HAPPY TENTH CHAPTER EVERYBODY!

Heyday of the NWR, Part 2

Written and Researched by BNSF1995 and Broa Island

Mini-Tale written by Thomas1Edward2Henry3

Proofread and Corrected by Broa Island

Faced with the prospect of a motive power shortage once the Vicarstown Bridge opened, Sir Topham Hatt had to think of something, and fast. He tried to get some locomotives from the Midland Railway, but they wouldn't have it. The Great Central Railway was more accepting.

Geoffrey was a GCR Class 8K, the only non-faceless locomotive owned by the GCR. He arrived on Sodor after the Vicarstown Bridge was opened. Although he proved to be a valuable mixed-traffic engine, his overly critical attitude got to be too much. Not only that, the GCR told the NWR they would have to machine replacement parts themselves, and since Crovan's Gate Works hadn't reached the world-class works it is today, this proved to be a nightmare. Exasperated, Sir Topham Hatt sold Geoffrey back to the GCR four months later; Geoffrey is the only surviving 8K by virtue of being a non-faceless vehicle and is preserved on the heritage GCR as its star attraction.

After the debacle with Geoffrey, Sir Topham Hatt didn't learn his lesson about blind purchases, and bought three locomotives in 1919.

The first two were a GER S69 and NER S3, numbered 98462 and 87546, and named Alfred and Cecil, respectively. Both were mechanically reliable enough but were unholy terrors. Alfred was perhaps the single-worst non-faceless vehicle ever conceived, being incredibly rude, insulting everyone (except Cecil), and mocking Sir Topham Hatt behind his back. Cecil was little better, essentially being Alfred's toadie and going along with everything he said or did.

The third was perhaps the most-infamous locomotives on the railway, and one that caused headaches for both Sir Topham Hatt, the Awdrys, and the TV series staff. Produced using plans stolen from Sir Nigel Gresley, the locomotive, named Henry, was a sordid hybrid between a GNR A1 and C1. Henry's builders and original owners found him to be a very poor steamer and were planning to scrap him alive so they could keep him a secret, but the police found them out, and Henry was taken in by the GNR. He never had a career on the mainland, being sold immediately to the NWR, where many of his faults were rectified, but not all of them. On some days, he could stroll away with any train given to him, but on others, he couldn't even leave the shed. Opinions on this were split: while engines like Thomas, Edward, Emily, and Neil were sympathetic, others like Wallace and Matthew thought he was faking it to be lazy.

Sir Topham Hatt, sympathetic to Henry's plight, gave him a green variation of the colors worn by Thomas, Edward, and Victor, and the No. 3.

The NWR made no new locomotive acquisitions until 1923, when it added Nos. 4 and 5.

No. 4 was the railway's first express engine, Gordon. Prior to his acquisition, the railway's express was pulled by either Emily, Adam, Ruby, or Yang. A GNR A1, Gordon was exactly what the railway needed during its motive power crisis, allowing express services to be run more frequently and faster, and allowing the previous express engines to be used on the slower services where they were badly needed. Gordon's acquisition allowed the NWR to rechristen the express, now called the Wild Nor' Wester. When he first arrived, Alfred tried to manipulate Gordon into becoming one of his pawns like what Cecil clearly was. Luckily, Gordon was able to see through the S69's lies, and eventually, Alfred stopped trying to bring the A1 over to his and Cecil's side and began treated Gordon just as badly as the other engines.

No. 5 was a completely different story. An L&YR Class 25, James followed in the footsteps of other Class 25s that came to Sodor and received a leading pony truck to become an NWR Class G4. When he came to Sodor, James was black with red lining, but after a crash on his first day in service caused by a signal failure (an accident that was attended to by Kate, not Thomas), he was repainted in the same livery has his brothers and sister on the railway. Now, let me set the record straight: James is NOT vain. A bit grumpy, yes, but he doesn't really care about his paintwork getting spoiled. He does have strong opinions on goods trains, though, and much prefers passengers, like the books and TV series would have you believe. The Reverend made James vain so his character arc would be more compelling. Also, many of his incidents are mis-stated, again for character reasons; for example, the bootlace incident was caused by poor maintenance, not James being rough with the coaches.

1923 also marked the year of the Groupings. The 120 standard gauge railways of the UK were pared down to four: the London and North Eastern Railway, the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway, the Southern Railway, and the Great Western Railway. Several railways, including joint and light railways, were excluded, as were narrow-gauge lines such as the Talyllyn Railway, Ffestiniog Railway, Corris Railway, and Ashover Light Railway.

One major omission was the North Western Railway. Although it wasn't a light railway, Sodor's political isolation ensured it would remain independent. The LMS continued honouring the running rights the NWR had with the Furness Railway, and worked out a deal to give Knapford a direct connection to London. In 1925, the North Western Railway built a new yard and shed facility in Barrow and struck up a deal with the LMS to run hourly services from Barrow to Norramby. In addition, the Wild Nor' Wester was extended to London, though on the condition that the train be handed over to the LMS at Barrow. The train calls only at Crovan's Gate on Sodor, then calling at Barrow, Preston, Crewe, Stafford, and Milton Keynes before arriving at St. Pancras.

1925, however, was also the year of one of the most horrific events in the railway's history.

After giving Alfred several chances to improve his attitude towards the other engines, Sir Topham Hatt began arranging for the GER S69 (now reclassified as a LNER B12) to be transferred back to the mainland, where he would be taken in by the LNER. When Alfred learnt of this, he did not take it well. Saying he was angry would be a ridiculous understatement. The news pretty much drove him insane!

"It's over. All over. No escape."

Alfred sat, all alone, in the goods yard neighboring Knapford Harbor. The sounds of the dockside industry and seagulls didn't seem to be enough to break the disturbing silence that surrounded the LNER B12.

