#Pannier Tank Engine

[theyellowroseofsodor]

My husband got me a bunch of old diecast Thomas and Friends engines (he found them on a bidding website of sorts) for Mother’s Day and I told him to get a specific character for a friend of mine and then realized I have no idea or way to get it to her!

@asktrio516 I was thinking of you on Mother’s Day!! 🥰

[beumdi]

you're so close!

[ironirma103]

Is this one of those guys everyone on this site likes?

[old-transport]

GWR/BR loco No. 4699 @ Whitland shed - West Wales Tour (787) - Jun 1959 by Frederick McLean Via Flickr: An old amateur photograph of British Rail (BR) pannier tank engine No. 4699 inside the Whitland engine/locomotive shed (closed Jan 1966) in Jun 1959. This is in an old rail enthusiast photo album, on the reverse is annotated "West Wales Tour, C. F. Walklet at Whitland Shed, 7 Jun 1959". No. 4699 was a C. Collett designed class 5700 0-6-0PT engine, built at the Swindon Works, and new to Great Western Railway (GWR) in Feb 1945. The locomotive was withdrawn from service in Jun 1964, then scrapped in the August at the BR Swindon Works. Old/new overhead maps view:- maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=17.4&lat=5... If there are any errors in the above description please let me know. Thanks. 📷 Any photograph I post on Flickr is an original in my possession, nothing is ever copied/downloaded from another location. 📷 -------------------------------------------------

[sophiebyers]

Any ideas for my OC?

[arthursisland]

Pannier Tank 4475 in the yard

[locomotive-paws]

Oh my Lady, is this too cute! Thank you @thefluffyrailway-official

Her duckling Dallas and my duckling Drake together.

𝔻𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕞𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘

𝙶𝚒𝚏𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛: @gronkgal

(𝙰𝚄 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚘 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚜: @steam-beasts <𝟹)

[duskstargazer]

[1956]

“Who's that?” Thomas asked.

“That,” said Duck, proudly, “is a celebrity.”

“A what?” Hermes inquired.

“Someone famous, I think.” Thomas said.

“More than just that, that's the City of Truro!” The pannier tank enthused. “She set a speed record near the turn of the century, before any of today's railways were even formed - well, barring the Great Western, of course. She's amazing - someone engines like us can only dream of meeting, and here she is! In the framework!”

“Well, now's your chance to meet your ‘celebrity crush’.” Thomas teased.

“Oh, she's much too famous to even notice us.”

“What's the old saying?” Thomas grinned. “You never know until you try? C'mon, just go talk to her.”

“I- I can't just- HEY-!”

Thomas pulled forward, and began pushing Duck towards the famous engine.

“Thomas-Stop-Don'tJust--!”

“Just…Go…Talk…To…Her…!”

Duck desperately clamped down his brakes, trying in vain to resist as Thomas shoved him across the yard, the two making quite the scene in the process. Hermes wanted to intervene, but at the same time, he was struggling to hold in his laughter.

In the end, Duck lost the reverse-tug-of-war, and found himself right next to a very confused City of Truro.

“Pardon me, ma'am,” Thomas said in a voice the whole yard could hear, “someone would like to speak with you!”

Thomas then quickly backed away, giving the two engines space. Duck looked ready to kill the tank engine.

The celebrity stared, seemingly unsure what to make of the interaction that had just taken place.

“Um- hi,” Duck began, shyly. “May I talk to you?”

“Of course,” the engine smiled.

“I must apologize for my… rambunctious colleague back there.” Duck began.

“Oh, it's quite alright.” Truro said with another bright smile. She grinned, then added, “I see you are one of Us.”

“Ah- I do try and show them our ways.”

“Ship-shape and Swindon Style!” The two cheered in chorus, before sharing a laugh.

“Oh god.” Hermes sighed. “Now there's two of them.”

[thenecropolix]

I'm rather late to the party, but this has me wondering if different classes within the three types of engines differ in mannerisms in the same way dog breeds differ in temperament; that is to say, much like how dogs have distinct personality traits tied to their breed, trains are similar in that their class/make can account for certain personality quirks.

I've been thinking about engine types and how diferent their cultures are. Engines , just like us z have diferent values and habits based on their hierarchy and class Type , and have a role to fill in.

In the RWS books , this culture gap and diferences are exagerated to the point of big understandings , even if the model series didnt went to deep into it.

Steam engines are show to be very social , chatty and vocal , and mostly extroverts. They are hardworkers who don't mind poking and being mean to each other , but have deep relationships and closeness after the whole 'steam outdated' events. *

It's shown time and time again that diesel have a more snobby , intelectual speech that tries to make them as more 'civilized' that steam engines , more modern and 'revolutionary' (they're not. They are the same , or even worse that steam engines. ) But can You blame them? They were thrown into a world where they were expected to change everything that was pre established. And now there are so many of them , they have to jeopardize and mess up other diesels works just to survive...(Wich is why diesel is the way he is..)

