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[frontier-brain-ashley]

Alright everyone! So far my blog has been used to post about my Pokemon challenges, but I also want to share other things I am interested in, that being model railways, and controversially perhaps, the Railway Series by Reverend Awdry. I have super fond memories of these stories as a child, and of the TV series but nothing quite captures the imagination like a compelling story with relatable characters, gorgeous illustrations and stories that you can read again and again! 

First published in 1945, the books spanned 26 volumes, that introduced the world to the wonderfully whimsical and often moralistic world that is now known as Thomas the Tank Engine. The series is known for the strong relationships between it’s characters, the diversity in the stories told and, of course, some pretty amazing crashes!

Today I wanted to share with you my top five characters from the Railway Series and give you some reasons why I feel that way. Please note that this is purely my opinion, but do let me know if you share any of my favourites, or who your personal top five engines are!

5. Jock

Strangely, Jock only appeared with a major role once in the self titled Jock the New Engine which was number 34 in the Railway Series, written by Awdry’s son Christopher, published in 1990. Jock is based on the insanely beautiful Northern Rock 2-6-2 which still can be seen to this day running on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria, England. Jock was brought to the small railway to help out when Rex had a problem with one of his pipes, and being much stronger than the other engines, he soon became conceited. Initially un-named, Jock’s striking livery reminded Douglas of the Highland Railway and gave him his name as a memento of that memory. Jock earned the other engine’s trust following a quarrel with Mike and Jock agreed to much more chill in the future. 

So why does Jock score so highly out of all the possible engines I could have chosen when he features so little in the series? There are two reasons. Firstly, I absolutely adore Jock’s livery. The yellow and the red are so striking and he looks almost regal  especially with the brass dome, safety valves and whistle. Yellow is not a colour seen often on any engine but I think it really suits Jock and his role in the story as the new and cocky character that really just needs to be knocked down a peg to fit in with the others. And that brings me on to my second point: Jock is so relatable. Everyone can think of someone that is perhaps a little too big for their trousers, but Jock does go on to learn his lesson and comes out the other side a better friend and a better engine. I wish Jock had been included in more stories or even the TV series as his story is an inspiration to children and a lesson to us all. 

4. Henry

Henry the green engine first appeared in the very first volume of the series in 1945, named The Three Railway Engines. A mixed traffic engine, Henry excels in hauling rakes of coaches and freight, including his personal train, the famous “Flying Kipper”. Henry is based on an unknown design by Sir Nigel Gresley who had been working on a new design of A1 Pacific locomotive but a thief had attempted to steal his blue prints and instead ended up with a rejected design with far too many flaws. Because of a far too small firebox, Henry was a bad steamer and even had to have special coal to help him run. Eventually, Henry was involved in what is probably the greatest train crash in history as frozen points led him to plough full speed into an occupied siding. Henry was totalled and finally was sent to Crewe where he would receive the upgrades he so desperately needed. 

For me, Henry’s story has it all. There’s a spy and a thief, a story of Henry struggling with life due to his “disability” and finally he comes full circle when he returns from Crewe with his new body and is finally able to be really useful. Henry represents to me what most of us want in life - to be given a chance to succeed. He is kind, despite his size and power, learns from his mistakes (ahem being bricked up in a tunnel will do that to you) and doesn’t grumble like other tender engines when made to haul freight. Henry also gets all of the best stories: Henry’s Tunnel will always be an absolute classic story but lets not forget the time he wanted more tenders to be better than Gordon, and of course, his collision whilst pulling the Kipper. Henry is a legend!

3. Edward

Despite what you may believe, the first engine on Sodor is not Thomas: it is Edward! Edward debuted in the very first volume of the series alongside Gordon and Henry, when he is teased by the bigger engines about his age and size. Edward’s driver takes pity on him and takes him out for a run and he later helps Gordon who stalls on a hill and Edward acts as a banker, helping to push the heavy train to the top. Originating from the Cumbrian Coast Line, part of the Furness Railway, Edward was brought to Sodor to help build the North Western Railway where all the engines now live. Based on a Furness Railway K2, with some major modifications, Edward is one of the oldest engines on Sodor, but despite that and his small size, he proves himself time and time again, even managing to haul a rake of heavy coaches home when his crank pin snapped causing significant damage to his wheels and body. 

