The intent of this story is to make an extended universe with these characters and this universe. Your help is appreciated in this. You can use my characters and events in the stories to make your own stories, as long as you give me credit. Let me know if you made a story in my universe, and I will decide if I want to put it in my canon or if I want to make it an alternate universe. Also leave reviews with tips and ideas, I would enjoy those. Please enjoy this chapter.
Edward and Edith steam up to their siblings and Sir Topham Hatt climbs out of the blue engines cab. "It is so good to see you guys again!" Edith squeals in delight. The Magical Quadruplets smile fondly at her and Edward. "It is good to see the two of you again as well." Melody says with a huge smile on her face. "Dad, what is going on?" Rick turns his attention to Lizzie. "This must be confusing for you. I think introductions are in order." The other engines hum in agreement. "The three engines next to me are my twins, Romy, Melody and Norm. Those two are my younger siblings Edward and Edith. Do you see that black tender engine over there?" Rick points to Stijn. "Yes." "That is Stijn, another sibling of ours." Lizzie is silent for a moment. "So they are my aunts and uncles?" Norm chuckles. "Indeed we are dear." Sander walks up to the engines. "Would you guys mind to move your conversation to Bea sheds? You won't be in the way of anyone there." Rick smiles. "Of course Sander. I have some questions to ask that purple tank engine besides Angel." As if they heard him, Lady, Angel and Thomas move over to them. "The Steelworks are closed for the day, so I am free." Angel says cheerfully, making Rick smile. "Let's go to Bea then, shall we?" He looks over at Lizzie. "Do you need a push?" he asks with a gentle smile. "I don't know how to move, so that would be nice." "Give me a second." Rick chuffs forward and switches onto Lizzie's track. He slowly buffers up to her and Hanne couples him to her. After that he moves around Lynn and couples her to the back of Lizzie as well before they all leave to Bea.
After arriving at Bea, Sander and Sir Topham disembark from Lynn and enter the large office building located in the yard. They walk into Sander's office and the controller of the Obbeeys Railway sits down behind his desk. "Please take a seat." Sir Topham takes one of the chairs and sits down. Sander folds his arms on his desk. "Back to business. You mentioned that you wanted to make a deal with multiple companies this railway serves. What are your plans?" Richard reaches into his suitcase and takes out several papers. "We have a booming harbour on the island. We can export the products from this railway from Brendam. We also have great quality china clay we can deliver to this island. We also are one of the few places in the world where steam engines remain in service. It would be beneficial for us to have a friendly relationship with the Obbeeys Railway. We can exchange parts for repairs easier." Sander is silent for a moment, thinking about the prospect of Richards plans. "You are aware that we export and produce quite a lot of parts for older engines here at Bea, right?" Richard nods. Sander stands up and looks though the window at the yard below. "I can see where you're coming from. The North Western Railway is a unique railway, just like the Obbeeys Railway." The blonde man turns back to Richard. "I am interested in your offer, lets discuss it in more detail."
