Bill and Ben are a pair of twins, who work at Brendam Docks on the Island of Sodor. This is located at the end of Edward's branchline, and both engines are nearly identical. Both of them are painted yellow, and are saddle tank locomotives. They both have four wheels, squat chimneys and domes, low, squat saddle tanks, and small cabs. The reason for these squat features is the fact they were built for a railway in Devon which had limited height clearances, and as a result they needed to be small in order to fit under the bridges and through the tunnels which characterised their branchline. However, it had closed in the 1950s, and both of them had been purchased by the Sodor China Clay Company for their own line, running from their quarry at Brendam Clay Pits down to Brendam docks, where the china clay is offloaded from the trucks and onto waiting ships to go all around the world (alongside racing cars, tank engines, and men in black suits and top hats hitchiking their way around the world).
They have drivers, naturally enough. Bill is driven by a young girl with brown skin and red hair, matched by a pair of glowing green eyes. She has freckles on her cheeks, and typically wears a two tone brown long sleeved shirt, a pair of green slacks, and red trainers paired with white socks. Her name is Barbara Seldon, a name she absolutely hates with a passion, so most people call her Babs Seed. Ben, on the other hand, is driven by a girl with yellow hair and light pink skin. She typically wears a red and black striped shirt with a black skirt and red boots. Her name is Samantha Seldon, and she is Babs' older sister. Like Babs, she is usually referred to by her nickname of Sunflower Seed.
The work that Bill, Ben, and their drivers do is crucial for many industries. The china clay is needed for pottery, paint, and many other things. A typical day of work consists of them pulling loaded trucks to the harbour, and taking the empties back to be filled. They then take the full trucks to the harbour, and return the new empties. This pattern continues throughout the day until the work is done.
One day, the twins left some trucks next to the cranes to be unloaded, and took some empty trucks back with them. When they dropped these ones off at the harbour later that day, they were horrified to see that they were all gone! In their place were two pools of mysterious black liquid.
"Where have our trucks gone?" Bill asked, very surprised.
"They've vanished!" Ben replied. "Somebody's taken them!"
"Thanks for stating the obvious!" Bill snapped back. Babs got out of Bill's cab and bent down to smell the patch of black liquid.
"Hmm," she said, in her thick Bronx accent. "That's hydraulic fluid. Somethin's gone and taken the trucks, and it's probably a diesel."
"Jeepers!" Sunflower replied, in an equally thick accent. "That sounds bad."
"A what'll?" asked Bill, very confused.
"A dieseasel," Ben replied. "Remember, there's a notice about them in the shed. 'Coughs and sneezles spread diseasels'."
"Ah," Bill answered.
"You had a cough in your smokebox only a few days ago," Ben said, with a mean smile. "And then this diseasel had gone and stolen the trucks. It;s your fault these trucks are missing!"
"It isn't!"
"It is!"
"It isn't!"
"It is!"
"Stop arguin' guys!" Babs shouted. "Look, this diesel has gone and taken our trucks. We need ta go and get them back before it takes them further!"
Ben gasped. "But the dieseasel will magic us away like he did the trucks!"
"He won't magic us," Sunflower laughed. "We'll magic him. You two, to most observers, look exactly the same. So we'll remove your nameplates, shut the cab windows, and boy will that diesel get a nasty surprise!"
And that is exactly what they did. Both engines left the yard and puffed out onto the mainline, but with their small wheels, it took a while.
"It's in the yard at Wellsworth?" Babs asked, frustrated. "That's 20 miles away or somethin'!"
"If it was that far," Bill replied, "we'd have run out of coal and water!"
After a very long journey, they saw their trucks parked in a siding, ready to be moved onto the mainline. At the front of the train, something was revving. Ben stopped at the yard threshold, but Bill rolled forward, up the side of the siding. The tension mounted as dramatic piano music played in the background, before Bill rolled level with the diesel. He was very long indeed, painted dark green, and with the British Railways early crest on his side. He had six wheels on one bogie, and four wheels on the other. He had the number D5705 painted on his cabside, and he looked very cross. He looked at Bill grumpily. "Do you mind?" he snapped. "I'm trying to rest here."
Bill looked at him, Babs being very careful not to make a sound. "I'd like my trucks please," the tank engine said.
"These trucks are mine," the diesel replied. "I'm taking them to the yards at Knapford to be marshalled into a train going to Bridlington Goods Yard. Now go away."
"They say it's the hottest place in town!" exclaimed a voice, and the cab door swung open. Sat there was a man with greyish brown skin and black hair, with blue eyes to match. He wore a formal suit with a red tie that had a doller symbol on it. Otherwise, his attire was fairly typical for a train driver of the 1950s. "Anyways, you can't have these trucks. They're going to the mainland and that is final."
Bill pretended to be frightened. "You're a big bully, both of you!" he whimpered. "You'll be sorry!" and he sped away before the diesel could say anything.
And then the plan went into action. Ben flew forward on the other side, and whistled loudly. "Truck stealer!" he shouted, before shooting back into the yard.