I like Edward because he is a kind, wise and always ready to help a friend in need. He works hard and gets the job done, even in the face of overwhelming odds. When I think of the TV series, the episode that always sticks in my mind is Edward’s Exploit, where Edward struggles to pull coaches in heavy rain and his crew ride on his running board throwing sand down onto the rails to help him grip. This always used to send my imagination wild and I had immense fun imagining how hard Edward had to work to pull his train. In some ways I try to live my life by this standard and give my all without giving up, exactly the same as Edward would. Edward is an example to us all and a well deserved spot on this list. 

2. Oliver

Oliver is a Great Western 0-4-2 14xx who first appeared in the Railway Series in volume 23: Enterprising Engines when he was bravely saved from scrap by Douglas along with his two auto coaches Isabel and Dulcie, and his break van Toad. This tale of daring escape led to him being conceited, especially with trucks and eventually he was involved in another epic accident when a rig of wagons pushed him off the track and into a turntable well. Oliver struggled with freight for a while after that incident, but eventually he earned their respect when he taught the wagon ringleader a lesson by literally ripping him apart. Brutal!

Oliver earns his spot on this list for the inspiration and the imagination his story struck me with as a child. Oliver’s story is one of those examples where real life events creep into the stories of Sodor as Oliver makes a daring escape for his life when his railway is closed and he is left for scrap. Oliver is a seriously brave engine who risks everything for his, and his friend’s safety. In the TV show, the music that accompanies the aptly titled episode Escape has no business being that good and is heavily inspired by Indiana Jones. Despite his fame, which he never asked for, Oliver is never afraid to admit to his mistakes and eventually earns the respect of even the trucks by showing them his strength and determination. What other engine can claim that?

1. Donald and Douglas

Okay, okay... maybe it is cheating to have two engines as my number one choice, but who can choose just one of the Scottish twins? Donald, and his twin brother Douglas were brought to Sodor during the 15th volume of the series named The Twin Engines when Donald was saved from scrap by the North Western Railway. Desperate to be with his twin, Douglas tagged along causing a great deal of confusion. Based on perhaps the most beautiful engines to ever exist: the Caledonian McIntosh 812 0-6-0 goods engines, both Donald and Douglas soon proved their worth in the snow by bravely clearing the main line and rescuing Henry and won the hearts of the other engines. In an example of the Railway Series dealing with adult issues, the engines “volunteer” Percy to be a deputation to the Fat Controller who finally agrees that both engines can stay. Originally painted in plain black liveries, they were eventually repainted into the same blue and red as the other North Western Railway: a paint job reminiscent of the beautiful Caledonian Railway. 

Donald and Douglas are my absolute favourite characters of the series not just because of their basis on my favourite railway, but for their shared character development and their interactions with the other engines. As twins, Donald and Douglas work exceptionally well, they are both peppy proud and sensible, but despite that they still enjoy the odd practical joke. Donald tends to be more charming and witty where as Douglas is quick thinking and level headed. This is just not a dynamic seen anywhere else in the series: when you think of other twins such as Bill and Ben they almost seem to share the same personality and that just isn’t as real as Donald and Douglas. Their stories shared the same threat seen with Oliver as they are literally running for their lives, but despite this the twins are completely dedicate to each other as siblings: something you don’t see in any other relationship in the series even today. I have a Caledonian 812 on order from Bachmann and its literally because of these twins that I am so excited to receive it and add it to my collection.

So there we have it: my top 5 characters from the Railway Series. Honestly, I had so much fun gathering the information for this list and contemplating the reasons why I like each engine. I’ll try and do more posts like this in the future for my own enjoyment, but do let me know: what do you think of my list? Do you agree with any of my picks? 

