It seemed to be yet another ordinary day at Knapford station as Annabelle Regaby arrived for work.

"Those new posters seem to be bringing in the crowds," she smiled to herself. "And so will those new ducklings down at Haultraugh."

Just then, she heard a knock at the door.

"Door's open, uncle Charles."

But much to her surprise, instead of her uncle Charles Topham Hatt, a much older female figure stepped in.

"Grandma Sharon? This is a surprise."

"Hello, dear," smiled Dowager Hatt, giving her great-granddaughter a quick hug. "Your uncle is very sick this morning, so I'm going to be taking charge."

Annabelle wasn't sure if she was hearing this correctly; her great-grandmother, temporarily in charge of the North Western Railway?

"Er… did you tell the engines about this change, Grandma Sharon?"

"Only those at Tidmouth sheds so far," said Dowager Hatt. "I was just dropping in here before letting the others know."

"Should I come with you, Grandma Sharon?" asked Annabelle. "I do think it'd be a good move to have someone who knows the workings of a railway helping out."

"Oh, don't fuss, young Annabelle," said Dowager Hatt. "You have your own jobs to do, and I have to manage your uncle's. I'll be alright."

Dowager Hatt then left the office, and Annabelle went wide eyed for a moment.

"I'd give her twenty minutes, tops…" she muttered.


Annabelle had very good reason to be concerned; unlike her son and grandson, Dowager Hatt had little understanding as to how a railway was actually run. Before Dowager Hatt had spoken to Annabelle, she had sent Thomas on a run to collect a hat from the docks. In turn, this resulted in Emily taking Annie and Clarabel, Gordon to collect Emily's scrap, and poor little Percy was stuck with managing the express all by himself! And that was barely scratching the surface. But in order to explain more of this madness, I'll have to back up a bit…


Down on the Little Western following Thomas and Emily's schedule reshuffle, Duck, Oliver, Donald and Douglas were planning to set out for work that morning as per usual.

"Did you hear that Tillie's ducklings have just hatched?" asked Duck to the others.

"Toad and I got a glimpse of them when passing through Haultraugh," said Oliver.

"Dilly 'n' Dallas' spirits continue tae live oan," smiled Donald fondly.

"We'll hae tae git thaim tae visit Arlesburgh sometime." added Douglas.

"Ah, good morning, engines," said a chipper voice. The four engines were most surprised to see Dowager Hatt driving up in the Hatts' car.

"Dowager Hatt, ma'am," exclaimed Duck. "This is a surprise. Do you know what's happened to your grandson?"

"He's sick," Dowager Hatt quickly explained. "So I'm in charge for the day."

"Er, okay," said Oliver. "So, business as usual. Let's go, everyone."

"Not so fast," said Dowager Hatt. "There's been some adjustments to the timetable."

"Adjustments?" asked Donald.

"Yes," said Dowager Hatt. "You see… my great-great-grandson, Richard, is having his birthday party today."

"Ah, congrats to the wee lad," smiled Douglas.

"And… I was wondering if you and Douglas would take the party decorations out to Richard," she added.

"Er, Ah'm Douglas, ma'am," the soft-spoken twin spoke. "That's Donal'."

"'N' we're due tae tak' that goods train tae Vicarstown," added Donald. "Thir's na wey we kin tak' a train o' pairtie supplies."

"I'll arrange for another engine to do that," said Dowager Hatt. "Besides, you don't want to disappoint sweet little Richard, do you?"

"Er, n-no, ma'am," admitted Donald.

"Jalouse we're aff tae git some crates o' pairtie supplies," muttered Douglas. The twins puffed away, quite baffled at this turn of events.

"Cous," whispered Oliver to Duck, "do you really think two engines are needed to take crates of streamers and balloons?"

"One of them, I'd understand," agreed Duck. "But both of them?"

"Now, you two," said Dowager Hatt, "you need to do whatever it is you need to do on the branch."

"It's going to be harder without the twins…" muttered Oliver. "Let's hope their little 'errand' doesn't take them all day."


Unfortunately for Oliver, Donald and Douglas both found themselves caught in a traffic jam at Knapford.

"Losh sakes!" cried Douglas as he felt Donald brake to a halt. "Donnie, whit's th' holdup?"

