Thomas the Engine Thief

Since 1915, Thomas has hidden dozens of engines and rolling stock across the Island. The only one who knows the exact number hidden is Thomas, and he’s not telling! Following Sodor passing a law to prevent the scrapping of sentient vehicles in 68, Thomas has slowly been revealing them. The first were revealed in 1968 when he and Toby rolled the four FFarquhar coffeepots into Crovan's Gate. The latest was in 2015 when he and Gordon rolled former LNER 4480 Enterprise into the works. As always Thomas claims they were the last, but STH isn't convinced! 

  The Managements of the NWR, Big Four, and BR have spent years trying to figure it out but have been foiled by one simple fact. All the NWR Engines and crews are in on it. Pretty much every pre-1970 engine has "liberated" an engine from the mainland. Thomas is just the one who hides them, as he is one of the few light enough to go on the old and disused lines. Thomas actually only saved a handful of engines personally, he’s just the only one who knows where they're all at.  These have ranged from lner y7 tanks, to rakes of GWR clerestory coaches, a BR class 14, to the baby deltic D5901. Those engines not shipped overseas to freindly countrys are restored at Crovan’s gate then either join the NWR or go to preservation lines.

By late 1950 the Ffarquhar branch was straining under its work load, as the population of its cities had grown, the mines were prdoucing more than ever, and new industries were being built. Although new engines had been bought for the branchline, the workload was still overwhelming them. To make matters worse, the four coffeepot locomotives were on their last legs, and British Rails had denied permission to overhaul them. STH approached BR for a suitable engine to assist the Ffarquhar, but they responded that they'd already gave the NWR as many engines as they could spare, but gave Crovan's Gate permission to build an engine for the work. 

Finished in 1951, Eric was an impressive sight, if Thomas was the branches premier passenger engine, this would be the equivalent freight locomotive. Based on Thomas (a modified J72), Eric was an 0-6-2 tank engine. His longer frame and traileing bogey allowed for a larger boiler and firebox, great coal and water storage, and a far greater tractive effort. His tests were successful, and was officially designated BR number 69029. However, mere days after he was steamed, Thomas got into trouble with a police man for not having side plates and a steam tram named Toby was purchased, taking Erics intended role.

Instead, he was sent to the Arlesburgh branchline. The line ran up the west coast of Sodor from Tidmouth to Arlesburgh . With the Arlesdale mines closed, the line only had light fish trains and passanger service at the time, so Eric was the only engine required. He was often sent to help the Ffarquhar during its peak season, with the mainline engines covering his absence, but the long momths of isolation left his lonely. 

In 1964 the line was revitalized with the rebuilding of West Arlesburgh Harbor, with more work and more engines to arrive, but Eric had been alone on the line for too long to be excited at the prospect, and asked (BEGGED) to be posted anywhere else. A few days later Duck arrived after hearing of the Arlesdale railway, and fell in love with the branch. STH agreed to the switch and, after a week of training Duck on the Branch, Eric took over as Pilot at Knapford.

Used to the weeks of solitude on the Arlesburgh, Eric is a quite but friendly engine.  Many engines and trucks have mistaken this quietness as meekness, but quickly found a a spine of steel lay underneath. Any engine capable of running a branch by themselves for over a decade with no accidents is no pushover. He considers Thomas sibling, and the two often argue whisch is the big brother. 

“Im older than you!” 

“But Im still the bigger engine.”

He was orginally painted in BR lined black, but after working with Duck in 64, he asked if he could be painted the same green, but with NWR Lining. He kept his BR number after the NWR left British Rails, but the BRITISH RAILWAYS on his tanks was replaced with NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY.

The Sad Story of Henry is one of the stories that started the RWS and one of its most famous, yet....it never made sense to anyone who met those involved.

    STH the first while strict, was known for being fair, and bricking an engine up and taking their rails sounds more like a horror story from the Mid-Sodor than the NWR.

     Henry is the Enterprising Engine, known for fighting through over a decade of steaming issues, saving two trains at once while failed, and he quits bc of rain?

     As with most decisions of little sense, the reason behind it was politics. Every STH has had to fight for control of their railway, and the first was no different.  Upon becoming director in 1920, Hatt quickly established his power, gaining the loyalty of the engines and crew, and buy shares whenever he could. By 1922 the board was determined to put him in his place, decided to start by getting rid of two of his engines; Henry and Edward.     

      Edward , while perfectly capable, was ageing and the board wanted new, modern engines representing the railway. The fact he been purchased directly by STH only made the matter worse. Henry was perhaps the only time Hatt was successfully swindled. While he appeared large and modern, he was a poor steamer and struggled to haul the trains he should. Fortunately Hatt was two steps ahead of them, as would become the norm for the rest of his reign, and made a plan to save both of his engines.

     When Edward began to be left in the shed in favor of larger engines, STH approached Henry and his crew. He explained that while Crovan's gate was building a new firebox and boiler tunes for Henry, they had to do so without the board knowing, so it would take months to finish and fit them, months Henry didn't have. They needed a way to buy time for Henrys parts to be finished, and somewhere to fit them, the answer? Ballahoo tunnel.

    The Ballahoo tunnel was a single track tunnel built by the Sodor and Mainland in 1854 and had seen little maintenance since. A new bore was nearing completion alongside it with two tracks, with plans to rebuild the old tunnel to modern two track standards in the months following its completion. This is where Henry would be rebuilt.

    On a rainy morning in late 1922, Henry raced into the tunnel with a "special", squeaked through his funnel, and stopped just shy of the other end of the tunnel, refusing to come out. All attempts to move him failed. And so STH ordered the rails to the east side of the tunnel pulled up and the entrance bricked up as a lesson to any engine to defy him. The board was delighted, the "Green Elephant" boarded up for ever, the fear of god put into all the engines, the day went perfectly...or so they thought.

    That night STH visited Henry in the tunnel, where workmen were already at work removing his original firebox. He praised the engines performance and promised to visit regularly until the rebuild was complete.

     The loss of Henry left a driver and fireman pair open to take Edward out of the shed for service. Everything was going to plan for STH, but he had failed to consider something; the other engines.

     Only Henry and his crew had known the tunnel was a ruse, and while at first the other engines felt that Henry had got what he deserved, over time the engines grew more and more uncomfortable with Henry's situation. 5 months after Henry was punished, the first NWR Indignation meeting was held. The meeting was arranged and led by the railways new express engine Gordon. Gordon had arrived two weeks before the incident, and had been one of the loudest in condemning Henry in the first weeks following.  However he had decided enough was enough, no engine deserved an eternity locked away, no matter the offence, so earlier in the week he had approached the oldest engine in the Vicarstown sheds, Edward, with a plan. Together they had refined the plan that was presented to other engines. The plan was unanimously agreed upon, and all that was needed was the opportunity to use it.

