#oc atsf 2903

[greatwesternway]

heya! 👋

idk if it's been asked already but: do you have any voice claims for the TFISSAB crew?

Hello!

No one has asked this yet, but it makes sense to. The structure of the letters - that Ray and I each write alternating letters as our respective characters - gives away that its a roleplaying game of a sort. Face and voice claims are quite common in those games.

As it happens though, Ray and I both have backgrounds that sort discourage getting too specific with any kind of work we'd have to outsource. Ray is an animator and so voice casting is something they were trained for in school. I studied game design and learned a lot of the same things they did. Basically that not only is it no use getting your heart set too specifically on a particular voice, but it's also limiting. It's better to go into a casting with an open mind because an actor could surprise you. You could miss out on a truly iconic voice for a character if you're too focused on casting, say, an Ann Margaret type. 'Cause after all, at the end of the day, she won't be Ann Margaret.

Not to say that we consider casting actively for this particular project (most of our engines are stationary displays and so what would we animate them doing? Maybe we could do a radio play, lol). Just that we've been schoolt not to devote much energy in that direction in any project.

That said, we do have generalized ideas about voices though.

Truro describes Pioneer as having a "radio announcers voice", which is a very short way to tell you a lot about how he sounds. Authoritative yet approachable with an air of trustworthiness. And distinctly non-regional.

Pilot and Mate would have had urbanized (read: diluted) Texan accents during their work lives, but Pilot's has been dulled further by his retirement in Illinois. In the scenario in which Mate is rebuilt, his accent remains (Ray also likes the idea of Mate having a particularly deep voice for such a small build.)

999 is a New Yorker and so has an appropriate accent. While I wouldn't call this a voice claim, I did have Jill Zarin from Real Housewives of New York in mind when writing her haranguing U-505. 999 is not quite as nasal as that though.

2903 has a more southwestern accent but it's also diluted by urbanization and the need to be understood everywhere from Los Angeles to Chicago.

Basically, most of these are dictated by where they lived out their service lives. Although Frisco 1630, the Russian Decapod, pretends to have a Russian accent when she meets new engines.

[greatwesternway]

I have an question NOW

How do what have you engines happily employed to just sit around feel about random people climbing on them?

Most of them, I think, would not mind this. Steam engines especially were designed to enable climbing all over.

See, here, 2903 has rails to hold on to, running boards to stand on all the way down his boiler, and steps down from his smokebox.

Gettin' climbed all over is part of the job. Obviously we don't have any examples of our engines acting as jungle gyms so here's some from TTTE:

Edward's fireman hanging off his railings to lasso James.

Edward's fireman hanging off his railings again to pour sand under his wheels.

And my favorite example of this:

Sir Topham Hatt and his guards using Duck (whose top is notably flat, rather than rounded like most everyone else's) as a podium on which to announce the trip to Big City to all the engines.

2903'd not mind really if letting people climb on him were still part of the job. He's strong and his parts are made for it. Some engines weren't designed for this - certain streamliners for instance - and would be less happy with it, if indeed they had any grabholds to facilitate it. But some engines are also too afflicted with Midwestern politeness or survivor's gratitude to complain if they did.

As it is, 2903's cab is plexi-glassed off, preventing anyone from touching his empty SunKist and Dr. Pepper cans. He is also quite rusty these days. You practically need a tetanus shot just lookin' at him, let alone climbing about.

My impression from what Ray's written in Pilot's letters is that the IRM did permit visitors to climb on the engines quite a bit more in the past than they do now. Largely, I'd expect this changed as a precaution because we've become a much more litigious society than we were in the 60's and 70's. If you fell off a stationary train in 1974, everyone would probably have a good laugh. If you did it now, that might be a multi-million dollar lawsuit for negligence.

[greatwesternway]

Based off my current struggles getting tar off my skin, how would the engines react to getting dirty?

Gonna be real with you. All our trains are dirty.

Or rather, Pioneer, 999, and U-505 are just covered in fingerprints now. There's certainly no one to stop you from touching the trains and the guides even encourage you to touch the boat on the tour. But the engines at the IRM and everyone in the MSI's yard until the 90's were filthy from outdoor dust and debris.

2903 is still dirty, in fact.