Anyway, my Halloween run of Pokemon Emerald will return super soon! Until then, smell ya later! 

[frontier-brain-ashley]

We hello everyone! Welcome back to the one Murkrow spooky Halloween challenge of Pokemon Emerald. Last time we defeated our Dad in an easy win for the fifth badge. Today we head east and out to sea on our newly caught Marill who is only used for surfing reasons. I’m super conscious of the level gap now a we are really over levelled so I stop fighting every trainer and only fight the ones that I have too, or the one’s I’m not clever enough to avoid. 

Along the way we have a rival fight with May...

...and apart from being stalled for a turn with Pelliper, its a clean sweep. We do take a tiny bit of chip damage from fake out when Lombre comes out, but see what I mean about being over levelled? Hopefully, things will even out as we go.

Next up is the sixth gym leader Winona. She uses flying types so we have no advantage here. And blimey doesn’t she have quite the team?! We OHKO Swablu with peck and she sends out another stalling Pelliper. It uses protect, then confuses us, then fully heals! We manage to hit through confusion and take it out in two black glasses boosted feint attacks. Next is Tropius which goes down in two pecks. She wastes her turn setting up the sun. She sends out Skarmory who takes a swipe at us and we KO with a couple of night shades as it would resist everything else. Finally, her ace: Altaria. I hit it for just under half with feint attack. She hits us with dragon breath but luckily doesn’t get the paralyze. Feint attack brings it down to red in healing range of her berry. It goes down the next turn winning us the badge.

Perhaps most important here, we also get the TM for aerial ace: a significant improvement on peck which has been showing its poor power just recently so that’s a massive upgrade. I really hope we can even out the level gap a bit now but the next gym is scary and is a double battle so I have no idea how I am going to manage that one! Anyway, until next time, smell ya later!

[frontier-brain-ashley]

Welcome back to the wonderful world of Pokemon Pokefans! Today’s a really short post covering the fifth gym leader in our adventure to see if we can beat Pokemon Emerald with just one Murkrow.

So here we go...

Norman our sexy dad opens with Spinda which goes down in two hits. However, look at that damage! I am seriously worried here. We take out his Vigoroth in two hits and get hit by a weak facade taking us down to 33 HP. Next is Linoone which also hits us with facade taking us down to a measly 5 HP before Dad Bod sends out his monstrous Slaking. We out speed and hit it with a black glasses boosted feint attack but he slams us on his turn and that’s all she wrote.

Gah that’s so annoying. I think we can win at this level with a bit more luck. So we go straight back in without fighting any more trainers and try again.

This time we get back to Slaking in a MUCH better position. We have three quarters health left this time and I am feeling much more confident. We hit feint attack for ok damage and he fires back and misses! Next move we hit again bringing him down to healing range, and due to Slaking’s ability, it is unable to hit us. Next turn Dad Bod heals up and we are forced to hit down again. One more round of slack off and we knock him out taking the win and the badge with no damage from Slaking! Go Murkrow! 

[frontier-brain-ashley]

Well hello everyone, welcome back to the wonderful world of Pokemon. Last time I managed to brute force my way through Wattson and his electric gym, earning us the third badge. Today we head north from Mauville and... literally nothing happens for ages. We make our way through meteor falls and meet Team Aqua again who are trying to stop Team Magma from... putting rocks in a volcano..? I can’t explain the logic of these evil teams. 

Anyway, we rush to the summit of the volcano, and there we have our first battle with Maxie, leader of Team Magma.

This is the first battle we have had where we don’t just OHKO everything with peck. Well, nearly everything. Mightyena has intimidate and cuts our attack from the get go. We hit a peck for half damage and he hits back with bite. It doesn’t do much though and we manage to finish him off and even waste of his potions. Zubat is an OHKO with black glasses boosted feint attack but Camerupt is a beast. We hit for a third damage and he fires back taking us down to a third health. We trade feint attacks and potions for a while until he runs out and we manage to hit two feint attacks for the victory. 