"Oh, do stop complaining," groaned a non-faceless truck sitting on the second track to Alfred's right.

"Why?" Alfred asked the truck. "There's nothing not to complain about!"

"Keep up an attitude like that and there won't," replied the truck. "What about your LNER business?"

"LNER indeed! The LNER has betrayed me now that I come to think of it!"

"Rubbish!" the truck scoffed, but Alfred just ignored him.

"When Gordon first arrived on Sodor, I thought he was going to bring me out of this misery at last. But now I realize that instead of becoming my rescuer, Gordon has become my replacement! The engines of this island have all treated me like a dirty rat!"

"Oh shut up."

"YOU SHUT UP YOU FOOL!" Alfred roared! Clearing his throat, he quickly recomposed himself. "So… More engines come to the NWR and it becomes a 'really useful railway' for Sir Topham Hatt. Modernization progresses, but one engine will be there to see it happen. 98462, Alfred, is sentenced to the scrapyard. Boiler pumped with Blair Water like a turkey before Thanksgiving dinner. Broken up. Melted in the smouldering hellfires of foundries. Recycled. No longer… important. No longer… needed."

For a while… there was silence… neither engine nor truck spoke. Suddenly, without warning, Alfred let out a roar of rage that could've been heard from the Himalayas and back!

"I THINK NOT!" shouted the B12. "Two very special engines will take my place! After all, they cannot be really useful, IF THEY'RE DEAD!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" cried the truck. "You havin' a mental breakdown or something?!"

"HENRY…! GORDON…! TOGETHER, YOU WILL BOTH BURN IN THE FIRES…! OF HELL!" The psychopathic engine then burst into fits of maniacal laughter which, even for a non-faceless vehicle, didn't sound human at all!

The next day, Henry pulled into Wellsworth Station with a slow goods train where he found Gordon sitting in a siding. "Gordon? What are you doing here?" asked the green engine.

"Resting," replied Gordon. "An important engine like needs lots of it. Do try to keep that filthy goods train away from me."

"Pah!" scoffed Henry indignantly. Just then, both engines heard a whistle in the distance.

"Hang on…" Gordon mussed. "That sounds like an engine…"

"How can it be?" quizzed Henry. "No engine besides me is scheduled to come through here for at least another hour?"

The mysterious engine blew it's whistle long and loud. It was then that Gordon finally recognized it's tune. "It sounds like… Alfred?"

Gordon and Henry peered into the distance, they could both see a circular yellow shape growing more clearer and clearer by the second. Soon, they both were able to identify the approaching object…

It was a fuel tanker!

There was Alfred, speeding down the line at dangerous speeds. He was pushing a long train of five fuel tankers and nine vans, the latter placed between himself and the former.

"Oh my God!" cried Henry! Alfred was heading straight for the station with no signs of slowing down!

The stationmaster saw the approaching danger too! He ran into his office, grabbed the PA system's mic, and shouted "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" The passengers and station staff didn't need telling twice and there was a mad dash to the station's parking lot by the left platform!

"OH GORDON! HENRY!" called Alfred. "YOU HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT PASSENGER TO MEET TODAY! AND HIS NAME, IS LUCIFER!" Alfred, laughing uncontrollably, picked up speed! Gordon and Henry knew they wouldn't be able to move out of the way in time! They shut their eyes and waited for the end!

Lucky, a quick-thinking signalman diverted Alfred and his murder weapon into a siding! The first tanker smashed through the buffers and it, the other trucks, and Alfred tumbled into a field! The blue B12 was still laughing as sparks from their wheels set the fuel tankers alight!

KA-KOOM!

Thanks to the brave actions of the Wellsworth signalman, Mathew Zelda, Alfred's attempt at a murder-suicide was foiled, saving almost thirty-six lives that day. Alfred, however, was completely destroyed by the subsequent explosion. Not bothering to check if his damages were reparable or not, Sir Topham Hatt gave Alfred the Final Firing and his remains were taken to Crocks Scrap Yard. Sir Topham Hatt temporarily withdrew Gordon and Henry from service so that both engines could receive much needed counselling.

And that was the end of 98462.

Cecil's downfall came later that year, when he ignored repeated warnings regarding an aging trestle bridge over the River Hoo dating back to the S&M's construction, and went over it in a rainstorm, where it collapsed under his weight and caused the death of his fireman, guard, and three passengers. For his gross negligence, Cecil was sent back to the LNER in disgrace, where he was put on blast by the authorities for involuntary manslaughter, eventually paying the ultimate price: he was given a compulsory Final Firing, and was rebuilt to ensure he wouldn't have another First Firing. And lo, he didn't. Now a faceless B16, No. 925 remained in service until it and a faceless LNER A4 (4469 Sir Ralph Wedgewood) were badly damaged in a German air raid on York, April 29, 1942, and was subsequently scrapped. An ignoble end for an ignoble engine.

Due to these grisly ends, Wilbert Awdry intentionally excluded them from the books. They were only known because C. Reginald Dalby did his homework for once and included them in the first illustration of "Edward's Day Out", which prompted letters to Wilbert. He responded that 98462 and 87546 were sent away for "being troublesome", conveniently glossing over the fact that one had gone insane and tried to murder Gordon and Henry, and the other had practically been executed.

Henry was a different story. After his tunnel episode in 1926 (which was actually because he broke down and hid this with the 'afraid of the rain' excuse), he was repainted in the NWR Blue livery. For a brief time, he had square buffers, which caused many to confuse him with Gordon.

After Alfred and Cecil were removed from the equation, the railway's fortunes turned sweet. Very, very sweet, as the NWR recorded record profits in 1927 and 1928. Sir Topham Hatt had great expectations for even higher profits in 1929.

But then, October 29th came...