"Keek at this!" exclaimed his twin.

"Dowager Hatt needed this dinosaur at Richard's birthday party!" exclaimed Diesel. "But she didn't bother to explain the location."

"I was told I had to bring some elephants to the party," said Paxton. "Not sure why though."

"Was the party supposed to be at the animal park on Edward's line?" asked Toby. "Because that's the only logical place for these elephants and giraffes to go."

"That doesn't explain why I'm carrying this big red balloon on my conflat," snorted James. "Who carries them by train, anyway?! That's something I'd expect from a lorry!"

"The Pack lorries are lucky that Miss Jenny isn't sick in bed today," muttered Henry. He was taking the red coaches, Sean, Mick, Harry and Randolph.

"Why doesn't someone sensible like Miss Jenny run the railway today?" sighed Harry.

"This is utterly ridiculous," grunted Gordon.

"I'm going to have a radiator-ache for a week…" sighed Den, having empty trucks trailing behind him.


Unfortunately, there was worse to come from this whole mess; Duck and Oliver were struggling to make it even on the Little Western branch line.

"Ugh…" muttered Duck. "I'll have to take Douglas' ballast trucks and my passenger run at the same time at this rate."

"Tell me about it," sighed Oliver. "Oh, why did the twins have to leave for some party? We're going to need some help at this point."

Just then, the tank engines heard the sound of a car horn.

"Duck, Oliver!" called Annabelle. "Are you two alright?"

"I wish they were," sighed Duck. "With Donald and Douglas out getting supplies for Richard's birthday, Oliver and I are trying to manage the work of four engines between us."

"Oh dear," said Annabelle. "I know Richard's birthday is a special occasion, but I think Grandma Sharon's taking it a bit far. I'll see if I can send for another engine to help you two out."

"Thanks, Annabelle," smiled Oliver.

"Amanda ought to be free," said Annabelle as she set off again.


But when she arrived back at Knapford station, Annabelle couldn't find Amanda. What she did find was a bit of a surprise.

"Do ya know where I can take the world, me hearty?"

"Salty?!" exclaimed Annabelle. "I thought you were assigned to Brendam docks."

"That's what I thought too," said the dockyard diesel. "But Dowager Hatt said I was to take this globe… somewhere. She wasn't clear on the details."

"Oh dear…" said Annabelle. "Er… just take it back to the animal park for now. My great-grandmother is making such a mess of things. I'm terribly sorry about this, Salty."

"Salty!" cried Dowager Hatt. "You were supposed to take it to Richard's party. The kids are learning about where the animals come from."

"I… er… yes, ma'am," stammered Salty, moving off down towards the main line.

"Great work, Grandma Sharon…" muttered Annabelle. "No wonder everyone's getting muddled."

"Ah, Annabelle!" said Dowager Hatt. "Was there something you wanted to report to me?"

"I was trying to find another engine to assist Duck and Oliver," said Annabelle. "Thanks to Donald and Douglas'... erm, errand, they are a bit banked up. You haven't seen Amanda, have you?"

"What?!" cried Dowager Hatt.

"I didn't mean my aunt, Amanda Hatt," Annabelle tried to explain. "I meant the austerity engine-"

"I am running this railway perfectly fine!" snapped Dowager Hatt. "I don't need your aunt to pull rank on me like that. I'll find an engine to help Goose and Olivia."

"Duck and Oliver!" corrected Annabelle, but Dowager Hatt took off. "Oh, Grandma Sharon, come back here!" But it was no use; her protests had fallen on deaf ears. "Ugh… guess I'd better find Amanda, and quick."


But it wasn't Amanda who ended up helping Duck and Oliver.

"Alistair, Mirabel, Benjamin?!" cried Duck. "Where are you? Oh, I hope Oliver's got them…"


He hurried out of the siding, and he realised that Douglas' train would be due out soon. With a groan, he arranged the trucks and took them. It wasn't until Duck got to Tidmouth Hault that caught up with his cousin. To his dismay, Oliver had ordinary coaches.

"Cous, do you know where Alistiar, Mirabel and Benjamin went?" asked Duck.

"I'm afraid not, Duck," sighed Oliver. "I thought you had the slippies."