There's a part in the letters where Pioneer says that they've all stopped complimenting each other on their looks - a common and polite thing that trains normally do - because they've all been in the yard together for so long that they no longer need to. The unsaid part of that is that they are also deteriorating from the elements and don't actually look their best. There's a post from a while back where we talked a bit about how bad they all looked in the 80's when the yard gets rearranged for the Henry Crown Space Center. They wouldn't look this bad in the 70's, but they all know they ain't lookin' cute. There's a unspoken agreement in the yard not to mention it.

As for the IRM's engines, most of them are housed in barns these days (which does not exactly keep one from getting dirty), but there's plenty of outside engines left. And the IRM does not have a washdown. Pilot and the Goddesses got a very thorough scrubdown in 2011 though. That post mentions that they powerwash the Nebraska Zephyr on a more regular schedule and I imagine that's true of other painted engines as well, but maybe not ones that have yet to be restored lest it cause more damage, if 2903 is any indication.

Pioneer did get a nice scrubdown too in 1984 for his 50th anniversary. Volunteers came out and shined him and his cars up for his big day. When he was first in service, they would wash his train every night with Ajax. While he does greatly appreciate being clean and shiny after years of not, he doesn't exactly think he needed to scoured every night.

All this to say, the MSI engines prefer to be clean but it simply wasn't practical for the first forty years. The IRM engines, on the other hand, are used to being dirty and know that trying to keep them looking pristine on their working railway would be a fool's errand.

[greatwesternway]

How did Pioneer and U-505 start talking? What made U-505 allow himself that friendship?

It's important to understand that U-505's not denying himself friendship in being stand-offish. And this is also not related to the rules he has to observe as a war machine because Pioneer is a civilian engine.

U-505 allowed Pioneer to start teaching him English within a month or two of his arrival in May in 1960. Up until then, U-505 had gleaned a few words on his own, but he'd been set up outside by himself since 1954 and the museum would have someone who could speak German talk to him if needed. He didn't need to speak to the visitors really so it just wasn't something he'd ever sought to learn.

But having Pioneer installed next to him... trains are social machines. They work closely with one another and they talk. And Pioneer was built to be especially talkative as Burlington's flagship engine.

But moreover, the reason U-505 made the effort is because he admired the way Pioneer took to preservation.

It was obviously a much different scenario for U-505, since his preservation is not one celebrating his existence and it also involved the loss of his sea-worthiness. In that regard, Pioneer was in a much better position. Still, he struggled, as most engines do, with the change in duties. It's why early on in his letters to Pilot, before he realizes he's been rescued from scrap and is grateful to be at the IRM, that Pioneer says that preservation can feel like a demotion. It's hard for an engine to have to come to terms with the end of his service life.

The way Pioneer responded to this, though, was to set those feelings aside and put his best effort into being a good and engaging exhibit. As we've said, he's already got a lot of transferable skills to do this, but U-505 had never seen a machine like this. He didn't know much English, but he could still tell that Pioneer was trying very hard to adapt and not to complain or be ungrateful.

Pioneer would sometimes talk at U-505 just to entertain himself or to make a gesture at including him in conversation with his cars, but U-505 made the first actual attempt at talking. He asked Pioneer, in very broken English, how fast he went. And Pioneer told him; 112 miles per hour. Then Pioneer asked U-505 how fast he went. Which U-505 could not tell him because his speed is measured in knots. They got their guides to help the next day.

Things would have been quite friendly in the yard by now if it weren't for 2903.

See, the problem is, 2903 is wartime build. Because light metals were needed to build airplanes, all that railroad works could get was heavy metal. Too heavy for diesel motors to carry. So they made the 2900 class fuck-off big steam engines instead. Unfortunately, because steam is very costly to run and maintain, this meant that 2903's service life was incredibly short compared to most engines, only 11 years. He is resentful of the effect the war had on his service life and U-505 is a very broad target for those feelings.

He also did not take to preservation as well as Pioneer did, being that he is literally Just Some Guy and had no expectation of ever being put in this position. Having watched Pioneer's transition to preservation work comparatively, 2903's refusal or inability to meet the job left U-505 with a poor impression of him. What little English U-505 had at his disposal could be used to toss a glib barb or two 2903's way.

2903 (and 999 when she joins the yard the next year) hassled Pioneer a lot for fraternizing with an enemy unit. It doesn't bother Pioneer because it's not that serious in the grand scheme of things. U-505 does not like being a source of trouble for him though and regrets that Pioneer got put in the yard with him first.

