could burst at any moment.

The Fat Controller was most displeased with Archibald and Sandra's behavior that day, and he put them onto a siding until they learned to behave.

"Good riddance," said Gordon.

"They deserve it for making us late!" agreed James.

"I don't think it will work," sighed Sarah.

"Why?" asked Henry.

"One time on the Great Eastern," explained Sarah, "there was an engine who was such a moron, and was put onto a siding until he learned manners. When he was back in service, he was ruder than ever until an accident got the better of him."

"We can only hope it won't be the case," sighed Gordon.

It was now the autumn of 1943, and the war was more severe than ever. The United States and the Soviet Union were now among the Allies, and the Sodor engines along with their LNER allies were working hard to help the war effort.

During this time, however, Wilbert Awdry told the stories of Edward, Gordon and Henry to his first son, Christopher, when he was ill in bed with measles.

Wilbert then contacted the Fat Controller, asking if his engines could be interested in being in a book, in which he agreed to, as did the engines. However, Wilbert could not publish the stories due to the war.

When the workload on the North Western Railway became too much, the Fat Controller reluctantly decided to put Sandra and Archibald back in service.

"About time!" grumbled Sandra, "I was rusting away anyways!"

Of course, things had not changed much about those two; they were ruder than ever.

A few days after they were back into service, Sandra was assigned to bring weapons and ammunition to Barrow, whilst Archibald was to bring soldiers to Barrow as well.

"You two had better take care," warned the Fat Controller, "because gunpowder is extremely explosive and soldiers are important in the war effort!"

The two engines listened, but paid no attention.

Sandra set off, but she banged the trucks roughly. There were two flatbeds between her and the first gunpowder van, in case of any explosion.

"Be careful, Sandra!" warned her driver, (a new one) "Bump them like that, and you'll cause an accident!"

"Who cares!" she snapped, "Going slow is time wasting! If I go fast, we'll save time!"

"But slow down, for goodness sake!" insisted the driver, but Sandra paid no attention. It would have been better if she had...

Sandra rolled down Gordon's hill much too fast, and a chain between the brakevan and the last weapons van snapped, causing the brakevan to roll on by itself, and the guard (who was having tea) accidentally splashed tea into his eyes, blinding him.

"My eyes!" he screamed.

Unaware of all this, Sandra deliberately shook her driver out of the cab, and he fell on his back, getting hurt in the process.

"Agh! Ow!" he exclaimed in pain, "My spine is broken!"

The fireman stayed in the cab, and he tried to get Sandra to stop, but to no avail. Her wheels spun so fast that her siderods looked like they weren't there at all.

The stationmaster at Maron saw what happened, took the injured driver inside, and phoned for an ambulance, and then about the runaway Sandra.

At about the same time, Archibald came puffing down Gordon's hill, bumping and banging the coaches with the soldiers inside. The soldiers were cross at being bumped like that.

"Who made the Fat Controller send for that engine to take us!" shouted one.

"Gordon would have been a better choice," agreed another.

The brakevan was slowing to a natural stop beyond Maron, but just before the viaduct! The guard's eyes were red in pain, and he had calmed down somewhat. Then he heard a Midland whistle in the distance!

"Oh no!" he cried. He put on the brakevan's brakes, then got his red flag and whistle, in hopes to stop Archibald from crashing.

"Why are we slowing!" demanded Archibald, "We're late!"

"There's a blockade ahead," said the driver, and tried to apply the brakes, but it was no use; Archibald's wheels skidded on the rails, and with a smash, he ran into the brakevan, and tipped over on his side, separated from his tender, and rolled cab over wheels into the valleys below.

"AAAUGH!" he screamed in pain. Fortunately, his driver and fireman jumped clear before the crash, but Archibald lay on his side in the water, leaking steam.

"Help me, suckers!" Archibald shouted to no one in particular.

More danger lay ahead at Vicarstown; David was taking a stopping passenger to Norramby, when the stationmaster spoke to his crew.

"Sandra's run away with a train of weapons, and she could come by at any moment!" exclaimed the stationmaster, "get David to safety as soon as possible!"

Vicarstown station was evacuated, and David was uncoupled from the coaches.

"But why?" he asked, "The coaches are important and all!"

"We know," said the driver, "but we have to move, NOW!"

David's regulator was set at 100%, his reverser 75%, and he hastily puffed away, just in time. Sandra and her runaway train were accidentally sent into the track where David's coaches were at, and the fireman jumped clear as she smashed into them.

"Who put those coaches there?" Sandra demanded. Worse was to follow; gunpowder had spilled from the first three vans, and mixed with sparks from Sandra's funnel, it was a recipe for disaster.

The Fat Controller called the engines to meet up at Tidmouth next day (except Henry, who was at Barrow filling in for another engine) and told them about the explosion.

"This has possibly been the worst disaster of Sudrian history," he said, "many people could have been killed, and it was all because of Archibald the Fowler 2P and Sandra the Maunsell Z Class. We must now clear away the mess, and I will have a talk with those two later..."

When Sandra was recovered from the explosion, her back end was burnt, somewhat melted due to the heat of the explosion.

Archibald's side had rusted due to the water, but otherwise looked fine.

The Fat Controller spoke to them, and with him was O. V. S. Bulleid and William Stanier themselves.

"You two have caused a major disaster for my railway," thundered the Fat Controller, "Sandra more so, I should never have let you come to my railway!"

"It wasn't our faults!" insisted Sandra, "Those stupid puffballs-"

"Would not be repairing Vicarstown if you took care," said the Fat Controller firmly.

"I am very displeased, Sandra," said Mr. Bulleid, "and I'm sure Mr. Maunsell would be too."

"Archibald, what were you thinking?" remarked Mr. Stanier, "You could have hurt those poor soldiers!"

And so, the two engines were sent away in disgrace. Edward, Gordon, James, Sarah, Harry, and Edwin, along with the help of Henry and several other LMS engines, worked together to rebuild Vicarstown Station, but not the way it was originally built. The station had been built like any ordinary station along the mainline, but by January 1945, Vicarstown station had been rebuilt, and service returned to normal.

The war ended in an Allied victory in September 1945, when American sent two Atomic bombs toward Japan, ending the Pacific side of the war. The world now had to repair its damages after the war, which would take a long time.

The Sodor engines said farewell to Sarah, Harry and Edwin, who returned to the LNER with plenty to tell. But the engines knew that they would never forget the trouble Archibald and Sandra caused for them, especially the devastating date of September 22, 1943.

But on a happier note, Wilbert Awdry sent the four stories of "Edward's Day Out", "Edward and Gordon", "The Sad Story of Henry", and "Edward, Gordon, and Henry" to Edmund Ward, in a book known to many as The Three Railway Engines.

The release of the book made the North Western Railway a popular attraction to some people in Britain, although some were skeptical that Sodor really existed, but as years would go by, there would always be a new book about the engines of Sodor, which became known as The Railway Series.

Yeah, so the story was mostly dark, but at least it had a bright ending, right? It may not be realistic in places, but so what? The CGI series wasn't perfect with realism either, some especially...

So in case you forgot:

Sarah is an LNER B12 no. 8500

Harry is an LNER J50

Edwin is an LNER V1/3

Archibald is an LMS 2P

Sandra is a Southern Railway Z Class no. 958 (it really went up to 957, however)

All of them are my own characters. More stories and characters are to come!