    Over a month later, their chance finally came. When Gordon left the sheds that morning, only Edward was left. When he backed down on the morning express, STH greeted him and informed him that he would be riding on the express that day. As he pulled off with the express, he gave five short blasts on his whistle, the signal that it was time. As he approached the tunnel he forced his safety valve open and slowed the train to a stop right in front if the tunnel and waited for STH to approach.

     STH approached Gordon, as he blew steam profusely from his safety valve, and listened to the crew explain that Gordon had blew the valve and couldn't pull the train. He ordered for Edward to be called for to try to pull the train then walked away back to his coach, trying not to burst out laughing. He had been CME at Crovan's Gate for 5 years before becoming director and had been Cme for the TF&K for over 10 years before that! He had quickly figured out the plan, but had to play his part. And if he had fun at their expense? Well they shouldn't have thought him so naive, a broken saftey valve really.

    When Edward, as he expected, failed to pull the heavy train, STH paced pretending to not notice Henry lying in the tunnel, the wisps of steam from his funnel giving lie to the fact he had already been steamed. Not laughing at Gordon's strained, "Why not let Henry try?" was one of the hardest challenges in his life. He ordered the track relaid (which was mysteriously right there to be relaid) and the bricks knocked down. Henry rolled stiffly but surely out of the tunnel, his new firebox and tubes proving their worth. Once ran back to Vicarstown to be turned around, Henry joined Edward at the front of the train and together the two manged to make up enough of the lost time to impress the board. Henry was reinstated to the locomotive roster was given a new standard coat of blue paint with blue stripes. He still suffered days of poor steam until his rebuild in the 30s, but it was infrequent enough to hide from the board.

    That night Hatt snuck into the Vicarstown sheds where he found the engines and their crews were warmly welcoming their shedmate back and celebrating their success. Hatt revealed himself, causing everyone but Henry and his crew to freeze until they saw they smile on their faces. The four explained Hatt's actual reasoning for locking Henry in the tunnel and STH praised the groups loyalty to one another. The look of stunned realization on Gordon's face would be a cherished memory for the rest of Hatt's life. As STH left them to their celebrations, the Engines and crews were left with two realizations; 1. They could trust his decisions to be fair even when it seemed otherwise. 2. It would take engines and men greater than them to get one over on Hatt.

     Inspired by the amazing @mean-scarlet-deceiver ‘s  headcanon

https://mean-scarlet-deceiver.tumblr.com/post/623648508839428097/best-headcanon-or-best-headcanon-ever

1. Diesel Ten was original brought to Sodor by BR to be their spy on the NWR.

2. He was assigned to the steelworks and given his claw by Crovan's Gate. This was technically illegal, but as he immediately put it too use scaring the steam engines, BR let it slide.

3. He worked with two class 08s prior to Sodor, Splatter and Dodge. In the nineties, they would be sent for scrap, but were saved after 10 put in a good word for them with STH.

4. His name comes from the fact he is NWR D10, his friends call him Ten, but everyone else calls his Diesel 10. His official name is Tencent.

5. When he arrived at the Sodor Steelworks, he quickly took charge of their two class 08s, Arry (Harry) and Bert (Albert). The three quickly became many of the NWR Engine's greatest fears.

6. No one is quite sure which Warship he actually is, as BR record were intentionally changed to hide this from the NWR. If 10 knows, hes not telling.

7. When Sodor officially left BR in 92, 10 was revealed to be a double agent. He had been helping engines escape to Sodor since his arrival. Thomas had saved one of his sisters from scrap years before so when br hat that looked for a spy to be sent to Sodor he had volunteered. All of the intent of helping others like his sister escape.

8. During his time as a double agent, many thought Thomas and Ten loathed each other, but it was revealed they were actually friends the entire time, with their fights being staged to help tens cover.

9. Even after his reveal to be on the nwr's side, Diesel 10 still keeps up his pranking of the Sodor engines. Not because he has to because he finds it funny.

10. When his betrayal was revealed to BR are they attempted to reclaim him as he was technically a BR engine still. It was quickly found out he had more control of his claw that they thought, so when the NWR offered to purchase him it was accepted.

@greenwoolybear on twitter asked for 10 headcannons/opinions on Henry, and there are my answers.

1. Henrys tunnel incident was a cover up for a unauthorized rebuild. While before henry struggled to pull anything, afterwords he could pull trains as long as the railway didn't get bad coal.

2. The flying kipper accident was far worse than portrayed in either ttte or rws. Henry hit a line of stone trucks from the quarry at ~68 mph. It is considered a miracle that the crews survived, much less Henry. These days only his frames are original, and those are modified.

3. Henry was originally a Pacific, but the accident damaged his aft so badly, Crewe determined it was easier to cut it off and make him a 4-6-0 than rebuild the back section.

4. Henry has been with Bear since the early eighties. They often double head the express when one of the express engines take ill.

5. Operation White Elephant was the other engine's  plan to save Henry if he was sent away before his rebuild.

6. Henry accident with the flying kipper, was the first of many accidents with the train. This led to the belief the train is cursed, it is seen as bad luck for any engine besides Henry or Bear to pull the train.

7. Henry Gordon and James are still very close, and behave as siblings. Henry is often the voice of reason.

8. Henry is my least favorite of the main cast. That's like choosing my least favorite cookie, but still.

9. The NWR has Heritage Days where Locomotives are painted in previous liveries. When its Henrys turn, he's usually in one of four liveries: NWR Express Passenger Blue/ Wartime Black/ BR Lined Black/ BR Express Passenger Green. Henrys least favorite is the blue.

10. In late 1949, Henry fell into the turntable at Tidmouth due to a careless new driver being distracted by James. While Thomas was able to pull him free, the turntable was stuck between tracks. It took 2 days to to fix Henry and two weeks to repair the table .