This is the reason why he's reluctant to entertain 727. It's not that he doesn't like her or isn't flattered (if bewildered) by her attentions. It's that he thinks she's better off not getting herself involved with him. It hasn't done Pioneer any favors.

But by the time 727 arrives at the museum, 2903 has been moved to the IRM, 999 has been away for a couple years for refurbishment, and the social dynamic in the museum has changed for it.

It's actually 999 that convinces him to give in. Asks if there isn't something in his prize rules about having to accept when an American wants a smelly old boat for reasons she couldn't possibly fathom. There's not - 727 isn't a war machine - but it says something that 999 is trying to find a justification for the idea.

[greatwesternway]

so is 999 the only one at the museum that doesn't have a crush on Pioneer lol

I think we've talked about this before, that Pioneer has his admirers certainly but that he's not universally adored in the museum. 2903, for instance, is somewhat dubious of Burlington charm. Stuka also just doesn't gel well with Pioneer (but that has more to do with his being male and American than anything else). There's also plenty of engines in the museum for whom their admiration for him is entirely professional.

As for 999... she thinks he's handsome, distinguished, and well-behaved, which makes him an ideal date for the Speed Record Party but not much else.

To be sure, she likes Pioneer and game recognizes game so unlike 2903, she can tell that his Burlington Bullshit isn't, that he's completely earnest and genuinely means every word he says. They've shared a unique job description over their careers that gives them an innate understanding of their current work that neither of their yardmates can come close to matching. And he looks nice next to her! They're more evenly proportioned to each other so they look nice in photos together. Very important.

But Pioneer is a little boring for 999. He maintains his sense of decorum at all times and he always considers how his behavior will reflect on his railway or museum. He's also very risk-averse which 999 finds a little frustrating from a fellow speed record breaker. (This comes from his being much more delicate than she is. We don't know if 999 ever crashed into anything over her career, but a steam engine tends to crush whatever it hits, while the absolute reverse is true for shovelnoses. He's always had to be more careful, both for his own sake and for his passengers.)

All these things contribute to why 999 ultimately chose 2903 over him. There's also that 2903 is a mixed traffic steam engine, meaning his work history is more similar to hers overall, despite her standing as a famous engine. It would more annoying to her for Pioneer (who is strictly a passenger engine, both in ability and build) to be ignorant of grunt work than it is for 2903 not to understand fairs and pageants.

All that said, 999 wouldn't say no to a consist that included Pioneer.

[greatwesternway]

do steam engines just hold grudges longer than other engines? why do they act like that about the U-505 if they don't even understand war or politics, as you say?

Steam engines don't hold grudges longer than other engines in particular. With regard to U-505, it's just bad timing.

We've talked before about how 2903 was built during the war, out of heavier materials and as a steam engine due to rationing, which was more expensive and already considered obsolesced technology, thus shortening his service life. Obviously nothing U-505 or even U-boats in general were doing had much to do with 2903's build, but Germany started this war and U-505's the only German 2903 knows and so gets all his ire about it.

999 was built in the 1890's and so she saw not only this war but the one before it, which Germany was also on the wrong side of. For her, it's less personal, but it is a thing "Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice..."

The thing though, is that 999 would probably have become less chilly on U-505 over time if it weren't for 2903's sustained contempt for him. While 999 does think Germans have a track record of poor behavior and should be regarded with suspicion, she's also smart enough to recognize that U-505's role as an exhibit is a lot more difficult to serve than hers is and yet he does admirably. There's certainly been a time or two when she's nipped at 2903's approach to the job and implied an unfavorable comparison to U-505.

Absent of 2903's influence, she'd have just Pioneer's opinion - that the war was over and they should move on from it - to inform her own. Pioneer was built in between wars during the Depression and is just happy that things are good and prosperous now. (This was also a reflection of the general feeling of people at the time and its partly why the museum describes U-505 as a German submarine rather than a Nazi one.) 999 would probably never have become friendly with U-505 like Pioneer is, but she'd have forgone the antagonistic relationship that she and 2903 have with him.

As it is, she does actually start thawing on U-505 when 2903 leaves and 727, who was built in the 60's and has no frame of reference for any of the wartime drama, arrives. Like U-505, 999 is also a diligent listener and collector of intel (for gossip purposes). Without 2903 to entertain her, she has much more time to devote to this, which has also helped turn her opinion on U-505.

