FanFic:The Sodor Engines Railways: The North Western Railway

History

The North Western Railway's roots lie in the two rival companies the Sodor and Mainland Railway and the Wellsworth, Suddery, and Knapford Railway. Perhaps the only time they ever cooperated was for the construction of Tidmouth Station, and even then an evil WSK engine almost ruined the plans.

The two railways merged in 1929, but closed five years later because of traffic decrease. The engines were sold or put into storage and the equipment was removed. However, the rails still remained . . .

The North Western Railway itself was the brainchild of Sir Topham Hatt, son of an S&M worker. He made his fortune in the invention of a dome that allowed for more efficient steam movement.

In 1967, he took an interest in the old railway lines, and bought the property soon after. He also purchased six engines (Thomas, Percy, James, Edward, Henry, and Gordon) from various sources and started construction in 1968. In 1969, the railway was complete. There was a close call when Gordon broke down on the day of the grand opening, but Thomas was able to save the day.

Over the next few years, Sir Topham Hatt started renovating the Ffarquhar and the Brendam branch lines, increasing the stretch over the railway. In 1972, an old branch line was restored, increasing traffic even more. It is now known as the "Little Western" and is worked by Duck and Oliver, two of the many new engines that had been purchased as the railway grew.

In 1976, an evil diesel named Diesel 10 attempted to take over Sodor while Sir Topham Hatt was on holiday. He caused much damage to the railway and the locomotives. Thankfully, the engines stood together and Thomas was able to defeat him, reducing him to a pile of scrap. Besides him, only one engine perished (Stephen).

The line expanded some more in 1982 when the Kirk Ronan Branch Line was opened. The same year, nine engines went to the National Railway Museum. After helping stop a crisis, all were made part of the collection.

The railway has now reached fifteen years of operation, and continued growth is expected.

Lines

The main line runs from Barrow-in-Furness to Tidmouth, where the railway's headquarters are located. The two largest stations besides them are Knapford and Crovan's Gate (also the main workshop for the NW). Many branch lines reach into the more rural areas of Sodor, the longest ones being the Ffarquhar, Brendam, Kirk Ronan, and Little Western.

Engines

On the Main Line:

• Gordon
• Henry
• James
• Emily
• John
• Murdoch
• Molly
• Spencer
• Tim
• Neville
• Eve
• Hank
• Hiro

On the Branch Lines:

Ffarquhar Line

• Thomas
• Percy
• Toby
• Daisy
• Stanley

Little Western

• Duck
• Oliver
• Natalie
• Lily

Brendam Line

• Edward
• Abby
• Boco

Peel Godred Line

• Tess

Kirk Ronan Line

• Rosie
• Billy
• Peter

Elsewhere:

• Matthew (Shunter)
• Donald and Douglas (Anywhere)
• Charlie (Anywhere)
• Alex (Anywhere)
• Fergus (Quarry)
• Bill and Ben (Quarry)
• Victor (Sodor Steamworks)
• Whiff (Tidmouth Garbage Dump)
• Scruff (Tidmouth Garbage Dump)