That evening, Henry returned to the sheds with a new coat of paint, and a bright yellow number three with a red border on his tender.
"Good evening, Henry," Edward called as the big green engine backed next to him. The blue engine was in a very cheerful mood, especially after seeing Mr. Regaby's reaction to his sudden appearance at Knapford station. "You look really good with your new livery."
"Thank you," Henry smiled. Then he became puzzled. "What's going on, Edward?"
"Oh, you should have seen Mr. Regaby's reaction to Edward being at Knapford this morning," laughed Gordon. "It was priceless."
"The cherry on top, according to what I heard," said Albert, "Edward was ten minutes early. If this keeps up, Edward may get a branch line someday."
"That does sound nice," Edward admitted, "but I think we're setting the bar a bit high for now. One section of track at a time, I think."
"I think that should keep Mr. Regaby quiet for a while," laughed Glynn.
The next day, Gordon went for his repaint, and so Henry had to take the express.
"I hope I'll do okay," he said quietly. "My mechanical faults may cause problems."
"Do your best, Henry," called Albert, about to leave with Victoria and Helena. "We all have faith in you."
The guard's whistle blew for Henry, and he set off down the track.
"I can do this," he said slowly as he went on his way. "For Gordon, I must do it."
He then got to the hill, and started to puff even harder.
"Come on," he panted. "I can't let anyone down."
Thankfully, the rails were very dry, and the coaches weren't too heavy today. To make things even better, Henry was steaming well.
"Well done, boy," encouraged his driver. "We're almost over the top."
Finally, Henry made it, and he was able to coast smoothly all the way to Crovan's Gate. At the station, he saw Skarloey with the old coaches, but the six of them weren't the only ones Henry saw.
"Nice to see you all," said Henry warmly. "Oh, hello," he said when he saw a lady on the platform. "I think I've seen you around before."
"My name is Barbara Jane Hatt," she smiled. "And you are one of my father's engines, right?"
"Oh, I'm Henry," said the green engine. "Well, Mr. Hatt's not really our-" He broke off in surprise. "Wait, hold up. You're Bertram Hatt's daughter?!"
"Yes, that's right, Henry," Barbara chuckled. "I do apologize for getting you and Gordon mixed up when you first came here."
"So who was that little girl I saw?" asked Henry.
"That's my daughter, Annabelle," smiled Barbara. "She's got quite an eye for details."
"So I've noticed," said Henry. "Are you Mr. Hatt's only child?"
"Oh no," said Barbara. "I've got a younger brother, Charlie. He's got two children with Mandy - Stephen and Bridget. Stephen's still very young, but he's already picking up on his grandfather's love of railways. Bridget, not so much, but she is interested at least."
"I hope Bridget doesn't pick up on her great-grandmother's habits of railways," muttered Skarloey.
"Why, what happened?" asked Henry.
"It's a long story," sighed Ruth. "Believe me, you don't want to know."
"Barbara!" called a male voice. "There you are."
"Mommy!" Annabelle raced to her mother and hugged her. "I was worried daddy and I would be late to meet you for our tour with the Skarloey Railway today."
"Did you lose the keys again, Henry?" Barbara joked to her husband. The big green engine was surprised.
"Henry's the name of your husband?" he asked with surprise.
"Indeed I am," said Barbara's husband. "Colonel Henry Regaby, at your service, North Western Railway No. 3," he added with a salute.
"Regaby? As in… Albert Regaby's son?" gasped Henry.
"Oh…" winced the younger Regaby. "Barbara said things weren't too good with my father in control."
"I guess she heard news from her own father," Henry sighed.
"I'd better have a serious talk with my father," the Colonel said quietly. "Don't worry, Henry. Even if my father doesn't see sense with you engines, I do."
"You must be special, if you share the same name as my daddy," said Annabelle. "I myself was named after Annie and Clarabel, and my middle name comes from Edward - Edwina."
"So that's why your name is a combination of Annie and Clarabel," said Henry. "But why did your parents choose to name you after them, and Edward for that matter?"
