Workforce:Shining Time Station
This Workforce covers articles related to Shining Time Station. If you are a Shining Time fan and wish to make Train Spotting World a reliable source on all things Shining Time, like the rest of our participants, then please add your name to the list below.
Contents
Members
All members can add a userbox to their userpage to show their membership, using this code:
{{User STS}}
which produces:
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Workforce Shining Time Station. |
Scope
The scope of this project includes any articles related to Shining Time Station. This includes:
- Main pages for Shining Time
- Articles about characters from the series
- Episode summaries
- Locations in the series
- Any other pages relating that fall under the umbrella of the series.
Aims
- Our main aim is to differentiate clearly and precisely the differences between the topics listed above. Though, mention of other articles in an article may be made, where acceptable.
Articles
The articles covered here fall into four main categories:
- Characters in the series
- Locations in the series
- Segments in the series {e.g.: The Jukebox Puppet Band)
- People and organizations significant to the creation of the series.
Guidelines for Contribution
Make Sure the Article is Clear
Not everyone that looks at Train Spotting World is a fan of Shining Time Station. Some have not even heard of it. Therefore, you must make sure that your article is clear to someone who has never seen STS. The opening of the article should say who the character is or what the location is. The rest of the article should have great detail on the character/location.
Style
Badly-written articles are difficult to read and look unprofessional. Make sure that your writing is properly spelt and punctuated, and that the grammar is correct. Common errors encountered in these articles are:
- rely badd spelig bcaus t wrtr si trying to tipe in a huryr or don't check they're splling b4 posing.
- Every Word In The Sentence Starts With A Capital Letter
- Very long sentences that go on for ever and ever, but could easily be broken up into several different sentences, which would be much easier to read, but because the writer either didn't remember his/her punctuation or because he/she doesn't really care, this happens much too often and could easily be solved by breaking one long sentence that is very continuous and repetitive into several different sentences.
Do not speak directly to your audience or to other contributors. Discussion and Talk pages are used for that.
The style of your writing should be readable, but not too informal. Don't use slang and abbreviation when unnecessary. At the same time, however, don't use unnecessarily long and complicated words, especially if you are unfamiliar with the spelling and/or correct use.
Section Titles
To allow for consistent practises, and so as not to interfere with anchored links, the following conventions are in place for naming sections within an article:
- Character Pages: Use the character's name only. (e.g.: "Billy not "Billy Twofeathers the Engineer")
- Episode Summaries: Use the title of the episode ONLY.
Should I Create an Article, or Not?
While this project was created with the intention of building a comprehensive source of information on Shining Time Station, it is not necessary to create a new article for every single place, person and concept in the stories. For instance, every single person who has made a cameo appearance does not need his/her own article. If the character has made several appearances, or was a major part of the plot, then, and only then, is it acceptable to create an article for them. Do not create an article unless there is enough information available to write a decent amount.
If there is not enough information, but you feel the item does warrant discussion, see if it would fit into any other article. Most characters can be included in the list articles mentioned above.
Unnecessary Information
Do not add information for the sake of it. For instance, in a description of an episode, the information "This is the nineteenth time Schemer has tried to scam somebody" is superfluous and frankly boring. Think, if you were reading this article in an encyclopaedia, is this information you would genuinely want to know?
In character articles, it is not necessary to list everything that has ever happened to that character, unless that event has had a significant impact upon him or her. Kit running away from home should be included in his article, as it was one of the major reasons why him mom sent him to Shining Time. The fact that Billy left some toys for him to play with should not be included, as it is irrelevant to the story.
Likewise, there is no need to list items such as characters who do not appear in the series. Most articles list characters and locations that are used, and therefore such non-information is redundant.
False Information, Rumors, and Bad Sources
These should not appear in any Train Spotting World article. Do not post information unless it is from an official source - and note that someone simply telling you that they have some information from an official source is not the same thing. Official sources include the Railway Series and Awdry-authored spin-offs, the television series and the movies. Magazines, emails from the production company, merchandise, computer games, word of mouth, websites, television spin-off books and fan fiction are not considered canon.
It is worth mentioning at this point that simply stating that information is from "sources" is insufficient. You could technically define your own imagination as a source. Unless you identify your source, you run the risk of your information being considered false.
Rumours are unhelpful unless there is very strong evidence to back them up. Writing "it has been rumoured that there will be a fourth season of Shining Time Station coming soon, but nothing has been confirmed yet" does not help anyone, as there is absolutely no evidence to back it up. Similarly, something along the lines of "Kit appears in all of Season 3" is pointless. A lot of things may happen in Season 3, but unless you have a strong reason to believe them, there is no point in mentioning them.
Information that is definitely made up is completely unacceptable. Invented information is usually very obvious, and will be speedily deleted. Additionally, you risk being banned from Train Spotting World.
"Fanon" is information commonly accepted by fans, but which is unofficial. As one example of this, a large crane at Brendam Docks is known as "Big Mickey", because it uses the model of a character of that name from the series 'Tugs'. While this label is undoubtedly convenient, it is misleading to claim it as truth.
Similarly, fans have dubbed certain characters with unofficial titles, e.g. "Harry Cooper the First Railway Engineer" and "Schemer the Arcade Owner". These titles should not be used on Train Spotting World. If you are creating a character article, a more acceptable title would be The Queen (Shining Time Station), i.e. the character's official name with the clarification in parenthesis. Obviously this does not apply to official names such as Stacy Jones, J.B. King etc.
The ONLY exception to the rule is if the information is. Please follow the guidelines there.
Templates
The project banner (code {{STSbanner}}) should be added to the talk page of EVERY article related to Shining Time Station.
It looks like this:
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This page has been flagged as being within the scope of Workforce Shining Time Station. Workforce Shining Time aims to develop and expand Train Spotting World's content relating to the TV Series Shining Time Station. Planning and discussion for this project can be found on the Project page. TSW editors are quite welcome to join us in improving the quality of this article, and others. |
The navibox above is to be put at the bottom of every article, above any articles (This eliminates the need for most "See Also" sections).
Code: {{STS}}
Result:
| The world of Shining Time Station |
|---|
| TV Series: Shining Time Station |
| Series particulars |
| How the Station Got Its Name • Thomas and the Magic Railroad • |
| Main Characters |
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Harry Cooper • Billy Twofeathers • Matt Jones • Dan Jones • Tanya Cooper • Kara Cooper • Stacy Jones • Schemer • Becky • Jukebox Puppet Band • Thomas the Tank Engine |
| Recurring Characters |
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J.B. King • Mayor Flopdinger • Midge Smoot • Ginny • Schemee • Barton Winslow • |
| 1-Hour Special Characters |
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Kit • Max Okowski • |
| Locations |
| Significant people and organisations |
| Rev. W.V. Awdry (Creator of "Thomas the Tank Engine") • Christopher Awdry The Britt Allcroft Company • Gullane Entertainment |
| Other relevant pages |
| Thomas and Friends Portal The Railway Stories (audiobooks) • Thomas and Friends video releases • Shining Time Station Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends merchandise • Workforce:Shining Time Station |
(Page Under Construction)
