The Thomas the Tank Engine Crackfic Collab
By Memesandtreasure and Seaboarder
Published by Derby Locomotive Works on FanFiction
Informative Chapter 2. The NWR timeline
1914: The grouping of the Sodor and Mainland Railway, what's left of the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway, and the Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway creates the North Western Railway. It was formed to have an outpost to aid in the coastal defence against dangers from the Atlantic (at this time, Germany). It inherits W&S #3 (Adam William Stephenson), S&M #1-3 (Neil Neilson Hyde, Matthew Neilson Hyde, & Clive Neilson Hyde), and four coffeepots (Glynn Hatt Tidmouth being among them).
1915: The NWR begins operation. Percy Avonside Bristol (custom built 0-4-0 Saddle Tank), Alfred Holden Stratford (GER S69/LNER B12 prototype), and Cecil "Crovan" Churchward Swindon (custom-built; shape based on a GWR 2800) are its first non-inherited acquisitions. The NWR is carried by its fleet to the end of World War 1, and Crovan and Alfred change for the better. Alfred adopts a personality similar to Alfred Pennyworth, and Crovan, being his friend, is influenced by Alfred's new outlook on life and comes to stand on his own as his own engine.
1916: The NWR constructs a single line extension of the Main Line all the way to Arlesburgh by Government Order. The line was key to the NWR's obligations as a strategic railway, allowing the Admiralty to regularly patrol Sodor's West Coast with armored engines. When Arlesburgh is reached, the immediate threat has passed, but the NWR still goes through with a further extension to Harwick upon new species of fish suddenly popping up out of nowhere over there. Adam is sent over to run the branchline's passenger services, while a GCR 8K named Geoffrey is bought and assigned to handle heavy fish trains and heavy goods duties. The fish train service Geoffrey pulls becomes the Flying Kipper's predecessor.
1917-1919: Connections with the Skarloey, Mid Sodor, and Culdee Fell railway form; all four railways share traffic with each other. First, they all share passenger traffic, then the NWR, MSR, and SKR share goods contracts, and finally, the NWR and SKR share a contract for shipping of exotic fish species from the SKR's saltwater lake. Added profits from the arrangement allow the four railways to prosper; with the sheer quantity and diversity of goods shipped out by this arrangement, they catch the eyes of non-Sudrian companies. The NWR is gifted with contracts of acting as the main connection between the east and west sides of the world, distributing goods to and from each sector. The NWR shares the contracts with the MSR and SKR, the latter two shipping goods to wherever they reach, allowing businesses to open up, and the three railways to turn even more of a profit than they did before.
1920: A Kirk Ronan-Dublin service is launched. Alfred heads it at first, but four C1 Atlantics are bought when he is needed elsewhere. They're all non-faceless to cut down on maintenance expenses, their names being Alice, Sarah, Mary, & Bridgette Ivatt Doncaster. For a time, they head the express as well, until the load becomes too much for them to bear.
1921: FR K2 NO. 37, otherwise known as Edward Sharp-Stewart Pettigrew, is transferred to Sodor. He proves to be an exceptional mixed traffic engine, and is put on lighter services. He is also repainted into NWR skyblue and receives the number 2 upon a request made directly to Sir Topham Hatt.
1922: STH attempts to buy a Robinson Atlantic, but somehow ends up with two different engines for the price of one. They're a small boiler GNR C1 (Klondyke Ivatt Doncaster), and an A1/C1 hybrid riddled with flaws and a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement rather than a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement (Thallimerrius "Thierry" Ivatt-Gresley). Thierry is tested on express duties, and while he is stronger and faster than Klondyke or Alice and her sisters, he's not consistent, as on one day, he could pull any train given to him with ease, while the other day, he might be unable to leave the shed. A very notable instance is when he breaks down in a tunnel, and feigns vanity to cover up his flaws. Everyone sees through the ruse however, and Henry is brought out for repairs and sent back to service. From there, Life goes on from there as normal.
1923: The grouping act comes, and the NWR is threatened with either closure or absorption into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. The Board, led by Chairman Lord Harwick, believes in the NWR's future and fights off the plans. Gordon Gresley Doncaster, a prototype of the GNR A1 dubbed the A0, is bought for a good price off of the GNR, becoming the designated express engine, those formerly heading the newly christened Wild Nor' Wester service being able to fill in on goods duties and other passenger services they're sorely needed on.
