Dear Readers,
Many of you have been wondering how the Railway Series and TV Series "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends" could be stitched back together through fan fiction.
Here is a story from Christopher Awdry's "Thomas Comes Home", but from the point of view our favorite blue LBSCR Billington E2 0-6-0T. It will also explain some of the origins of new engines that have never been seen before in the Railway Series.
The Author
(Set one day after the events of "Thomas and the Railtour")
The morning after Thomas had been awarded an honorary member status with the National Railway/Railroad Museum, the Museum Director came to see him.
"Before you return to the Sodor North Western Railway/Railroad, I need you to meet with Stepney, City of Truro and Flying Scotsman up around Birmingham on your return journey." said the Director.
"Yes, Director sir." said Thomas, confusedly. "But what is all this about?"
"I cannot give you the full details of this mission without the approval of Sir Topham Hatt - your um, Fat Controller if you will. But your cover for it will that you four will be taking some goods trains of flatbeds and wellwagons/flatcars along." stammered the Director.
With that, Thomas set off to collect his train of flatbeds and wellwagons/flatcars.
Around Birmingham, he met the other three engines who were waiting to join him on the mission.
"You really want to keep time, don't you?" quipped Flying Scotsman as Thomas steamed into New Street Station.
She was the last of Gordon the Big Blue Express Engine's siblings from Doncaster, and was ready to provide some help for Gordon again in a new way.
"I'm just curious to know what this is all about..." muttered Thomas as he brought his train to level with the other three engines.
As the guards/conductors blew their whistles and waved their green flags, the four engines set out onto the line towards Carlisle.
"Unofficially; Sir Topham Hatt, your Fat Controller - as well as the National Railway/Railroad Museum's Director, have received some mystifying rumors." said Stepney to break the silence. "These rumors tell of engines that have over the years, escaped worldwide modernization and dieselisation."
"Since the Island of Sodor has declared itself to be a haven for every kind of engine; be they steam, diesel or electric, these engines have come from all over the world trying to find safe haven on Sodor." continued City of Truro - again, off the record.
The revelations continued as they proceeded up the country line to Carlisle.
That night, around Kendall, the engines had arrived at their first destination.
Having unloaded their cover goods/freight from their trains of flatbeds and wellwagons/flatcars, they puffed their way around the sheds and sidings when...
HISS!
"That sounds like some engines..." whispered Thomas to the others.
The hisses came again - this time, sounding more despairing; as though they were trying to draw attention to themselves.
"Who goes there?" asked City of Truro.
A whisper answered her question, having come from a female GNR Stirling Single 4-2-2 with her own set of six-wheel coaches.
She was coupled up to a male Dubs 0-4-0T Crane engine, both a male LMS Ivatt 3MT 2-6-2T, a female BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T, and a male BR Class 07 0-6-0 diesel on one siding.
They had a flatbed with a male narrow gauge Hunslet 2-6-2T from the Welsh Highlands.
The next siding over, Thomas found a male Sentinel 100 "BE Type" 0-4-0T, a male Rolls Royce 0-4-0 Sentinel diesel, a female Mosely Road Tramway 0-6-0T steam tram engine, a male H.K. Porter 0-6-0ST, a hybrid 0-6-0ST from Hudswell Clark, Kitson and Austin's No. 1 and a male BR Class 17 Bo-Bo Paxman diesel.
Their flatbed had a male narrow gauge Ffestiniog Double-Fairlie 0-4-0T+0-4-0T on it.
On another siding found by Flying Scotsman were an male A&P 2-2-0T traction engine, a male BR Standard 9F 2-10-0, a male 0-4-0 DH Bagnall diesel, a female GER Claude Hamilton 4-4-0, a male SR Q1 0-6-0, a male Sentinel 0-4-0T, and six male BR Class 08 0-6-0 Gronk diesels.
Stepney found in another siding a female SR USA-class 0-6-0T, an male LNER No. 66 Aerolite 2-2-4T with glasses, two male Manning Wardle tank engines: an L Class 0-6-0ST and a K Class 0-6-0ST, a male Sentinel 0-6-0+0-6-0T, a Bell 0-4-0ST and two unregistered male Ashford 0-6-0 Bulleid diesel shunters.
"Is the blue tank engine from the Island of Sodor?" asked the female Stirling Single.
"Indeed, and am I proud of that." said Thomas as he blushed.
"Hallelujah! My name is Emily. We have been escaping to the Sodor Railways/Railroads for years. But we have all run out of coal, water and diesel oil - therefore we cannot continue on our own." said the female Stirling Single.
"And you have survived the scrappers' and cutters' torches and molten metal pits for all this time?" asked Flying Scotsman, incredulously.
"Indeed we have, mateys." said the male Class 07 diesel, who seemed to like the sound and smell of the seaside.
