FanFic:2021: A Railway Odyssey
2021: A Railway Odyssey is a movie based on the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, but uses trains from Thomas the Tank Engine as the main characters.
Contents
Plot
The Dawn of Trains
After a survey of a bleak and barren environment consisting of rusty trucks and piles of scrap metal, the story enters the world of a small group of traction engines, refueling at a coal pile. As they do so, however, a rival group of larger engines arrives and drives them away. Tired and malnourished, they stop to rest at a small cave, which functions as their shed. When they wake up, they are suprised to find a "monolith" in front of their shed. (It's really a small, uninhabited tower.) After examining it, one traction engine (Trevor) buffers up to some flatbeds and starts to pull and push them back and forth (Also Sprach Zarathusa starts playing), thus creating the idea of a train. Later, Trevor's group uses trucks to drive away the rival group. Ecstatic, Trevor shoves the truck forwards, where a perfect match-cut is performed to a large boxcar.
FSA-1
The boxcar is part of a large frieght train that passes a small one headed by Duck (Dr. Heywood Floyd). With "The Blue Danube Waltz" playing in the background, he ssteams through a frieght yard. At a signal he asked by other engines (James and Henry) about why the Farquar line is closed. Floyd tells them that it is due to bad coal, and that the rest is classified. He then steams onto the Farquar line. He is greeted by others (Edward and Gordon), whom he apoligizes to for the closing of the line. The three then investigate "FSA-1" (Farquar Signalbox Anomaly 1), which turns out to be another "monolith". An earsplitting sound is heard as the building's antenna, reactivated when its generator is cleaned, broadcasts something in the direction of Vicarstown, but further.
The Mission
18 months later, Thomas (Dave Bowman) and Percy (Frank Poole) are coupled to the back of a large freight train, the Discovery Express, headed by an ACEL (ACcelerated motor ELectric) 10000 locomotive. Also on board are three locomotives on flatbeds (Billy, Flora, and Arthur). The progress goes well until ACEL's train readings state that one of the couplings is coming loose. However, upon examination it is revealed that nothing is wrong. This worries the base, as a 10000 has never been wrong before. Percy and Thomas discuss disconnecting ACEL from his battery. ACEL overhears this conversation. Later, while on a mountain line, Percy goes out to investigate another one of ACEL's readings. As he does so, ACEL disconnects Percy's brake van. The heavy trucks push him down the slope and over a cliff, where he plunges to his doom. As Thomas rushes away from the train with some emergency trucks to help, ACEL accelerates and detaches Arthur, Billy, and Flora from the train, leaving them to the same fate as Percy. ACEL refuses to slow when Thomas returns. By detonating a blasting cap car he is able to catch ACEL (although he destroys a bridge in the process). Then, despite ACEL's protests, Thomas detaches some of his generator cars, shutting down all but ACEL's most essential functions. As ACEL is disconnected into oblivion he sings to Thomas "I've Been Working on the Railroad" until his voice dies. A message is then sent revealing the true purpose of the mission.
Vicarstown and Beyond the Infinite
Upon arriving at Vicarstown, Thomas discovers a much larger tower, with another antenna. As Thomas investigates, his brakes fail and he is pulled into a tunnel that goes through the tunnel. After hurtling over a long bridge at rapid speed, he comes to rest at a large roundhouse almost exactly like the one at Tidmouth. Investigating, he discovers an increasingly old line of trains (ranging from electric engines to diesels, then steamies (among them are Mallard and Rocket), before he finally sees a train very much like Trevor. Then, he sees that another large "monolith" has appeared. A strange shape appears at the top. Thomas then changes into it, and it is revealed to be a fetus wearing a top hatt ( a "Rail-Child"). As Also Sprach Zarathusa starts playing, the "Rail-Child" then surveys Sodor.
Characters
- Trevor - Moon-watcher
- Duck - Dr. Floyd
- James and Henry - The People at the Space Station
- Gordon and Edward - The Lunar Scientists
- Thomas - Bowman
- Percy - Poole
- ACEL - HAL
- The Rail-Child - The Star-Child
Sequel
The movie's sequel came in the form of 2030: The Year Trains Make Contact.