Rick backs into a berth in the sheds located in Bea yard. To his left are Lizzie, Norm, Melody and Romy and to his right are Angel, Edward, Edith, Lady and Thomas. "Do you have gold dust?" Lady asks abruptly, causing Rick to frown. "Gold dust? What is gold dust?" he asks confused. Lady chuckles. "Really!? And you call yourself a magical engine!" Norm scowls. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asks agitated. Lady grins. "I am a magical engine, and my railway has gold dust." Romy turns to Edward. "Edward, I assume you have a basic understanding of both railways." He hums in acknowledgement. "Why don't you explain the differences between the two railways?" Edwards eyes light up. "That's a good idea." He turns to Lady. "The Obbeeys Railway is a lot bigger than your railway, as you can see. The condition of the railway isn't tied to how often the magical engines run on it, nor is it an indicator for the status of the magic that keeps the universe stable. The Magical Quadruplets are the stabilising factors of the railway. If one of them dies, it has catastrophic results." Rick chuckles, interrupting Edward. "I think I need to correct you on that statement, dear brother." The blue engine raises an eyebrow. "How so?" "I suspect that when one of us is slowly dying, this universe slowly takes their magic and starts to replace us. It would explain Lizzie's existence." The engines are silent for a moment. "I guess that makes sense." Norm says, breaking the silence. "Please continue Edward." Edward smiles. "Sure. This world isn't a place between worlds, like your railway Lady, it is its own universe. Lady's railway, on the other hand, needs to be run over once in a while, and it needs gold dust to survive. It's a space between worlds and an indicator of how well both worlds are doing. It is also quite small." "So both railways are magical, but they function differently." Angel says thoughtful. Rick hums. "It seems like it." Sander and Richard walk over to the engines. "Engines, I have an announcement to make." Sander tells them. "Yes, what is it?" Rick asks curious. "Sir Topham and I have made a deal that includes providing each other with materials and parts. Topham has asked for Melody and Rick to come to Sodor sometime in the near future. Do the two of you have any objection to that?" Rick and Melody look at each other. "We don't have any problem with it, but on the condition that Lizzie comes with us and I get a month in advance to teach her the basics." Rick replies. Sander smiles, taking a notebook out of his pocket and writing something down. "I don't have a problem with that. How about you, Topham?" Richard smiles. "It seems fair. Go ahead." Sander nods again. "Now to get to my second announcement, I have arranged for Katie and Scott Ashton to be Lizzie's crew for the time being." Anon whistles at that. "She won't have to worry then, those two are very talented."
The next day arrives and Edward, Edith, Lady, Thomas and Sir Topham return to Sodor. Rick opens his eyes sleepily, feeling his fire being built and he watches as Melody, Norm and Romy leave the sheds to get to work. He smiles contently. "It may be your first full day as my firewoman Hanne, but you handle it quite well." he compliments her. Hanne chuckles. "Why thank you." Nore walks to his front and checks his lamps. "Are you ready for your first workday since 1930?" she asks the engine, sounding a bit nervous. Rick smiles at her. "Yeah, as ready as I can be. You seem to be a bit nervous though. Are you feeling alright?" he asks her a bit concerned. The girl leans against his bumper and looks up at him. "Are you sure we are able to be your crew? I mean, we only graduated four months ago. We don't have the experience necessary to drive a steam engine all by ourselves. What if we mess up?" Tears appear in the corner of her eyes. Hanne sticks her head out of Rick's cab. "Don't worry sis, the academy gave us a course that is equal to a decade of experience. We will do just fine." Rick smiles at Nore. "Listen to your twin. Besides, working with me requires spirit, not experience, and the two of you have spirit. I can also take control whenever I want, so I can correct any fault you guys make and give you feedback on it where needed." Nore looks into his eyes, smiling and wiping the tears out of her eyes. "Thank you Rick, I needed that." she whispers while gently patting his bumper. "Hey, what about me?" Rick and Nore chuckle. Hanne throws her arms in the air in a fake tantrum. Ricks attention is drawn by a soft yawn next to him. Lizzie sleepily opens her eyes. "Good morning dad." "Morning sweetheart. Did you sleep well?" Lizzie yawns again. "Yes. I had a weird dream though." She looks around for a bit before speaking again. "What are we going to do today?" "Hanne, Nore, has one of you gotten our job list?" Hanne jumps out of Rick's cab and walks into the field of view of the two engines. "I've got it right here. Apparently we're going to pick up a goods train consisting of fifteen trucks at Bea Harbour in about two hours and delivering it to Keyll. After that we are going to collect six flatbeds with wood from the lumberyard at Asney and deliver it back to harbour. After that, we are scheduled to collect seven flatbeds with steel from the steelworks and deliver it to the works. After that we can return here." Lizzie looks concerned. "I don't know if I will be able to learn the route." she tells her father. "Don't worry sweetheart, you'll find your way around the island eventually." he says with a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine." The two engines look up and see a young man and woman walking dressed in standard railway uniforms walking towards them. The woman has brown hair and green eyes and the man has black hair and green eyes as well. Rick smiles. "I take it that you are Scott and Katie Ashton, my name is Rick and this is my daughter Lizzie. It is nice to meet you." The two smile and nod at him. "It is nice to meet you too. We look forward to work with you Lizzie." Katie says cheerful. "I feel the same." They climb into her cab and start getting her ready.