Bill shot up the other side, and stopped moments later, whistling again, and then he went back. Ben then came forward again, and then retreated, his eyes spinning round and round as he did so.
This went on and on until the diesel's eyes nearly popped out. "STOP!" he cried. "YOU'RE MAKING ME AND MY DRIVER DIZZY!"
"I'm so Dizzy, my head is spinnin'!" Babs sang loudly, as she through open the cab door. Bill and Ben came to a stop on opposite sides of the diesel.
The diesel looked at Ben, then at Bill, and back to Ben again. "So, there are two of you?" he asked.
"Yes," Ben smiled. "We're twins."
The diesel laughed. "I might have known it."
Just then, Edward rolled to a stop. "Bill and Ben?" he asked in confusion. "What are you two doing here?"
"Yeah," Applejack added. "Ain't ya both supposed ta be shuntin' trucks in the harbour? Trucks Eddie and Ah are meant ta be takin' ta Tidmouth right now?"
"We're not playing!" Bill protested.
"That's right," Ben said. "We're rescuing our trucks from this diseasel, who took them without asking. Even you don't take our trucks without asking."
"But it's not the diesesel's fault," said Bill. "It's Ben's fault!"
"What?" Ben exclaimed. "MY FAULT?"
"You were the first to start talking about this dieseasel! It's your fault!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"IS NOT!"
"IS TOO!"
"Enough!" Edward shouted. "There's no need to be rude. Why, this engine is a Metropolitan Vickers English Electric Type 2!"
"Or Class 28," said the diesel's driver.
Bill, Ben, Babs and Sunflower all looked very sorry. "Sorry," they mumbled.
"It's alright," the diesel replied. "I didn't understand about the arrangements, and neither did my driver. You can call me BoCo."
"But yer CoBo," Sunflower said, confused.
Applejack looked sternly. "Ah'm appalled that mah own cousins would act in this way. You four can make it up ta BoCo by collectin' his trucks fer him, and then takin' these ones back. And don't forget about the trucks for Eddie and me!"
As the two tank engines shuffled off, the driver glanced over to Applejack. "Hey, you're of the Apple family in Arlesburgh, right?" he asked.
"Er, yeah?" Applejack replied.
"Why, it's a pleasure to meet you!" he answered. "Name's Ford Roberts, but I'm usually called Filthy Rich, or just Rich."
"Those four meant no harm," Edward said, with a smile. "But they can be maddening!"
"Maddening is the word!" BoCo laughed.
I am excited, we are almost to one of my favorite stories, Edward's Exploit
I love Boco. My dad's a big train nut and he wanted to get me into it, so he built me an electric train set for my birthday and got me a model that's the same make as Boco. I really hope he shows up again one day. Don't think he's shown up once in the CGI series.
Babs, Sunflower and Filthy Rich? Wouldn't have seen that coming.
Well, I never would've guessed the Seed Sisters would be Bill and Ben's drivers
Oh boy the Twins!!
10141340
And mine.
10141346
Phew. Sourcing a Class 28 must've been difficult.
10141368
10141493
I like doing surprising things, but I think their personalities fit.
10141498
10141826
I personally would have gone with Breaburn as BoCo's driver myself. He's also related to the Apples. In fact, in my headcanon, Breaburn is the younger brother of Sunflower but the older brother of Babs Seed. It's said he moved to Appleloosa as a settler, so he must have moved from somewhere. And for the record, I interpret Curtis Orange (Aunt Orange) and Mostly Orange (Uncle Orange) as their parents. Citrus Orange is Bright Macintosh's sister in my headcanon and her former name is Apple Slice.
10141835
Interesting thought. However, I'm also saving Braeburn for later.
10141841
Ooh, more mysteries.
10141844
Deciding who goes with what engine is half the fun.
10141851
I have to agree.
10141855
Who would you put with who?
10141856
Well, I'll go through the characters we were with so far, in order of books:
Three Railway Engines:
Edward – Fluttershy
Gordon – Rainbow Dash
Henry – Applejack
First Red Engine/Geoffory – Flash Sentry
Second Red Engine/Simmors – Thunderlane (He's later with someone else as in my headcanon, Simmors was destroyed by gunpowder wagons when he saved a station during WW2)
98462 – Blonn Di (One of Swift Foot's sisters)
87546 – Shining Light (Another of Swift Foot's sisters)
Princess Celestia will run the NWR with Sir Topham Hatt.
Thomas the Tank Engine:
Thomas – Twilight Sparkle
James – Rarity
James the Red Engine:
Blue Tank Engine/Val – Terri Belle (Yet another of Swift Foot's sisters)
Tank Engine Thomas Again:
Terence – Sandbar
Bertie – Spike
Troublesome Engines:
Percy – Pinkie Pie
Henry the Green Engine:
Foreign Engine 1/Molly – Coco Pommel
Toby the Tram Engine:
Toby – Starlight Glimmer
Green Bus/Vernon – Svengallop
Gordon the Big Engine:
N/A
Edward the Blue Engine:
Trevor – Ocellus
Four Little Engines:
Skarloey – Scootaloo
Sir Handel – Sweetie Belle
Peter Sam – Apple Bloom
Princess Luna will run the SkR with the Thin Controller
Percy the Small Engine:
Duck – Sunburst
Harold – Spitfire
Eight Famous Engines:
Percy’s Friends (Porter *, Eardley, Kenney and Jinty *) – Moon Dancer, Pursey Pink, Bracer Britches, Lemon Hearts.