Did any one else accidentally stay up past midnight designing a NWR 4-8-4... No?just me? Sheila started by playing around with extending Gordon's into a Northern. It was supossed to be simple, twenty minutes tops, but the further I got the more I fell in love with the design. I suddenly looked at the clock and it was past midnight. Heres my headcanon. Sheila was designed in the late 90s/early 2000s to handle the growing expresses on the NWR. In the preceding years, it had been more and more difficult to run expresses without double-heading, with even Henry needing help in tourist season. It was decided to get two new express engines, one steam and one diesel, to easy the workload of the existing engines. A search for a suitable diesel proved successful, the search for the steam engine did not. Very few steam engines of the power and speed required remained that weren't already preserved. In the end it was decided to build. A new engine, but not just a new member if an existing class, but the first Crovan's Gate designed express locomotive.

Design work began in 2003, with the NWR's flagship express engine, #4 Gordon, serving as the basis. The works pulled on over eighty years experience with his design to design a next step in british steam express power. Gordon was officially a NWR A5 Pacific 4-6-2 (LNER A1X). The new engine would be the NWR T1 Northern 4-8-4. Three 25'x32' cylinders, 280psi, 80 inch driving wheels, and a 82 inch diameter boiler made for an intimidating locomotive. The latest improvements from around the world were included, with american northerns such as the NYC Niagaras and UP FEFs serving as references. The engine was steamed to life in late 2004. Many names were suggested to engine, from Athena to Goliath, but a worker who had recently moved from Australia called her a beautiful Sheila, and she loved the term, refusing to answer to any other name.

In service she proved to perform as impressively as she looked, over 60,000 lbs of tractive effort made her the strongest express steam locomotive ever built in Britain. Her first run in official service saw her take a 20 car express over Gordon's Hill without falling below 60mph. She was no slouch in terms of speed either, regularly exceeding 100mph while pulling expresses.

Sheila is soon to go in for her second overhaul, and Crovan's Gate has modifications planned for her during the rebuild to further improve her performance and speed.

Hiro was a standard gauge D51, built for one of the few standard gauge lines in Japan. The line ran on a smaller island off the coast of mainland Japan, and Hiro was the first engine on the island. Hiro ran for many years, and was much beloved by the locals, called the master of the railway. However the Island had an economic downturn, coinciding with the end of steam in Japan in the 70s. Many left the island, seeking work elsewhere. The railway struggled on as long as it could, but when Hiro broke down in the forest, they couldn't afford the parts to fix him. The railway, and Hiro, were abandoned. 

In 1990 the television series Thomas the Tank Engine came to Japan, with much success. In 1993, Thomas was invited to Japan to help promote the new season of the show. Several years prior, a a group of preservationist had bought what was left of the railway and had begun to slowly rebuilt the line. The line was chosen to host Thomas as it was one of the only standard gauge lines able to support a steam engine. It was also hoped that Thomas's presence would help bring attention to the line. Thomas arrived on the railway in mid-summer and quickly charmed the railway staff and visitors. Within a few days of arriving he was talked his way into helping the track repair crews on the weekends, rather than resting in the sheds as he was supposed to, much to the relief of the lines sole diesel engine. Thomas was light enough to run on the old track and could often be found exploring abandoned sidings and branchlines. During one of these adventures when Thomas found the old abandoned mainline. 

While today the entire railway has been rebuilt, at the time only a small branchline between two small towns was being rebuilt. The points were rusted stuck to the mainline, before the workers began repairing them, Thomas asked if he could explore down the mainline a ways. The workers agreed, and soon Thomas was rolling down the abandoned tracks, the undergrowth tickling his frames. Just as his crew told him that he had gone far enough, he rounded a bend and suddenly rolled to a stop a few feet from another engine. 

As he and his crew stared in shock, the engine smiled and said, “Hello, my name is Hiro.” “Hello, I'm Thomas.” Thomas and the engine were soon happily chatting as Thomas’s crew looked Hiro over. Hiro was rusted and battered from years under the weather, but Thomas refused to leave him behind. Soon the Hiro’s bearings and wheels were oiled, and his side rods hah already been removed when he broke down. Soon Thomas was coupled up and gently began to pull. At first Thomas’s wheels slipped, but slowly, with a creaked screech, Hiro moved for the first time in over a decade.

With every turn of his wheels, the oil loosed Hiro’s bearing further, and soon he was rolling smoothly behind Thomas as he approached the points back to the branchline.

The workers stared in awe as Thomas whistled happily, pulling Hiro carefully back across the points and onto the restored line. Despite his condition, the old engine still was a majestic sight to behold. Soon word arrived that the lines director was on the way to see Hiro himself.

Hiro had been telling the gathered workers his story when the diesel arrived, the director all but leaping from the cab to run to Hiro. “Driver?” Hiro asked, amazed. It was revealed that the director had been Hiro’s driver before the line had closed. He had been told after the lines closure that Hiro had been scrapped, and had worked tirelessly even since to try to save his old friend’s home.

Hiro was in poor shape. He had been run to the point of breaking down before the lines closure, and the years since had not been kind. The railway lacked both the equipment and funds to restore him, and even if they could, he was too large for the small bit of line available. Fortunately Thomas had a solution: Sodor. There Hiro could be repaired and work until the line was ready for him.

Thousands came to see Hiro and Thomas leave, many of Hiro’s old passengers and friends coming to see the old friend they thought lost. In the leaving ceremony, Thomas was given honorary status as the railway’s number one, in recognition of him finding and rescuing Hiro years before he would have been found other wise. 

In early 1995, Hiro emerged from Crovan’s Gates works in arguably better condition then when he had been built. He became the NWR’s number 51 (a reference to his class, and would serve all across Sodor until 2006, when he under went his first overhaul following his rebuild. By this time, his railway was ready to welcome him home again. Thomas travelled with Hiro and together they doubled headed the first train on the newly restored Mainline. Ever since, it has been tradition for Hiro to visit Sodor for his overhauls and Thomas to join him on his railway way for a visit afterwards. Hiro represents his railway while on  the NWR, and Thomas represents on Hiro’s line. The two have been able to speak regularly since computers were and installed in theirs sheds, and veteran members of the FFarquhar branch often find great amusement in new workers reactions to Thomas happily chatting with his friend in Japanese.

So small headcanon: Gordon keeps accidentally adopting pacifics. He's the oldest one in Britain (since the Great Bear was rebuilt into a 4-6-0 anyway) and they all look to him at the first. The A1/3s at first all looked to him as the big brother they loved to tease...until modernization. Suddenly their days were numbered, but he was safe on Sodor. They all agreed to not tell him, to spare him as long as they could. Gordon would learn in late 1967 that he and Flying Scotsman were the last of their siblings left, having never had the chance to say goodbye to any of the others.

