#ttte edwards ghost engine

[maxwellscorner]

As years went by, every engine was scared of the moment they wouldn't run anymore

Railways which reused parts of engines beyond repair would soon hear cases of similarly built and unknown locomotives running lost by the smelters and scrapyards they faced their final moments at

Screech noises, screams and cacophonous mechanicals sounds would pest these yards for years to come, they were looking for their parts and would scare shunters of steam and diesel alike

Owners wouldn't mind, thinking it was a silly spooky story or a trick someone was trying to pull on the living engines

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2024: Day 25 - The Last One

Thomas Never Thought About His Classmates...

Thomas is a tank engine who lives on his own little branchline on the Island of Sodor. He's a cheeky little engine with six small wheels, a short stumpy funnel, a short stumpy boiler and a short stumpy dome. He’s always been that way, no matter how young or old he is – it’s part of his charm!

The little blue tank engine has always lived on Sodor, almost since the day he was built. He doesn’t really remember those early days, down in the South of England. He vaguely remembers meeting a couple shunting engines that taught him the absolute basics, and a couple bigger engines who snorted about the Big Station by the works and ordered him about until he snapped back, but little else. In the back of his smokebox, he knows he has siblings – his first driver called him a ‘modified E2’, and his second driver had once shown him a picture of one of his siblings that he’d taken while down there on holidays.

But Thomas never really thought of them. They existed, sure, but when Thomas thought of siblings or family, he thought of Toby, Gordon, Percy and the other engines on Sodor, especially the early seven.

Then, something odd happened. On a crisp, cold February morning, Thomas was on his first run of the day, making his way up the branchline, when he thought he saw something in the corner of his eye. He was passing by the Toryreck Dairy, and a glint of the most unsettlingly familiar umber livery caught him off-guard. He blinked, and looked again – but there was nothing. The closest thing to the umber paint was the reddish-brown of the squat brick building, and even then it was most entirely the wrong colour.

Thomas thought nothing of it and completed his run. The day progressed as usual, and Thomas forgot about it quickly enough, putting it down to sleep still being in his eyes. Months passed, and Thomas completely forgot about the odd umber colour and how it twinged something in the back of his mind.

And then it happened again.

Thomas had been shunting the harbour, pushing trucks into their proper places for the barges to pick up. He cursed out Percy quietly, peeved at how the little green engine had gotten out of this duty in favour of a delivery to the Big Station. As he moved back, he spotted the shape of an engine, shadowed by the bridge that carried the mainline. Thomas stared, confused. “Who’s there?” he called. The engine didn’t look like Percy or Toby – and it wasn’t Duck either. But he couldn’t tell, the shade was making it near impossible to make out the engine’s shape. Thomas puffed back to investigate, when there was a loud bang! Thomas jolted as he bumped into a line of trucks – and when he looked up again, there was nothing there. The brilliant orange of the October leaves just cut a striking contrast to the dark red of the bridge.

“Maybe it was a shadow of a big engine?” Thomas thought aloud. “It could’ve maybe been Donald or Douglas…” But even that sounded wrong. Still, there was nothing there, and none of the others had heard of a new engine on the island. Thomas decided to do his best to forget about it, and keep going.

But then it happened again the next month – one moment, there was a flash of umber in Percy’s berth at the sheds, the next there was nothing. And then it happened in the hot summer of the next year, when Thomas thought he saw a whole tank engine in a deep umber paint scheme shunting trucks around the harbour when he passed over the bridge with his coaches.

No one else saw the engine though, and Thomas was left to believe it was nothing. It had to be nothing… right?

As the boiling summer passed into a cool September, Thomas did his absolute best to forget about the odd umber brown paint and the weird shadows that seemed to stalk him. He took a trip to the Big Station with one of his usual passenger runs, and fussed away into the carriage sidings to look for a suitable spot to park his beloved Annie and Clarabel. As he puffed along one of the sidings, he thought he saw two whole tank engines behind a long row of express coaches, painted that same rich umber livery. Both seemed to be… watching him, even though he couldn’t be sure.

Thomas wasn’t sure what was going on, but it left him feeling very uneasy.

October rolled around, and this time it was a duo of funnels peaking out behind Gordon’s express as he rocketed by. For a brief moment, Thomas thought he saw a weird, wrong version of himself staring back – but when the brake coach cleared the platform, there was absolutely nothing there.

Thomas decided to say nothing about it to the other engines. Percy would laugh at him and Toby would probably believe him but also pity him. And Thomas absolutely refused to be pitied. Pity was for pitiful engines, and Thomas had his own branchline! He had books named after him; Thomas was not pitiful. His pride wouldn’t allow for it.

So Thomas said absolutely nothing, even as the sightings suddenly stopped right as winter set in. The new year rolled in once again, and Thomas was distracted from the weird umber engines by other matters. Stepney had been and gone, Thomas being dazzled by his stories of their former railway and its really useful engines. But neither Stepney nor Thomas mentioned Thomas’ siblings, in some weird twist of fate.

Instead, the little blue tank engine was once again distracted by his own branchline.

And then it was April, 1963. The day started normally enough, Thomas setting out with Annie and Clarabel to do his morning run. But something felt… off. Thomas wasn’t sure how to describe it, but the air felt… electric. As if something big had happened, something he should have been aware of but just wasn’t. It left him on edge as he made his way down to the Junction. As he pulled into the platform, he felt eyes on him from the goods shed, piercing glares boring into his bunker.

“Is something the matter?” asked Annie. Thomas considered, not quite sure what to say.

“Is there anyone in the goods shed?” he eventually asked. Clarabel looked over, and frowned.

“There’s some vans – and maybe a pair of dark brown engines shunting them? I can’t quite tell. They’re – oh, maybe I was wrong.” Clarabel fell silent, trying her best to peer into the gloom of the darkened sheds. Annie and Thomas waited for an answer, but none was forthcoming.

“Clarabel?”

“My eyesight must be going,” complained Clarabel suddenly. “There’re no engines I can see.” Thomas raised an eyebrow, and looking forwards again – and his boiler went cold. There, at the very edge of the horizon where the mainline turned away from the coast and behind a cutting, was him. Only, it wasn’t him. It was maybe one of his siblings? It looked like it – but they had shortened side tanks, and a dark scowl on their face. Thomas went to call out to it, but then it vanished.