The Foreign Engine/Patriot – Valley Glammor
The Derailed Engine/Ivatt – Luckette
Pug – Twinkleshine
Jinty and Pug’s companions (Rebecca, Rosie, Harriet/Barry, Murdoch, Belle *) – Vapor Trail, Night Glider, Cheerliee, Saffron Masala and Party Favor.
Duck and the Diesel Engine:
City of Truro – Silver Berry
Diesel – Lightning Dust (he changes drivers in Thomas and the Evil Diesel)
Foreign Engine 2/Arthur – Fancy Pants
The Little Old Engine:
Rusty – Babs Seed
Duncan – Wind Sprint
Talyllyn – Sunny Daze
The Twin Engines:
Donald – Limestone Pie
Douglas – Marble Pie
Branchline Engines:
Daisy – Trixie
Gallant Old Engine:
Dolgoch – Peachy Pie
George – Diamond Tiara
Rheanes – Lillymoon (She's from a book series and is a member of the crusaders)
Stepney the Bluebell Engine:
Stepney – Spearhead
Bluebell and Primrose – Swan Song and Silver Frames
Adams – Golden Gavel
Cromford – Lily Lace
Captain Baxter – Inky Rose
Caroline – Smolder
D701/Euston, Class 52/Swindon and D782/Vulcan – Lyra Heartstrings, Electric Sky and Cayenne
Bowler – Zesty Gormard
Mountain Engines:
Culdee – Sunset Shimmer
Godred – Sunny Flare (as he was made up, this wasn't true)
Ernest – Sour Sweet
Wilfred – Timber Spruce
Lord Harry – Sugar Coat
Alaric – Indigo Zap
Eric – Lemon Zest
Shane Doonliey – Sunny Flare (if Godred didn't exist, she drove someone else).
Shining Armor will run the Culdee Fell Railway with the manager.
Very Old Engines:
S&M Engine 1/Sean – Mage Meadowbrook
Neil – Stygian
S&M Engine 3/Rolf – Somnambula
Young Skarloey - Rockhoof
Young Rheanes - Flash Magnus
Star Swirl worked alongside Mr Mack
Mainline Engines:
Bill – Braeburn
Ben – Sunflower
BoCo – Big Macintosh (On second thoughts, he may suit BoCo better)
* Porter's class is now an LMS Dock Tank, and I think I saw on the wiki that one of the tank engines was an LMS 3F.
* Belle is without water canons and with another number.
10141904
There are some similarities between yours and mine.
10141907
Yep. Some are different though, like having the Crusaders with the SkR engines rather than the Young Six.
10141909
Yeah. I was originally going to do that before realising I had no drivers for Duck and Oliver.
10141939
"No drivers for Duck and Oliver", you say? And Duck's with Apple Bloom, Stepney's with Sweetie Belle, Bill was paired with Babs Seed, and that must mean Scootaloo is with Oliver.
10141947
No, I meant that putting the CMC on the Skarloey Railway left me with a bit of a crew shortage. I was originally going to put Shining Armour as Duck's driver!
10141959
Oh, and Shining Armor missed out? Darn...
10141961
He'll be in later.
10141964
Okay.
10141968
Indeed.
10141827
Couldn't have agreed more with you.
10142432
It applies here perfectly.
When will Shining show up? Will he be an engineer for a steam engine or a diesel? Oliver? Mavis? Duke? Bear? Or anyone else that hasn't appeared in the story yet.
10142439
Wait and see.
Good choice of having Babs Seed and Sunflower Seed being Bill and Ben's drivers respectively X3
10141493
Heh, now there's a term you don't hear often when describing Babs and Sunflower as sisters ^^
10142817
Well, since they both have Seed as the second part of their name, it just sounded appropriate.
10142825
True =)
It would of been nice to see it for other characters that are siblings and use a term like that ^^
10142817
10142825
Like the Mario Bros!
10142831
That too. ;3
Speaking of..... I gotta go check out a fan comic of them doing a prank war with each other. XD
10142836
Link?
10142839
https://www.deviantart.com/nintendrawer/gallery/9115445/mini-comics
They did two prank wars thus far btw. ;3
10142861
Thank you.
Even more than Rainbow Dash could do!
10142863
You're welcome :3
Heh =3
10142865
And what of BoCo?
10142866
Interesting choice for Filthy Rich to be his driver ^^
10142871
Well, both are honest and hard working.
Well. So Babs Seed and her sister are the drivers of Bill and Ben, and Filthy Rich is the driver of Boco. Who would have thought?
I wonder which engine his wife Spoiled Rich (akabm Spoiled Bitch) will be the driver of? Probably another bad diesel no doubt.
And I thought only one of them was smart.
That's bill and ben for ya.