The Half Engine
Based on the story by NCO Pictures
[The scene opens with a shot of the lake as the Mane Six have sat down for a picnic to the right, the Berenstain family have a grill nearby to the left, Aquamarine and Eyeball Ruby are sat down on the grass, pompously examining the surrounding area, and Kipper and Tiger are throwing a frisbee at each other. Diesel and Stanley pass by in the background with trains of fuel tankers and flour trucks respectively]
[Transition to a shot of Sunshine passing under the bridge on the Amber Branchline as Mavis crosses over it with a train of stone from the Phyllite Quarry]
[Transition to the evening as we pan down to James. The red engine is currently waiting at a red signal and looking rather impatient]
James: [sighs] How long am I gonna be kept waiting? At this rate, the sun'll be down by the time I reach Maple.
[At that moment, Bill and Ben pass by with a train of china clay and can't resist the chance for a tease]
Bill: Hello there, Rusty Red. Standing idle, are we? Hmmhmm, exactly what I'd call being useful.
Ben: Don't hang around too long. I heard it's going to be foggy tonight. Hehe, try not to get lost.
[The china clay twins laugh while James scowls as they go by]
James: Those little squirts. As if I'd get lost…
[Finally, the signal drops, and James is given clearance to proceed]
James: At last!
[The red engine gives a short "peep-peep" before pulling forward]
[Transition to later in the evening. Unfortunately for James, the fog has come down thick and fast as he rounds a corner. The fog is so dense that his headlamp can barely pierce through]
James: [grumbling] Oh, you've got to be kidding me…can hardly see a thing with this stupid fog.
[Cut to a panned-out angle of James passing over a bridge, presumably the same one that Henry almost had a close encounter with during "Riverbed"]
[Transition to a set of points. Because of the fog, the signal box has a hard time detecting incoming trains, so James ends up turning right off the mainline and onto an old track leading into the trees and bushes]
James: What the? For cryin' out loud! I don't even recognize this line…in fact, where even am I?
[James crosses over a small river before we cut to him rounding a bend]
James: Honestly, why doesn't the Fat Controller get rid of these disused…?
[James trails off as he suddenly comes to a stop…everything is still for a moment before the shot slowly pans away from the red engine…he begins to shake]
James: Ah…aaaaah…ah-aaaah…
[The pan-out stops as we see the side of a rusty old engine…however, as the camera rolls over to the other side…only half of the engine is visible, the other half is absent, cut clean through the middle like a slice of butter]
James: No…n-no, I-I need to get out of here!
[James gives a sharp whistle of fear before lurching backwards away from the scrap engine, the shot carries on as he disappears into the fog]
[Cut to the main sheds at Evergreen]
[Thomas, Percy, Henry, Gordon, Edward, and Emily are situated in their berths as Toby backs down onto his. By this point, the sky has darkened to night. The engines are ready to settle in for the night, apart from Thomas as he stares out to the yards, worried about James]
Thomas: Where's James? He's usually here by now.
Edward: I wouldn't worry too much about it, Thomas. He must have been held up by a signal. I'm sure he'll be here in no time at all.
[At that moment, the sound of James' whistle can be heard]
Toby: What do you know, there he is.
[Cut to James approaching the turntable. He has a grim look on his face as he stares down at the rails]
Thomas: We were just talking about you. How was your day?
[James doesn't respond as he's spun around on the turntable]
Percy: James? Are you alright? You look a little…pale.
[Once again, James doesn't respond as the table stops at the middle berth. He backs down onto it]
Emily: James? Is something the matter?
[James says nothing as he stops between Gordon and Thomas. The big blue engine tries to change the tone]
Gordon: If I didn't know better, which is, hmmhmm, quite rare, I'd say that poor little James has seen a ghost.
James: [murmuring] Well, I…I did see something…
Henry: What was it? That scary Jack Frost nonsense again?
James: I, uh…I saw a scrap engine…
Toby: …Oh.
Gordon: …That's it? I understand it is rather distressing to see those poor souls, but you've seen many of them, James. Yet you've never looked this disturbed.
James: This one was…different…
Edward: How so, James?
