Chapter Text
Corsicana, Texas, United States of America
Far away from the Island of Sodor, across the Atlantic and the Gulf, there was a shed on a railway in the eastern part of the Lone Star State, and within the shed were a pair of steam engines. They were not short and stumpy tank engines like Thomas, but rather, they were both very large express engines with very large boilers, very large tenders, very large wheels, and very large cylinders, and they each had four leading wheels, eight driving wheels, and four trailing wheels, with twelve more wheels each on those tenders of theirs. And whereas many American steam engines were painted black or gray, these engines, while having such paint, also had orange and red, and they were streamlined.
They were twin sisters, and the only two engines of their class. Dawna was the older twin sister, and Della was the younger. When they were young, they once pulled express trains along the Pacific coast called ‘Daylights’. They pulled those trains well, becoming famous and iconic along the coast for being beautiful engines, and for being fast and powerful also. But, when diesels came, the two engines found themselves taken off of those trains, and were first relegated to freight trains, and then withdrawn, originally meant for scrap.
However, a man heard of their plight, and despite it costing him strenuously, he bought them from their old railway before they could be cut up, and brought them to Texas, which was his home state, and once there, he ran them on excursion trains through many places in the state, like Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Waco, though they were based out of Corsicana. The two engines loved pulling these trains - they might not have been top-link expresses, but they were glad to be pulling any passenger train at all, and seeing and hearing people cheer as they went through stations gave their lives meaning.
Unfortunately, while the man who now owned them cared about them dearly, running them cost him a great deal of money, and more than twenty years of excursions later, he was tighter on money, and he was also now much older than he had once been. So, because of that, he had looked long and hard for someone who would care for them and wouldn’t split them, and after much searching, he finally announced to the two engines that he’d turned to an old Cross-Atlantic friend of his - Sir Charles Topham Hatt, of the North Western Railway.
After the sale, and with such a sale to be closed soon, the girls ran their ‘farewell tour’ after twenty five years of excursions, and now they were waiting in the sheds for their new buyer, or someone acting on his behalf. They wouldn’t have to wait for long.
“Girls? Someone wishes to see you.”
The two large engines looked to the door, the voice of their soon-to-be former owner catching their attention. With him was a smartly-dressed man wearing a flat cap, and who looked to be in his early forties.
“This is Stephen Hatt.” The engines’ now-former owner introduced the man. “He’s the son of the man who’s bought the two of you, and he’s here to help coordinate things so that you can ford the Gulf and the Atlantic to your new home.”
“Dawna and Della, the esteemed twin ex-Southern Pacific Railroad GS-5s.” Stephen greeted. “It’s an honor to meet the two of you. My father’s railway is in need of new engines - the workload is ever increasing, and our engines that we already have are starting to struggle to keep up. We have worked long and hard in making sure that our railway can support the two of you, for the two of you will be the largest that our railway has ever had. It’s a bold move on our part, but we hope it will be worth it.”
“…well, we sure do hope too.” Dawna finally said. “We’ll miss Texas - it became our home after we were withdrawn, and we got our second start here. But if Sodor’s to be our new home…we ain’t gonna let you or your father down, sir.”
Stephen smiled. “That’s something that my father would be very glad to hear.” Then, he turned to the younger of the two twins. “And Della, there’s no need to fear - our railway is a fine place for steam engines. While there are diesels there, we’ve made sure that they’re the friendly sort.”
“A-Alright.” Della was still reluctant about the idea of traveling a gulf and an ocean just to get to this new home.
———
The two engines were brought to Galveston, where, seen off one last time by their now-old owner, they were loaded onto a ship bound for Knapford. The journey lasted a few weeks, going through thankfully calm weather and waters, though the engines soon became anxious to set their wheels down on solid ground.
At last, they arrived in the harbor, albeit at night, and the ship docked, allowing for a crane to lift them off of the ship’s deck and onto the waiting dockside rails. Waiting for them was a man, older than Stephen, also smartly dressed, wearing a different sort of hat.
“Well,” the man greeted, his voice deep and authoritative but also warm, “you’ve finally arrived, Dawna and Della.” Then, the man introduced himself. “Sir Charles Topham Hatt, controller of the North Western Railway.”
“‘Sir Topham Hatt’?” Dawna grinned, somewhat in spite of herself. “Well, your name certainly checks out, Sir.”
Sir Topham Hatt chuckled, tapping the brim of the headwear so much like the latter part of his name. “Indeed, indeed.” Then, he steadied himself. “Well then, my dear engines, welcome to Sodor. Let’s get your boilers filled up with water, and let’s get you to the works to have your couplings lifted. Your old owner seems to have already done some of the legwork in replacing your valve gear before the sale closed, as far as I can tell, and it seems that we can have you fitted without permanently removing your pilots, given their shapes.”
As the railway’s controller was saying this, a small diesel shunter rolled up in front of Dawna. He wore green paint and had four wheels, and he looked up at Dawna in awe.
“You’re…huge!” The little diesel gaped. “And I thought Gordon was big...”