"I was on one of Edward's trains when I went into labor," Barbara explained. "He had to rush through some stations just to get me to Wellsworth so I could get to the hospital."
"We were so grateful," said the Colonel, "we had to do something to thank the three of them."
"And I've been wanting to learn all I can about trains ever since!" smiled Annabelle.
"You're doing a great job," said Lucy. "You'll be a wonderful addition to the Hatt family legacy."
Annabelle beamed with pride as she and her parents boarded Lucy - the parents chose Lucy solely for that compliment to their daughter.
Later that evening, Henry was telling the other engines about his encounter with the Colonel and his family.
"Annabelle's a sharp minded child," Edward said proudly. "It's a miracle that she's the daughter of two parents whose respective fathers don't see eye to eye on everything."
"Two families in conflict with each other?" Henry asked.
"Well," said Edward, "are you familiar with the story of Romeo and Juliet?"
"I think so," said Henry. "I knew a workman who was fascinated with the works of Shakespeare. One of those plays was Henry V, based upon the life of a king in the fifteenth century. That was how I got my name."
"That's interesting to learn, Henry," said Edward. "Anyway, long and short, the families of Romeo and Juliet didn't get along either," the old blue engine explained. "The feud ended with the tragedy of the young couple dying."
"That is a sad ending," sighed Mildred. "Thank goodness that didn't happen here."
"What's a sad ending?" asked a voice. The engines all glanced up to see Gordon backing into the shed. He was now painted blue with red stripes, just like Edward, only with a bright yellow number four on his tender with the same red border that Edward and Henry had around their numbers.
"Gordon, welcome home!" smiled Albert. "That blue really suits you."
"Thank you, Albert," smiled Gordon. "It definitely makes a nice change from green. Plus, people will no longer have to mix myself and Henry up. The new numbers on our tenders will certainly help too."
The other engines warmly greeted Gordon too.
"Now, what's this about a sad ending?" asked Gordon.
"Oh, it was just a Shakespeare play we were talking about," explained Glynn. "Comparing it to the fact that while the Hatts and Regabys are in a feud, it turns out that Albert Regaby's son and Bertram Hatt's daughter have married and had a little girl."
"By Gresley's name!" gasped Gordon. "I didn't know that."
"That is true," said Bertram Hatt, walking over to the engines. "Edward, Annie and Clarabel brought my daughter to hospital five years ago, and it was thanks to their quick thinking that my granddaughter was born safely."
"I remember that day too," smiled Edward, "when they stood on the platform and Barbara was carrying little Annabelle in her arms."
The engines couldn't help but picture that in their minds, thinking of how adorable that must have been.
"Welcome home, Gordon," said Bertram Hatt. "And good job, Henry. I hear you did well taking the express today."
"Thank you, sir… er, I mean, Mr. Hatt," said Henry, quickly correcting himself. He had forgotten that Mr. Hatt was the temporary controller.
"Tomorrow, Marklin will be going home," Mr. Hatt announced. "And… it turns out another engine will be arriving in a couple of days."
"Another one?" asked Mildred. "Gordon and Henry haven't been on Sodor for too long."
"A fair point, Mildred," said Bertram Hatt. "However, he'll be arriving to help out with both passengers and goods trains." He sighed. "I'm guessing Mr. Regaby ordered one without my knowledge."
"Let's just hope this engine is a good engine," said Glynn quietly.
The next day came, and Marklin was sent off to a chorus of whistles.
"Farewell, Sudrians," she called warmly as she headed off into the distance.
"Goodbye, Marklin!" they all called, Mildred's whistle was the loudest of all. "We'll miss you."
When she was out of sight, the engines launched back into their routine, and continued on for a couple of days. This was until Edward, Gordon and Henry were all waiting with passenger trains at Knapford station. Henry had the red coaches, Gordon had his express, and Edward had Annie and Clarabel, when the engines and sentient coaches heard an unfamiliar whistle.
"That must be the new engine," said Henry.