“Driver…”

“Yes Thomas?”

“Have you got any news on the other engines of my class?” Thomas’ driver pondered the question, amazed at the unusual request from the tank engine who had never mentioned the other E2 engines. He promised to check in with the Fat Controller when they reached the Big Station. Thomas felt a little better after that.

But his driver had bad news for him after speaking to the Fat Controller. “I’m really sorry Thomas,” sighed his driver. “But… they cut up the last of your siblings yesterday. You’re the last one.”

To his surprise, Thomas didn’t feel anything at that. Perhaps a little sadness, but it was mostly just distantly removed, as if he had just found out a tragedy had occurred in some faraway, distant land he’d never heard of before. It felt a bit wrong, but also just natural. Thomas had had classmates, and now he did not. He had always been unique, and now he was just a little more unique. “Thank you, driver,” Thomas said kindly. “That’s… all I really needed to know.” Thomas’ driver raised a worried eyebrow, but said nothing more.

Thomas continued on, this new information being quietly tucked away to the back of his smokebox where it festered for only a few minutes before being washed away by every other thought in Thomas’ mind. Percy was due for an overhaul soon, and Thomas would  need to cover for him; Gordon had been getting uppity again recently, and he would probably need to knock the big blue idiot down a few pegs again. Thoughts of Mrs Kyndley and the farmers and Terence complaining about roots in his field all pushed the news of his classmates’ death down deep to the back of Thomas’ mind and eventually he stopped thinking about it.

“It’s so odd,” his driver muttered to the fireman. “I just told him all his siblings have been cut up, and he’s more interested in what Mrs Kyndley is having for tea!”

In the shadows, eyes glared at the oblivious blue engine; furious eyes, emotions swelling as rage and anger overtook everything.

Thomas finished his last train of the day, parked Annie and Clarabel away, and settled in the sheds beside Percy. The little green engine was already exhausted, having spent all day shifting stone for a major project on the mainland – and he was not interested in conversation. Toby was equally tired, and with no reason to stay awake chatting, all three were quickly closing their eyes, yawns stifling their last few words as they said “good night”.

Thomas fell asleep, and thought nothing more of his day.

He awoke to the hiss of steam, of metal scraping against metal. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, as if Thomas had been dragged into the deepest pits of a scrapyard while he slept.

Thomas opened a sleepy eye, and screamed in terror.

“You!” snarled the engine standing buffer-to-buffer with Thomas. “You forgot about us!” Thomas looked around – there were ten engines surrounding him on all sides; Percy was gone.

“Where—where’s Percy?” demanded Thomas, his fear replaced instantly by worry. The engines all hissed at him, their blood-red eyes boring into him.

“We’re your classmates, and you’re more worried about someone else? We DIED!”  Thomas felt a bump from behind, and suddenly he was moving forwards.

“Hey! Stop that! Let me go!” he snarled, trying in vain to struggle against the force propelling him slowly forwards.

“You got all the glory, all the love!” they accused, all rushing forwards to bash into him and leave him lurching violently. Thomas winced and gasped in pain, feeling his buffers bend under the strain. “You never thought of us! You never loved us! Where were you, when we were being scrapped?”

They began to pick up speed, Thomas yelping in terror as he was forcibly shoved out of the yard, his wheels screaming on the points. He felt yet another slam against his bunker, his entire frame shuddering violently as it was assaulted from all sides.

“Failure! Traitor! You took all the glory and never looked back!” Thomas’ siderods were a blur as he was forced down the branchline as frightening speeds, his frame groaning as he felt the curves send jolts of searing pain along his axles.

“No! Stop! Please!” begged Thomas, as his entire frame shuddered again. It felt like it was going to snap. Thomas could feel the cracks beginning to tear their way along the metal, putting even more stress on every inch of his body. His wheels screeched in agony as he rounded another bend. The tunnel loomed ahead. Thomas screamed as his sidetanks scraped along the sides, scratches and deep cuts left behind by the brick.

“We’ll show you the pain we suffered,” snarled the engines. “We’ll make you feel it! Make you feel worse! You will regret forgetting us, Thomas!” Thomas couldn’t take it – his axles were overheating rapidly, the burn already beginning to settle in and leaving him gasping for air as the pain overtook him—

“Thomas?”

Everything stopped.

Terence stared at the little blue tank engine from in his field, standing in wait while his owner went to drag out seeds for planting. Thomas was in tears – everything hurt, and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to move. “Oh Terence!” blubbered the little blue tank engine. Something clanged deep inside him, and then there was silence.

“Are you alright?” asked Terence slowly. He looked around, trying to see where Thomas’ crew had gotten to.

“No,” admitted Thomas quietly. “Everything hurts. I… I don’t know how I made it this far. Please call a breakdown train.” Terence was stunned silent, immediately agreeing. Thomas never spoke like that. He never sounded so… hurt. Small. Scared. It was wrong, and Terence feared whatever had left Thomas in such a state.

The breakdown train came up from the Junction, headed by a quiet Edward. The kindly old engine stopped short of the tank engine, and looked around. He thought for a moment that he could see red eyes glaring from within the tunnel, and scowled at it.

“It’s alright Thomas, we’re here now,” Edward said kindly. “Let’s get you checked over.” The men looked all over the blue tank engine – but there was no signs of anything being wrong. The brakes were on, his motion was perfectly fine – there wasn’t even a hint as to what had sent Thomas flying down his branchline. His frames were fine too, when Thomas finally worked up the courage to ask. There weren’t even any signs that he’d left his berth at all.

But here Thomas was.

Edward moved to buffer up to the blue tank engine, when Thomas flinched. Edward’s eyes widened, and he paused short. “Ok Thomas, I’m going to buffer up now. Nice and slowly, keep your eyes on me.” Edward very carefully helped his old friend back to his shed, finding both Percy and Toby deep asleep. Edward parked Thomas in his berth, then shunted away the works coach and took up guard on the line in front of the little blue tank engine. Thomas shot him a grateful look, but still neither got any sleep.