"Well if you haven't got them, and I haven't either… who does?!" cried Duck. "Oh, they could be anywhere."

"Calm down, cous," said Oliver. "We'll find them. Maybe Ryan or Amanda have got them."

"I hope you're right…" sighed Duck.


Not long after that, Duck was pulling Douglas' trucks along the branch, when he came into Knapford station. Emily was speaking with Dowager Hatt at the time.

"…or, we can try to get things sorted," the emerald engine was saying. "I'm happy to help you out!"

"Really?" asked Dowager Hatt. "Would you? Oh, that would be marvelous, Esmeralda!"

"It's Emily, ma'am. And don't worry; you and I will soon get Sir Topham Hatt's engines back on the right tracks!"

With a brief exclamation of eagerness, Dowager Hatt got up from the bench that she'd been sitting on, and then walked towards her grandson's office.

"Uh, no! You, up there! I told you to hold it," the elderly lady said to a workman on a ladder still holding onto a basket of flowers. At that moment, Dowager Hatt and Emily heard the sounds of a Great Western whistle, and Duck came charging into the station, looking cross.

"SHARON HILARY HATT!"

The elder jumped at the sound of her full name.

"D-Duck…"

"You've got some explaining to do," he growled. "Donald and Douglas have been forced away from the Little Western taking a pointless train of party decorations. Oliver and I are overworked due to all this chaos going on. And to cap this all off, I can't find my slip coaches anywhere! Who did you give them to?!"

Emily blasted her whistle before any further ranting could commence.

"That will do, Montague," she said sternly. "Dowager Hatt's about to do what she can to get things back on track again with my help."

"I'm not leaving without an answer, Emily," said Duck. "Dowager Hatt, who did you give my coaches to?"

"Er… hmm… it was one of the 08s…." she trailed. "He passed by here just a moment ago… one of the yellow and greenish-brown ones…"

Duck looked straight at Dowager Hatt with blazing fury and betrayal.

"You gave my coaches… to ARRY OR BERT?!"

"Oh, so that was their names…"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Duck screamed. "THOSE TWO MONSTERS TRIED TO KILL ME!"

"Wait, what…" stammered Dowager Hatt.

"Oh, yes," said Emily, remembering. "It was during the search for Tasha when Green Water got poured into your system."

"Oh, Duck, I…"

"Forget it!" growled Duck, puffing away. "I'm never trusting you ever again!"

"Smooth move, Grandma Sharon," snorted Annabelle. "That was like putting the roadrunner in charge of Will E Coyote. Now do you see why I was getting Amanda - the engine - to step in?"

"Yes, I see that now," sighed Dowager Hatt. "How could I forget that Arry and Bert… almost did that to him…"

"Arry and Bert mostly stay up at Killdane where their manager can keep an eye on them," said Annabelle. "And if they are let out, they are put under a constant watch, where we keep them as far away from the Little Western as we can. Oliver, Toad and Donald have had similar incidents with them in the past."

"That does make sense," said Dowager Hatt. "Do you think the other engines will be as easy to calm down?"

"That depends," said Emily. "I hate to imagine how else Duck is taking this."


It would seem that Duck's rant had manifested into a massive chain reaction for the rest of the engines and non-engines alike, as Emily and Annabelle tried to talk to everyone.

"After putting Arry with the slippies?!" growled Oliver. "Absolutely not. I'd react the same way if Toad had been forced to work with Arry or Bert."

"Where is Duck right now?" asked Amanda.

"Counseling session with Mrs. Lucy Kyndley," Diesel explained.

"It's that bad?" gasped Porter.

"Given his rant, I'd be surprised if he could go back to work within the next few hours," sighed Diesel.

"Great," muttered Henry. "Dowager Hatt just had to mess up everything!"

"Please, everyone," said Emily. "If not for Dowager Hatt, at least do it for Sir Topham Hatt! Does he deserve to see all of his engines in chaos?"

No one responded at first.

"I… guess it'd be unfair for him," said James. "There's been enough confusion and delay as it is."

"There's a good engine," smiled Annabelle. "Now, you lot get back to work. No more circus stunts, right, Grandma Sharon?"