The new engine puffed into the station. He was painted black with the LMS logo on his tender, and he had a rather anxious look on his face, much to the concern of the trio of engines and the coaches.
"It's alright," said Edward gently. "We're all good engines here. My name's Edward, and these coaches are Annie and Clarabel."
"I'm Henry," said the green engine. "The coaches I'm pulling are Sean, Mick, Harry and Dexter."
"And my name is Gordon," the express engine put in. "Welcome to Sodor."
"I-I'm James," said the new engine. "I-it's nice to be here."
Edward couldn't believe it. It was as if he was looking into a mirror.
He's lacking confidence, like I did when I first got here… he thought to himself. I hope we can help him feel better about himself.
Bertram Hatt came out to greet the newcomer.
"Welcome," he said kindly. "I understand you came a long way to get here."
"Y-yes, sir," James stammered.
"Oh, I'm not actually the controller," chuckled Mr. Hatt. "I'm just running things until the controller, Mr. Dry, comes back from healing from his sprained ankle. I'm Mr. Hatt."
"N-nice to m-meet you," said James. "Er… what should I do first?"
"I think you should learn the line with Edward first," said Mr. Hatt. "He, Annie and Clarabel are taking a passenger train to Vicarstown."
Obediently, James got turned around on the turntable and buffered up in front of Edward, Annie and Clarabel. If not for the fact James was directly in front of him, Edward would have assumed he was taking the passenger train alone; he barely felt a tap.
"R-right," stuttered James. "So… which stations do we stop at along the line?"
"It stops at all the stations," Edward explained. "You'll get to meet all the branch line engines and either Skarloey or Rheneas at Crovan's Gate."
"Aren't they also on the branch lines?" asked James.
"No, they run the narrow gauge railway that starts at Crovan's Gate," said Edward.
"Our railway connects with theirs there," added Annie.
"According to the passengers, their railway is very beautiful," put in Clarabel.
The guard blew the whistle, and the two engines started away.
"Doesn't it seem a bit odd," Henry noted to Gordon, "that there's two medium-sized tender engines pulling two branch line coaches?"
"Whatever next?" huffed Gordon. "Two engines with a statue on a conflat between them? What a ridiculous notion!"
"James is just learning the line," said Dexter. "You saw how nervous he was."
"Mr. Hatt probably thought Edward was the best choice to help settle his nerves," added Harry.
"Well, I suppose we'll have to let it pass," sighed Gordon. "It does take one to know one."
Down at Elsbridge, James and Edward met up with Glynn, who had some of the old coaches in tow.
"Hello, Edward, Annie and Clarabel," greeted Glynn. "And you must be our newcomer. I'm Glynn. What's your name?"
"Er… James."
"Welcome, James," smiled Glynn. "I hope you'll feel at home here on the island with time."
"Thank you," said James. "Oh, I like your livery. It's very bright and cheerful."
"Oh, why thank you," Glynn said proudly. "I've always liked it myself." He sadly sighed. "My three siblings and I were all painted different colors back in the day. Maurice was painted in black, Leslie blue and Phyllis green."
"What happened to them?" asked James quietly.
"I don't think I ever asked about what happened to Maurice either," said Edward.
"Well, I don't know the exact details of what happened to Maurice, but his final fate was the same as the other two," sighed Glynn. "All three of them ended up at Crock's… you know where."
Though Glynn didn't say it, James understood exactly what he meant.
"That's just awful, Glynn!" he cried.
"Phyllis and Leslie both wound up in a collision with some goods trains," Clarabel explained sadly. "It wasn't too serious, but the railway board unfairly took both of them away."
"No doubt it was Mr. Regaby's influence on them," muttered Edward bitterly.
"How his son turned out so different from his father is a mystery," Annie commented.
"Maybe his mother had some influence," Glynn suggested.
"Well, I'm glad his son turned out different," said James.
The rest of the passenger run went without incident, and James was quick to make friends with the engines on the rest of the island. By the time he, Edward, Annie and Clarabel had arrived at Vicarstown, James had begun to open up more to the other engines.