When Great Northern escaped to Sodor in 68, D5701 was part of the team set to retrieve the escaped pacific. Gordon did not take kindly to the class 28's attempt to lung at his little sister, and bashed the diesel backwards. It would be discovered several months later that he had hit D5701 hard enough to cause a crack in the diesel's frames, leading to the engine's withdrawal.

Over the next decade, it would be revealed several of the A3's had escaped the cutter's torch, and their big brother would move heaven and earth to keep it that way.this culminated in late 1979, when Gordon and North Western's numbers 2, 3, and 5 stormed a British Railways owned scrapyard to save 60066 Merry Hampton, who had been discovered forgotten in a siding. While BR officials had tried to prevent 60066's rescue, they quickly found that they were no match for a furious locomotive.

Following this incident, BR put out a notice that any LNER Pacifics found were to be dumped in the NWR yard at Barrow in Furness for the safety of their workers.

But what of other Pacific's?

The first Pacific Gordon adopted was Battle of Britain 34090. Gordon met the bullied pacific during the 1949 exchange trials when she was new from the factory. He would take the young Pacific under his wing, and teach her the ins and outs of express work, as well as what he knew of goods work. By the end of the trials, he considered Rebecca his little sister. In 1967, following his discovery of the loss of his siblings, the North Western purchased 34090, and Gordon would collect her personally.

Later that year, Peppercorn A2 60532 Blue Peter, would visit Sodor. Gordon welcomed the fellow LNER pacific as his sister, even offering the Peppercorn a chance to haul Wild Nor'Wester, even though it meant he had to pull goods trains for the day.

Gordon was already cordial with his A4 cousins, but following 1967, he made concerted efforts to bond with his remaining LNER family. 2509 Spencer, Sir Robert Noramby's private engine, would become a dear confidant for Gordon over the years.

In the 1950s, LMS 6202 had been purchased by the NWR. A steam turbine, Gordon had known her from his rebuild at Crewe. They had been friendly, but their schedules had kept them from becoming closer. Gordon would request chances to run with her in 1968, in order to get to know her better.

The dying days of steam saw the Britannia class siblings Ariel, Arrow, and Lightning come to the Island. They were awed to be working with the first (successful) British pacific. Gordon saw their grief at the loss of their siblings. When Scotsman visited the NWR in the lead up to his American tour, Gordon, Great Northern, and Scotsman, they offered the Britannia's chance to join their little family. Pacific's had to stay together.

Let's talk about the family concept in British locomotives. This concept has changed through the history of railways in Britain, so we will be primarily focusing on the North Western Railway's Flagship Express Locomotive, No.4 Gordon, once we reach the 20th century.

In the early days of steam, all Locomotives were cousins, as there were so few, but as their numbers grew, locomotives began to associate locomotives sharing the same builder as kin, and the concept of all locomotives being related would slowly fade. The concept of classes of steam locomotives was at best primitive at the time, as technology progressed with such speed that oftentimes an engine was outdated before construction was completed. All engines of the same builder were seen as cousins or ancestors. Siblings were a rare concept at the time, reserved for unusually close engine pairs

As the form and technology of the steam locomotives settled into established forms, classes began to appear with greater frequency. Batches of engines began to appear built to the same design. Built alongside each other, these engines quickly were recognized as siblings and often had close relationships. Complimenting the existing cousins of the same builders.

By this time Railways were growing (and absorbing each other) rapidly. The idea of all engines of a railway being family fell to the wayside quietly on the larger lines, with fleetmates instead being seen as team members.

It was into the end of this era that Great Northern Railway No.100 was first steamed. One of the first Pacifics to be built in the British Isles (and the first successful standard gauge one). No.100 Gordon was the testbed for Sir Nigel Gresley's next-generation express locomotive. As an experimental express testbed, he represented the vision and hope for the future of the railway and was held in high esteem by the other engines on the railway. His high-performance levels only increased his status. However, this status came with the fact. While amicable with the existing express 4-4-2s and 4-6-0s, they were hardly family. While Gresley had designed other locomotives, they were either shunters, freight engines, or smaller mixed traffic designs, and as such rarely crossed paths with their younger cousin. This would change in 1922 with the introduction of No.1470, Great Northern.

Great Northern was the result of Gordon's testing, the first production pacific on the GNR (or Britain). Finally, Gordon had a sibling. Gordon was quickly found to be protective of his little brother, determined that they would never know the loneliness he felt. They were soon joined by No.1471 Sir Fredrick Branbury before the event that shook their world. Grouping arrived with the dawn of 1923.

Grouping saw the railways of the British mainland organized into 4 new railways. The London Midland and Scotland Railway, the Great Western Railway, the Southern Railway, and the A1s new home: The London North Eastern Railway. Seemingly overnight the idea of the railway being your family would be struck down for the majority of lines in Britain, as those railways suddenly no longer existed. Each of the "big four" fleets responded differently. The LMS largely let the concept lie, indifferent to how their locomotives saw each other as long as they performed to expectations.

The Great Western aggressively pushed the concept of The Great Western Way, and the idea they were all "Great Western." Decades later in the 1980s, the surviving pre-grouping locos would adopt a TV line to describe the experience with the phrase, "Resistance is futile, you will be Swindonized."

The Southern came together as a team out of sheer necessity to keep the railway running, but the pre-grouping locomotives would never quite see each other (or the Southern-built engines) as family. Teammates for certain, but the majority still identified themselves by their pre-grouping line.

The LNER closed ranks under the leadership of their express engines. The A1s, including the newly built 1472. found themselves suddenly sharing sheds alongside the Raven-designed Rival A2 pacifics, City of Newcastle and City of Kingston upon Hull. Many expected the two classes to clash, but when No.2400 and 2401 pulled into the sheds, No.100 saw the same weight and loneliness he had borne before his sibling's construction. Before any of the others in the shed could speak Gordon firmly welcomed the former NER engines as cousins. This precedent would be followed by the other express classes, eventually spreading throughout the LNER. In the end, the Gresley A1 would be chosen as the LNER's flagship express engine, but 8 more A2s were built, 2402-2409. No.2402-2404 had begun construction prior to grouping, but 2405-2409 were authorized by Gresley himself. Why he did this is uncertain, but it noted that No.100 had visited Doncaster for unscheduled maintenance the day before the decision was made.

However, No.100 was not destined to remain with the newly formed LNER. By August of 1923 the 10th A1, No. 1480 Enterprise had been completed at Doncaster Works. The LNER board decided that No.100 was no longer needed, preferring to replace the non-standard prototype with a production A1. Gresley argued it would be cheaper to bring No.100 in line with the production A1s, but the board wished for Great Northern to be seen as the first A1, no prototypes required, and No. 100's existence interfered with that.