For that matter, even 2903 sometimes remembers U-505 with something bordering on fondness every ten years or so. He'd never admit it, of course, and the notion evaporates the second he's back on the MSI's grounds. He was as happy for U-505 to be put indoors as U-505 was for him to be put in a shed though.

I will say though that while our machines do not understand politics and are ignorant of ideology, civilian engines (if they are intelligent enough) do sort of regard war machines with some reservation. The idea of a machine that is meant to kill people is incredibly foreign to one that is meant to care for them.

Fortunately, if an engine is smart enough to have thought of this, they (usually) can go the step further and realize that war machines are built by people for this purpose. Engines are what they are, after all, and they cannot help this. This is why no one actually holds this part of their function against them in the museum. (Spitfire is particularly helpful here too because he has the most authority in the museum on which to regard this and obviously his position is that the enemy units in the place were just doing their jobs, same as he did.)

Too, when you actually speak to a war machine, it becomes clear that they do care for their own crews in the way civilian engines care for their passengers and that their offensive measures are also defensive of these crews. In those terms, it makes a little more sense to a civilian engine.

I say all this because I think this question is about that thing U-505 says about land units taking grudges to the grave. 2903 takes this statement to be a jab at him, but U-505 was really just remarking on behavior he himself didn't understand!

Land units do tend to take combat a lot more personally than naval units because strictly speaking, for naval units the point isn't to kill people: it's to sink other ships. That people sometimes die in the process is unfortunate, but the actual object is just to neutralize their ship. Once their ship is sunk, what can the people actually do? Very little. That's why there's all this palling around about it afterwards, even in the immediate. If you survive the attack, your enemies are fishing you out of the water and offering you coffee and a nice dry sweater and you're smiling around the cigarette they gave you about how you're lucky to be alive.

Naval engagement (assuming everyone is on the same page about it and has the means to behave accordingly) is quite civilized. U-505 doesn't get how vicious land units are towards each other because he fails to understand that the asset being contested on land is not engines, but the people. If it were his crew and not himself that were actually the target of enemy aggression, he'd understand much more readily.

But U-505 doesn't know shit about land that isn't the lawn of the MSI, and so he thinks the lack of persistent liquid danger surrounding the situation just gives land units more room to get in their feels about it. He thinks they are being ridiculous but he is wrong.

[greatwesternway]

How much interaction with visitors do the engines have? Pioneer seems very social—is he the exception or the rule?

Pioneer is an exception in general, but the MSI curates in such a way that he is the rule there. Many of the MSI's exhibits have experience showing off and selling themselves as interesting and exciting to crowds of new people every day. Pioneer, 999, Jenny, and Texaco all had background in this before coming to the museum. The MSI, which is housed in the only building remaining from the Columbian Exposition's White City and founded in time to take advantage (and possession of much) of the Century of Progress, largely selects for exhibits like this.

Stuka also had prior exhibition experience, though his context is obviously different. He's not especially talkative to guests unless they speak German and to him directly, but he's got a winning attitude about staying in character as a losing but formidable opponent to Spitfire so he gets on fine.

Pioneer and 999 are obviously the masterclass on courting a crowd, both being speed record breakers and Worlds Fair alumni. 999 has been displayed at several Worlds Fairs, in fact. Pioneer only edges 999 out on this in terms of the MSI because he debuted at the Century of Progress same as his museum did and he came up during the dawn of modern advertising so he's got a bit of salesmen to him that 999 lacks. That's why he makes for the ideal first exhibit. If you somehow weren't planning to pay to see the rest of the museum, Pioneer can convince you it'd be a good investment.

Like Stuka, U-505 will also answer questions posed directly to him, but given his context, he prefers to let his guides speak for him. Makes everyone's lives easier that way.

2903 is also a bit reserved with guests, but this is because he is a regular working engine. He was not brought up to sell himself the way Pioneer and 999 were and unlike U-505, he doesn't have any work stories to relate either. There's not a lot for him to really say for himself beyond what his placard already states.

Which is why eventual his move to the IRM is good for him. There, there's not any expectation of being notable (nevertheless, he does become notable there for being the largest engine in their collection). IRM stock comes from a wide variety of backgrounds, but very few of them are show ponies in the way that the MSI seeks out.