"I think I'm going to like it here," he said when he and Edward braked to a gentle halt.
"I'm glad to hear that, James," smiled Edward.
The evening came and the engines had gathered at the sheds together.
"I think the railway's finally starting to flourish again," Edward commented.
"It's a new era of peace at last," smiled Mildred. "Seven engines in the shed together."
But I'm afraid that Mildred was wrong, when one day, Bertram Hatt received a distressing phone call.
"He's what?!" he cried. "I'll be right there, mother." He hung up and quickly ran out of the office and to the station parking lot. Edward was at the platform with Annie and Clarabel, and James had the red coaches, all eight of them had concerned expressions.
"What's with Mr. Hatt?" asked James worriedly.
"Whatever it is, it must be serious," said Edward. "We'll have to be on our best behaviours until he returns."
James agreed, as did the coaches, and both engines departed when they heard their guards' whistles.
The next time the engines saw Bertram Hatt, he looked as if he hadn't slept for days. However, his red eyes seemed to tell them that he had been crying for a while.
"What's happened, Bertram?" asked Glynn with concern. He was one of the few engines who referred to Mr. Hatt by his first name.
"My father… he…" he sobbed. None of the engines needed to ask anymore questions.
With Bertram Hatt taking time off to grieve following his father's passing, and with Mr. Dry still recovering from his sprained ankle, Mr. Regaby took charge of the railway.
"With that James here," said Mr. Regaby, "we don't need that Glynn anymore. I'll make the announcement tonight."
But Mr. Regaby hadn't been counting on Edward listening in from the open window.
"Losing his father was bad enough," the blue engine said worriedly. "Imagine how he'll react upon hearing what's to come for the last Coffee Pot…"
Edward puffed away - he was on a break, so he wasn't due to take any trains for a while - and he found Glynn resting at Ffarquhar sheds.
"Glynn," Edward said quickly, almost out of breath. "I've got bad news!" He summarized what he'd heard.
"Withdrawn?!" Glynn exclaimed with horror.
"I don't want that fate to befall you like with your siblings," Edward almost cried. "Listen, I've got an idea. It's a bit risky, but…" He quietly outlined what he had in mind.
"Th-thank you, Edward," the Coffee Pot said weakly.
Edward buffered up to Glynn, and gently shunted him into a siding, well out of harm's way.
"With luck, Mr. Hatt will find you," he smiled, "and you'll be useful again."
"I hope so, Edward," sighed Glynn. "As the last of my siblings, I wish to carry the torch for them so that their legacy will live on for years to come."
Edward slipped back to the station and managed to find James just as he had come back from a goods run.
"Edward, you look as if you were chasing someone down," James commented. "What's happened?"
The blue engine quickly told James what he'd done and why.
"Not Glynn too!" he gasped. "That's good thinking there, Edward."
"Now we have to make it look as if Glynn's been scrapped," said Edward. "You'll have to cover his trains until Mr. Hatt or Mr. Dry comes back."
"Right then," said James. "Lying's not the most ideal thing to do, but in this case, I wouldn't argue against it."
"I couldn't agree more," sighed the older engine.
It was thankful that Mr. Regaby didn't catch onto what Edward had done, and the engines didn't need to cover up their act for long, for both Mr. Dry and Mr. Hatt - well, technically Sir Topham Hatt now - had both arrived back from their times of leave on the same evening.
"I hope the engines coped okay," sighed Sir Topham Hatt. "Mr. Regaby doesn't understand them like you do, Alfred."
"Well, Bertram, you're the one who built and designed the Coffee Pots and engineered Edward's rebuild," said Mr. Dry. "I get the impression you understand them even more than I do."
Sir Topham Hatt gave a small smile as he and Mr. Dry headed for the engine sheds. Much to their concern, there was a sombre silence instead of the usual chatter. The two men also noticed an empty berth while the remaining six were occupied.