The next day, Thomas quietly asked his crew to erect a memorial to his classmates at the back of the sheds. Confused, but happy that their engine was finally showing an emotion about his siblings that was more than vague sadness, his crew obliged. Edward watched them put it together, then looked over to Thomas.

“Hopefully, it will be enough,” he murmured. Thomas didn’t reply, but Edward already knew enough.

Back to the Master Post

[l0calmal]

Okay I gotta tell someone about this dream I had last night!!!!

I had a dream where James saw a ghost engine but nobody believed him and made fun of him until he decided to run away and hide somewhere and then Thomas, Percy, Gordon, Edward, Henry and Diesel decided to find him and then they saw ghosts looking at them on an abandoned track and then they started to believe James and then they saw James making friends with the ghosts and they enjoyed James’s company!

I might make an AU based on it but with human designs! The AU should be called: Red And The Dead!!!!

[cerenemuxse]

whiteboard doodles with other ttte folk! so many AUs!!!

[hi-my-name-is-cosmopathy]

None of these designs are even official but okay

(All of these are Ghost Pals! Alfred)

(Gordon)

Also yeah I went traditional because I got a knew tab not too long ago

Posting another set of art but it's not TTTE related because I entered new fandoms while I was absent

[uselessalexis165]

tried making some ttte memes (268)

[fabianvalencia561]

Draw your favorite ttte characters from your favorite au.

man there is so many ttte au I love

I wish I could draw all of the aus I love but that would take me days or longer.... but maybe soon I'll draw all of my favorite ttte au... yeh :D

so here are a few so I don't draw too many characters

@humanoid-au Edward (he's a loveable guy)

@13o7byitm-railwayseries Diesel (He's a very cool dude)

@bruhstation ace (He's so cringe I just can't help but feel bad for him)

@ttte-vigilante-and-hero-au James (he's a cool guy. he's really neat)

and of course your Proteus my friend ^^ (He's such a pretty Proteus and he is fun to draw)

[agirlwholovesspe33d]

Another images dump. The 2nd image is Edward between his NWR and F.R colours

[hazel-of-sodor]

Guardian Ch.3 A Midnight Run

Guardian

Other Stories

Ch.3 A Midnight Run.

They ran through the cold misty night smoothly, passing clear signal after clear signal. The glow of the green lights eerily similar to the specter's red lamp. Although the two engines conversed in their way, steam and the clank of metal filling the night air, Nicole and Samantha worked quietly until they were approaching Wellsworth.

 "Thomas, " Samantha called, leaning out of the cab window.

"Yes driver?" He called back distractedly.

"We'll need to stop for coal and water at Wellsworth, if we're to make it to Kellstrope."

Thomas was quiet for a second, as he felt the levels in his tanks and bunkers. As he did, Samantha noticed the rust had almost reached the front of his smokebox mounting. Thomas hummed an agreement to her and began to slow down as the lights of Edward's station came into view, whistling a greeting as he approached the fueling siding. Edward whistled back from the platform, where he was being uncoupled from the empty cars of the midnight Brendam Express. He backed quietly alongside Thomas, not even blinking at the specter's presence. 

"Evening Thomas," he puffed cheerfully as he rolled to a stop, " and dry rails and smooth running to you friend." 

"Evening Edward."

The specter barked a short whistle in response.

"Of course you aren't phased by this," Nicole grouched as she started shoveling coal into Thomas' bunker.

The old engine gave her an amused look, "I deal with the clay twins on a daily basis, any engine with a semblance of common sense is a relief, no matter their form," he said dryly.

Nicole paused for a moment, "Ah, fair enough."

Thomas snorted quietly as Samantha clambered up to fill his water tanks, the twins' reputation as terrors was well earned. 

Edward swung his gaze back to the phantom, "And where are you headed friend? You've come a long way from Thomas's Branchline."

The engine let out a low wheesh.

"When they heard Emily was here, they asked to see her before they passed on." Thomas explained.

Edward gave a sad smile to the other engine, " She'll be glad to see you, Emily visits Elena when she can, but York is a long way from Sodor."

The specter made a chuffing noise at Thomas who gave an abashed start, " Oh right, Elena is your other surviving sister. She was made part of the National Rail Museum. I thought I'd already told you that."

The specter made a chattering series of clanks at Thomas, berating him as Edward watched amusedly.

"I see Emily's bossiness is a family trait," Thomas snapped waspishly after several minutes.

Rather than be offended, the phantom let out a hiss of steam that Samantha somehow knew to be it preening.

Edward roared with laughter, struggling to catch his breath, steam shooting from his funnel and valves with each laugh. Thomas glared at the older engine , an angry blush evident even in the dark.

"I'm glad you find this so funny," Thomas snapped snootily.

"I remember having to put up with a pint sized station pilot that acted like they were the same size as Gordon," Edward said dryly, his laughter subsiding to chuckles, "it's only fair."

Thomas scoffed and looked away with a scowl, but Samantha could see the fond smile he was trying to hide. 

Edward, his laughter finally gone, glanced over and frowned at the rust creeping up Thomas's footplate. "You need to get moving," He said with concern," the daylight won't be good for them, and connection isn't good for you."

Thomas's eyes snapped back to Edward, "I won't fail them," his tone was steely, but with a quiet undercurrent of hurt.

"I never thought you would Caomhnóir," Edward softly admonished him, "but hurting yourself in doing so would be all too like you. It may be your duty, but you don't have to carry it alone."

      Thomas looked down at his buffers for a long moment then up to the specter's smokebox. "Some weights are worth carrying," he offered Edward a soft, hesitant smile, " I'll see you on the way back in the morning?"

Edward snorted as Samantha and Nicole climbed back into Thomas's cab, "If you think they're letting you out of the works that quickly, you need more than your buffers checked." 

"I was trying not to think about it," Thomas groaned as Samantha advanced his regulator.

"Good luck, we'll call ahead so Emily will be waiting for you," Edward whistled goodbye, Thomas and the Phantom's returning whistles offering a strange harmony to the night.

