//------------------------------//
// Each Time you Pass you're Older than the Last 
// Story: Thomas and Friends: Legends of Strasburg 
// by The Blue EM2 
//------------------------------//

Sunny stepped into the lobby of the Pennsylvania State Railroad Museum, located just across the road from the Strasburg Railroad's main depot. The lobby had a soaring roof and stunning decoration, with the main entrance and ticket office layed out in the style of the station waiting room. "OK, I was not expecting this."

"Stunning, huh?" a voice said, and Timber Spruce walked over. "The building is layed out like an old railroad terminal, to immerse the visitor in the age of rail travel. We've even got some exhibits outside if you want to see those."

Just then, the others arrived. "Look at all this!" Pipp said. "Did I tell you I just LOVE art deco?"

"No surprises there," Hitch said. "It is a very distinctive art style."

Izzy looked over. "I can't see a deck anywhere."

"Art deco is an art style originally from France," Pipp explained. "It's a contraction of Arts Décoratifs, which is French for decorative arts, and was the dominant artstyle of the 1920s and 1930s. The style makes heavy use of nautical themes and straight lines combined with heavy decorative elements."

"Thanks for the art lesson, Professor Petals," Zipp said.

"Now then, seeing as we're all here we can head in!" Timber said. "My sister's already in there and has secured you all passes to enter. Railroad employees get in free!"

"Handy, that," Hitch said.

As they moved off, Misty protested. "Wait! I haven't finished reading the display!"

They walked through the main corridor, filled with posters of railroads related to Pennsylvania, and then entered the main hall, which was filled to the brim with railroading rolling stock of yesteryear, ranging from steam to electric and everything in between.

"How did that get here?" Misty asked, pointing to the John Bull. "I thought that was in Washington DC?"

"That's a replica, built for the B&O celebrations in 1927," Timber Spruce explained, before leading round another row and stopping in front of another engine. "Now this is a special engine. Pennsylvania Railroad's No. 7002. The first steam engine to achieve 127 miles an hour, 36 years before Mallard."

"No I did not!" said the engine, indignantly. "Such a speed wasn't even possible with my boiler pressure. And I'm not even 7002! They just slapped a different number on me when the original was scrapped."

"Awkward," Zipp said quietly.

"Anyway," Timber said, "Who wants to see the GG1?"

There was a show of hands.

"I thought so."





As the Railroad Museum lacked a cafeteria (instead having a selection of vending machines next to the old departure board at Philadelphia 30th Street Station), the parents had instead decamped to a local cafe on the other side of the road. They sat in the outdoors, soaking up the sun.

"It's unusually warm for this time of year," Isaac said. "Isn't it normally very cold in February?"

"There's a warm weather system blowing through, according to my weather app," Argyle said, glancing at it. "At least it means we won't have to buy winter coats."

"I had to do that once when interchanging through Boston," Goldie said. "I'd been in New Mexico and returning home. Unfortunately my suitcase got loaded onto the wrong plane and that had my winter coat in it. Luckily I found one, or I'd have been a walking block of ice before I got home!"

"We've had similarly harsh winters near Swanage," Lady Haven said. "Once we had to use rags soaked in paraffin to thaw the working parts of engines as they had frozen solid. It was pretty hard work but quite fun at the same time."

"Choose a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life," Lord Haven said. "Confucius said so. And he was right on many things."

"Not so sure I agree on that one," Aurora added, as she moved her chair a bit. "Sure, I do love performing, but writing songs does take effort. The public won't accept drivel."

"Maybe you could experiment with writing a nonsense song and see what happens?" Argyle suggested.

"I usually leave that to Izzy," Aurora joked, and the assorted adults burst out laughing. Once they were done laughing, they watched across the road and saw the lorry from earlier drop off the blue engine.

"I wander how they got a Thomas?" Isaac asked. "Doesn't he live on Sodor?"