"E-engines," Sir Topham Hatt stammered. "W-where's Glynn? Please tell me he's been delayed on an evening train."
The engines all tensed up, unsure of who should break the news.
"H-he's been…" Edward gulped. "He's been withdrawn, Mr. Hatt."
"What?!" he cried in horror. "N-no! The last of the engines I designed is gone?!"
"I wish I was making this up, sir," said Edward sadly. "I overheard Mr. Regaby saying that with James' presence, the railway didn't need Glynn anymore."
"I never asked for that, sir," sighed James. "I just came here to help with extra traffic, not to take over someone else's traffic."
"I don't blame you for this, James," sighed Sir Topham Hatt. "We appreciate your help, but this is what happens when the railway board is led by someone who doesn't understand engines' feelings."
"Agreed," nodded Mr. Dry. He looked anxiously at Mildred and Albert. "I don't know what in Sodor's name happened to Tasha, but with the loss of all four of the Coffee Pots, and most of the Sodor and Mainland's engines also lost, this is very serious. At this rate, we'll need assistance from engines on the mainland to help out with trains on the east side of the island."
James didn't know who Tasha was, and though Gordon and Henry have been on Sodor for a while now, they'd only heard her name mentioned a few times, but the trio decided now wasn't the time to ask.
"I think you're right, Alfred," nodded Sir Topham Hatt. "In retrospect, we probably shouldn't have sent Marklin back to her old railway this soon."
The other engines had to agree and the next day, they were sent to work. They managed alright for a couple of days, when at Knapford, Gordon and Henry both heard unfamiliar whistles.
"That was quick," said Henry.
"Must be some engines from the Midland Railway," said Gordon.
"Oh, is this the place?" asked an 0-4-0 tank engine excitedly. "Are we there yet?"
"Patience, Julie," soothed a tender engine. "If you don't slow down, you'll rush right by the station."
"I don't know how you keep Julie in line, Nicole," muttered a second tender engine. "She's got way too much energy."
"You have to admire it, though, Johnson," a second tank engine chuckled, this one being an 0-6-4.
"Hey, wait for me, everyone!" the last tank engine panted.
"Welcome, everyone," smiled Henry. "You must have been hired to help us."
"That's correct," said Nicole. "My name is Nicole, the smallest tank engine is Julie, the other tender engine is Johnson, the biggest tank engine is Lauren, and the middle sized tank engine is Katie."
"I'm Gordon," said the express engine, "and that's Henry."
Just then, Mr. Dry and Sir Topham Hatt came out to greet the visitors.
"Welcome to Sodor, everyone," said Mr. Dry. "Here's what you're tasked to do. Julie, you're to be shunting in the yards; Nicole and Lauren, you two are to work on the Ffarquhar branch line; and Johnson and Katie, you two will help on the Wellsworth branch line."
"Yes, sir," the five engines said, Julie was letting out an excitable whistle as she said that, and they all headed off to work.
"Somehow, I think that little tank engine's going to wear us out," sighed Gordon. Henry could only chuckle in reply.
With the Midland engines in place, the railway seemed to be running much more smoothly, but Mr. Dry was still worried about the last two Wellsworth and Suddery engines, and he felt the railway was not in the safest of hands with him being in charge.
"Don't tell me you're thinking of resigning from your post!" exclaimed Sir Topham Hatt when he'd heard what Mr. Dry had said.
"I've let so many engines slip through the cracks," sighed Mr. Dry. "The Coffee Pots, the Sodor and Mainland engines, Tasha. I've just been a bit of a pushover. But…" He paused. "Given what's happened in the past few years, I know who should take my place." He gave a warm smile, and Sir Topham Hatt let out a quiet gasp.
"I'll do my best," he said, taking off his hat in respect.
"I've also decided to purchase Mildred and Albert privately," Mr. Dry went on. "There's a small factory on the mainland where Samson works under the ownership of some kind people, and I believe Mr. Sam and Sir Handel Brown currently work there too."