About an hour and a half later Lizzie's fire is sizzling nicely and her boiler pressure and she sighs contently. "This feels so nice." Rick smiles sweetly at her. "I know. It is always nice to have the water in your boiler boil after a long period of inactivity." Lizzie is silent for a moment. "What are you going to teach me?" she asks curious. Rick smiles at her. "We'll teach you the rules of the railway, signals, safety procedures and how to assemble and pull trains." he answers. Nore sticks her head out of Ricks cab. "I think it is time for us to leave." she informs her engine. "Right. I'll lead the way. Just follow me Lizzy." the green engine says as he starts to move forward.
Lizzie's boiler pressure raises while Rick turns around on the turntable. Katie and Scott glance at each other before Katie gently pats the side of the cab. "Don't worry Lizzie. If you want us to, we will take full control to let you get used to moving." The red engine releases a big cloud of steam. "I would prefer it if you did. Thank you." Katie releases the brakes and cranks up the reverser and regulator ever so slightly.
Lizzie looks uncertain as she slowly moves onto the turntable. Rick chuckles softly. "Don't worry dear, it won't take long before you chuff through the countryside all by yourself." He waits for her to catch up and together they leave the yard and swich onto the tracks leading to Bea harbour. After a fifteen minute trip they steam into the harbour. A red GWR 57xx pannier tank shunts three trucks to the back of a small goods train. "Good morning Rick." he greets the green engine. "Who is this?" "Good morning to you too Magnus. This is Lizzie, my daughter." Magnus stops and looks confused at Rick for a moment, before humming and switching onto a track on which Lynn is parked. "I am not even going to question it. It is nice to meet you Lizzie." he says while he couples to the green brakevan. Rick raises an eyebrow. "How did Lynn get here?" he asks. "Melody took me here this morning." she replies. "I see." The pannier tank buffers Lynn to the goods train. "I should warn you Rick, these trucks have been brought here by Princess this morning. They are obviously not happy with the way she treated them." A surprised look appears on the green engine's face. "Why?" "Hmm?" "Why did Princess bring these trucks here?" Magnus chuckles bitterly. "She ignored speed restrictions on a stretch of track that was under maintenance last week and mister Hodgson wasn't happy with that. She has to pull trucks for two weeks as punishment." "What's wrong with pulling trucks?" Lizzie asks confused. Magnus smiles as he reverses away from the goods train. "Nothing. Princess is just an engine that is used to shiny coaches and high speeds. She thinks trucks are the scum of the earth." Lizzie looks sceptical at the pannier tank. "Okay…" Rick chuckles and starts to reverse. "Come dear, we need to get turned around."