"Right…" she nodded, heading for the office. "I'll start on the main line."

"Okay, I'll start with the Wellsworth branch." Annabelle got out her clipboard. "Edward, passenger run to Brendam. Amanda, goods run to Suddery. Philip…" She blinked, double checking her ranks of engines.

"Uh, does anyone know where Philip's gone off to?"

"Er… I think I heard Dowager Hatt say something about a mine," said Stafford.

"A m-mine?!" gasped Charlie.

"Oh, flatten my funnel!" cried Edward. "Which mine? Where?!"

"Ulfstead, I think."

"That's the abandoned mine shaft beneath the castle!" Edward cried, puffing away without another word.

"Oh dear…" sighed Annabelle. "Amanda, you take that goods train, James, you fill in for Edward until he gets back."


"Philip!" called Edward when he got to the mine entrance. "Oh, Philip, can you hear me?!"

"E-Edward?" called a small voice. "Is that you? It's really dark in here. My light's out."

"Philip!" exclaimed Edward. "Oh, thank throttles you're alright!"

"Wh-where are you?" asked the little boxcab.

"Outside," called Edward. "Follow my voice. Go slowly."

Luckily for Philip, his driver had a flashlight and the boxcab's driver was able to use that to find their way out of the mine; Edward talking to him worked wonders as well.

"Oh, thank you for rescuing me, Edward," smiled Philip. "You were really brave!"

"And you were too," whispered Edward. "Come on, I think Annabelle might have some shunting for you to do, outside in the sun."

"Oh, anything's better than being stuck inside that awful mine!"


By the time Edward and Philip got back, everyone was doing their proper jobs. Edward had taken his late afternoon train up to Knapford, and he saw Dowager Hatt, Sir Topham Hatt and Annabelle Regaby on the platform.

"Dowager Hatt, what in Beeching's name were you thinking?!" Rarely was Edward ever this cross with anyone.

"E-Edward…" stammered Sir Topham Hatt.

"Philip was stuck in the Ulfstead mine shaft, sir!"

"Is that true, grandmother?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.

"I… I did send him up there," she stammered. "But…"

"His light went out!" growled Edward. "The mine lights had gone out! He was struggling with a few trucks on rickety old tracks! They could have collapsed if he was in there for much longer!"

"Oh, and should I mention that Duck couldn't go back to work today because he was traumatized by Arry taking the slippies?" added Annabelle.

"How could you even think that those ideas were remotely helpful?!" growled Sir Topham Hatt. "What else have you done to my railway?"

"To be fair," Annabelle cut in, "she did at least try to fix things up with Emily's help."

"That may be so, Annabelle," said Sir Topham Hatt. "But traumatizing one of my engines and almost killing another, even if it was an accident… I don't want you near my engines again!"

Annabelle was rather surprised with what she'd just heard from her uncle, but couldn't think of anything to say.

"Very well…" said Dowager Hatt slowly. "I'll… I'll go down to my house right now." She walked off, Edward holding his glare as the guard's whistle blew.

"Poor Grandma Sharon…" whispered Annabelle. Sir Topham Hatt moved off to check on Philip and Duck.


Meanwhile, Dowager Hatt was heading back to her house when she saw her son, Bertram Hatt, on a deck chair on his veranda next door.

"Hello, Mother," he said warmly, then he blinked when he saw her saddened expression. "Is there something bothering you?"

"Where do I even begin, son?" sighed Dowager Hatt. Taking a seat next to him, she began to explain everything; getting some engines to do ridiculous jobs, having other engines filling in for them - some of which were not suited for them at all - and Duck's trauma and Philip's near miss in the mine. The younger Hatt was taken aback when he heard the whole story.

"Sounds like massive trust issues," Bertram Hatt said quietly. "I know what that is like."

"When Donald came unannounced?"

"Douglas," corrected Bertram. "But it was a similar story. I saw them all outside at the indignation meeting shortly after Donald's 'accident'. I scolded them and told them to get back to work, but instead, they ignored me and Gordon dismissed the meeting as if I wasn't there. They barely spoke to me until I got back that following winter."

"I remember that," said Dowager Hatt. "The engines were understandably upset. But… what else can I do to prove myself to them? Especially Duck, the slip coaches and Philip."