1924: the NWR enters an agreement with Jabez Croarie to extend its Elsbridge Branch Line to Ffarquhar, servicing the Anopha Quarry and providing a new source of traffic. Percy says he can manage, but Adam is brought over to help out while Sarah fills in for him at Harwick.
1925: Backed by new General Manager Sir Topham Hatt, the NWR brings the LMS to terms, allowing the NWR to maintain its identity. An agreement allows the NWR to cross Vicarstown Bridge and reach Barrow-in-Furness. The NWR also begins a joint suburban service between Barrow and Norramby, at the cost of the Kirk Ronan-Dublin. Life goes on.
1926: The NWR signs an agreement where it becomes an engine dumping for other standard gauge railways, at a reasonable price of course. The NWR's trackage is then modified into being able to fit all types of standard gauge loading gauges, upgrades being funded by the English Government.
1927-1928: Expansion of the NWR railway continues. The NWR sends spare funding over to the SKR and MSR to help with further expansion. Life is good, and only seems like it'll get better.
1929-1939: The Great Depression hits the rest of the world HARD, but not Sodor. Connections between the MSR, SKR, NWR, and CF help the four to survive with completely intact fleets. Still, they had to scrounge up whatever they could, selling off all unnecessary non-sentient rolling stock to keep afloat. Offsetting this is the increase in passenger traffic, automobiles and everything associated with them becoming too expensive to pay for. Life goes on, minus a strike thanks to Alfred and Edward.
Thierry's usage of Welsh Coal (infused with cocaine) occurs like normal for who we know as Henry. The Flying Kipper accident happens, and Thierry is sent to Crewe for a rebuild thanks to William Stanier owing Sir Topham Hatt a favor. For more details on the matter, see "Informative Chapter 1. NWR No 1-15"; know that the Black 5-Jubilee hybrid's full name is Henry Stanier Crewe, and Thierry's new full name is Thallimerrius "Thierry" Ivatt-Doncaster Stanier Crewe.
Gordon returns home running on a new diesel turbine, as it was too expensive to replace every single one of his cracked boiler tubes with new ones. He still maintains a steam engine appearance however, and is now the fastest and strongest engine on the island, his turbine having been made as powerful and quiet as possible. Although everyone feels uneasy around him at first because of the change, they eventually realize that he's still the same pompous git they all know and love. Nothing changes, sans goods contracts being made upon a few businesses hearing of Gordon's newfound strength and speed, coming in handy with World War 2. By then, things really began to heat up.
1940-1945: Ah yes, World War 2. Edward is sent off to the frontlines, the others stay behind to help from the homefront, and more locomotives are brought and bought. An LNER D16/3 named Molly Holden-Hill Stratford comes to Sodor to fill in for the K2 while he is away. The NWR serves its duty as a coastal outpost for the second time in its history, every Sudrian engine working their hardest to ship resources to the Allies. They also volunteer to help in evacuations as part of "Operation: Chariot"; civilians are evacuated to the countryside as fast and covertly as possible, Gordon being of great help thanks to his diesel turbine. A Sudric military base is established to quell its residents' fear, and martialed by an LNER B12/4 named Benson Holden Stratford (bit of a prick, that one), and fucktons of non-faceless tank engines, Jacob "Jinty" Fowler Vulcan and Parker "Pug" Kitson Leeds. The Axis powers made attempts at destroying Sodor, but all forces available beat them back, so Sodor's railways all came out with intact fleets. With World War 2's end came an economic boom, meaning the NWR buys more locos to help with increases in traffic. Thomas Billinton Brighton and Toby Holden Stratford come to be part of the NWR, Ffarquhar needing more locomotives. Thomas covers passenger work and Toby runs a tramway. Life is going well.