Pilot probably interacts more with guests than anyone else at the IRM does, but even if he's not a famous engine, he is a passenger engine and Burlington besides and that gives him an immediate leg up on everyone else. Obviously a passenger engine is going to have more experience and innate talent at talking to people. 727 similarly has this advantage in her exhibit.

There is the thing too, that not all people can or want to talk to engines. It's not difficult to become the sort of person who knows how to talk to engines; all of their guides do and pretty much everyone who works at the IRM is this sort of person. But a working engine is generally preferred to be seen and not heard. Engines therefore do not usually speak to people unless spoken to first. Pioneer's good enough at gauging this that he can take the liberty to initiate (especially since many of the people he'd talk to these days are shy children), but most engines wouldn't want to risk seeming impertinent. The vast majority of IRM engines are like this, but they also see more specific train enthusiasts who are seeking them out so they still have some facetime to serve.

However, the IRM closes over the winter and when the MSI still had its east lawn exhibits outside, they were also closed for winter (save for U-505's interior tours which were accessed from inside the building). So interaction with people outside of their guides/volunteers would drop significantly along with the temperature.

[greatwesternway]

How do Pilot and 2903 get along once 2903 goes to the IRM?

They get along really well! 2903 does think Pilot has the Burlington Bullshit as much as Pioneer, but since he lacks Pioneer's turn of phrase, it's more like an earnestness that begs disbelief.

The thing about Pilot and 2903's relationship is that Pilot really puts 2903's service in preservation in perspective. 2903, you'll recall, had no expectation of preservation and does not make much effort towards the job as his yardmates do. Frankly, he's taken it for granted.

Coming to the IRM, where everyone knows how lucky they've been, would probably have been enough for him to reflect on the last forty years and adjust his attitude. Being placed in Barn 9 next to Pilot though? Pilot, who came this close to the blowtorch and lost his B-unit to it, who wakes up every morning ready to do his best, because he knows how fortunate he is to be here to? Shit's humbling.

And it makes 2903 better. It helps that no one expects him to compare to anyone else here (and that he now does nonetheless), but it's not a good look to behave the way he did at the MSI when you've got Silver Saint in the next berth. That Pilot was only ever Just Some Guy too means 2903 can't just write the whole thing off as being outclassed and therefore not worth participating in. He's actually motivated to do his best too now.

For Pilot's part, he's really happy that Pioneer's yardmate was able to come here and especially that he was placed next to him. It means 2903 can hear when Pioneer's letters arrive and, if he wants, he can add a postscript for 999. Seeing 2903 really come into his own, compared to how Pioneer described him in his letters, gives Pilot a real pride in his museum and his work in it. And he thinks 2903 is funny! Which he is. It was just hard to tell when he was constantly getting dunked on by worldlier engines.

[greatwesternway]

Do the engines listen to music? Are there preferred eras/genres?

Generally, engines don't actively listen to music. They know and recognize music that was popular during their service lives (see the part in Just One of Those Things where Pioneer knows Sinatra but he and Truro abandon the dance floor when more modern music they don't recognize is played). Music is nice enough, but it's another one of those people things engines don't really understand.

2903 is an exception. He enjoys rock music of the 70's and early 80's. He doesn't understand it the way people do, but he appreciates it more than most engines.

[greatwesternway]

any info about the f-104 starfighter that used to be there? what do the other planes think about it?

We don't actually have much for her, since there's not much to glean and we're not really digging at present since she hasn't arrived yet. But...

DJ: I am looking for info about the starfighter now.

Ray: Good luck, I couldn't find anything, lol. I think if we look up the museum it's at now...

DJ: I found a little bit. It seems like she was on tour for a while before being displayed at the MSI? Assuming this is the same one.

DJ: Yeah, it was on loan, I think.

Ray: This Aerial Visuals page provides some history.

DJ: There's a lot of, like, malls and shit who are displaying a Starfighter prior to that. Hard to tell if it's the same one though. The photos are blurry and don't always have the number.

Ray: I think it's 0-60933. Oh, the serial number is "56-0933", but the number on the side is 0-60933.

DJ: Yeah, I used their estimation of 1978 to find what I'm looking for on newspapers.com.

Ray: Imagine being a Cold War jet, going on tour, going to Chicago, and then getting relegated to a lunchroom in Kansas. Sad!

DJ: I like that some of our guys have stories like that though.