Fortunately, Gresley convinced the board to sell Gordon to a Railway that desperately needed him. LNER No.100 left Doncaster and his eleven siblings in August 1923, bound for the North Western Railway.

The North Western Railway had been formed in 1915 from the existing standard gauge railways on the Island of Sodor off the coast of Barrow in Furness. The mainline had connected the western coast of Sodor to the British mainland by rail to facilitate the movement of troops and supplies during the Great War. Following the war, the island had seen a massive industrial boom with rising population levels to match. The railway's fleet was primarily composed of pre-1900 castoffs and former Railway Operating Division locomotives. None of which were suitable for the Express service between the western terminus of Tidmouth and Barrow in Furness. One may be excused for wondering why the problems of a western island railway would bear any attention from the London North Eastern Railway. The answer, as is so often true in railway politics, is spite.

In 1923 the North Western Railway had, through a combination of politics, bribes, and actions of questionable legality, managed to remain independent, much to the ire of the London Midland and Scotland Railway. The LMS, already the LNER's sworn rival, had made it their mission to absorb the NWR by any means necessary, as they felt cheated by the line's exclusion from the Grouping Act of 1923.

The LNER saw an opportunity to screw over the LMS with the sale of No.100 to the NWR. With the acquisition of the Gresley Pacific, the North Western could then manage a competitive timetable with its express without doubleheading. Gordon was checked over at Doncaster Works, painted in an express variation of North Western Passenger Blue, and sent off to the NWR with a line of older express coaches that had also been purchased.

Gresley himself turned Gordon over to the NWR, but not before telling the newly renumbered number 4 to make him proud.

The former No.100's early days on the NWR were a success from a performance standpoint, but not a social one. This point in the NWR's mainline fleet, as with many sheds following grouping, was perhaps most comparable to a pack of feral hounds fighting over a bone. Half the fleet were engines purchased during the war, older designs desperate to prove their worth to avoid the fate of their siblings on the mainland. The other half were newer, stronger, engines loaned on trial just before grouping, which saw themselves as inherently better than the rest. They believed the NWR should purchase them before they were returned to the LMS the following year and scrap the older engines. Each engine was fighting to prove themselves, especially at the cost of their competitors.

Throwing a top-of-the-line LNER Pacific into the mix only inflamed tensions. The wartime engines saw him as their worst fears confirmed, the railway purchasing new engines to replace them. The loaned engines loathed him not only for actually being everything they saw themselves as, but also for being LNER, suggesting the North Western may turn to the LNER for new motive power rather than the LMS. Gordon, stripped of his home and his siblings, was in no mood to manage either group's fears or egos.

It is impossible to guess how much longer this state of affairs may have went on for had it not been for the NWR's No.3. No.3 "Henry" was the North Western's previous attempt at purchasing a suitable express locomotive. A 4-6-2 built from stolen Gresley plans, Henry had been a poor steamer, and had struggled with the lesser Expresses, and was utterly incapable of pulling the flagship Wil'Nor'Wester. It had all come to a head two weeks after Gordon had arrived when the pacific had stopped in a tunnel during a storm and refused to come out, resulting in the Railway's general manager, the future Sir Topham Hatt, lifting the rails and bricking the tunnel entrance. Gordon, used to Gresley's high standards for express engines, initially held little sympathy for the confined engine, and even less hesitation in letting said engine know his opinion as he shot past. However as time passed, and Gordon's loneliness grew, he could help but see his siblings in No.3's place. Finally, in late 1923, Gordon took charge of the mainline fleet. He had developed a working (if reluctant) respect for the oldest engine in the shed, a 4-4-0 of Furness origins, and together the two created a plan to save the imprisoned locomotive. One night in late autumn, the first of many "indignation meetings" on the NWR was held as Gordon faced the other engines and told them in no uncertain terms that they would be saving their fleetmate.

The plan went flawlessly. Gordon "failed" outside the tunnel and Henry was pulled out to save the train. While it was revealed that STH had known about the plan, it was still considered a success by Gordon and the majority mainline fleet. However, there was a side effect Gordon hadn't seen coming.

Gordon had expected for the engines to execute the plan, then return to fighting each other. Instead, they unified behind the flagship pacific. Whilst several engines (mostly the newer loaners) would try to challenge him for leadership, they quickly found there was no competing with the Gresley. In performance, he was both the fastest and strongest engine on the railway, as the railway's flagship engine he held the favor of the board and STH, and his willingness to damage his own performance to save another engine had earned him the fleet's loyalty.

Slowly, reluctantly, the No.4 came to see the North Western fleet as family. First came No.3, Gresley in design if not name (or performance) he was the closest Gordon had to a sibling. The old 4-4-0 (No.2 Edward) would earn the Pacific's grudging respect by his work ethic. The following year an experimental mogul from the LMS would arrive (No.5 James) which would quickly become the annoying sibling No.4 never wanted. Throughout all of this, Gordon would occasionally encounter his siblings. It became a tradition for any new LNER express locomotive to make the run to meet Gordon on the NWR, so he would eventually meet all 79 of his siblings, and many of his cousins.

From 1925 to 1939, Gordon led the NWR in his battle for survival and independence in the world of the big four, but by 1939 his conjugated valve gear was worn and fouling. Many expected Gordon to be sent to Doncaster to be rebuilt to A3 standards like many of his siblings. Instead, STH called in a favor with the LMS's chief mechanical engineer, William Stanier. Gordon arrived in Crewe Works stoic and dignified, expecting to be treated as the enemy by the LMS Pacifics and 4-6-0s. Instead. He received a hero's welcome.

While the two companies were rivals, Gresley and Stanier knew each other, and CMEs were often known to discreetly share ideas and progress. Gordon was Britain's first (successful) pacific, and the Princess Royals and the new Princess Coronations saw him as their predecessor. Furthermore, No.3 had been previously rebuilt at Crewe into Black 5 4-6-0 following a 1935 accident, so as Henry's adopted sibling, he was considered their cousin at least.  His Gresley origins could be easily ignored, he'd be a Stanier engine soon enough. For the first time, Gordon was exposed to the idea that not just LNER Pacifics, but all British Pacifics, were his family.

Then war broke out. Gordon had been scheduled for testing on the LMS following his overhaul, but instead the Crewe workmen worked day and night to expedite his return to Sodor. On his final night on LMS metals, Gordon embraced his position as the eldest pacific in Britain for the first time. He spoke to a gathering of the premier express locomotives of the big four at London's King's Cross Station. They were no longer four railways, rivaling each other, he said, but one country standing against a common foe. Gordon departed King's Cross in the dead of night, pulling a long line of coaches filled with evacuating children.