Beyond the station lay Gordon's hill. Thomas was puffing gamely up the hill, but it seemed the phantom was getting heavier as they went. When they had left Knapford, it had seemed as if Thomas was barely halving to pull at all, but Samantha had had to advance his regulator a few times on the way to Wellsworth. The hill was only making it worse. The engine's weight was still well within Thomas's capabilities but Samantha was concerned.

  "Thomas," she called to him, "Is it just me or are they getting heavier?"

  It was quiet for a few puffs then, "Remember how I said they're no longer of this world?"

"Yes," she said hesitantly.

"They're being pulled back to it by touching me. They didn't weigh less, there's just more of them here."

"Does..." Nicole hesitated, " does that mean we're being pulled toward them too?" She had trailed off into a whisper by the end, but Thomas still heard her.

"Yes, that's why you could both see them clearly at Wellsworth even though you weren't touching me."

   "We don't get paid enough for this," Nicole muttered. They fell into silence as they crested the hill and steamed towards Kellsthorpe road. Samantha was worried to see the rust was creeping further up Thomas, nearing his splashers.

[mwolf0epsilon]

@british-hero once said to me "What if Trains were creatures", and I am not one to deny them anything that ends up being incredibly self-indulgent. So here's a TTTE Monster AU where a bunch of shady scientists kidnap a handful of engines and turn them into recreations of mythical creatures/monsters before tossing them in an abandoned islet to study them under a proverbial microscope.

Gordon's a hydra, Edward a griffin, James is a giant bee/wasp monster hybrid, Thomas is a selkie (he doesn't know the pelt comes off), Percy a harpy, Henry a chimera and Emily a ghost/frost spirit.

There's other engines in the monster transmogrification roster, but these were the ones I had a more vivid design idea for in mind.

— ☕️ Ko-fi | 🧡Commissions

[unpopularvivian]

TTTE Swap AU Concept! (Or Classically Modern TTTE AU)

So I finally managed to have enough ideas to write an outline of what my swap au would be like! The characters that I currently swapping with each other are:

Toby ⬅️➡️ James

Edward ⬅️➡️ Gordon

Thomas ⬅️➡️ Percy

BoCo ⬅️➡️ Diesel (BoCo is a wip)

Daisy ⬅️➡️ Mavis (Both are wips)

Henrietta ⬅️➡️ Hannah (Both are wips)

Donald & Douglas ⬅️➡️ Bill & Ben (Both are wips)

Henry ⬅️➡️ Emily (Both are wips)

Let's start with what the characters' personalities that aren't wips are like and their inspirations!

Thomas: Very caring and kind while also being very bright and smart! He's less cheeky than his MC self and his love of skateboarding is swapped with creating inventions! He still goes crazy when he eats candy lol. His main inspiration is Mac from Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends.

Percy: Acts like a dick and can be very lazy. Is very bratty and loves to mess around with other engines. Despite this, he can be very courageous and is willing to sacrifice himself for his dearest friends. Instead of being confused with long words, they are now confused by sarcasm despite using it themselves. Main inspo is Bloo from Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends.

Toby: Very expressive but can often be very arrogant and reckless. Doesn't think that he's old and tries to fit in with the younger engines. As a result, he wears very modern clothes. and feels very insecure about himself deep down (Also he's loves fashion hehe hoho) Is willing to throw hands at anybody if they dare to hurt his loved ones. Character inspiration is Anne Maria from Total Drama with bits of Connor from Disventure Camp sneaked in.

James: Very selfless and very hardworking although he tends to be a people pleaser and gets stepped on a lot. He isn't vain anymore and red is just a favorite color of his. Still likes fashion although she sees it as a part time hobby. They can be a bit spoiled but still very sweet and generous. Dakota from Total Drama was their main inspiration.

Edward: Very uptight, seems to not smile at all and very serious. He doesn't have insomnia in this au but he is a massive workaholic, causing him to neglect his own wellbeing for the sake of the railway. Instead of being interested in punk culture, heavy metal and rock music, Edward takes a liking to the supernatural world. Is able to see and communicate with ghosts, demons, angels and other entities. Main inspiration was Loid Forger from Spy x Family. Oh and when he smiles, it usually looks something like this:

(Yeah very unnerving I know)

Gordon: Full of life and energy, always like helping people and is generally down-to-earth. Very humble and is very calm during dire situations. He tends to be very spontaneous and sometimes too excited when he sees an opportunity. Main inspo was Jack Skellington from the Nightmare Before Christmas.

Diesel: Absolutely loves steamies and the troublesome trucks and sees them as family in contrast to canon Diesel hating them. He is the main caretaker of the troublesome trucks and sees them as his own kids. So if you treat Diesel badly, the trucks are coming for your ass. Very mild and doesn't like to lie to others. Tends to be honest although it does sometimes lead him to accidentally insulting people. Is regarded as one of the nicest diesels by others. Character inspiration was Wilt from Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends.

Side info:

The characters keep their og sexualities and genders from the MC AU. Toby x Edward, Toby x Henrietta, Gordon x BoCo etc are still canon to this AU. The characters are still them by the end of the day. Thomas is still Thomas, Percy is still Percy and so on. Backstories may be altered or different than the backstories from Modernly Classical. Same goes for headcanons. Their designs might change in order to fit their personalities more. (If I ever had the motivation to make them in GL2 lol)

[the-time-lord-oracle]

Thomas the Tank Engine series 3 UK VHS release observations

Following on from previous posts covering Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends series 1 and 2 VHS releases, I thought I'd cover series 3's releases.

Compared to the first two series, which were both produced in a single block of 26 episodes, series 3 was filmed in two blocks; series 3A, which comprised of the first 16 episodes (A Scarf for Percy to Edward, Trevor & the Really Useful Party), and series 3B, comprising the remaining 10 episodes (Buzz, Buzz to Thomas & Percy's Christmas Adventure). The reason for this split production was likely to met a deadline for American TV networks, as TTTE was being made for international audiences by that time. Series 3A was filmed in 1991 and it was decided to wait until all 26 episodes were ready before broadcasting on television. Instead, the 16 episodes of series 3A were released direct to video on the 11th of November 1991, with two video releases containing eight episodes each; Time for Trouble & Other Stories, containing A Scarf for Percy to Diesel Does it Again and Trust Thomas & Other Stories, containing Henry's Forest to Edward, Trevor & the Really Useful Party. These two releases were the first to feature this cover design, designed by Britten Ellis McKean, and they featured the so-called "early narrations", which were Michael Angelis' first narrations for the series. These early narrations differ from the later televised versions of the episode in that Angelis' narration is considerably softer and the episodes often lack music cues heard in the televised versions. Incidentally, the cover image of Time for Trouble & Other Stories is a deleted scene from Thomas, Percy & the Dragon, while the cover image of Trust Thomas & Other Stories comes from Trust Thomas.