“That’s just how we’re built, dear.” Dawna smiled. “I don’t suppose you’re to help us with that ‘water’ business?”
“R-Right!” The little diesel then rolled forward, and some workmen nearby wrapped a chain around Dawna’s front knuckle coupler so that the diesel could pull her and Della to a water tower. When water was no longer an issue, the chain was unwrapped, and the two steam engines, with Sir Topham Hatt watching, disappeared into the night, heading to Crovan’s Gate.
No other engine spotted them as they sped along through the moonlit countryside. They arrived at Crovan’s Gate, and when morning arrived, work began on lifting their couplings. While it was a bit tricky, given their skirting, on the front, and how high up from the ground the backs of their tenders were, on the back, those working at the island’s Steamworks had done more difficult things before, so this wasn’t exactly the hardest thing in the world for them.
When that was finished, then came the usual maintenance checks, as well as repainting. There were several different liveries used by the island’s standard gauge steam engines. There’s the famous Standard Blue with Red Stripes (used by Thomas, Edward, Gordon, Murdoch, and Belle), but also the similar-yet-distinct Great Eastern/Caledonian-style Prussian/Royal Blue with Gold Stripes (used partially by Toby, and fully by Donald and Douglas, Molly, Wyndham, Hank, Basil and Desmond, and Lexi), not to mention the London and Northeastern-style Garter Blue (as used by Scott, Marianne, and Emily).
Then, there’s the also-relatively-famous Standard Green with Red Stripes (used by Henry, Percy, Gregory, Hiro, Ferdinand, and Samson), but there’s also Great Western-style Brunswick Green with Red Stripes (as used by Duck, Troy, Oliver, Skyler, Connor, and Penny), and Southern-style Malachite Green with Gold Stripes (as used by Neville, Rosie, Porter, Merlin, Theo, and Rebecca). And then, there’s Vermilion Red with Gold Stripes (as famously used by James), but there’s also London, Midland, and Scottish-style Crimson Lake (as used by Eustace, Loretta, Albert, Arthur, William and Charles, Caitlin, and Solomon).
Dawna and Della had different liveries than what was normal for those on the island, having sported their old railroad’s famous ‘Daylight’ liveries of Black, Red, and Orange ever since they were saved from scrap. While they were grand-looking liveries indeed, the works didn’t have enough orange paint on hand, so the sisters agreed instead to have new liveries that were basically Sodor-style twists on their old ones. Namely, the bright red was replaced with Crimson Lake, the orange was replaced with Gold, and the black everywhere that wasn’t their smokeboxes was replaced with either Prussian/Royal Blue (Dawna) or Garter Blue (Della), and their wheels (well, the outsides, at least) were painted red, to go with their whitewalls.
———————
A week later, at Tidmouth, several of the island’s ’big mainline engines’ were waiting for the new engines to arrive, with two berths spare and ready. The waiting engines included Gordon, Henry, James, Brian, Bear, Murdoch, Hank, Paxton, Connor and Caitlin, and Rebecca (Scott, Marianne, Gregory, Loretta, Darius, Eustace, and Merlin, were elsewhere, while Hiro was were having an overhaul), and they hadn’t been told specifics as to who the engines were, beyond that they were twin sisters from across the Atlantic, and that they were both express engines. So, they were left guessing, with only Hank as their closest equivalent to a resource.
“Those two could be anything.” Hank answered, having also originally been built across the Atlantic. “When I was built, there were many different types of steam engines running around over there - Pacifics, Hudsons, Consolidations, Mikados, Berkshires and Kanawhas, Mountains and Mohawks, Northerns and Niagaras, Decapods, Duplexes, and some truly huge Santa Fes, Texases and Colorados, Alleghenys, Challengers, Chesapeakes, Yellowstones, and, of course, Big Boys. Though, given how the Zephyr trains were a thing, there’s also that they could be diesels.”
“Hm…well, I’d rather that they be steam engines, but if they do end up being diesels, better them like BoCo, Bear, Darius, Brian, or Paxton than like Spamcan or Old Stuck-Up.” Gordon mused aloud at the possibility.
The other engines agreed with Gordon’s statement to varying extents. The steam engines of the island had generally come to accept that not all diesel engines were bad, but being able to witness new steam engines being built was something that they missed very dearly.
Then, Sir Topham Hatt himself arrived. He was getting on in years, and he had all but said that next year, his son would take his place. But he had plenty of life in him yet.
“I’ve kept you all waiting long enough for the new engines.” The railway’s elderly controller announced. “They will be arriving here at the sheds shortly.”
“Sir, will the new engines be steam engines or diesel engines?” Gordon asked.
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Sir Topham Hatt replied. And as if on cue…
…an unfamiliar pair of horns sounded. They were very loud, but they also made the steam engines’ hearts sink a little bit.
“Oh…they’re both diesels.” Henry sighed.
But Sir Topham Hatt was smiling in a way that seemed knowing. “Are you sure they are? Listen a bit more closely.”