"At least they shall be in safe hands," agreed Sir Topham Hatt.
"For now, I suggest they keep working on the Kirk Ronan line," said Mr. Dry, "until more engines can be purchased. And with them being under private ownership, James is now able to take up the number five spot."
Sir Topham Hatt nodded. "We'll tell the engines tonight."
That night, the Midland engines were chatting with the Sodor engines.
"I must say," said Lauren, "the Ffarquhar branch line is just beautiful. A friendly dog tried to rub it's head on my driver and fireman's feet."
"I don't know why I was put on the branch line," grunted Johnson. "I can handle the main line just fine."
"We're not as strong as some of the other engines," said Nicole. "Personally, I thought the Wellsworth branch line was lovely. The orchard is quite a sight, especially those apple trees."
"I loved the docks myself," said Katie. "The sea breeze is so cool on a warm day."
"Those trucks in the yard were loads of fun!" said Julie excitedly. "You sneak up on them, pull or push, and they'll go screaming!"
"Fun?!" exclaimed Gordon. "You must be joking."
"They can be," chuckled Edward. "You just need the right attitude."
"I don't know, Edward," James said quietly. "They make me feel a bit nervous for some reason."
"Are you alright there, James?" asked Nicole.
"O-oh, yes! I'm perfectly fine," James hastily replied.
Just then, the engines heard the footsteps of their controller - or temporary controller for the Midland engines - and Sir Topham Hatt walking up.
"Engines," said Mr. Dry, "this will be my last announcement to you all."
"Last announcement?" asked Henry. "Oh no… does this mean…"
"Yes," Mr. Dry said with a small smile. "I'm retiring as your controller."
"But you don't have tires," said Julie, confused.
"No, Julie," Lauren explained. "Retiring means that a person steps down from their position."
"Oh…" Julie said sadly.
"But if you're retiring, sir," said Gordon, "who's going to be…"
Mr. Dry gave a big smile at Sir Topham Hatt, and the engines quickly caught on.
"Well, we'd be honored to have you as our new controller," smiled Edward.
The engines all whistled in acclamation.
"Also," said Mr. Dry, "Albert and Mildred are under my private ownership as of tonight. For now, they'll be helping out on the Kirk Ronan branch line, but they will later join Samson and Neil in a factory on the mainland."
"You did that to make sure we wouldn't be withdrawn?" asked Albert.
"That's correct," smiled Mr. Dry. "Mr. Regaby can't decide your fate anymore."
"Thank you, Mr. Dry!" smiled Mildred.
As Albert and Mildred worked the Kirk Ronan line - the former with Helena and Victoria, naturally - a nasty thought struck the Furness Railway tank engine.
What'll become of Victoria and Helena? he thought to himself. They may not be wanted by Mr. Regaby. I don't know what became of that kind coach that Tasha had, but she's definitely not in service now.
On this particular passenger run, Albert met up with James at Kellstophe Road. The mixed traffic engine was still in black, but now with red lining, and he had a number five on his tender painted in yellow with a red border. He had the red coaches in tow.
"You look a bit worried, Albert," James commented. "I thought you were in safe hands now. That is the case, right?"
"I am, but I'm not sure about Victoria and Helena," he sighed.
"Oh, I didn't even think about that," shuddered Victoria.
"What should we do?" gasped Helena. "I don't want us to…" She gulped.
Albert sighed. "I think there's only one thing for it," he said quietly.
That evening, Albert found an old shed on the far side of the branch line that hadn't been used for a while.
"You two will be safe there," he whispered, shunting Helena and Victoria into the shed. "It has been an honor to have the both of you as my coaches."
"And it's been an honor to be pulled by you for our passenger runs," said Victoria.
"You have done us a great favor by saving us," smiled Helena. "We hope to meet you again."
"I only hope so too," said Albert, "for this is not goodbye."
Time seemed to pass slowly for the engines as they got used to all the changes to the railway. Edward seemed quiet as he buffered up to Annie and Clarabel one day, and stared into the distance.