Series 3B was filmed in early 1992 and broadcasting of the whole series on television began with A Scarf for Percy on the 25th of February that year. Once again, the episodes were broadcast on CITV, though they seemed to alternate between single episode broadcasts and double-bills. Prior to the CITV broadcasts, the 16 episodes of series 3A had their narrations re-recorded, with Angelis now sounding considerably more enthusiastic and the missing music cues added. The Video Collection decided to re-release the two VHS releases with the updated narrations and so Time for Trouble & Other Stories and Trust Thomas & Other Stories were both reissued on the 25th of May 1992, both now featuring the later narrations for the episodes. The re-release of Trust Thomas & Other Stories can be readily distinguished from the early release by the addition of an "as seen on ITV" label on the cover. Strangely, this distinction was not applied to Time for Trouble & Other Stories, so the re-release shares the same cover as the early release. I had the later release of Trust Thomas & Other Stories and it was one of my favourite videos when I was little.

Unlike series 3A, the 10 episodes of series 3B were broadcast on television first, with no early narration variants. The broadcast of series on CITV concluded with Thomas & Percy's Christmas Adventure on the 14th of July 1992. The 10 episodes of series 3B received a home video release two months later on the 14th of September, being released on Escape & Other Stories. It's worth noting that this video was released on the same day as the re-releases of series 2 mentioned in my series 2 post. Compared to the other two series 3 videos, Escape & Other Stories is the only one of the three to not feature an image on the cover that's from an episode on the video, as the image of Thomas is taken from Trust Thomas. A final note before moving on, all three series 3 releases were reissued on the 22nd of November 1993 with the addition of a promo at the beginning for various children's videos narrated by Ace herself, Sophie Aldred, though the covers remained the same.

As mentioned in the series 2 video post, The Video Collection released Ghost Train & Other Stories/Time for Trouble & Other Stories on the 29th of May 1995. This was a compilation of Time for Trouble & Other Stories and the 1992 series 2 re-release Ghost Train & Other Stories. The packaging for the video is misleading as it claims that Ghost Train & Other Stories comes first on the video, but in actuality, Time for Trouble & Other Stories comes first. Also worth noting that during this period, The Video Collection/VCI releases numerous compilation videos combining episodes from all series of TTTE. Series 3 featured quite prominently on many of those videos, but they're a story for another post. 1995 also saw The Video Collection rebrand as VCI, so all subsequent videos come under the VCI name.

In 1998, VCI released all of series 1 in one VHS boxset and series 2 followed suit in 1999. Continuing this trend, VCI released Thomas & Friends: The Complete 3rd Series on the 29th of May 2000. This was a a two-video box set containing all 26 episodes of series 3. The first tape contained the first 13 episodes (A Scarf for Percy to Trust Thomas), while the second tape contained the remaining 13 episodes (Mavis to Thomas & Percy's Christmas Adventure).

On the 6th of November 2000, VCI decided to re-release Time for Trouble & Other Stories. Quite why they did this I don't know, but the festive cover design causes me to think that it might've been intended as a Christmas stocking filler. The new cover image comes from Thomas Gets Bumped.

On the 3rd of September 2001, VCI re-released Escape & Other Stories and on the 5th of November, they re-released Time for Trouble & Other Stories yet again. Quite why this was done I don't know. These re-releases share the same cover images as their original 1991/92 releases, but with a new cover design. The episodes remained the same as before. These would be the last VHS releases of series 3. Series 3 would receive it's first DVD release in 2004 and would be released again in 2010 and 2012.

That concludes my look at Thomas the Tank & Friends series 3 UK VHS releases. Not as simple as series 2, but not as complex as series 1. Series 4 is where it gets very complex to explain.

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2024: Day 31 - Dusk

Tidmouth Train to Hell:

Pip and Emma stared at the timetable, not quite sure what to make of it. “Why is there a massive gap?” Pip finally said, still trying to wrap her head around the odd space from dusk until the next day. “Oh, that’s a Halloween tradition,” replied Bear, looking over from his own train. “Every Halloween they put us all away early for some reason. Never quite understood why, but each to their own and all that!” Pip scoffed, while Emma looked more bemused than anything.

The High-Speed diesels were still new to Sodor, and had only been once before, on trial during the summer period. This was their first October on the Island of Sodor, and all month they’d been amazed to find that the engines were far more interested in the holiday and its various traditions than the mainland was. Particularly, it was extremely popular amongst the native Sudrian people, who had been performing several rituals and festivals since the start of the month.

Emma had been far more curious about the whole thing than her sister, and decided to ask one of the older engines, in hope of getting some information. “Well,” hummed Percy, “it’s a Gaelic thing. Sauin, I believe the Sudrians call it. It’s like Samhain up in Scotland, and is all about the end of the harvest season. I remember how much Sir Topham the First put emphasis on listening to the local Sudrians about how important the rituals and festivals were. For example, at the start of the month is the cleansing ritual; it’s a bit like a spring clean, but in autumn. It used to be when the men would go out and start chopping wood for winter according to Edward.” At that moment, the signal clunked up to show green, and Percy puffed away.

Pip snorted from her end of the train. “Asking about all these silly holidays again?” she asked. “They’re not silly!” protested Emma. “They’re—” “An excuse to get more days off work,” finished Pip crossly. “Now come on, we’ve got a train to pull.”