The war on the North Western saw Gordon switch over fully to goods work for the first time in his life. With travel discouraged except in emergency, the express could be handled by smaller engines, leaving the power of the newly rebuilt express engine free for war traffic.

The binds between the NWR fleet were reforged again in steel as the railways of Britain pulled together for the war. Sodor possessed multiple ports, and these were desperately needed safe havens in the uboat-infested waters of the Atlantic. Through it all Gordon led the North Western with a firm hand, pushing all to work their hardest, but keeping overzealous engines and men from pushing his fleet mates too far. Sodor fared better than the mainland, but even this western island was not exempt from the horrors of the blitz. An image of Gordon pulling a line of flatbeds lined with tanks and artillery through Tidmouth the morning after the Blitz strike which decimated the city would become famous as a sign of both Sudrian and British resolve.

The end of the war saw Gordon return to passenger service, returning troops from the mainland to Sodor. The morning he finally returned to head the Wil'Nor Western, freshly repainted in NWR Express Passenger blue, was greeted with cheers and fanfare along the line. The war was over, but its effects were not.

On January 1st, 1948, the standard gauge railways of Britain were nationalized. The big four no longer existed, instead, there was one giant railway with four major regions...in theory. In reality, it was far more difficult to join four rival railways together than signing legislation. It was one thing for the railways to put aside their differences for the good of their country, that was quite simply an engine's duty. It was another to tell the engines and their crews that their rivals of nearly three decades were now their fleet mates. The early days of British Rails were strange indeed. While many had gained a professional respect for their peers during the war, for many engines, their railway was as integral to their identity (and the identity of other locomotives) as being British was to their crews. This was exasperated by the fact that many sheds were led by their express engines, who were built and run in direct and often intense competition with their rivals. The arrival of new locomotives which had only served under British Railways further complicated the already complex situation.

It was into this situation that Gordon would return to the Mainland in 1949. As the unofficial fifth region, the North Western had largely been ignored by British Railways, as there were enough problems managing the former big four without creating the headaches dealing with the Sudrians always invoked. Nonetheless, the North Western Region was invited to send a locomotive for the 1949 Exchange Trials. The trials were meant to directly compare the mainline locomotives in service with the newly nationalized Railway, which did absolutely nothing to dissipate the former rivalries. Gordon was the first and only, choice to represent the North Western Region. Gordon thrived in the trials. His rebuild may have lowered his top speed, but his greater power allowed him to accelerate his trains faster, even up hills. He would routinely match or exceed his Big Four peers in timings. During this time he ran expresses and fast freights alongside many of his cousins and siblings from the LNER, as well as his adopted LMS relatives. He would also develop a rivalry with the Great Western 4-6-0s at this time, as they were the only ones who could challenge him on the hills. British Railways were impressed with his performance, and many of his design elements would be translated into the future Standard 7 class Britannia. It was during this time that he would meet No.34090, Sir Eustace Missenden. She was a Battle of Britain class Light Pacific of Southern Design. Newly built, the young pacific struggled with passenger work. Young and excitable, she worked well with trucks but was deemed too flighty for express work. No one but No.4 himself knows exactly what about her caught his attention, but perhaps she reminded him of his younger siblings. In any case, the first pacific took the youngest under his wing, requesting the management arrange for them to double-head several expresses.

The southern region's management was far from stupid, and eagerly arranged for the two to work together so that she could be mentored by him. Gordon was a stern but knowledgeable teacher, and 34090 was eager to learn. By the time No.4 left for the next set of trials, 34090 was considered one of her shed's best Express engines, and although it would be years before he admitted it, Gordon had a new youngest sibling, Rebecca.

Gordon would return to the Island of Sodor after the trials, and with him came the attention of British Railways. The two organizations began circling each other, but that mattered little to Gordon, his job remained the same. With the exception of an incident in 51, Gordon's existence would remain the same as always, hauling the express and occasional freights. That would all change in 1955.

The Modernization Plan of 1955. The plan to scrap all steam locomotives on British Railways in favor of diesel locomotives. Up to this point, the North Western Region and British Rails had been trying to play nice with each other. British Railways was established with the sole purpose of bringing all standard gauge lines in Britain under one ruling body. Sodor had a history of nodding their heads whenever 'foreigners' gave them orders, then ignoring said orders. Relations between BR and their fifth region had always been strained at best. The announcement of the Modernization Plan brought on a full-on cold war. Sodor was a safe haven for steam and would remain so, even if they had to cut ties with the mainland to do it.

The North Western Region was in a fight for its very existence, and Gordon was at the head. As their Flagship express engine, Gordon was the image of the North Western to many. Every time British Rails sent a diesel for the NWR to test, Gordon would shatter their timings, proving the NWR could not only keep up with BR while using steam but beat them. As the Hatts took the political fight to London, Gordon joined a very different fight.

Sodor had long been a place where engines could escape scrap, but now there were far, far more in need. Gordon's strength and power were needed more than ever. In most cases, the mighty pacific would never see the engines snuck into the rear of his Night Express, but he always felt their weight. When the last day of steam came in BR, Gordon had never once been late with the midnight express to Tidmouth in the thirteen years since the modernization plan was announced. Even when he did see his charges, it mattered not where they came from, they were all steam engines, and they were all under threat. Even when Gordon received work of the final A3s scrapping, leaving only Flying Scotsman and himself of a class once 80 strong, he did not falter. In the latter years of steam, he faced a challenge of another type, diesels, the very engines his kind were being scrapped for, began seeking refuge. British Rails wasn't satisfied with many of its early diesels, and sent them to die with the steam engines BR had once promised they'd replaced. In 1966, Gordon found BR 10000 and 10001 hiding in the barrow yard while he went to fetch his coaches (the shunter had derailed to distract officials so Gordon could collect the engines) He stared for a long moment, the sisters nervously staring at the former LNER pacific before he sighed deeply, coupling up and shunting them to the end of his train.