And so the engines did…and soon, a certain sound became audible. Not the growl of a diesel engine, but the bark of pounding cylinders. And then, a column of steam, then two, became visible from behind some buildings.
“I’ve never heard of a diesel that sounds like that.” Darius drolly remarked. “And I’ve seen and heard plenty while I’ve been around.”
“They sound big, too.” Bear agreed. “Bigger than anything I’ve ever heard.”
And then, the sources of the twin columns of steam revealed themselves. They both seemed at least somewhat streamlined, though their skirting on their fronts had been modified to allow for buffer beams. They also had what were clearly horns just above their smokeboxes, and they still had pilots at the front despite the buffer beam modifications. They were certainly unique-looking, to say the least.
Though, that wasn’t what grabbed the attention of the engines at the sheds. No, that would have been the sheer size of the newcomers. They were both positively gigantic, larger than any steam engine the island had ever seen; even Murdoch looked small compared to them. And to think that Gordon, Henry, Murdoch, and Rebecca and so forth had been considered ‘big’…
…well, the two engines rolled towards the sheds and then came to a stop just short of the turntable.
The other engines were speechless. They had never been faced with another engine this large, let alone two. As for the twin newcomers, one seemed fairly neutral, at worst, and the other seemed a bit nervous, though trying to hide it.
Sir Topham Hatt, for his part, seemed eager to introduce them to the others. “Well, engines, I would like to introduce to all of you the two reasons as to why I’ve been modifying stations, water towers, and coal towers, and shoring up the main line and other places. Meet Dawna and Della, the ex-Southern Pacific Railroad GS-5s. They’ve come all the way from Corsicana, Texas, and they were in need of a new home because their previous owner was getting old and running out of money to keep them.”
“…” The other engines still said nothing. Hank hadn’t been joking when he said that engines from across the Atlantic could be giants.
“…sir?” One of the two giant engines finally spoke. “I’m starting to think that we may have…broken them.”
“…well, I suppose I can see why you say that, Dawna.” Sir Topham Hatt ran his fingers over the brim of his hat. “I’m not sure if this is the ‘take them to the works’ sort of broken, but…”
“N-No-No, sir!” Paxton then spluttered out. “It’s just…just…they…we’ve never seen engines this big before, that’s all!”
Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. “Alright, just making sure. Never seen you all so silent for so long. Well then, I suppose you don’t mind them joining us on this railway? They’ve pulled excursion trains for twenty five years, and they’re hard workers, the both of them.”
The other engines voiced no objections to this. They, if anything, were curious to see how this pair of newcomers would be like when it came to working with them. They hadn’t had a new steam engine come to the railway in a long while, and Hank had been, along with Victor and Smudger, one of the only engines to arrive on the island from across the Atlantic.
So, with that, Sir Topham Hatt encouraged them and the two new engines to get to know each other, and then left to attend to other business. With that, the two engines, one by one, rolled onto the turntable and then into the available berths in the sheds. There was more silence for a bit, until it was broken by James.
“…any reason for having those…horns?” James asked rather tentatively. “You threw us off and made us think you’re diesels…surely you’d have whistles like a-“
“Oh, we have those and bells as well.” Dawna replied with a chuckle. “And I doubt a diesel has ever had a boiler, steam pistons, or steam cylinders. Though, if you want to know why the horns are there…well, Texas has been our home during our excursion career, but back on our old railway before then, we worked express trains along the California Coast, and the California Coast is notorious for its fog. So that, along with how the horns carry the sound further while we’re going at high speed, is why we have them as well as bells and whistles.”
“Fancy that.” Bear remarked. “A steam engine with a built-in foghorn.”
Dawna laughed. “You could say that. Though, it also helps with warning certain rail enthusiasts to get off the tracks if they’re standing either on them and in the way, or otherwise just plain too close.”
Gordon huffed. “Oh, glory, you’ve had that problem there as well? One would think that all, not merely most, enthusiasts would remember that we’re much larger than them and take time to stop from running at high speed. I like enthusiasts just fine when they’re smart and orderly and don’t do anything disgraceful.”
“Or disgusting.” James added.
“Or despicable.” Henry added also.
“Right…” Brian then looked at Della. “…erm…Della hasn’t said anything…can she…?”
“Speak?” Dawna sighed. “Yes, she does…but she’s very quiet and not really one for small talk, and she likes me to do the talking for her. She’s always been shy and high-strung, and she takes time to warm up to someone or get used to new things.”
“That sounds like what I used to be when I first came here many years ago.” Rebecca noted. “Perhaps I could…help her with that?”
“If you don’t try to rush or force anything.” Dawna replied. “For if you do, she’ll just withdraw more into her shell.”
“Point taken, lass.” Murdoch didn’t object. “Bonnie with me - I’m naet quite as much of one for small talk either.”
And so, the big engines at Tidmouth welcomed their two new giant members into their little group. They certainly didn’t dislike what they were seeing and hearing so far, as such size could bode well for offsetting the ever-increasing workload. Of course, what remained to be seen was when they actually started doing the various jobs and tasks they would inevitably be given.