*they are written to be humble , hardworking low class people , so to speak. They were the ones to built the railway world and now they have to eat from the hand of diesels...

Buses are another whole topic , as they are naturally friendly to talk to passangers. And theres also a Big diference bweten shunters , good trucks and passangers train engines...

And yet still , we know nothing about Electric engines..how would their culture be like?

[sudriantraveler]

"Lying in bed as a child I would hear a heavy goods train coming in and stopping at Box station, then the three whistles, crowing for a banker, a 0-6-0 pannier tank engine, which would come out of his little shed to help the goods train up the gradient... I would hear in the puffing and panting of the two engines the conversation they were having with one another: 'I can't do it! I can't do it! I can't do it!' 'Yes, you can! Yes, you can! Yes, you can!'"

-Rev. W. Awdry

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2024: Day 15 - Star

Duck once had a Friend...

Once upon a time, Duck the Great Western Pannier Tank had worked at Paddington Station in London as a station pilot. Paddington was a huge station with several engines just like Duck who rattled about shunting trains for the big engines to take on long journeys all across the West of England and into Wales. Some of these engines were pompous and rude, while others were old and wizened. Duck’s favourite engine at Paddington however was an old, old friend of his.  

Her name was Princess Margaret, and she was a member of the Star Class of GWR express engines. They were old and wise engines, who though displaced from the top link express services by their younger successors the Castles and Kings, still performed admirably.

Duck didn’t get to see his friend much. She worked trains that went right the way out to Wales and back, and so she would often spend the night at her destination before returning. But when Princess Margaret was there, she would always take time out to talk to Duck. The two were as close as engines could be – Margie, as Duck called her, had taught the Pannier everything there was to know about coaches when he’d first arrived, back when she still headed important expresses like the ‘Cornishman’ and the ‘Cambrian Coast Express’. As she’d been displaced first by the Castles, then the Kings, she’d begun running longer-distances, on lighter-laid lines that the two bigger classes just couldn’t travel on.  

“Margie was still in service when I left,” Duck explained to the sheds one evening. The engines at the Big Sheds had been discussing their lives pre-Sodor – the Scottish Twins had spent several long minutes purely explaining why the Thistle was the prettiest flower in the world, while Percy had spent almost an hour going through all the various parts of the country he’d seen. “I feel like she had a good chance of being preserved too. She even got to cameo in that one movie – the Titfield Thunderbolt!”

All throughout this, Bear had been unusually quiet. The former Western-region diesel had had his own stories he wanted to tell, but now he was slightly afraid of speaking up. Oliver noticed. The Great Western autotank was still new to the railway, and didn’t trust Bear yet.

“Well, Bear – you look troubled. Is something the matter?” he asked. Bear winced, his engine making an odd rumbling sound. All the engines looked over, and Bear shrunk back under their attention.

“When I was being built,” he began slowly, “we… uh… I…” Henry smiled sympathetically.

“It’s alright Bear, we won’t hate you for what you have to say,” he offered. Duck, Percy and the other big engines agreed. Bear sighed.

“Princess Margaret was the last Star Class in service,” he said quietly. “And when I was built… she was… being… taken apart at Swindon.” Bear cut off, looking down at his buffers in shame. Duck’s eyes widened.

“She… she was cut up?” he asked slowly. Bear didn’t look Duck in the eye, staring down at the rails instead.

“Yeah. At Swindon. The men claimed they’d waited four years to see if they could find a buyer… and none came for her. I’m sorry Duck – she seemed like such a nice engine. She just told them it wasn’t their fault, and she’d lived a good life…” Bear rumbled out of the sheds to pull the Midnight Goods before any of the engines could say anything. Oliver looked horrified.

“I… I didn’t think he would be so… torn up about it,” he admitted quietly into the night air. “Oliver, I understand you went through something traumatic,” Percy replied darkly, “but you need to learn that not all diesels are evil. Duck… I’m sorry too. It’s hard learning a friend is gone.” Duck didn’t reply, instead staring silently out of the sheds.

His friend had been a real shining star on the Great Western, who’d served them through two World Wars and kept on going even as her class was torn up. And all she got for it was a cold siding at her own birthplace and a cutter’s torch.

Duck wasn’t sure what that said about Swindon’s legacy, but it wasn’t positive.

Back to the Master Post

[corroded-void]

GWR 'Pannier' tank engine on a stroll

This is the line between Ruabon and Barmouth, some of which has reopened as the Llangollen Railway

Circa early 1960s

[thechaddyengine]

Gave my Trainsona a new design

Pretty much still an E2R, but now part GWR Pannier Tank. Hybrid tank engine looking ahh, so he doesn't have a proper irl basis, like henry's old shape, an experimental design

Also new logo too

[sophiebyers]

Any more ideas for my OC? (Update: I have decided to call her “Amber.” Since it means mineral) (Error: She was constantly transferred to many different stations, mainly in Wales)

[hazel-of-sodor]

Day 29-Choices

Day 29-Misty

Other Stories

Other Days

A Western Summer

Thomas hummed as he ran along the coast with the early morning train. Normally Oliver took the train, but Thomas had volunteered as he was already awake, and wanted the time alone to think. He couldn't see far, the thick morning mist along the coast swirling comfortably around him, but he wasn't concerned. The train was a slow run, and no other trains ran this early.