Rick backs onto his goods train and stops without bumping the trucks. Hanne jumps out of his cab to couple him to the train and Lizzie stops on the track next to him. "How are you doing so far?" he asks his daughter. Lizzie looks at her buffers, a look of shame on her face. "I- I haven't moved on my own yet." she admits. A confused look appears on Rick's face. "Is that a problem?" he asks her. Lizzie looks surprised at her father. "Aren't you disappointed?" she asks, disbelief evident in her voice. Rick frowns. "No, why would I. You should take your time getting used to moving, every engine needs to." "Oh." Rick chuckles softly. "Are you one of the bad riders?" one of the trucks suddenly asks rather rudely. "Don't worry, you won't find an engine that treats trucks better than him easily on this island." Magnus reassures the trucks as he reverses through the shunting yard pulling three vans. Alyssa sticks her head out of Lynn and blows her whistle and waves her green flag before either Rick or Lizzie can say something. Hanne quickly jumps into Rick's cab and he blows his whistle and slowly starts moving. Lizzie follows suit and before long they have left the harbour. "Is it difficult to pull trucks?" Lizzie asks. "Not really, at least not when they behave well. Sometimes it happens that trucks are bumped around and they can get agitated when that happens. They tend to cause trouble for the engine that is pulling them, whether that is the engine that bumped them or not. It can end up in derailments." Rick smiles at Lizzie, trying to cheer her up a bit. "Don't worry though. Engines that treat trucks decently are the engines trucks don't mess with, most of the time. Just be kind to them when you start handling them and you will be fine." Lizzie smiles slightly at him.
About forty-five minutes later the two engines enter a forest on the Asney branch. Lizzie looks up in amazement when they start seeing trees the size of skyscrapers come into view. "Wow…" Rick laughs. "Amazing right?" "Yes, what kind of trees are those?" Rick smiles. "Those are Bulb trees. They are the largest species of trees in the world. They are called Bulb trees because they have bioluminescent orange orbs near the top. These orbs are the sole reason there is plant life and even light underneath these trees." Lizzie stares at the massive trees. "You could built a station inside one of these trees." she says in awe. "They did. Several stations on this island are located in the base of a Bulb tree."
The two triplex engines arrive in Keyll yard twenty minutes later. Rick shunts the goods train into a siding after taking Lynn of the back. Then he couples back to her and the two engines depart for Asney.
Charles groans. "What dae ye mean, me delivery is nae ready yet? Ah have a very important delivery tae make!" Amber looks apologetic at the CR class 812. "I am sorry Charles, but the cranes are out of commission. We can't load the trucks until they are fixed." the purple and golden Dübs crane tank explains. The dark red tender engine sighs. "Ah am sorry fur snapping at ye. Ah dinnae mean it like that. Ah am just a wee bit stressed lately." Two whistles catch their attention. "Hello Amber, Charles. How are the two of you doing." Rick asks, having overheard Charles. Amber sighs. "Not so good, to be honest. The cranes are out of order, so we can hardly load trucks." Rick smiles. "Cheer up. I can help you load the trucks." Amber smiles. "Thank you."
Rick lowers the last pallet of lumber on the flatbed with his claws two hours later. "There." Several workmen begin strapping the wood down while Rick puts his claw back. "Thank you. Without your help this would have taken days." Rick smiles. "Don't mention it. Now, where is my train?" The green engine looks around the yard. "Your flatbeds are at Lumber Load 1." Rick reverses onto his train and couples to it. "Are you ready Lizzie?" Lizzie smiles at him. "yes dad."
Sander looks out of his office window and sighs. "We really need those new engines soon." He looks at several papers laying on his desk, including a document about the purchase of eight faceless 08 class diesel shunters. Suddenly the telephone rings. "Sander Hodgson, what can I do for you?" "We have two engines we think you might want to add to your railway sir." Sander raises an eyebrow. "Go on…" "One of them is a 2-8-8-8-2 from 1916 and the other is a Southern Pacific GS-4 Daylight from 1941. Their names are Audrey and Erika." "In what condition are they?"
Rick brings his crane to a standstill next to crane 6 on Bea Dock Siding 6. A workmen runs up to the engine while Hanne uncouples him from the flatbeds. "Could you take the ten vans by crane 7 on Dock Siding 9 to Balley. You are going in that direction, right?" Nore nods. "Why though?" "Lara was supposed to take them, but she has overheated her axle boxes while pulling her last train. The mineral mine needs their new equipment fast." Nore thinks for a moment. "We'll do it." The workmen sighs in relief. "Thank you."