1946-1958: Expansion of the NWR occurs, as well as the merging between the MSR and SKR, creating the MSR-SKR corporation. Duke and Mr. Percival are now co-controllers, Duke representing the engines, and Percival representing the humans. Nationalization hits, and STH becomes the Fat Controller rather than the Fat Director. The engine dumping ground contract services BR instead of the Big Four, and as such, many acquisitions are made by the NWR during this period. These include Emily Stirling Doncaster (see "Military guys" for details), Donald & Douglas Sharp-Stewart McIntosh (see "Informative Chapter 1. NWR No 1-15" for details), Neville & Dennis Bulleid Ashford, and Rebecca Bulleid Eastleigh (a rebuilt SR Merchant Navy). All perform well, but Rebecca is shown to be a complete and utter psychopathic sadist, pulling apart S.C. Ruffey (real name Francis) just for the fun of it. She and Emily later choose to treat Percy like an infant whenever they can to torture him. There's also Montague "Monty" Collett North, who brought with him three slip coaches and three autocoaches respectively, and all of Thomas' war buddies, including Rosa "Rosie" Hill Davenport (a USATC S100) and Hank Baldwin Eddystone (a PRR K4). Bruce "Diesel" Paxman Crewe is also there, but isn't given a chance to dieselize Sodor, as everyone immediately sees through his lies. The Sudrians also have their quaint little island be graced by the Queen in 1953, so there's that too.
Members of the Sudrian fleet receive overhauls and rebuilds into newer classes during this time, such as Alfred's rebuild into an LNER B12/4, and Crovan's into something akin to GWR 2884s.
1959: OH BOY, is this a big year. Two major things happen. One, smuggling operations in which locomotives are illegally brought to the island and stored inside the "Sane Shed" are cracked down on, HARD. The locomotives stored in there include W&S #1-2 (Colin Peckett Bristol and Lily Williams Elms), stored away by the original owners of the sane shed (The W&S railway) to save them from a scrapping for their old age after declaring bankruptcy in 1911. Adam is the only one sold off, is bought by the S&M for heavier goods and passenger traffic, and retains his old colors and numbering. There was also Peter Stanier Crewe (the LMS 8F prototype whose boiler was fucked beyond belief by his builders), Maura Fowler Derby (an LMS 2P stored for unknown reasons), a clone of Stanford "Smudger" Fletcher-Jennings Whitehaven (Duke killed the original for slacking off), Kate Williams Dean, and others I currently don't care to count as of yet.
The other major thing is that the NWR contributes to British Steam's last stand in the form of funding and parts for Robert Riddle's finest project yet. That project was the BR Standard 10F, considered to be the pinnacle of British steam traction by rail enthusiasts and historians. Robert Riddles would also take the opportunity to incorporate as many modern features as possible, convinced that, if any, this class of steamer would survive electrification and replacement of steamers with diesels on non-electrified lines. The first, numbered 93000 (a non-faceless named Jessica Riddles Swindon), emerged from Swindon works during late 1959, and was immediately trialled to assess her capabilities. Teething troubles came, but results were promising, and with fine tuning, Jessica soon gave performances that left her parent class, and every other British steamer before her, to eat her dust.
Her design plays to a 9F's strength of solid construction, having the same wheel diameter and cylinder dimensions. The wheels themselves were an extant design not previously applied to the standards: an improved Bulleid Firth Brown pattern that reduced weight and wear on the track. Roller bearings were fitted as standard, and the motion drew on American practice, being light weight and well balanced to make the already surprising speeds attained by 9Fs a bit smoother and more sustainable for 10Fs. Valve gear consisted of somewhat modified Caprotti valve gear, proven in earlier experiments to be very efficient, leading to reduced wear and tear from harsh steam locomotive environments, and completely independent control of admission and exhaust.
The boiler came in for modifications too, with increased superheating from 35 to 40 elements. The firebox was provided with a gas producer combustion system and twin lempor exhausts, following L. D. Porta's principles. Given experience with rebuilt Bulleid Pacifics, Riddles also made the decision to include thermic siphons to improve steam raising, also hoping to further increase his design's peak horsepower.
Jessica proved to be an immense success in heavy and fast freight work, and some relief passenger express services too. Her remarkable performances were all meticulously recorded, including her record breaking express runs on the former Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway; temporary transfers were done to assess her performance on the taxing route.
The success of the design led to the rebuilding of newer 9Fs throughout the 1960s with the decision to withdraw all other classes of steam locomotive from British Railways due to replacement on passenger duties by diesels and electrics and the rapidly diminishing wagon-load freight. The 10Fs were very well suited to the remaining and developing fast long-distance freight work which BR was trying to expand and this coupled, with their relative efficiency and ability to burn lower grade coal with little to no loss in performance, won them a reprieve.
