Vicarstown station, as the main terminus of the North Western mainline, is a hive of activity. It is here that people change from trains on the Island to trains that will take them to the mainland at Barrow in Furness, and onwards to Preston (via Carnforth), Birmingham and London. Often, these trains are worked by other engines from the other railways. They will stay the night and then go back home the next day on their train. One such evening, an LMS 4-6-0 with a tapered boiler and Belpaire firebox sat in the shed. It was painted green, and had the name Royal Scot on its nameplates, as well as the number 46100 on the cab sides. The engine's driver was currently oiling around, a girl with light blue skin and two tone red hair, wearing a red T-shirt and blue shorts with a pair of green trainers.
Rainbow Dash leaned out of Gordon's cab as she backed the Pacific into the depot after a long run. "Hey," she called. "Are you the driver from the mainland?"
The girl looked over. "Yeah, I'm like totally from the mainland. My name's, like, Veronica George, but literally everyone calls me Valley Glamour."
Gordon spoke up. "Ah, I see. You're an LMS machine. Did you come from London?"
"That's where the tour originated", Royal Scot replied. "Why?"
Gordon smiled. "A long, long time ago, I can still remember when the music used to make me smile."
The girl sighed. "I, like, don't get what song you're referencing so I, like, don't care about it?"
"Bother!" Gordon exclaimed. "Anyway, back in the old days when I was painted green, I used to run into London on the East Coast Main Line quite regularly. Ah, I still remember the station. London is King's Cross, after all."
"No it isn't!" Royal Scot snorted. "It's Euston. It always has been."
Just then, Duck arrived, with Apple Bloom checking behind her as the engine rolled to a stop in the depot. "It is not!" he said. "London is Paddington. I should know. I'm a Great Western Engine, and I worked there as a station pilot for many years alongside many other Pannier Tanks."
Apple Bloom, being the sweet, naive little girl she was, almost immediately got confused. "Ah thought Paddington was a bear," she said.
Duck started laughing. "He's called Paddington because that's where they found him," he snorted.
To add to the confusion, another engine then spoke up. "I thought it was Citadel!"
"That's Carlisle!" Royal Scot replied.
"Paragon?"
"Hull!" Gordon shouted.
"London Road?"
"That's Manchester!" shouted an electric at the back of the shed. "I should know, I worked there regularly."
They argued until they went to bed and the engine crews went away. They argued when they woke up. And they continued arguing until Royal Scot and Valley Glamour went away, to take their railtour back to London.
"This is ridiculous," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Does it matter?"
"IT'S KING'S CROSS!" Gordon boomed.
"IT'S PADDINGTON! PADDINGTON YOU HEAR?" Duck shouted back.
"Are ya sure it ain't Liverpool Street?" Apple Bloom asked. "'Cause somehow that rings a bell."
"NO!" both engines shouted.
"Stop arguing, you lot," James laughed. "It makes me tired. You've agreed on one thing though."
"Namely?" Gordon asked.
"London's not Euston," James replied.
"Besides, It isn't any of those you named," Rarity smiled. "It's Marylebone." And so the debate went on.
Gordon continued to fume for the next few days. "I'm absolutely certain that it's King's Cross, and I shall prove it!"
"We're not cleared for running there, Gordon!" Rainbow Dash reminded him. "For starters, we don't have GSM-R fitted, or ATC!"
"But if I didn't stop, I could go to London," he thought.
That didn't stop Gordon from trying though. Some days he would try to avoid stopping at Vicarstown, where engines were changed, and would try to run onto the main line to Barrow. One time he flew straight through without stopping, before the AWS track magnet stopped him. Another time, he tried to set off before he had been uncoupled from the train by Rainbow Dash. But nothing worked. He never got to London, as he got caught every single time by the station crew, the guard, or the security. "Oh dear," he sighed. "I shall never go to London."
But one day, he was uncoupled from the train as usual, and ran back onto a siding to rest and wait to go back to Knapford. The coaches and passengers waited, but there was absolutely no sign of the other engine that was meant to be taking the train onwards to the mainland.
Just then, a member of station staff ran over and called to Rainbow Dash. "We've got bad news!" he shouted.
"What's happened?" Rainbow Dash replied.
"I don't know, the inspector wants to see you!" came the reply, and he went off again before anybody could ask anything more. Rainbow Dash hopped off the footplate, and went over to the platform.
A few minutes later, she came back with unbridled excitement on her face. "Ohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigosh!" she exclaimed.
"What's happened?" Gordon asked, surprised.