The two Furness K2's see Jannooby Canyon come into view two hours later. Lizzie's eyes grow big in awe at the amazing sight. "Wow… That is…" she stutters, making Rick chuckle. "Yes, it is an impressive sight to be sure. The Steelworks is on the bottom of the canyon. It is also home to some of the only faceless engines on the island." Lizzie looks confused at her father. "What do you mean, faceless?" The old engine looks at her for a moment. "It is best if you see it for yourself. But now I need your full attention. The way down is one of the steepest grades on the railway. I don't want you to derail and get yourself killed. You are going to be coupled to my tender." "Yes father." The two find a siding before the bridge and Lizzie couples to Lynn before they move off of the mainline and onto the branch line. Lizzie gulps when she sees the depths below and how close the rails are to the edge. "Are you s-sure t-this is s-safe?" she stutters, fear soaring through her body. "Yes dear. I have gone down this branch hundreds of times. It is safe as long as you're careful." the old engine says, trying his best to reassure his daughter while still paying attention to what he is doing. Lizzie squeezes her eyes shut and starts to tremble. She suddenly shoots forward, roughly bumping into Rick's tender and causing the entire train to pick up speed. The sudden acceleration causes Katie, Scott, Hanne and Nore to lose their balance. "Lizzie, stop!" Rick yells urgently. Katie steadies herself and quickly applies Lizzie's handbrake. They slow down to a safe speed and Lizzie starts to tremble even more. "We will talk when we get to the bottom Lizzie." Rick says, gritting his teeth.
Angel's eyes lit up when she hears Rick's whistle. "Calm down girl." Anon orders his engine. She hurries to the gates of the steelworks. "Good day Rick." she greets the green engine as he chuffs through the gate. Her smile falters as she notices the frown on his face. "Did something happen?" she asks worried. "We just found out that Lizzie has a severe fear of hights." he growls. "Oh. Are you alright Lizzie?" Angel asks the red engine. Lizzie looks at her buffers. "Yeah." she mutters. Angel looks concerned at her. "She is mentally preparing for the climb back up." Rick explains. Anon jumps out of Angel's cab. "I also have a fear of hights. Shall I give you some tips Lizzie?" "Yes please." Rick smiles at him. Hanne sticks her head out his cab, having the remains of a bloody nose on her face. "I have found out how it feels to smash your head into a metal plate." she says out of nowhere. Rick laughs at that. "You're fine." Angel blushes slightly at this. "Where is my train Angel?" he asks. She blinks a couple of times, seemingly snapping back to reality. "Wha? Oh, your train is on Goods 9. I'll get it for you." She reverses into the building. A engine similar to Angel steams out of the building the moment Angel enters it. "Lizzie, that is a faceless engine." Rick says. Lizzie looks over at the engine and then returns her focus to Anon.
Hanne puts the hose of the water tower into the hatch on Ricks tender as the manager of the steelworks walks up to him. He has brown hair and large bunny ears and tail. "Hello Rick." "Hello Rhett, can I do something for you?" Rhett Beeal scratches the back of his neck end looks towards the gate. "I have noticed that Angel has been lonely lately. It has been eating away at her mental health. I have made an arrangement with mister Hodgson to let her work around the railway for some time. Can you take her with you?" Rick raises an eyebrow. "And what do you want me to tell her?" "Just make some excuse." Rick sighs.
Rick buffers up to his train. "When will I see you again?" Angel asks, a little bit of desperation in her voice. Rick frowns. "Yeah no. I am sorry to be so blunt, but you definitely need to have more social interactions with other engines. Do you want to go to Bea with me and we will arrange something with Sander for you to have some jobs along the other branches. What do you say?" Angel looks down at her buffers. "Is it that obvious?" she asks bashful. Rick hums. "Yeah. So what do say?" Angel avoids Ricks gaze for a moment while thinking. "Does mister Beeal approve?" Rick hums. "I would like to go with you then." she says, finally looking him in the eyes.