"If our mission is to get you to Sodor and its Steamworks, we'll be glad to help - but we must work fast if we are to reach Sodor by the end of the week. It will have to look as though they are heading for scrap, but we're rescuing them." agreed the four rescue engines.
All the crews joined in for the rest of the night and the next day - taking off broken side/coupling/connecting rods; writing out transit labels; painting rust on and chalking scrap wherever they could.
These disguises were to come in really handy sooner or later.
Using a special breakdown crane, the smaller tank engines and diesel shunters were loaded onto the trains of flatbeds and wellwagons/flatcars.
The bigger engines were coupled and linked between two flatbeds or wellwagons/flatcars.
The four rescue engines marshaled trains up as the sun set.
Private steam engines would be seen, as well as the usual nonchalant diesel and electric goods/freight and passenger runs throughout the day, but no word had been reported to some scrap-happy rail workers and engines ready for a good hunt.
"All aboard! Trains leaving on tracks 1 through 4 for Sodor, Crovan's Gate and the Steam-a-works!" whisper-shouted Thomas as they set off into the misty night for Sodor.
They were going to highball right through Barrow-in-Furness, it seemed for a while.
As they continued on down the line, they passed some familiar male diesels with a mixed goods/freight for Newcastle-upon-Tyne; a Class 08, two Class 40s, a Class 42 with a stowed grabber claw and a Class 46.
"Control! Steamers and turncoat diesels on the run! Control!" they called to a passed signal box.
They were running at their highest-allowed speed to enter Barrow-in-Furness vicinity when they were flagged down by a night foreman, looking suspiciously at the engines coupled behind Thomas, City of Truro, Stepney and Flying Scotsman.
"Hold it! Several old-style steam and diesel engines here? You know better than to take them off the mainland!" protested the foreman.
"They are all for Sodor's scrapyards! See for yourself, sir!" countered two familiar voices.
There stood the Museum Director and the Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt, looking pointedly at the foreman.
He then looked all over the engines just to make sure they were in order.
It seemed to be an eternity, when it only took thirteen minutes.
"Seems in order, ladies and gentlemen. Right. Off you go!"
When the guards/conductors blew their whistles, the four rescue engines picked up speed again as they rumbled out of the vicinity of Barrow-in-Furness.
Thomas; who was pulling his train in reverse, looked to Emily who was coupled buffer to buffer, face to face with him.
"That was close. Too close for comfort!" muttered Thomas to the other engines.
"We've had worse." Replied Emily, as they all forged ahead.
The day before, Emily told them their story as they were preparing her for the night journey.
Over the years, Emily had helped to smuggle steam and diesel engines alike to safe hiding places in the countrysides.
She and her crew hid them from the progress of the modernizations of the British Railways/Railroads rather successfully, in hopes that they could eventually be restored and find safe haven on the Island of Sodor, which had no plans to dieselize or modernize its traction.
The Beeching Axe and Dr. Richard Beeching's Modernization Plans had failed to account for the ingenuity of Emily and her crews finding places to save other engines and trying to eventually get them to the Sodor North Western Railway/Railroad.
Hiding in whatever places they could (abandoned branch lines, heritage railways/railroads, lost sheds and sidings), Emily and the engines she helped to hide sometimes heard modern traction baying and growling like hounds outside, making their wheels tremble...
As Emily continued reminiscing and the first rays of the sun shone, they four rescue trains and their engines rumbled over the bridge and onto the main line of the Sodor North Western Railway/Railroad near Vicarstown.
They were home free and would not be caught anymore.
"Welcome to the Island of Sodor, everybody. They cannot catch us now!" proclaimed Thomas as they rattled through, and it was daylight when they arrived at the Steamworks near Crovan's Gate.
Geoff the Works Diesel was surprised to see the collection of engines.
"Good morning, Thomas. It's good to see you home!" said Geoff, cheerfully.
His demeanor then turned to being discreet as he studied the newcomers.
"I shall find wonderful places for the new engines..." he whispered.
It was then that Thomas turned to his "partners in crime".
"It was nice to see you again, Thomas." chimed Stepney, jovially. "I look forward to seeing all of you again someday."
"Tell Gordon I send my love, and that my rebuild will be going well." said Flying Scotsman.
"Even if my boiler ticket and repairs expire and don't go well, tell Duck and Oliver I hope to see them visit sometime." muttered City of Truro, putting on a brave face.
Thomas knew what that meant, and he puffed away to the big stations for his welcome home celebrations.
Having agreed that this off-the-record mission was a complete success, the three engines saw Thomas puff away towards Knapford and Tidmouth and regarded their rescues one last time.
After their flatbeds and wellwagons/flatcars were unloaded, the engines were turned around on the Crovan's Gate turntable.
Coupling up to their trains, they then set off back for the mainland...