His time on the Little Western had been better than he expected, more than he had dared hope if he was honest with himself. It was a gorgeous line, albeit very busy, in many ways a second mainline now that it extended up past Harwick. He had enjoyed running by the sea, and hoped the plan to restore the old coastal run to Tidmouth as part of the Ffarquhar happened.

His mood dropped at the thought of his line. By all accounts the damage had, if anything, been worse than initially suspected. The track would be repaired soon and he would pull the first train across the newly repaired bridge…but his line didn't need him. Wouldn't until well into Autumn optimistically. So many businesses and quarries had been damaged, there wasn't enough traffic for all the engines. People weren't taking the trains to work, because there was no work until their workplaces could be repaired or in many cases, rebuilt. From what Thomas heard from Percy, Daisy was able to handle the passenger traffic on the Northern half of the line by herself without issue, her seats far from full. Luckily the construction crews had taken on most of those left without work, but the majority of their work was within the towns. The only reasons the bridge repair had taken priority was to get engines out and supplies in. Thomas had been given a choice, he could return home when the bridge reopened…but he would be alone. The other engines were being transferred to other lines. With Thomas covering the passenger work, the little freight could easily be handled by an engine from the mainline.

Thomas missed his branchline so badly it ached. Excluding overhauls, that was possibly the longest he’d been away from his line since he had been given it…but he really didn't want to be alone.

He was tired, exhausted really, the idea of being alone in the shed every night, of spending everyday running up and down an empty line. Thomas wasn't certain he could take it. He certainly didn't want to put his coaches through it. They would do it for him he knew…but he didn't want to ask it of them.

His other option was to return to the Little Western. He could stay here until his branchline needed him again. He could relax on a branchline where he wasn't the leader, where his only duty was to pull his trains to time. He could spend the night in a full shed, surrounded by his fellow engines. He could stay with Duck.

The pannier had been a Ladysend. Someone who understood just how painful losing his branchline was. That it wasn't just a loss of position, as the mainline engines teased. It was like a part of him was missing. 

Thomas pulled into a sleepy station, only a handful people on the platform this early in the morning. As they loaded in, he considered his partner.

He had been surprised when the Great Western engine began flirting…once he noticed anyway. In the end he had decided to give it…to give them a chance. He couldn't exactly say why at the time, he had hardly given thought to relationships before. He couldn't even say for certain now why he’d say yes, but he suspected it was because he felt Duck was one of the few engines that saw him. Most of the early North Western engines still saw a little station Pilot when they looked at Thomas, a little tank engine who desperately wanted to escape the station yard. While it had happened less and less as the years went on, it had never completely disappeared. The newer arrivals had almost the exact opposite problem. They saw Caomhnóir. The Lady's champion. The engine that saved others from scrap. While Thomas was devoted to the role of Caomhnóir, and proud of his work…it was a weight. So many engines only saw his successes, not the stress that came with each rescue attempt…the guilt with every failure.

Duck was one of the few who saw the engine beneath where the two met. Oh there were others, but none that he was interested in…much less that were interested in him.

Thomas hadn’t realized how much weight he’d felt the last few years until he arrived on the Little Western. He was so used to the weight he hadn't known to do with himself until Duck had asked to court him.

 Thomas could admit to himself that it was nice being the one taken care of for once. To let another engine worry about the branchline… about him. Duck had proven a proper Swindon gentleman, seeming to thrive on the chance to pamper his partner. Thomas shouldn't have been surprised to find there was a Great Western way to court someone, or that Duck would be as dedicated to it as any part of the Great Western Way.

The guard blew his whistle and waved his flag, and Thomas rolled quietly out of the station. He’d enjoyed Duck's company much more than he’d thought he would, finding someone who understood the growing pains of being a station pilot turned head of their own branchline.

Thomas sighed, he suspected he would miss Duck's company when he returned home as much as he missed his line’s engines now.

If he went home, he'd be alone. If he stayed, he could spend more time with Duck…but it could be months before he could go home.

He puffed on into the mist, trying to make his decision.

[bikebound]

Dubai to London: 1985 BMW R80GS by @greasy_hands of @caferidercustom, built with one main purpose in mind: "Build a solid, reliable, good looking motorcycle that could be ridden from Dubai all the way to the UK without issue." Highlights include a rebuilt engine, custom subframe with integrated pannier rack, aluminum auxiliary fuel tank, Motogadget electronics, larger battery, upgraded regulator-rectifier, an enclosed phone holder / charger / USB port integrated into the fuel tank, and more. Photos: @sidpandey1. Full story today on BikeBound.com. ⚡️Link in Bio⚡️ https://instagr.am/p/CvM8jsSukAD/