"I don't know," said Bertram. "But I will say this; things like this take a long time to heal. Maybe they'll forgive you, maybe they won't. I recommend giving the engines space for a while. I'll see if I can speak with Charles about this."


Down at Arlesburgh sheds, Sir Topham Hatt was speaking to Duck.

"I can assure you, Duck, this will never happen again," he said gently. "Alistair, Mirabel and Benjamin didn't get any damage."

"Y-yes, sir," said Duck. "That's one blessing at least."

"If it helps, I might send Tasha over to help out here for a few days."

"Thank you, sir," smiled Duck weakly.

"And the rest of us will be right here for you," assured Oliver.

"Charles! Could I have a word with you?" The engines and Sir Topham Hatt looked over in surprise to see Bertram Hatt coming over.

"Father!" exclaimed Charles. "It's been rare for you to show up on the railway since your retirement."

"Welcome, sur," smiled Douglas.

"Duck, Donald, Douglas and Oliver, I see you four haven't changed a bit," smiled Bertram Hatt.

"What brings you here, Father?" asked Charles. Bertram led his son a bit further away from the engines and quickly explained the situation.

"She really feels bad about putting Philip in danger and scaring Duck like that."

"I… I just don't know what to say, Father," sighed Charles. "The engines are now my responsibility, and I can't let any of them get hurt."

"I know, Charles, but we all make mistakes. Remember when my actions almost got one of the Scottish twins scrapped?"

Charles nodded solemnly. "The engines did find it difficult to speak to you for a while. I… guess it was a mistake on Grandmother's part."

"Do you think she can be given another chance, son?"

"We'll see, father," said Charles. "We'll see."


A few weeks had passed following this incident, long enough for Rosie to be repainted red and Edward to move back to Wellsworth sheds due to James crashing into the back of Tidmouth sheds. Dowager Hatt didn't show her face on the railway, hoping that this time would be what it took for the engines - Duck and Philip in particular - to heal. But, Dowager Hatt was old enough to have great-great-grandchildren…


"Mother," said Bertram Hatt, knocking on the door. "Are you awake?"

But there was no reply from Dowager Hatt; instead, there was an anxious dalmatian puppy barking at the door.

"Oh, Patches," gasped Bertram. "Where's my mother? Do you know where she went?"

Patches nodded and raced towards the bedroom, Bertram using a spare key to open the front door.

When he got to the bedroom, Bertram's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh no…"


"You mean to say that she's died in her sleep?!" Charles couldn't believe what he was hearing. Bertram was telling him about what had happened via the phone.

"I'm afraid so…" sighed Bertram. "She was old enough to have great-great-grandchildren… we should have seen this coming sooner or later…"

"The engines don't know about this yet," said Charles, "and from what I had seen and heard, Edward and Duck were both quite upset when Grandmother briefly took over in my absence."

"Indeed," said Bertram. "We'll have to figure out a way to break this to them - and everyone else - gently."

"You're not wrong there, Father," said Charles. "Let's just take this one step at a time."

Both Bertram and Charles Hatt kept very quiet about the passing of the elderly matriarch for a few days, but that proved easier said than done.


"I'm glad Edward was able to find a nice place to sleep," smiled Pug.

"And with his new shed being closer to the Wellsworth branch, he'll have an easier time getting ready for work," added Jinty.

"I hope the other engines at Tidmouth are faring well without him," hoped Barry.

"Gordon seems to be on edge," sighed Pug. "I don't think I've seen him like that since that 'reshuffle' of sorts a few weeks ago."

"Ugh, that was so stupid!" grunted Barry. "I had to take lemonade bottles in open trucks to that party! Tell me, who in their right mind runs a railway like that?!"

"Sir Topham's senile grandmother," insisted Jinty. "The poor old dear can't tell a cat from faux fur."

"And she mixes everyone's names up," added Pug. "She called me 'Poodle' the other month."

"That's ENOUGH!" screamed a voice. The engines jumped and looked towards the sound of the voice. There, standing on the platform, with a face as red as James' paint, was Sir Topham Hatt.

"Don't you engines have anything better to do than speak ill of my grandmother?!" he barked.