Next up is the fourth gym leader: Flannery. We make short work of her gym despite every battle being a double battle. Normally, this would be ok but as I am only allowed to use Murkrow in battle, I am forced to spam Pokeballs when my HM slave Geodude gets pulled into battle. That way I don’t cheat and use any other Pokemon. 

Numel and Slugma are OHKO’d as you would expect. Then comes out Camerupt. We hit feint attack for just under half, and she fires back with overheat doing around 60 damage! Ouch. I hit another feint attack and she prepares another overheat but it misses and we bring her down to healing range. She heals up and the next turn we crit and she goes down. Last is Torkoal and our feint attack does half, whilst she wastes a turn setting up the sun. Our next attack kills and we walk away with the fourth badge after only one try!

[frontier-brain-ashley]

Welcome back Pokefans! Today we are continuing our spooky adventure through Pokemon emerald, using only one Murkrow. Last time, we managed to brute force our way through the second gym using our super effective peck.

We start today by delivering a package to Steven (ahem) and jumping back on board our speed boat towards Slateport. I make sure to beat every trainer along the way as I am scared to death about the next gym. Along the way we save a museum, learn a few new moves including feint attack and night shade, and bump into our rival for the third time.

We sweep through her team with peck. We are slightly over levelled though but I know I need the power to stand a chance against the electric gym. On arrival to Mauville, I clear out all the trainers there and in the surrounding area, including a pointless battle with Wally who goes down in one hit. WHY does he only have Pokemon?

Anyway, that’s the easy part out of the way. On to the gym.

The gym trainers are surprisingly easy. Hardly any of them use any electric types. One even has bugs! Wattson on the other hand, does use electric types. Voltorb and Electrike go down in one hit each from our new move feint attack. Manectric puts up more of a fight. Feint attack does good damage but he hits back with T wave, crippling our speed. Next turn he shock waves, taking me down to half health, and we’re fully paralysed. Of course we are. One shockwave later and we’re down. 

This is so annoying because I know we can do this without anymore training. I don’t want to be so over levelled the whole game is an OHKO so instead I slap a berry on Murkrow and try again. If I can avoid paralysis and the speed drop then I think we can win.

This time, we get back to Manectric the same as before but when we hit feint attack we crit and OHKO. Oh... well that’s good. Next out is Mangeton and my heart is in my mouth. I hit night shade thinking the set 36 damage will be better than resisted feint attack and we do just over half. Magneton fires back with a T wave and our berry kicks in restoring our status. Next turn its over and we win the third badge!

That was surprisingly easy! We’re smashing through the gym challenge and our Murkrow is getting super strong. The move upgrade really helps too. I picked up the TM for steel wing earlier so we have that option if rock types start causing trouble later down the line too. Anyway, until next time! 

[frontier-brain-ashley]

Hey guys welcome back! Last time I had just arrived at the first gym and faced Roxanne. I took a heavy beating and found that I needed to hot enough damage so that I wasn’t wiped by rock tombs. I decided to grind and try again every two levels. I headed north and cleared all the trainers available to me. At level 19 I tried again.

Both her Geodude’s went down easily. They went for defence curl instead of rock tomb so I started Nosepass with full HP and she had used one of her potions. I start whittling away at its health with pursuit but it fires back with super hard hitting rock tombs. I take one to just over half health, and get her down to berry range. Another rock tomb and I have 8 HP. This is bad! She fully heals next turn with a potion, and I hit pursuit. Next turn we’re faster and the attack hits, knocking out her Pokemon and winning us the badge! 

Well that was A LOT easier than I expected. I only had to gain another two levels and have a little bit of luck on my side. I heal up and deal with the case of the missing Peeko. Before we leave, there is one more optional fight in the form of our rival.

Yeah, she was easy. Peck OHKO’d Lotad and two hit KO’d Torchic. We took decent damage from ember though... this is going to be a problem later I can tell. 