As a reward for their contributions to this revolutionization of engineering, the NWR receives two rewards. One's Jessica, who becomes the NWR's chief goods engine, and the other is Murdoch (a 9F salty about his class being one-upped), the secondary goods engine. With their strength and speed, the two 2-10-0 BR Standard tender engines help the NWR procure even more goods contracts than the railway already had, allowing it to thrive to an even greater extent than it already did before. Life seems good.
1960: Interest in the MSR-SKR saltwater lake reaches its breaking point. The English government demands the Sudrians to open it to scientific expeditions. Sodor relents, and the reason as to why the Saltwater lake is a saltwater lake in the first place is revealed; it's because it's a hole leading into an underground sea spanning across the entirety of Earth. Said sea actually contains every species of aquatic life to have ever existed, and all have evolved gills to breathe underwater. Sudrian governments are paid to keep the hole open for further expeditions, money which is then used to further bolster its three railways. The NWR chooses to use this money by going the route of Riddles with his 10Fs, and every other railway company with their fleets (British Rail included), upgrading them with as many modern features as possible at the finest works companies have in their possession. The more efficient locos means more goods contracts are rustled up. Life is good.
1961: The usage of diesel turbines is banned upon it being discovered how much of a pollutant they really are. As a result, Gordon is shut up inside of a shed, and the others have to pick up his slack, as he was the island's strongest and fastest engine. To the NWR, its fleet, and Sodor, it seemed Gordon would never be able to run again. Then, BR comes in with a proposition of modifying the A0 to run on these new experimental propane turbines they've hired Dutch companies to manufacture. Gordon is fitted with one, and the rest is history (for more details, see "Informative Chapter 1. NWR No 1-15").
1962-1972: Business booms for everyone. The NWR bags more goods contracts, as most of its engines slowly but surely convert to run on propane turbines, becoming faster and stronger than ever before. For instance, Hank now reaches speeds of 127.2 miles per hour, and hauls goods trains over 3.16 miles long and 20,000 tons at top speed single handedly. Few refuse conversion, and those too small, mentally questionable, or with too many drivers on a wheelbase or bogie are left out. Life is good, sans big engine superiority, but that's eventually fixed with the acquisition of a particular locomotive amongst many.
1973: This year is interesting. In the span of seven months, two ghosts wreak havoc. The first is a box tank named Waterton Neilson Hyde, an egotist in life and death. The second? Timothy, who holds an E2 body together by sheer force of will. They're not the most important though, as that title goes to James Hughes Horwich (for more details, see "Informative Chapter 1. NWR No 1-15").
1974: Jonathan's blueprints for James' conversion are discovered on the L&YR Class 31 "double tripler" (a locomotive with three pairs of drivers and three pairs of leaders) in a secret compartment fitted in his cab. BR obtains the plans first, as James is under ownership of BR's North Western region, and adapts the plans into being able to nuclearize as many consenting viable members of their fleet as possible. The NWR rustles up more goods contracts due to its already efficient fleet becoming even stronger, faster, and more fuel efficient than they already were before. Life is good.
1975-1977: This period is trippy and tragic, emphasis on the tragic. It starts off with the NWR acquiring some goods contracts, as usual. In fact, 1975-1976 is a very peaceful and prosperous time. Then, 1977 comes, and oh boy, is it fucked up on so many levels. A massive drug trip induced by mind warping coffee concocted by a wannabe Dark Lord named Melvin is only stopped by Edward, Henry, and the aforementioned wannabe, because they just barely scrounge up the necessary ingredients for the antidote, and administer the cure to enough engines just in the nick of time (as in right before they almost die). Then, a month after the drug trip, construction of a Sudrian airport begins. It goes alright at first, but that all changes a month after its completion, when the world's worst airline-railway accident happens, taking the lives of almost 800 individuals, 59 of them being passengers on a stopper James was pulling. Then, it gets even worse with the death of one of their own, as Colin and his crew give their lives to save hundreds of others because of the careless actions of a worker for British Petrol. The NWR sues British Petrol for as much as they can, win their case, scrap the non-faceless tankers, overhaul the not-up-to-code non-faceless individuals, and fulfill reparations for the families of Colin's driver and fireman respectively. A statue is also put up to commemorate the trio's heroic actions.