"We were being honest," grunted Jinty. "No disrespect intended, sir, but a person that old should not have been put in charge of such a large business as a railway."

"Well, why don't you say that to her face next time you see her?" asked Sir Topham Hatt in a sarcastic tone. "Oh wait, you'll never get the chance! Why is that? Because she passed away in her sleep several days ago!"

Barry and the two tank engines stared in silence at the bombshell that their controller had just dropped.

"She's… gone?" Pug gulped. Sir Topham Hatt nodded in agreement.

"Why weren't we told of this sooner?" asked Barry. "Had we known, we would have let go of our sore feelings towards her mistakes."

"It was very hard on the whole family to handle," explained Sir Topham Hatt. "We kept quiet around you because I wasn't sure how you would react. But after hearing the way you slander her just because she made some unintended mistakes, I just couldn't stand it anymore. True, I was also mad at her. But unlike the rest of you, I got over it!"

"It was like nothing any of us had seen before…" Barry said quietly. "She just didn't pay attention to us."

Sir Topham Hatt sighed and walked off.


Word eventually spread around the entire island, and the engines and non-engines alike were very shocked. Edward and Duck were hit especially hard, given that their last words to Dowager Hatt were quite harsh.

"I can't believe it…" trailed Edward.

"She died before we had a chance to calm down," Duck added. "True, it was wrong of her to give Arry my slip coaches, but then again, it was a misunderstanding like when Emily accidentally took Annie and Clarabel. But I was just so angry…"

"I know," said Edward. "Except Emily didn't try anything… let's say, extreme. And I was just worried sick about Philip."

"I suppose we'll just have to live with this," sighed Duck.

"It won't be easy," agreed Edward, "but it's something we must do."


The mood of the island was somber for a few days following this revelation. The last thing Dowager Hatt had done for the engines was throw the railway into chaos, and for a while, they thought that this grief would eat them up.

"She lived for a very long time," said Pip at Knapford; she and Emma were visiting from the mainland.

"Yes…" said Gordon. "I'm surprised she lived long enough for Alice, Richard, Charles II and little Emily to be born."

"They were very happy to meet their great-great-grandmother," said Emma.

"Remember when we brought Dowager Hatt and her dog to the island?" chuckled Pip.

"Ah yes, how could I forget," said Gordon with a slight chuckle. "I wasn't too happy at first when she named Gremlin after that day's events, but now I can look back and find it funny."

"And then it turned out I was named after her late husband," added Percy as he puffed in. "She's finally with him now."

"That is a bittersweet blessing," sighed Pip.

"I just wish we could've talked to her one more time," said Edward as he came in with a passenger train. "So we could clear up all this slate between us."

"Maybe you can."

The engines all gaped in shock to see their former controller walking towards them. In his hand was a letter.

"But, Bertram Hatt," said Gordon, "I thought your son said…"

"I think all of you need to hear this," said Bertram Hatt. "Charles is adjusting the schedules so that you can come to Tidmouth sheds at seven in the evening."

"Whatever it is, it must be important," said Edward.


At seven that evening, everyone gathered around at Tidmouth sheds. As well as the engines were members of the Hatt family, all branches of it, from Bertram and Jane Hatt, to the youngest members, Alice, Richard, Charles II and little Emily.

"Everyone," said Bertram Hatt, "as you all know, my mother passed away in her sleep almost a month ago. The last thing she had done was send the North Western Railway into… chaos, to put it delicately. And a few of you were understandably upset by some decisions she made."

Edward and Duck silently glanced at each other.

"But before she died, she did have some words she wanted to say."

Bertram Hatt showed everyone a letter, on the back read, "To the engines of the NWR and my family." Engines and humans alike gave quiet gasps as the letter was opened.

"Dear everyone,

I knew my time was coming. I don't know how or why I lived for as long as I did, or how I'm still able to walk. But I did know my memory was getting much worse. So many people would try to get me to slow down and give me help. Maybe that was why I decided to step up to be controller for a day. To prove that I was able to make strong and well thought out decisions. But all that it ended up proving was that… Annabelle and Charles were right. My memory was so bad I decided to give Arry the job of taking Duck's coaches, and sent Phillip to an abandoned mine. And don't even get me started on the ridiculous sets of jobs I gave some of the rest of you. A hat and a cake from the docks? Lemonade in open trucks? A birthday balloon? If I could restart the day and try it again, I would have let Annabelle take the reins.