James: Well, it was cut in half. Clean through the middle without a fault at all. Its other half was nowhere to be found. It…it wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before…
[All the other engines look disturbed at what James had said. Even Gordon who was now regretting teasing James]
Henry: But…how could an engine be cut through the center like that…?
Percy: Ooooooh, that's got to be horrifying…
Thomas: …James. You must have seen a victim of…the Half Engine.
James: Are you serious right now, Thomas? I am in no mood for your teasing tonight.
Emily: Half Engine? That sounds like a lot of rubbish.
Thomas: I'm not teasing, I know why that engine is like that.
Percy: Um, how?
Thomas: …Do you all remember when we had engines on loan from other railways?
Edward: Yes, but…oh…ooooooooooh…oh dear…
Emily: What's wrong?
Edward: Thomas…I think you'd better explain…
Thomas: Right…well, many years ago, before the Fat Controller's Railway was called such, there were several engines brought in to help maintain the railway.
Henry: Oh yes, horrible crowd the lot of them were. But what does that have to do with this…Half Engine?
Thomas: There's a reason we never talked about them, or at least chose to forget…
[Henry's expression softens and takes on a more solemn appearance]
Henry: Oh…yes…back in the 20s I believe…
[Transition to a flashback as several engines are shown gathered at the sheds; 98462, Gordon, Henry, 85746, Edward, 63635, and Thomas]
Thomas: "However, there was one that was…different…"
[Transition to a workshop where we see the back of a small locomotive. It bears a resemblance to Stepney, but in a dark burgundy color. From an outward appearance, it looks relatively normal…that is until we see the front of the engine]
"Something horrible went wrong during her construction, for she only had half of a face."
[We see the front of the engine as several workmen are gathered around looking speechless. The engine's expression is very tense and nervous, the right half of her face is normal, the left side on the other hand has a thin outline of a brow, barely visible pupil on the eye, and a faded mouth. The left side of her face appears as if it was scorched with hot water]
[Transition to her next to 63635, who appears rather uncomfortable in her presence while Henry is shown puffing out of the siding to the right]
"We could hardly understand what she was trying to say. Maintenance on her was a nightmare to watch and listen to."
[Transition to the back of the locomotive as the men are trying to work on her, but her pained moans and whimpers make for an uncomfortable sight]
"And through all of this, she was in excruciating pain. Her cries and pleas for it to go away were so horrid that we could hardly stomach it."
[Transition to a shot at night time where the engines are settled in the shed. The Half Engine is facing the other way, wailing as we cut to Thomas and Edward looking pained]
"But the nastiest of us, and even some of the crews, found it a great joke."
[98462 is shown berating the little engine as 87546 passes by to blow steam at her. Transition to several crew members having a laugh where the Half Engine can hear]
"But this would all boil up inside of her. And one day, she changed for the worst…"
[Transition to a shot of the Half Engine facing the back of the shed…cut to the front where we can only see her mouth, a tear rolling down the side of her right cheek…her frown slowly morphs into gritted teeth]
"She became much more aggressive, snapping at anyone she came across. Even to those who felt pity for her."
[Transiton to a shot of 98462 leaving the station with a passenger train before the Half Engine comes through in the opposite direction blowing steam in his face. Edward is sitting at the platform before he receives the same gesture. He watches the engine leave with shock]
"And to make things worse, at night, she would travel out of the sheds and into a heavily forested line."
[Transition to a shot at night as the Half Engine disappears into the fog before transitioning to a shot of her facing Thomas, Henry, a GWR Hall, and an LNER J50 at the sheds, while a loco resembling the Marklin Engine is turned away]
"Whenever she'd return, she would talk of nothing but how the whole railway would perish in her garbled and unidentifiable speech! Some of us thought she had been driven mad by all the pain she'd been enduring, seeking any way to be rid of her deformity."
[The engine backs away from the turntable, leaving the engines to look at each other anxiously. Transition to the station where TFC is shown watching the engine off]
"Eventually, the Fat Director had had enough…the engine was to be disposed of by the ironworks, and another engine was to take her there."