"According to the internet they built it from a dock shunter, hence the innacurate design features," Argyle said. "Thomas didn't have a crossbar or outside cylinders when we last saw him."

Suddenly, there was a buzz, and they looked over. "Table Number Seven, your drinks are ready!" called the server. "Sorry for the delay!"

"I'll get them," Goldie said, rising from her chair and quickly adjusting her jacket. "Three minutes being considered a delay? I'd forgotten that was a thing around here." She walked over, picked up a tray, and slid the drinks onto it before turning back.

Her path was now blocked by a man with greasy black hair and clad in a badly fitting suit with a crooked tie. He looked very sinister indeed.

"Erm, excuse me, but you're standing where I'm trying to go," Goldie said. "Could you step to one side, please?"

The man looked at her. "You're with the railroad lot, aren't you?"

"Yes. Why?"

The man nodded. "Figures. People stuck in the past. My name's Hoffman. I'm a local developer, keen to bring this place up to scratch and drag it out of the 20th century."

"I see," Goldie said, trying to mask her growing annoyance at this man. "Well, that's all very interesting, but I can't afford to stick about and chat."

The man nodded. "Would six be more convenient?"

Goldie clicked what he was doing, and groaned in annoyance. "No. Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to take these to my friends." She moved her left hand into the light so that it reflected off her wedding ring. "First rule of interaction with other people; don't ask a woman you just met on a date, even if she is single. Which I'm not."

With that, she strode away and put the tray down and sat back down. "What a creep. All the stereotypes of the dodgy estate developer all rolled into one."

"You OK?" Argyle asked.

"I'm fine," Goldie replied. "I'm used to being randomly asked out, although most people apologise when they realise their mistake."





Many hours later, a firepit had been built on the outskirts of the museum property. Flanked by the lead car of an old EMU and a large electric locomotive (the one which Goldie had recognised earlier that day), they sat around the fire and cooked marshmallows whilst swapping stories.

At last, Timber Spruce told his story. It was a strange one, to say the least. "This land was originally settled by many people, including Mennonites from Germany. Amongst these early ancestors were my own, and they helped to develop the town. The railroad was a boon to the community, and helped to connect us to the map through the link to the Pennsylvania at Paradise.

"But it seemed the building of the railroad angered something, as one night my grandfather was working on a doodlebug."

"Why did you have a flying bomb?" Izzy asked.

"Doodlebug means railcar out here," Zipp quickly explained.

"Ohhhhhhh."

"Anyway, he heard a loud noise outside, and went to see what it was. Sitting there, in the station, was a monstrous engine, painted jet back and with the numbers 311 on the side. Standing in the cab was a ghostly figure, wearing a dark railroader's uniform. He told them his name was Joe Bush, a man who had died in the construction of the railroad over a century earlier, and that the running of the line was disturbing his peace. He threatened to destroy the town, but my grandfather begged him not to, promising to not run trains at night. Joe Bush agreed, but as he and his engine moved away into the night, he warned them he would not be away forever. One day, he would return to finish the job."

And so, Timber leaned into the fire. "If you hear the whistling of metal or a man walking around late at night, be careful... for it might just be the ghost of Joe Bush."

Suddenly, a loud horn blared, and a diesel rolled past on a nearby line with a works train.

Timber shrugged, seeing the looks of terror on their faces. "That happens sometimes. See you all tomorrow!"

The girls got up and began to head home. Hitch stopped next to Sunny. "Hey, everything OK?"

Sunny suddenly broke from her trance and looked at him. "Huh? Oh, right. Ghost stories, huh?"

"It's probably not true. I mean, the one Zipp told at Halloween wasn't." Hitch then walked away. "See you tomorrow!"

Sunny stopped next to her parents, who had overheard the story. "I'm ready now," she said.

"OK then," Argyle replied. "Creepy story, huh? Timber is a good storyteller." He then glanced over. "Goldie? Is everything OK?"

She looked to her husband. "I can't help but feel aspects of that story felt familiar. I'll look at it in the morning."