Ray: Oh, for sure. We said she was kind of a bluenose right? Got along with 2903.

DJ: Yeah, but she's also Cold War so she doesn't have the same sensibilities as Stuka and Spitfire. They thought she was stuck up. 999 didn't care for her either because everything she says sounds like a double entendre.

Ray: 999 likes double entendre, but not from pretty jets who catch her boyfriend's eye, lol. She wants it directed at her.

DJ: Or at least both of them. The problem is that the Starfighter was just Like That. She sounded like everything had two meanings, but in fact it did not. Trains don't need all this decoder ring bullshit in their lives; if you want something, just say so. And 2903 (correctly) just thought she was being friendly because he doesn't get double entendres unless 999 is doing them and only because he knows her tone for that.

Ray: 2903 might get it if she were a train, but he doesn't think a jet would be interested in him so he's not looking for it. Planes value different attributes.

[greatwesternway]

Why does 2903 seem to have more tolerance for Stuka than U-505?

For one thing, Stuka doesn't speak English and so if he's saying smartass things about 2903 (and he does), 2903 will never know.

More to the point though, Stuka knows his place. He is there to look scary, put up a good fight, but ultimately lose to the good guys. And he does it! And he doesn't complain or half-ass it. A more introspective 2903 might even respect him for it because like I said, Stuka has probably adapted to preservation better than any of them and 2903 has thus far been terrible at it. But 2903 is not that introspective and only believes that Stuka is behaving as he should in this situation.

Meanwhile, you got U-505 taking swipes at him anytime he says anything and somehow despite only having two years of service, he seems to have relevant experience in just about everything so you can never win an argument with him. Then there's that his exhibit is the most popular in the museum and brings in extra money, so technically, they're all being maintained by his service. It's like he's going out of his way to be annoying.

[greatwesternway]

Okay so, I wonder what the Meigs Field landing was like for 727. Like obviously she knew it was her last flight, but does she feel the Just Some Girl to the same extent that, say, 2903 did?

Love, love, LOVE that you are asking about this in comparison to 2903.

727 has a lot of advantages over him, both in terms of the work history she came in with as well as how the MSI handled her exhibit. One might even wonder if they did so well this time around because they learned from their experiences with 2903.

For one thing, 727 has one of the longest service lives of any engine in the MSI's collection, 40 years. I think only 999's was longer. 40 years is a very respectable service life and for 727's part, she was satisfied with the work she did. While most engines leave service wanting for more, 727 was fully onboard with retirement. Especially since by the 90's, preservation was a lot less of a new frontier and the job could actually be explained to her beforehand. As a passenger plane, 727 is also already well used to dealing with the public so staying in place and entertaining people wasn't as daunting a prospect for her as it would be for non-public engines.

The last landing at Mieg's Field then would have been bittersweet as any other engine's last run, but she was much more prepared for it than many of her predecessors were. She was looking forward to her next assignment, in fact.

While she doesn't have any particular distinctions in her career (which would normally be a disadvantage at the MSI), she was given a parting gift in being named for Captain William R. Norwood, the first black man to become a captain for United Airlines. (We actually didn't know this when we were designing 727's character, but clearly we have good instincts!) The Transportation Gallery is also set up as a vignette so 727 isn't expected to carry the entire thing herself. Her exhibit, Take Flight, is distinct from the gallery and specifically about her (well, her and jets like her to fill it out), while also placing her as the centerpiece in the tableau of planes.

So while 727 is Just Some Gal, it's never been a detriment to her abilities because she's been set up in such as away as to compensate for it. That many of her fellow planes (if you disregard their current rarity) are also Just Some Guy/Gal is a consideration 2903 didn't get when he was placed in a yard with two one-of-a-kind engines and a notoriously singular prisoner of war.

[greatwesternway]

I love that the engines visit each other, it's so cute! What does everyone at the MSI think about Pilot and 2903 coming to their museum? 🤭

999 and Pioneer like it, obviously.

In fact, it's 999 and 2903's existing relationship that was the real reason these visits started. Prior to 2903's move to the IRM, both museums would have been wary of sending their prize exhibits offsite. However, around this time, Pilot was invited to attend a few offsite events so the feasibility and safety of having an engine leave the property was tested. Once proven, the idea of entrusting the other museum with their engine for the day so that they could foster and maintain their relationships seemed less daunting.