[The director is shown talking to a green saddle tank with six wheels before it transitions to a shot of Thomas and the J50 passing by a pond]
"However, at the same time, me and another engine were heading back home."
[The two engines are shown stopping outside of a junction as the fire alarms can be heard in the distance]
"As we made our way down the line, we could see smoke and the sounds of multiple fire engines."
[The two tank engines quickly made their way down the line to see what the commotion was all about]
"When we discovered what had happened…well…it's a sight I'll never forget…"
[The engines come to a stop before the ironworks and gape at the sight before them…the green engine is lying on the ground, split in the center, facing away from the viewer…the Hall arrives with a flatbed, a somber look on her face]
"We never saw her again after that day, but we heard rumors from the workmen about noises in the forest on foggy nights."
[Henry and 63635 are shown overhearing the workmen's discussion before it transitions to a foggy night outside of the forest]
"They all told us the same thing, it sounded like someone screaming in pain…"
[We transition back to the present]
Thomas: And now, it seems her spirit is still around…
[The engines are silent and somber, Percy is looking particularly pale, Emily has a small tear running down her face, and Gordon is trying to maintain a stoic expression]
Emily: Dear god…I've never heard of a more sad story than that…
Henry: Now I remember why we never brought that engine up…
Edward: It's why no literature mentions them, the Thin Clergyman knew it was too brutal to tell…
Percy: I regret knowing all of these details…
Gordon: …AHEM, well, I believe that's enough scary stories for one night. Yes, what happened was a tragedy, but there's a reason we keep these in the back of our heads. Now then…[yawns]...time to sleep…
[The big blue engine slowly backs into his berth. Some of the other engines take Gordon's tip as Emily, Henry, Percy, and Toby back into their respective berths, leaving Thomas, James, and Edward still in their outward positions]
James: You don't suppose…she's still out there?
Edward: I would like to hope for the contrary…but, anything can happen…we should get some rest now.
[With that, the three remaining engines back into their berths and try to go to sleep…of course, that's easier said than done for them. Thomas and James in particular look towards the windows, anxious to see any sight of the Half Engine]
[Transition to later at night as the engines have all drifted off to sleep…pan over to Percy who's quivering and moaning in his sleep]
Percy: Oooooh…ooooooooooh…
[This ends up causing Toby to slowly open his eyes]
Toby: [whispering] Percy…Percy?
[Percy's eyes shoot open]
Percy: OH! Don't split me! What, wha…oh…it's just you, Toby.
Toby: You alright there? I could hear you shaking.
Percy: [sighs] I had a dream about the Half Engine…she's not gonna come for us, right?
Toby: No, no, certainly not…at least, I think so…let's not dwell on it, eh? Try to relax.
Percy: Okay, I'll try…
[Percy and Toby close their eyes once more, and slowly drift back to sleep]
[Transition to the next morning as Paxton can be seen passing by the sheds with some empty trucks while Rosie is pulling the morning milk train. The engines are leaving the sheds, looking as grim as the night before, and the Fat Controller can be seen driving away in his car after having given out the orders for the day]
[Emily is the next one on the turntable. She looks back to the others]
Emily: Goodbye everyone. Let's…try to have a good day…if it's possible.
[James and Thomas glance at each other with uncertainty. Percy looks down at his buffers while Gordon maintains a serious expression. Emily proceeds to head out]
[Transition to the Amber Branchline as Thomas is shown pulling Annie and Clarabel through the countryside. The two coaches pick up on the little blue engine's awkward mood as he passes by Bertie waiting at the level crossing]
Annie: Thomas? Is something wrong?
Clarabel: You look a bit tense.
Thomas: Oh, it's…it's nothing, really…
Annie: I see…you know you can tell us.
Clarabel: Quite so, we'd understand.
Thomas: I unlocked a memory that should have stayed hidden…
[Thomas passes by Toby and Henrietta waiting at a signal, the tram engine looking pensive]
Henrietta: You're awfully quiet today, Toby.
Toby: Oh, it was just a bit of rough sleep, Henrietta. You know how it is…
Henrietta: …Right.