"The engine for the express derailed as it was leaving the yard!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "It went over a trap point and fell off the track. This means the yard is blocked, which means-"
"Which means we get to take the express to London!" Gordon cried. "Hurrah!"
"Come on buddy, let's go!" Rainbow Dash called, and opened Gordon's regulator. He was backed onto the train and coupled up in moments. The signal dropped, the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag, and they were off! Clouds of smoke and steam poured into the air, steam venting from Gordon's funnel and cylinders as he flew along the line, over the Vicarstown suspension bridge and onto the mainland.
"I'm going to London! I'm going to London! I'm going to London!" he cheered. "EXPRESS COMING THROUGH!"
A few days later, Sir Toppham Hatt took a look at a newspaper and nearly fell off his chair in surprise.
FIRST STEAM POWER TO CALL AT ST. PANCRAS IN NEARLY 50 YEARS; POLICE NEEDED TO CONTROL CROWDS
He rushed out onto the platform to see a very sad Gordon sitting there. "What's wrong Gordon?" he asked. "Didn't you enjoy your trip to London?"
"No," Gordon said sadly. "London's all wrong. They've changed it. It's no longer King's Cross. It's St. Pancras."
"We were routed by the Midland through Sheffield," Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Rails of the enemy. Oh the indignity."
"THAT'S MY LINE!"
Hey. I've got this one as a book. Never understood it back when I was a kid.
All of the stations in London were built by the numerous railway companies to form in the Victorian era and up to the 1923 Grouping Act. Below are the companies who built the stations mentioned and what they were grouped into.
King's Cross: Great Northern (LNER)
Euston: London to Birmingham, engineered by Robert Stephenson. (LNWR and later LMS)
Paddington: Great Western (GWR (Obviously))
Liverpool Street: Great Eastern (LNER)
Marylebone: Great Central (LNER)
St Pancras: Midland (LMS)
10086862
All of the stations mentioned are in London (although steam locomotives are now only allowed at King's Cross, Paddington, Waterloo and Victoria). In this case, Gordon would have gone via Skipton, Leeds and Sheffield. For added irony, Kings Cross and St Pancras actually share the same tube station.
(Hey, that would have been an interesting variation, Gordon being routed all the way down the West London Line and into Victoria.)
10086888 Yes, I know that now. Just back when I was a kid I didn't understand that.
I personally would've love to see this be made into an episode!
Although. I'm still confused on the Station names they're naming. Are they all the same route or all they all different stations in England?
10086338
Oh ok.
Heheh Rainbow said Gordon's famous line and he's not too happy about it.
10086862
The entire joke is that all of these stations serve the same city, but the engines all belong to different companies and don't know this.
10086879
You missed Broad Street (North London Railway).
10086888
Which makes for interesting routing. What's the reckoning Gordon went over Woodhead?
10087204
10087207
To explain; King's Cross, Euston, Paddington, Liverpool Street, and Marylebone all serve London, but were built by different companies.
The other stations mentioned are Citadel (Carlisle, LMS), Paragon (Hull, LNER), and London Road (Manchester, joint station of the LMS and LNER).
10087274
Indeed he was not.
10087369
Okay, that answers that question.
But then which station are the engines arguing about? (not the name, but the station location) The main one, or the one that meets with Vicorstown?
10087522
Which one is London. I threw the other ones in as a joke, referencing how poor most people's grasp of geography is these days. If I got a pound for every time a person asked me whether Nottingham's in Yorkshire, I'd be very wealthy indeed...
I thought someone was going to make an argument against Marylebone on the grounds that it's something used in dog food.
10087641
I didn't know that. Marylebone is now on the Chiltern line.
10087645
I know about London Marylebone, but if someone's not heard of it...
10087835
They don't know the Great Central.
10087556
Ah, that was clever
10088054
It isn't, by the way. Nottingham is in Nottinghamshire.
10088055
Okay, I get it now
10088093
Good.
Surprised that no one has commented on the appearance of Valley Glamour here so I will go ahead and do so anyways:
EPIC FANBOY SCREAM WHICH IS OF HAPPINESS!!!!!!!
Sorry if I didn't shatter you eardrums. ^^; But I just knew you were going to include one of my favorite background ponies that debuted in Season 8: Valley Glamour!!! <3 <3 <3
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8 pictures which matches the number of her debut season X3
10088374
Like, who is that horse? I've literally never heard of her.
10088378
You're just being playful my UK Friend X3
-will be ready for the next chapter soon- :3
10088379
Equestria doesn't exist in the AU this occurs in.
Thank goodness it's over, I felt like getting ear plugs at this point. 😓
Thanks a lot Rarity.
Is that like another version of aws or something?
Huh.