Engines will often say the Lady rewards those who work hard, and few worked harder than North Western No.4. Gordon was not left to believe Flying Scotsman was his only living sibling for long. The end of 1967 saw his eldest sibling, Great Northern escape to Sodor, years after she had been thought scrapped. She was no longer an A1 or A3 (or male) due to a "rebuild" by Thompson, but that didn't stop Gordon from bashing British Rails D5701 hard enough to create micro-factures in the diesel's frames when it tried to lunge for her. British Railways sent out a notice, any steam locomotive that made it to Sodor was to be considered irretrievable. It wasn't worth losing more diesels to the mighty Pacific. Hatt was willing to pay more than the scrapyard anyway. When it came time for 34090 to be retired, British Rails reluctantly but quietly allowed Gordon to personally collect his adopted little sister.

The 11th of August 1968 saw the end of steam on British Railways, but it still took several months for the stream of steam engines to slow, and years for it to stop. Gordon worked through it all, never refusing to take an engine, determined to save as many of his kin as possible, no matter how distant. He also made efforts to greet visiting engines. He spent more time with former mainline engines, but he always made sure to at least whistle hello to even the smallest tank engines and diesels.

The group he spent the most time with, however, were the pacifics. LMS, LNER, BR, or Southern didn't matter. Gordon would always make time for fellow 4-6-2, often giving them chances to pull his express trains, even if that meant he was left pulling goods trains. Many human observers ascribed his focus on the pacifics to grief for his fallen siblings, but the surviving pacifics didn't care. No matter the cause, his care was genuine, and having another to call family was beyond priceless to those few left.

By 1973 Gordon was firmly established as the leader of both the surviving Pacifics and Gresley engines. A role he took with solemn duty, he could not look after his lost siblings, but he would not fail the rest of his kin.

Flying Scotsman had left to tour America in 1970 and was finally returning that Autumn, now partly owned by the NWR. Gordon and Great Northern meet Olympic at the docks to welcome their brother home. However, no sooner than 4472 had touched back down onto British metals, a whistle sounded out over the docks. The three pacifics froze at the familiar impossible sound. 6'8" driving wheels turned as another pacific rolled onto the dock. Her British Rails Passenger Blue livery could no more hide her LNER form than a grain of sand could blot out the sun. 60061 Pretty Polly's whistle of greeting was drowned out by her siblings in a sound her as far as Suddery. Secretly purchased from British Rails, the contract requiring her survival be kept hidden had run out days before.

Over the coming years it would be revealed that British Railways had in fact sold many engines listed as scrapped into preservation, hidden under contract for 10 years in the hopes of making the engines seem more rare, and therefore more valuable. Among these was Prince Palatine, who had been promised to the NWR before she was reported 'accidentally scraped' when a preservation group unknowingly outbid the North Western Others still were revealed to be hidden away as British Rails slowly but surely lost power over the years. Among these was 4480 Enterprise, yanked from an out-of-use siding by NWR No.5 James in the early sixties and hid on Sodor itself by Caomhnóir. When her survival was revealed, James had tried to claim he had done it to finally win one over Gordon. Gordon had simply pressed their buffers together and sincerely thanked him, saying he was happy for James to hold it over him as long as he liked. James had huffed and asked why he'd had to take the fun out of it, the smile on his face revealing the lie. 2009 would see a new mainline steam engine built on the mainline in over fifty years in the form of Peppercorn A1 Pacific Tornado. When the young engine began waking early, a nearby railtour was hastily diverted so another Steam Engine would be present when she awoke. Tornado awoke to the tearful face of her oldest cousin, though she would quickly pronounce him her older brother. Gordon is suitably overprotective of his youngest sister. In the present day, Gordon is the leader not only of the LNER veterans, surviving pacifics, and the North Western Railway, but is the eldest of the Gresley Pacifics, over twenty strong and counting.

Before the North Western and British Railways could get into yet another brawl, a preservation group formed to save the engine approached with an offer to purchase her. The offer was unexpectedly large (its suspected the NWR made a generous donation) and BR happily accepted, not even complaining when the 58100 Preservation Group signed a deal with the North Western for her to assist with on their lines when not visting Preservation Lines in turn for taking on her overhuals.

Emma, as she prefers to be called, spends thetourist season touring preservation lines across the United Kingdom, a popular attraction where ever she goes. When not traveling she calls Vicarstown sheds her home, happily working with Typhoon, who she'd became close with during their time together on the Lickey incline.

An iincident of note occured in 2019, when a frieght stalled on the Lickey Incline. Emma had been traveling back towards the North Western following a visit to a heritage line when she was stopped and asked if she would assist. Footage of the 0-10-0 banking a modern train up the incline went viral, and was one of the last major railfan events before lockdown.

Thomas was named because the shed cats loved sleeping on his running board, so the way crews joked the cats thought he was just a big Tom Cat.

All the sheds have cats, some more tame than others, they like sleeping on the engines as they are warm. The engines are protective of them, and more than one engine has refused to move for fear of hurting a cat. Part of the firelighters' job is to make sure the cats are clear of the engines before they move.

The Ffarquhar shed cats are desended from a cat that followed Thomas/Cassandra there when they transferred, named Mongrel/ No ones sure how said cat managed to get from Vicarstown to Wellsworth to Ffarquhar (its thought she slipped onto the vans behind the tank engine when no one was looking), but considering the tank engine nearly cried when the cat jumped up to rub against her the first morning in Ffarqhuar, no one dared trying to take her back. The current leader of the shed cats is her Great x 20 grand daughter, Pest.

1. Edward

Edward is perhaps not the type of engine you would expect to have an online presence, much less an active one, with a large following. However whilst he has never been a loud presence online, he has been consistent and beloved since nearly the beginning.

It began with a story.

In the early 2000s Edward's driver was at her whits end. Her toddler refused to fall asleep, instead crying throughout the night. The doctors all said she was healthy, that this was a phase, but the driver and her husband were exhausted. One august night, it was her turn to stay up with the toddler, she tried driving around, hoping the motion of the car would lull the child to sleep, but there was no luck. When she went to pass by the engine sheds, she turned in out of desperation. Edward was over 100 years old, maybe he knew what to do.

She entered the engine shed, finding all the engines awake. It is well known among railway men that any engine can pick out the cry of a child above any other sound, a fact that has proved both a blessing and a curse to their crews.

The exhausted woman climbed onto the bufferbeam gently shushing the child to no avail.

'Well hello little one."

The baby quieted, staring up in awe at the engine before her.

"Would you like a story little one?"

The toddler cooed and stretched a hand towards the giant face of the engine.

"Thomas was a little engine..."

The child was soothed by the elder engine's voice, and try as she might to fight it, she was soon asleep. The driver thanked the engine profusely, but he just chuckled and asked her to bring the child if it happened again.