[The signal drops and Toby slowly trundles away]
[Cut to James crossing the viaduct with a goods train. His mind lingers to the night before…he jumps as Spencer suddenly whooshes past noisily in the opposite direction with a rack of coaches]
James: Oh…
[Angle: James passes by and into the distance]
[Transition to nighttime at Pine Station. Gordon soon rushes past with a train of empty express coaches on his last train of the day. The fog has come down again, much thicker than the night before]
[Cut to the big blue engine approaching a signal gantry as he thinks about the story from the previous night]
Gordon: Of all pieces of our history…why did we have to remember this one…?
[Just then, he notices a red signal up ahead and instinctively slows down before coming to a stop before the signal]
Gordon: That's strange. No other trains should be passing through at this time…
[Cut to the signal light shining red before cutting back to Gordon. He looks around, the surrounding area is still and lonely…he starts to feel rather uncomfortable]
Gordon: [inhales and then exhales] Okay, Gordon, take it easy…it's just an obstruction on the line, they'll clear it soon…you'll be on your way, back to your nice warm-
SCRRRRRECH!
Gordon: DOH!
[Gordon looks up to see an owl resting on the signal arm. His mouth curls into an ugly scowl]
Gordon: Stupid bird, go away!
[The owl flaps away, leaving the locomotive on his own once more]
Gordon: Haaaaaugh…you're losing it, Gordon…this fog and that dratted story are just getting to your smokebox. Just relax and-
[Gordon's monologue is interrupted by a scream coming from the darkness. He tenses up as it comes again]
Gordon: H…Hello? Whoever that is, this isn't funny…k-knock it off…
[Angle: Gordon from the side as he begins to shudder]
[Cut to a pair of wheels rushing down the line as they clank and creak, top view of their boiler…before cutting to the front of their smokebox, their face has changed drastically, pupilless eyes and a mouth full of jagged teeth as they continue to scream maniacally]
[Cut to the POV shot approaching Gordon as he shuts his eyes]
Gordon: OOOOOOOOH!
[Cut to black as the screaming finally stops]
?: …don? …ordon? …Gordon?
[POV: Edward is standing in front of Gordon as he gingerly opens his eyes]
Edward: Are you alright?
Gordon: I…right in front of…am I…still in one piece…?
Edward: …You are, but…um.
Gordon: Yes…?
[Gordon looks behind him and gasps…his coaches have been split through the middle and are now in halves]
Edward: We'll need a cleanup crew for this…
Gordon: …Yes…indeed.
[Pan-out shot of the two engines facing each other]
[Cut to the sheds as the other engines are tucked in for the night, only Thomas is standing out with the doors open]
[Edward and Gordon enter the shot as the former stops on the turntable to be spun around. Edward backs on the berth right to Thomas']
[Gordon is next as he looks down at the rails. The table turns him around and he backs down on the berth to Thomas' left]
Thomas: …You saw her, didn't you?
Gordon: …Yes, I…I did.
Thomas: [sighs] I guess you were lucky…
[Transition to a little later on as Thomas is now backed into his berth with the doors closed, leaving Gordon and Edward on their own]
Edward: …I think…it would be wise to forget about this incident…best not to linger on unpleasant memories.
Gordon: Quite…some stories are just…meant to be lost to time…
[Pan over to the works shed as the split coaches are lined up against some other full coaches. They look petrified at the sight of their faceless counterparts being cut in half]
[The shot pans away from the sheds to reveal an engine hidden in the shadows…the Half Engine lingers around before slowly reversing out of view]
[Cut to black]
Character Guide:
Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby, Emily, Bill and Ben, Annie and Clarabel, Henrietta, Sir Topham Hatt, The Half Engine*, Bertie, Diesel, Mavis, Spencer, Rosie, Stanley, Paxton, 98462, 85746, 63635* (The Red Engine) - Thomas and Friends / The Railway Series
Aquamarine, Eyeball Ruby - Steven Universe
Brother Bear, Sister Bear, Papa Bear, Mama Bear - The Berenstain Bears
Kipper, Tiger - Kipper the Dog
Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Sunshine - TUGS