1978-1985: Acquisitions are made, goods contracts are obtained, locomotives are upgraded with even finer modifications as time goes on, and lots of money comes flowing in for Sodor. Life is good.
1986: The terrorist attack in "Prologue Chapter 1: The Big Engines & BR" occurs; The North Western Railway's passenger and goods traffic is hit hard, as clients want to distance themselves due to their usage of nuclear locos. The same applies to every other railway, the extent depending on how many and how much of their fleets are nuclear; governments are blasted for allowing the usage of nuclear locos, even with the installation of security details for these locomotives (with background checks for each member of a detail being done as thoroughly as possible to avoid a repeat of King's Cross). Still, the future looks grim for the NWR.
1987: The UN and railways from around the world band together to fix their ruined reputations and show unity by establishing a new global festival called "The Great Railway Show". The premise is that engines all around the world get to compete with each other in tests of strength, speed, shunting ability, and as a bonus, how pleasing on the eyes you are. Gordon gets the NWR to join when he hears that Abel (the Flying Scotsman) is signing up to compete, seeing the opportunity to get one over him.
The two get incentive to do whatever it takes to win upon placing a bet where the winner gets $100 and a year of bragging rights, where they can do so to the loser without interruption. The A0 signs up for the race, a Virginian Railway Class AG "Blue Ridge" named Sam signs up for the strength contest, Thomas signs up for the shunting challenge, and James signs up for the best decorated engine parade as a joke. The competition begins a few weeks later, and James wins by a landslide, as everyone, even his competition, vote for him; Sam loses out to stronger conversions, but gives them a hell of a run for their money; Thomas and the other shunters all crash into each other and derail, therefore making all competing shunters a loser; Gordon and Scotsman tie for first place, duking it out with each other while everyone else backs away uncomfortably.
The rest party it up post-competition, and it's alright, sans everyone getting drunk, until Bill & Ben bring out stuff they stole from Old Man Bailey's secret stash; 17 hours and 19 ransacked malls later, the engine and human police place everyone into railgate for a month for so many charges. Sam, Gordon, and Abel are the only ones unpunished, as Sam wisely goes out to do "other things", as he so eloquently explains to a drunk/high party, while Gordon and Abel were still fighting. In response, the UN forces the railways to begin work on a global superhighway to establish an inter-continental connections; Gordon, Abel, and Sam head the project, as they're the only ones who acted responsibly during the Great Railway Show, and in its aftermath.
1988-1997: Relationships between railways and clients are amended, as the former display how efficient and safe their fleets truly are to the latter. The NWR gets its passenger and goods traffic back up to normal levels, and life is going well. Other things happen, but I think I've revealed too much as it is.
1998: BR goes bankrupt, as they never recovered from the terrorist attack, and splits into two separate companies, Scotrail and Southrail, who evenly split what's left of BR's railways between themselves. The NWR is independent once again, and keeps its moniker.
1999: Construction of the global superhighway is finished a few weeks before Christmas eve. The NWR celebrates three things, those being the beginning of the new millennia, the construction of the global superhighway's completion, and Christmas. No malls are ransacked, as Alfred, Thomas, Edward, and Toby are all instructed to stay sober, alongside Sam and Gordon. It's a good year, as the NWR has been able to rustle up even more goods contracts, create a postal service, and band together with other major Sudrian companies to create a new parent company dubbed "Sudrian United", of which the NWR is a subsidiary of.
2000-present: so far, the NWR and the other subsidiaries of Sudrian United have been doing excellently. The going has been smooth, more goods contracts are being obtained, and it's begun to move up in the world. No one knows how long this will last, or if it will ever last at all, but who knows? What matters as of now is that the NWR is still perfectly fine, in spite of some of the weird shit that went on over there, like Gordon starting up a YouTube channel, or the engines getting three resident locomotive psychologists. Nevertheless, the NWR is still the same somehow functioning shitshow it's always been, and will always stay as such. Therefore, we bid you adieu. Also, it should be duly noted that the events in the RWS all happen, just had to get that out there, and that the stuff in the TVS either did actually happen, or were based off of real occurrences.