Victoria Sand grew up on the buffer beam of her mother's engine, listening to stories of the railway, and her grandfather's time as driver.

In order to allow the engine sleep the mother recorded many of the stories, so they wouldn't have to disturb him to get the child to sleep, despite the engine's protests that he enjoyed their visits.

The years went on, and young Victoria began sleeping through the night (although there was more than one instance of her sneaking out to see her honorary grandfather.) The mother wished to help other mothers and fathers like herself so, with Edward's permission, she uploaded the stories to a video site.

"Storytime with Grandpa Edward" grew slowly but surely, as parents found them and played them for their children. As the videos popularity grew, many asked for Edward to read their children's favorite books.

It should be noted at this time, almost no one outside of the Island realized 'Grandpa Edward' was in fact a locomotive, much less Northwestern No.2. Victoria's father was an artist, and the videos consisted of Edward's voice over his paintings. Most of the audience had assumed Grandpa Edward was human. Upon the realization, Edward chuckled and asked it be kept that way, as he was touched so many people liked his stories on their own.

A young generation of children grew up listening to "Grandpa Edward" alongside Victoria Sand, some of whom would later visit Sodor. Whilst their parents would almost never recognize the engines voice over the sound of steam and metal, the children would. Edward would just laugh and ask for it to remain their secret.

The years passed, and the 2020s arrived. By this time "Grandpa Edward" was a household name for much of Britain, with thousands of stories recorded and released. Edward had declined in person interviews over the years, he was much too busy on his branchline after all. Despite helping to raise an entire generation, Grandpa Edward had remained a mysterious figure, known only by his stories, even as little Victoria grew up and became a mother herself.

The revelation of his identity involved certain blue tank engine, because of course it was. The sickness that must not be named had swept the globe. Sodor was weathering the storm well, as it had closed its borders promptly and thoroughly. Despite this, the children of the island grew stifled in their houses, missing school, their friends, and the freedom of the outside world.

The NWR came together to help in what ways they could. Thomas was ran from one side of the island to the other, making videos for children to watch, to show them that the world and their friends would still be there waiting for them when they came out. As expected, the 'Thomas touch' happened, and the videos seemed to explode overnight, with children around the world eagerly watching Thomas on his adventures around the Island. But Thomas was growing tired. He was older now, 106 thank you very much, and the constant longer runs were more than he was used to on his branchline.

Edward took one look at him one evening at Wellsworth as he waited for a clear signal to Ffarquhar, and promptly dragged Thomas and his coaches. Thomas protested, the kids needed the joy the videos brought.

"Leave it to me," Edward said.

The first video was simply titled 'Grandpa Edward reads Thomas a story.' The video opened to show Thomas and his coaches parked inside the Wellsworth Sheds, a fully grown Victoria holding the 'The Three Railway Engines' up for Grandpa Edward to read.

2. Henry

Henry was perhaps the slowest of the famous eight to adapt to the internet. Henry prefers to spend his free time in quiet nature, and the internet had little appeal to him. He would occasionally post inline about some mishap that befell his shedmates, but was largely inactive till the early 2000s.

In 2005 Cyclone Gudrun flooded the North Western coast, which was home to a large part of the Island's population of the endangered Welsh Pine Martin. He worried endlessly for several days. It came to a head one night when Gordon finally snapped. The express engine was sympathetic, but days of evacuation and emergency supply trains had left the mighty pacific sleep deprived and irritable. He had been looking forward to his well deserved sleep, and Henry's rambling was keeping him awake.

"Henry my dear engine, the poor Pine Martians.."

"Pine Martins"

"...Indeed. The poor Pine Martins have my deepest sympathies, but I am desperately in need of sleep, and since it has escaped your notice, all of us here are engines, with little ability to help the creatures even if we had the time."

Henry's face fell, leaving Gordon feeling as if he had kicked an 80 ton puppy.

The No.4 sighed, and turned his attention to the problem, "what is it they need?"

"Pardon?"

Gordon eyed the 4-6-0 grumpily, "What is needed to save the creatures, as I am quite certain you will not be able to rest until something is done. The last thing needed right now is for you to have an accident because you went without sleep."

"One would think you hadn't been listening to him at all these last few days." James snarked from Gordon's opposite side.

"Listening and understanding are not the same thing Little James. I understand the Martins homes are flooded, and they are already quite rare, but I do not know what can or should be done to remedy their plight."

Henry considered his pseudo cousin. "We need volunteers mainly, to search for Martins displaced by the storm, and the funds to care for them until they can be returned to the forest once the flood waters. recede." He paused thoughtfully , "The main problem is people don't know. All the focus is in the displaced people. Which that is just as important but..."

"Post it." Gordon interupted.

"What?" James asked.

Gordon sighed, "Post the situation online. When a engine in the mainland needs funds for overhaul, they often ask for Thomas to make a post online to raise awareness. I do not see why you could not do the same for the Pine Martins. We will all share the post as well so more people will see it."

Several engines stared at the Pacific, but Henry slowly started to smile, "Really? You would do that."

Gordon hrmped, "I can spare a few moments to help the critters so we can all finally sleep. When I see little Thomas tomorrow I will ask him to share it as well."

It should come as no surprise that having Thomas the Tank Engine ask for help saving cute little creatures with wide pleading ideas was just as effective as a full broadside from HMS Hood. Volunteers and funds poured in, and a foundation was quickly established to help look after the Islands population of Pine Martins, but this gave Henry an Idea.

Henry began to chronicle his encounters with Sodor wildlife, his crew helpfully taking videos, which he would post as he read descriptions of the animals. This quickly gained traction (and followers.) Children loved listening to one of the Famous Eight talking about new animals.

In 2007, the newly prosperous Sodor Conservation Society officially partnered with Henry, and began an online docuseries about the endangered animals of Sodor. The Series, aptly named Preservation and Conservation, would become a run away success. Series Three saw the series leave Sodor (although their steam powered narrator remained on the island), with Series four and beyond playing on the BBC in Britain, and Series Five and beyond playing on PBS in the United States. Preservation and Conservation is now on its sixteenth series, with series 18 greenlit.

Henry is now the Mascot and board director of the SCS, and a well respected figure in ecological conservation. From 2008 onwards he has carried the society's emblem on the side of his cab.

If you find his pages online these days, Henry can be found documenting the animals and plants he sees on his daily runs, and. Occasionally documeting the hijinx of his fleetmates as well (most notably the time James got sprayed by a skunk during the filming of series 7) While more Niche than many of the other online engines in the North Western fleets, Henry would argue his online presence is one of the most important.