Pip and Emma ran the WildNorWester express to London, stopping only at Crovan’s Gate, Barrow and Preston. It meant the two were often the most out of the loop on all the important gossip of the railway, as they were over on the mainland and missed it. One such titbit of gossip the pair missed was the track repairs being done at Crovan’s Gate. On their return run a week later, Pip and Emma were stopped at the platform to wait while several old signals and a set of points were replaced.

Their repair shed had recently been completed and stood on one side of the line while the narrow gauge railway sat on the other, the mainline trapped between the two and the Works. Pip and Emma had been switched onto the wrong side of the line to avoid a massive section of missing track. This put Emma right next to the Skarloey Railway sheds, where Duke was resting. “Excuse me,” Emma called. “You’ve been on Sodor for a long time, Duke – do you know much about Sau---een?” “Sauin,” corrected Duke kindly. “And I certainly do. My old line used to run through the heart of old Sodor, so I learnt all about it.” “Not this again!” groaned Pip from the other end of the train. Duke and Emma ignored her.

“Sauin is a festival to celebrate the end of the harvest, the start of the winter season… and the point in time when the barrier between our world and the Otherworld is at its weakest. The month begins by preparing for winter and giving thanks to the sun, before pivoting to asking for protection from the winter gods and giving sacrifices to the ancestors as thanks for their guidance. Then, it ends with Sauin itself, which is better known as Halloween. People celebrate the wicked and supernatural, then stay indoors overnight with scriptures for protection painted on the doorway to ward off evil spirits. It’s said they begin to break out of the Otherworld at Dusk, and party in our world until midnight…” Duke broke off, looking contemplative. Emma wasn’t sure why, but she felt uneasy all of a sudden.

A group of people walked along the platform, offering blessings to the stranded passengers and burning incense. Pip refused to be blessed, and then the group made their way over to Emma and Duke.

“Ah, if you wouldn’t mind,” Duke said. A man stepped forward, painting a sigil on Duke’s forehead in red paint before waving the incense around him. Duke smiled warmly, his old eyes closing as he relaxed while the ritual was performed.

“Oooh, can you do me next please!” asked Emma. The group nodded. “Of course we can,” one said. “Explain it to Emma while you do,” Duke added. “She’s new, and this is her first Sauin.” The man stepped forwards, dipping his thumb in some more paint.

“Alright then Emma, I’m going to paint a sigil for protection on your forehead in Ancient Sudric, and then we’ll bless you with the incense.” A few of the more curious tourists wandered over to watch, intrigued by the ritual. The man painted the sigil in careful strokes on Emma’s forehead, and then several of the others walked around her as much as they could, waving the incense over her radiator grills and wheels.

“Thank you!” said Emma happily when they finished. “I… I actually feel better already.” “You should,” hummed Duke. “It’s a popular Ancient Sudrian tradition to get blessed prior to Sauin night – just in case you’re caught out after dusk.”

Pip just rolled her eyes down at her end of the train.

Emma asked a few more questions while they waited, before finally deciding to broach a topic she’d been unsure of since she’d begun asking around about Sauin. “Why is the timetable completely empty on Sauin night?” she asked. Duke frowned. “I said everyone stays inside, so why would anyone want to take the train?” “What about tourists, or goods?” quizzed Emma. “This is Sodor – there’s always another reason.” “You’re… not wrong,” sighed Duke. “Every Halloween, a train runs from the Rolling Bridge to Tidmouth. It’s on no timetable, and has no schedule. Some engines assert it leaves at dusk, while others suggest it crosses the island in the blink of an eye. What is known about this train is that it arrives at Tidmouth at exactly midnight… and continues on through the buffers.” “Through the buffers?!” squeaked Emma. “What, do they crash the train on purpose?” “Oh no,” sighed Duke. “It’s a train to the Otherworld – though some of the workers call it the ‘Tidmouth Train to Hell’. It’s pure black from one end to the other, and absolutely no one is allowed to set eyes on it.”

“What happens if someone does?” asked Emma, spooked. Duke sighed. “Well – a man was walking along the line in ’37 when he saw it. He was found a gibbering wreck on the trackside, white as a ghost and shivering like mad. He spent the rest of his life in a mental asylum, poor chap.”

Emma winced; at that moment, the signal turned green, and the two High-Speed twins were cleared to go. The passengers hurried back aboard, and the twins set off.

“It’s poppycock,” sniffed Pip as they rocketed along. “Ooooo, be afraid of ‘The Tidmouth Train to Hell’. Duke’s trying to have you on. I bet if you ask a sensible engine like Henry or Gordon they’ll tell you it never happened!”

Pip was proven very wrong. Emma decided to ask the pair that very night, and to Pip’s surprise they immediately confirmed Duke’s story.

“Oh, old Jefferies,” hummed Gordon. “Duke told you about him? I’m surprised he didn’t use one of the earlier cases – when I arrived, people still didn’t believe in it, and we’d find three or four every Halloween stumbling about the line screaming and gibbering and acting like lunatics. I remember very vividly Glynn going down the line and picking them all up in a compartment coach so they could be kept separate and brought to the hospital safely. By the end of the 20s, every had learnt better than to be out on Halloween. Sir Topham always ensured that we were in our sheds on that night too, and his son and grandson have both followed his example.”

Pip and Emma were both stunned!

“So… it’s real?” asked Emma slowly. “It’s very real,” Henry said grimly. “I’ve seen a peek of it through the shed windows. It’s a frightening thing, let me tell you! All black, with great red headlamps and it’s puffs sound like screams. We all stay in here and tell ghost stories and try not to think about it. And I’d suggest you do the same – I know you’ve got the last train of the day. Do not be late getting here.”

Emma agreed that she definitely was going to be on time, and even Pip seemed nervous.

The week went by, and the two new engines watched as more and more Sauin festivals were held. These were less and less about the harvest, and more and more about the oncoming winter and the spirits. A number of the native Sudrians and older engines began to have protection sigils painted on their foreheads when they went out; Duke was joined by Skarloey, Rheneas, Thomas, Edward, Henry and Gordon within a few days. Donald and Douglas, who’d learnt about Samhain back in Scotland, had their own sigils written in Scottish Gaelic. Duck and Oliver got their own Scottish sigils written in support of their friends.