Angel follows Lizzie and Rick into the roundhouse located in Bea yard. Several workmen walk towards the black tank engine with several hoses and buckets filled with sponges and bottles of soap. "Lets get you cleaned." one of them says. Angel smiles. "yes please." Rick chuckles while Hanne and Nore climb onto his buffer beam and start to clean him. "How long has it been since your last bath? You usually aren't this eager to get a wash." he says amused. "You don't ask someone that!" she snaps at him. Rick just chuckles again. "Is it?" he says cheekily. Angel rolls her eyes. "The two of you seem close." Lizzie states. "We are good friends, if I do say so myself." Rick says. Angel smiles brightly. "I am glad you think the same as me." she says happily. Katie and Scott climb onto Lizzie's footplate. "Uh… What are you doing?" she asks. "Don't worry, we are just going to clean and polish you." "Aha." Katie starts to wash the red engine's face with a damp cloth while Scott starts to polish her paint. Nore also starts to wash Rick's face while Hanne rubs his paint with a cloth. "Hey Rick, I was thinking, wouldn't it nice if you had one of those builder plates that tells in which period you were rebuild?" Hanne suggests. "Hmm, that is not a bad idea."
The crews of the engines leave them about an hour later after having cleaned their engines. The three engines hear a loud and deep whistle and a big 4-8-8-4 tender engine rolls onto the turntable. She is painted green with red wheels and a blue smokebox. Her paintwork is scratched and dusty. She has blue eyes. "Good evening Sophie, how are you?" Angel asks the Big Boy. The big engine smiles at the black tank engine. "I am doing well, thank you. I hope you are doing good as well." Angel hums. "Good." She notices Rick and Lizzie as she backs up into a berth. "I take you are Lizzie." Lizzie just looks in awe at the big engine. Rick chuckles. "Lizzie, are you with us?" "Huh?" Lizzie blinks a couple of times before she snaps back to attention. "Yes?" Sophie chuckles. "You are Lizzie, right?" "Yes." Lizzie says, a little nervous. "It is nice to meet you." Sophie turns to Angel. "It is nice to see you Angel. It has been a while, hasn't it?" Angel hums. "Yeah, it has. You seem a bit scratched up, are you going to be repainted?" "Not now, no. My brakes are acting up. Miss Murphy has decided that they need to be checked over." Rick cringes. "Good thing she did. Given your size and the size of most of your trains I wouldn't want to see you become a runaway." Sophie huffs. "I know how to handle a train, thank you." Angel chuckles at Sophies indignant response.
Rick is awoken the next morning by the feeling of hands on his controls and a hot fire in his firebox boiling the water in his boiler. "Good morning Hanne, Nore." he sleepily greets the twins. "Morning Rick." they greet him. Angel and Lizzie are also waking up beside him. "Good morning dad, what are we going to do today?" Lizzie asks. "We are to go to Aaronsey Research Facility. Do you have any idea why they want you there?" Nore asks. "They probably want to test my performance. I have done it before." Rick mentions. Angel smiles. "I remember that. The both of us spend a week there back in 1905. If I remember correctly, you had just received a major overhaul and needed to be tested." She chuckles. "The researchers were quite surprised at your results." Rick grins. "Yeah, that was the moment I became certain that I am meant to be a goods engine." Hanne looks at her pocket watch. "It is about time for us to get to work."
Rick and Lizzie steam into the railway building on the grounds of the Research Facility. A silver box tank engine greets them. " We were expecting the two of you. Greetings Lizzie, my name is Ellery. It is pleasant to make your acquaintance." he greets the two engines. "Good morning Ellery, I assume that I am going to do some tests." The silver engine smiles. "You and Lizzie are both going to do tests for the coming week." Lizzie frowns. "How can I do tests without experience?" she asks confused. Rick chuckles softly. "Don't worry dear, these tests aren't to difficult. Besides, I have heard that Katie and Scott are quite skilled in their fields. They will make sure that you won't mess up." He turns his attention to Ellery. "Lead the way."