I just want all of you to know, I'm really sorry for messing things up for your railway. And I'm also sorry, little Richard, for making a mess of your special day. I just wanted to feel in control for once in my life, and see you have a good birthday like your older cousin did last month. I hope that you will find this letter, should I die before I can talk to all.

Love all of you,

Dowager Sharon Hatt."

The engines stood in silence once the letter was read.

"She did put the railway back on track with Emily's help," said Henry.

"I guess she really is remorseful for messing everything up," said James.

"And none of us ever thought she deserved to be given another chance…" whimpered Philip.

"But we all mess up from time to time," said Edward. "And while she isn't around to see it… I don't forgive her for putting Phillip in danger, but I am willing to acknowledge she made a mistake and tried to mend things."

"As do I," agreed Duck. "While I was angry that she let my slip coaches end up in Arry's buffers, I understand now that it was not out of malicious intent. I don't regret my message to her, but I do wish it could have been more tactful."

"Well, given… circumstances, it is understandable you reacted like that," said Toby.


It was then decided that a special memorial service would be held in honor of Dowager Hatt. Any engine that could make it had gathered at Knapford station. Many fond memories were spoken and many tears were shed.

"She will be missed…" whispered Bertram to Charles.

"I wonder where her spirit has gone too," added Sir Topham Hatt.

"Wherever she is, I'm certain she is in a much better place," insisted Annabelle.

How right she was. While the mourners shared their memories of Dowager Hatt, a rather familiar spirit could be seen watching from the sides, accompanied by a trio of colorful Coffee Pot engines.

The End


So, here's another surprise entry into the SeventyVerse, and one that has been on the back of my mind for quite a while. This story tackles Dowager Hatt's Busy Day from a much more mature angle. While I do believe that Sir Bertram Topham Hatt would have retired by the time this story has taken place - as Sir Charles Topham Hatt is shown here; pretend he's calling Dowager Hatt "grandmother" instead - I don't think anyone other than Dowager Hatt could have made a mess of the railway quite like she did in the episode, meaning that Lady Jane Hatt would out of the question.

Back on topic, I also wanted to see what reactions Duck would get by seeing Arry - an engine who tried to straight up murder him in Diesels and Westerners - taking his coaches, and Edward to hearing that Philip was trapped in the mine. Results are not pretty, and I hope we did their lashing outs here justice. There's also a very subtle callback to North Western Origins. See if you can find it.

I will admit, having Dowager Hatt pass away was not a decision we were expecting to make, but it works. She's lived long enough to see four great-great-grandchildren born. It's very rare, but not impossible, to have five generations alive at the same time. We decided to set it after Fastest Red Engine on Sodor/An Engine of Many Colours/A Shed for Edward because of Philip's comment about Dowager Hatt's "new hat". I get the feeling that he's a bit naive to what almost happened to him in the mine, just feeling like he had to get out of the darkness.

Finally, I really enjoyed having Annabelle Regaby explored a bit more. We get to see some of her role as part of the Railway Board and how she has a snarky edge to her. One of her lines is a direct quote from The Saddle Club episode Horse Play, and there's another one from The Saddle Club's self titled first episode which I just realised as I'm typing this out. They're a little bit tricky to spot.

I would have liked to explore the 'Duck having a vendetta against Arry' angle, but I'm satisfied with how it turned out. Maybe we'll try that another time. I'd love to hear ideas for that.

We are still working on BTL series 2 - this is NOT one of those stories by the way, just a standalone like Little Western Christmas. Keep a lookout for more SeventyVerse stories in the future.

Update: I changed the wording on Edward and Duck's part. They DON'T forgive Dowager Hatt, but they did acknowledge she messed up and tried to mend things. There are just some things in this world that are unforgivable, and it's a hard truth to understand. Not to mention the fact that also adds a message: just because someone bit the dust doesn't mean you should forgive them. I felt it would be unrealistic for Duck to see Arry with the slip coaches and then let him leave with them, so I changed to him finding out about Arry at Knapford.