All around them, Pip and Emma watched as Sodor prepared for Sauin night. Hotels filled to capacity, with large parades held celebrating the spirits in several of the bigger towns and cities.

And then finally, Halloween came. The day was incredibly slow, with barely any passengers at all riding with the railway. Pip and Emma wondered if it was worth pulling their train at all – at least, until they set out on their last express of the day. It was packed.

“Why are there so many?!” exclaimed Emma. “We’re going to be barely able to hold them all!” “It’s everyone heading to the mainland to avoid Sauin night,” James said, puffing in. “You’ll be hard pressed with this many – I think it’s cause there was a fog warning put out earlier; no one wants to be caught out past dusk with that in place. Spirits and fog? No thank you!”

James steamed away to shunt his coaches into their siding, while Pip and Emma prepared to head off. It was a struggle setting off. Every single seat was filled, and a number of others stood in the corridors, making the trip extremely difficult. Even more piled on at Crovan’s Gate, where almost all the Skarloey engines had already been hidden away in their shed. Emma watched the slowly descending sun with worry.

“If we get held up on the mainland even once, we’re not going to be back for dusk,” she fretted. “We’ll be fine,” replied Pip. “Worst comes to worst, we’re a little late. ‘The Tidmouth Train to Hell’ isn’t a threat to us.”

Oh how wrong Pip was.

The big sheds at Tidmouth were filling to capacity rapidly. The usual crowd had filed in, as had Edward, BoCo, Thomas, Percy, Toby and Daisy. The sheds were so full that the tank engines had to share a road between two of them; Duck and Oliver on one line and Percy and Toby on another. The scripts had been painted on the doors, and the storm shutters rolled down on the windows. Daisy huffed grumpily, glaring out at the yards as thick fog and mist wafted in. “I hate having to spend the night here, it’s so bad for my swerves!” “Oh belt up!” groaned Thomas. “It’s better than being out there – no one wants to be out there.” “Speaking of out there, where are Pip and Emma?” asked Gordon. “Dusk is in half an hour, and they aren’t back.”

Edward, sat on the turntable, winced. “I heard they had a full train leaving Tidmouth. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve been waylaid. Let’s just hope the stationmaster at Barrow parks them there for the night.”

Pip and Emma would have no such luck. The pair were late leaving London and Preston, filled up once again with people wanting to get home for the holiday – but the platform at Barrow was deserted. The fog had truly begun to set in, leaving long shadows where none should be.

“You can’t stay here,” the stationmaster said grumpily. The sun was beginning to sink over the horizon. “There’s no space, and you’re not a Northern engine anyway. Go back to Sodor.”

Pip and Emma both tried to argue – but it was no use. At least the lack of passengers meant they didn’t need to wait around. The pair roared out of Barrow, trying their best to claw back time from the setting sun. Dusk was coming fast: too fast. The fog was willing it on faster, thick cloud cover blocking out part of the sun and making it increasingly harder to see.

Vicarstown flew by, followed by Henry’s tunnel and then Crovan’s Gate. Clear signals guided them through each station, the two honking their horns loudly. It was almost as if they were heralding the dusk, trying their best to make it back home before night came. Dark figures watched their progress from deep in the shadows, hiding where neither twin could really see them. “Faster Pip, faster!” called Emma. “I’m giving it all I can!” called back Pip.

Finally, Tidmouth came into view, one door still rolled up for them. Pip and Emma were quick to back through it, the door slamming down behind them just as the last rays of the sun vanished over the horizon, leaving behind only the fog.

“Cutting it close there,” said Gordon darkly. Both Pip and Emma winced. “We were held up on the mainland… a lot. And then the stationmaster at Barrow wouldn’t let us stay there.”

Gordon huffed. “Stupid man – he’s got no sense. Why, the other day!—”

He was cut off by James shushing him. The two shot glares at each other, before allowing Edward to pick up his story again.

The old engine wove stories throughout the next few hours, telling tales of twisted grins and haunting ghouls heralded by owls, of spirits sent to help and those sent to destroy. The engines relaxed, enjoying the night even as the hours ticked on. Pip and Emma could have fooled themselves into thinking it was just another horrible storm trapping all the engines in the shed.

That is, until a most horrific sound pierced through the air, shattering Edward’s story and leaving all the engines deathly silent. The clock showed a minute to midnight. The sound came again, a ghastly howling and screeching and moaning that seemed to work its way into the engines’ frames and bury itself there, leaving them all shaking. The doors and windows began to rattle and shake, as if hundreds of people were banging on them, trying to pry them open.

“Out after dusk!” they howled. “They were out after dusk!” Pip and Emma began to shake, terrified.

Another ear-piercing whistle filled the air, made of even more tortured howling and screeching. Then came the screams. As the engine thundered towards Tidmouth, each beat of its cylinders sounded like the screams of the damned. The entire shed seemed to shake, as the horrific banging and rattling continued.

“Out after dusk! Out after dusk! They belong to us! They belong to us!” Pip and Emma quivered, petrified. The other engines looked equally terrified – all except Edward. As the cacophony reached a peak, he took a deep breath.

“You are not welcome inside. We are protected. This shed has been blessed; these engines have been blessed. You are not welcome inside!”  

“ONE HAS NOT!” boomed the creatures outside. Pip gasped – she had refused the blessing!

The engine grew nearer; time seemed to slow. Edward took a level breath, and spoke again.

“You are not welcome inside. We are protected. This shed has been blessed; these engines have been blessed. You are not welcome inside!”  

“ONE HAS NOT!” came the furious reply. Before Edward could speak again, there was a horrendous roar and scream of whistles, brakes and steam – the Tidmouth Train to Hell had arrived. It roared past, it’s red lamps illuminating against the doors. The shed walls groaned, as if nearly at braking point. The windows rattled harder, dents being made it the metal. Daisy shrieked and fainted.

Thomas began praying under his breath in one language; the twins did the same in a different one. The train sped into the station, thundering towards the buffers. One dent slammed against the glass of the window next to Pip, cracking the glass. A gnarled nail pierced through the shutter.

“You are not welcome inside. We are protected. This shed has been blessed; these engines have been blessed. You are not welcome inside!”  Edward thundered again, his eyes darting over to the shutter.