So much has changed since I got here, he thought. There have been some good changes, some bad changes, and some changes I'd even say that were ugly. But life goes on. And no matter what comes next, I will be ready to face it head on. I'm a Sudrian engine through and through, and nothing will ever change that.
Indeed, with Sir Bertram Topham Hatt now in charge of the North Western Railway, it was the beginning of a new era for Sodor…
The End
"I hear you've been very rude to Edward and Henry!" snapped a young voice.
Mr. Regaby stared in shock, his granddaughter Annabelle looked daggers into him; her parents on either side of her when they saw each other at Killdane. This was supposed to be their summer visit, but it wasn't with warm hugs or kisses at all.
"Henry tried very hard to get his train to the station," said H. Regaby, "suffering steam problems isn't something he can control!"
"And poor Edward too," added Barbara, "he was reduced to tears that day, last I heard from Gordon at Crovan's Gate."
"And I heard from uncle Charlie that you withdrew Glynn, while my other granddaddy was mourning the loss of his own daddy!" growled Annabelle. "How can you be without a heart?! The engines can feel sad, anger, fearful, happy - basically, anything we can feel, they can too. They are as much my family as they are to my granddaddy!"
"I… I…"
"Annabelle's right!" came Sir Topham Hatt. "I've tolerated you for so long, as has Mr. Dry. But I didn't feel the strength to stand up to you because you are one of my in-laws. Today, however, I am revoking you from the railway board, and will be subsequently removing everyone who's participated in withdrawing the Coffee Pots and nearly withdrew Edward."
"WHAT?!" cried Mr. Regaby. "You can't do that."
"He just did, father!" snapped H. Regaby, as Sir Topham Hatt's bodyguards took Mr. Regaby away. "Barbara, Annabelle, I say we go somewhere else for a holiday this year."
"Ooh, can we go to East Anglia?" asked Annabelle as she raced after her parents. "I heard from one of my friends at school that there's a lovely steam tram there."
"East Anglia, and a steam tram there," repeated Sir Topham Hatt. "I'll have to look into that…, once I finish replacing most of the Railway Board."
The End (For Real)
Here's the grand finale for North Western Origins. We get to meet some of Bertram Hatt's family that we don't see in the books - his sister, Barbara Jane Hatt, his brother-in-law, Henry Regaby and his granddaughter, Annabelle Regaby, and we've also implied a family feud between Annabelle's grandfathers. James also makes his long awaited debut - sidenote, the working title for the chapter was Here's James! - and Glynn sadly gets withdrawn following James' arrival. Sir Percy Topham Hatt also dies, leaving Bertram Topham Hatt in a state of disarray. However, he is still able to step up to the plate and become controller, and Mr. Dry saves Albert and Mildred. Unfortunately, Victoria and Helena aren't so lucky. We also get to see the Midland Engines make a brief appearance - I imagine they are working in the background until at least The Adventure Continues - hopefully the brief glimpses into their personality gives you a rough idea of each one. Their classes are as follows:
Julie - Midland Railway 1528 Class
Nicole - Midland Railway 115 Class
Johnson - Midland Railway Johnson 0-6-0
Lauren - Midland Railway 2000
Katie - Midland Railway 1121
And we get to say goodbye to Mr. Regaby as a railway staff member, thank you Annabelle.
And for that one user... are you happy at least one of them's male?! The books and TV show have such a limited number of female engines it's not funny, so I decided to try and balance it out by introducing as many female OCs as possible. That reason with Brenner being "Unable to introduce BoCo and Hank into the TV series" is just stupid.
Ugh... Sorry folks, I had to get that out of my system. Seriously though, I am a female Thomas fan, so can you blame me for doing this?
I hope you've enjoyed this origins story. I was only planning it to be a one-shot focused on part one of Edward's Day Out, but this is what it came down to. More stories to come, and it may be a rewrite of Rusty to the Rescue on Zack's profile, so keep your eyes out over there. Sidenote, that episode will be the one to kick off the Season 5 redux.