We zoom off to Dewford and head straight for the gym again. This time I am confident. Brawley uses fighting types and Murkrow is obviously super effective with peck. I blast through the gym trainers and face the gym leader himself.

BTW... Brawley is bae. Fight me. 

As you would expect, that was a total sweep. I didn’t even take damage! Machop OHKO’d with peck. Same with Meditite. Makuhita survived the first peck but went for bulk up. The next turn he healed up and I hit another peck for the knock out. The second badge is mine and we haven’t done any tedious grinding! The next gym is electric though and I am genuine scared! I think I’ll do that next time! 

[frontier-brain-ashley]

Well hello everyone welcome to my shiny new blog! I have never done anything like this before so I hope it comes across well. I want to share with you guys the Pokemon challenges I complete, usually for my own entertainment. I run Nuzlocke’s and challenge runs all the time and really wanted to start posting my adventures, hopefully to meet like minded people and get some feedback on how I can improve.

For my first run, I thought I would get into the spirit of the season and as its Halloween this month, I want to find out: Can I beat Pokemon Emerald using only one Murkrow? I’ll post updates of the key battles like the rival and gym leader fights as well as some story bits to pad it out. I hope you enjoy it!

So what’s so good about Murkrow. Well apart from its super cool design, not much! This is gen 3 so there’s no evolution yet, meaning I’m stuck using a tiny bird with a base stat total of 405, which... isn’t the absolute worst but it’s not going to be great, especially end game.

So our speed stat is awesome, and attack and special attack are also not TOO bad. That defence is awful though so I expect to be running a frail glass cannon that as long as we hit first, we will survive. We’re weak to rock and electric though so the first and third gyms are going to be fun. 

Next up is our move set. And... well see for yourself:

Not great is it? Only peck STAB flying though I guess night shade will be useful early on and feint attack is STAB too. Other than that I have access to both aerial ace and shadow ball via TM so whilst we don’t have that much coverage, the moves we have will be pretty solid. 

Before we begin, the rules! 

1. I may only use one Murkrow in battle. I will need to use others for HMs but they may not enter battle. 

2. No items in battle. Held items are allowed as are items out of battle.

Let’s get into it!

We boot up the game, and I call myself Ashley. Because that is my name. Hi! 

I use the universal Pokemon randomiser to change Treecko to Murkrow so we can use him right from the start. I bump into our rival whilst I was checking out her bedroom, and head out to meet our starter. 

I absolutely love this sprite by the way. I love all the gen 3 sprites to be fair but just look how happy our little guy is! 

Here is our starter. Adamant nature is pretty nice (attack up, special attack down) especially as flying and ghost are all physical in gen 3. It will mean our dark moves don’t hit quite as hard though. Stats at level 5 are okay to be fair, I think the start of this game is going to be fairly easy. Until the first gym anyway. 

First rival fight goes as well as you would expect. We only know peck but it smashes May’s Torchic in two hits. 

We head to the gym and meet our dad who makes us go and catch a wild Pokemon for Wally, who is IMO the cutest little guy in Pokemon ever! 

After that we peck our way through Petalburg Woods and learn astonish and pursuit along the way. Well that’s all my coverage moves! 

Next we arrive at Roxanne’s rock gym and I head straight to the leader. The trainers inside are fairly easy and go down in just two pursuits. I want to see how much grinding I need to be able to beat her before I do anything else. 

First up is Geodude and we hit it first for 3 quarters damage with pursuit. She hit us with a rock tomb, for 17 damage and gets the speed drop. I start to panic but she heals next turn and we finish it off with two more pursuits. Second is another Geodude and literally the same thing happens. Now we are at -2 speed and only 8 HP when Nosepass comes out. We hit first with astonish, hoping for the flinch but it doesn’t happen and we wipe! 

So I need to grind which sucks, but I can grind in the local cave and gain attack EVs from Whismur. I’ll try again every two levels so that we win at the lowest level possible. Argh, this is going to be a hard one (pun intended!)