The train hit the buffers.

The creatures outside let out a chorus of tortured screams. They were in agony, ripping away from the sheds and howling in pain. The nail was torn from the shutter, giving Pip just enough space to see dark figures writhing on the ground.

The clock ticked over; a new day began. The creatures let out one last screech. The floor seemed to open up around them, hellflames licking up at the night fog and illuminating the entire night in a sea of blood red. The creatures screaming and screeched, dragged downwards and suffocated in the earth before they could be scorched alive by the flames.

And then there was silence.

“Oh…” managed Pip softly.

Everyone looked shaken. Edward sighed softly, and looked over at the twins. “The last time an engine was out after dusk and wasn’t blessed was in 1916, during the war,” he said quietly. “Thomas mightn’t remember it – but I do. It was a loaned engine who told us all that Sauin was stupid… that is, until the creatures of hell surrounded the sheds and began demanding we give him over. Glynn kept trying to keep them out, but he slipped up. The engine’s shed door was ripped open suddenly, and he was… dragged out. We never say what pulled him out – but whatever it was bent that door open like it was a tin can and shoved it back down afterwards. We all heard the loaned engine’s screams as it was given to the creatures and torn piece from piece…”

Edward paused, and gazed at the shed doors, looking wary.

“It’s said that engine became the Tidmouth Train to Hell, crossing the island and giving the spirits and creatures time to roam free before arriving in Tidmouth and condemning them all back to hell, to make sure none can inflict that fate on another.”

He finished his story and looked around the silent room. Daisy was still unconscious, and it was a miracle none of the others had followed. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the dent shutter and cracked window, a stark warning of how close the creatures got.

No one slept that night.

And suffice to say, Pip and Emma were never late again on Sauin.

Back to the Master Post

[dieselstooyou]

Day 1: Moon

Spooky ghost on the old bridge.

[witchbrew13]

Sodor Dragon

📢: this Is only my Au

[hi-my-name-is-cosmopathy]

IONC maybe?

Hello! In prior to this post (@dopiysworldsend was the only one who answered so I was rather disappointed—)

Here are characters I haven't made designs yet or fully fleshed out!

Lily

I can assure you this is not her official or final design because this is nothing looks nothing close to her actual occupation—

Lily was a character introduced in Victor Tanzig's “Stories Of Sodor” and died in “Stories Of War” in WW2. Here's her bio!

Lily, in this AU, was a war general. She came from the life of the destitute and died in an explosion during the war.

Due to dying in an explosion, her arms and turn into gun barrels.

Most said she was enthusiastic when she wasn't on duty. She liked telling people stories (and maybe gossip a lil). She also joked around often and seemed indifferent to the ways of life. She was rather boastful of herself and achievement-oriented, as she always bragged about her victories in life and wanted to pursue her dream of living a life of grandeur, like her other family members.

But no one knows why. Most aren't aware of her family background or where from the ashes she came from.

When she fought, however, she was rather ruthless. It seemed like she had no remorse for who she killed and was apathetic to the lives of the horrid soldiers she took, an ability most of the people in the military wished they had.

Even with such a successful life when she was alive, Lily expressed herself with having many regrets and grudges from the past (which is usually perceived as her being dramatic because of the way she expresses it).

Her biggest one was leaving the simple life she could've had with her old Scottish boyfriend, who is long dead by now.

Lily has a cousin, Adam, who is also currently a ghost with her.

The two seem awfully distant for relatives who were very close to each other when they were young.

Edwards Ghost Engine/Falaichte

This ghost is canon in the series, as they appeared in “Scaredy Engines" (was mentioned by Edward when he was telling a scary story about a ghost engine who looks for their whistle in the scrapyards).

They're a part of Donald and Douglas’ family line.

When they were alive, they were trying to rebuild an old Caledon Engine for their late brother.

Only to be murdered the night they were going to travel to Sodor to find the last thing they needed to complete his creation; it's whistle.

So know they escaped from above along with another character to get back their whistle, and they mainly look in the scrapyards to find it.

Ghosts have mogrification abilities, which means they can turn into an animals or maybe a vehicle.

Falaichte mainly turns into the old Caledonian engine they were building, which lead to the ghost story that Edward tells the others about them.

I haven't fleshed out how they died yet, but it probably had something to do their throat because they have a rather powerful seeing voice. Enough to hypnotize someone...

Very straightforward and only focused on their one goal. Doesn't like distractions or getting off course.

Often gives everyone the cold shoulder even to his allies...

Smudger/???

Yeah this little ×××× died in this AU. On the streets. Homeless. Freezing to death after being fired from his railway.

I have nothing else to say about him aside from how he later decides to accompany a young human working in a funeral train service in the Mainland.

Like Alfred, is also a little s—

Will annoy you to death for the fun of it.

Neil

The FIRST ghost on Sodor.

He either passed away to old age or died in an explosion.

Idk yet lol

Is friends with Timothy and is trying to form an alliance with Edward (accidentally spooked the old guy once at Brendam lol)

One of the only sane and fine ghosts on this island.

Is Timothy's emotional support father.

Afton

Mysteriously disappeared. Cause of death is unknown.

I haven’t planned out his powers yet lol

Is bounded to a person called Carietta (or Wanda).

Stuck and can't seperate from her.

Trescott/Thirteen

Remember how I said that Smudger decides to accompany a young man working in a funeral train service in the Mainland? Here he is!

Trescott is his real name, Thirteen is his nickname.

He was considered a misfortune among his family. They named him after the french word “Treize”, which means “Thirteen” (all too conveniently, he was born on January 13th)

They really exaggerated him being unlucky because they just left him on the streets and didn't even give him a name.

Was brought into an orphanage and named Trescott.

He got work as a cemetery groundskeeper because people told him that “you can't bring bad luck to the dead”.

He got tired but was luckily hired as a funeral train driver, where he finally met Smudger.

Is probably used to his so called “bad luck” (considering how indifferent he is now to it)

Hates how much people just judge him based on that and how it's the only thing people tend to associate him with.

The cemetery is his first choice to hang out.

Okie thas it lol there's more to come