A lot of the secondary cast also hoped those Zephyrs would get together if they were seeing each other in person more often. There was a lot of meddling going on about it. The museum itself was also an interference. Pilot is the rare engine who actually does have a curiosity about things outside his experience and so bringing him to the MSI meant he was spending a lot of time actually looking at things and learning about stuff. Go figure.

U-505 finds 2903's returns to the museum stressful, but he's no slouch at making himself scarce. Pilot however finds U-505 fascinating and makes a point of seeking him out. He doesn't want to offend Pioneer's letter friend (and he likes Pilot besides) so he can't make himself too difficult to find. Luckily, it's a big museum and U-505 knows where he can generally expect 2903 to be so as to not be there himself.

The little planes love when 2903 and Pilot visit. Once 2903 has topped up on facetime with 999, he's happy to take the planes up on an invitation to play. Pilot will sometimes play too, but he's a little too careful about getting any more dents in his fluting to really throw in.

The Rocket and Wright Flyer replicas like seeing 2903 nowadays just because he's really come into his own at the IRM. They've known him since the 60's, but he was always out of his element here. He seems a lot more content with his lot in life now and they're happy to get the follow up on that story. They also think Pilot's a nice young engine (even though he's only ten years younger than them at the most).

[greatwesternway]

What do engines enjoy doing? I assume that being Useful is at the top of the list, but are there things they like participating in during their off time?

Engines mostly enjoy sitting around and chatting with each other. This is what they did in their downtime during their service lives and it's what they do in their respective yards at their museums now. 999 especially likes a good gossip session. Between her, Pioneer, and U-505, they have enough stories to tell over and over that they never get dull.

In our next year of letters, Pioneer does start developing an interest in what goes on indoors at the MSI. This is mostly for Pilot's benefit (and because Pioneer's yard doesn't change enough on its own to match the amount of stuff Pilot relates about the IRM's doings), but it ultimately makes him better at his job if he can recommend something for a visitor to see when they go back inside. So being Useful, yes.

U-505 and Pilot both have a bit of affinity for learning new vocabulary. Pilot does it because it endears him to Venus (the source of most of his big words) and makes him feel a little less like a hayseed compared to Pioneer, whose service life involved a lot of standing there while people waxed poetic about him in speeches. U-505 does it because his guides think it's funny (and the steam engines do not!), so he's willing to indulge them in the joke.

Humanized engines have a bit more latitude, obviously, but the vast majority of them don't really pick up hobbies or anything. Ray mentioned disc golf at the IRM, but that's a minority of engines who'd participate. There's some passive interest in following people sports. Pioneer and Pilot keep track of baseball, if only because it was brought to their attention that they were supposed to like different teams based on where they live. But again, this goes back to just doing things because people like it. Do they really care about baseball? Not really, but they wear the colors when asked and keep current on the scores.

Most of the rest of the IRM's engines are content to chill in their berths and shoot the shit with each other or nap. 2903 is big (oi oi oi) on napping.

In the 90's, when Pilot starts having offsite excursions and 2903 is moved to the IRM, our engines also start visiting each others' museums. Mostly to actually visit each other, but also it's just fun to see each other working and get a taste of a different venue. Pioneer's and Pilot's work duties are similar in a lot of ways and yet very different. The atmosphere of the museums and the expectation the guests have respectively change the way both of them approach the job. But you never know if you might learn something you can take back to your own museum.

Engines - though they don't need to - will eat for fun. This pastime is a lot more popular at the MSI than the IRM (iykyk), but IRM engines have been known to enjoy sodas together. It's also almost never done alone because the eating is obviously not the point; it's a social activity.

Most of the MSI's engines also like watching films in the Dome Theater. They'll watch whatever is playing, but the nature documentaries tend to get the most repeated viewings. Aside from seeing amazing shit in a panoramic view, this activity is also nice because it's a break from constantly talking to each other.

MSI engines enjoy visiting the museum's other exhibits and learning the same things the people do too. There's so much more than just the engines themselves there (which is why this is not really done at the IRM) and while most engines are not really curious about things, the MSI is inviting in a way that even engines who have lived there for decades can't help be drawn in. You could live there that long and still find new things to appreciate about the Jollyball or the Fairy Castle, for instance. Certain planes still haven't found all the hidden objects in the I Spy exhibit (but only because certain planes have no patience or attention span).