Thomas and Friends: Legends of Strasburg

by The Blue EM2

The Disappearing Railroad Blues

The next morning was, safe to say, much better than the previous one. Sunny arrived at the depot feeling refreshed and more confident, and was keen to see her friends. She popped into the main hut to find them there, looking over their work orders.

"Hey guys!" she said.

"Sunny!" Izzy said. "You're looking a lot better than yesterday!"

"I take it you and your folks figured things out," Hitch replied.

"We sure did," Sunny replied. "But I was wanting to talk with you about something else."

"It's not about the ghost, is it?" Misty asked. "Because I have an update on that. It seems the ghost doesn't exist."

"What?" Pipp asked. "There's no ghost? That's disappointing."

"But I think it's a bit worse. I overheard a conversation between Gloriosa and Timber," Misty continued. "And it got very heated to say the least. He mentioned about sharks circling the line and she said something about a ridiculous story- I can't recall the exact wording, I'm afraid."

"What are sharks doing this far inland?" Izzy asked.

"Figure of speech," Zipp explained. "But it often means that threats are all around. If so, what kind of threats are there around here threatening the railroad?"

It was at this moment Sunny spoke up. "I think I have the answer. I haven't disclosed this to you guys, but I've been having nightmares."

"That's awful!" Pipp said. "Are you feeling better now?"

Sunny nodded. "Sure am. But there was a recurring theme in all of them- Opaline. And I'm certain this situation is Opaline's doing."

Zipp tilted her head. "Explain, if you will?" she asked.

Sunny nodded again.

"Gee, the narrator is using a lot of recycled descriptions," Izzy said suddenly.

"Ignore her!" Hitch said.

Sunny acknowledged this as she opened her mouth to resume speaking. "Opaline wants our magic, and we're away from home. Our power is limited, and we're potentially vulnerable here. So, I think she's creating ghostly activity to try and drive people away, and once we have our guard down she'll come and steal the magic! Given how she travelled so quickly from Essex to Cornwall it's entirely plausible she'd be able to get here quickly too!"

The others looked profoundly unconvinced. "Not so sure on that one, Sunny," Hitch said.

Misty glanced up. "I spent more time with Opaline than any rational person ever should. And I'm gonna say that plan sounds absurdly complex even by her standards."

Sunny sighed. "Can we at least try to be on our guard?"

"Of course!" Zipp said. "How about we go and look for some more evidence for this argument, and then we can try and figure out a solution? I mean, we are working on the rolling Dutch country service, which gives us a good vantage point for strange things going on.

"Good idea!" Pipp said. "The best ghost stories always have an investigation. Makes me think of the time Esmeralda Ghoulington tried to figure out which of her ancestors was haunting her."

The girls nodded, as did the boy, and they headed off for their engines to start the day.

---

Goldie couldn't recall the clouds suddenly arriving, but the interior of the house had suddenly gone very dark. "That's not normal," she said, as she walked over to look out. Her eyes widened in surprise.

Sitting outside the window was a familiar shape. An engine. The exact same one she had seen in Falmouth all those years ago.

"We meet again, Goldie," the engine said. "Nice of you to pay a visit."

"Stalking pregnant women is not a good thing to do, 311," Goldie replied. "Now what do you want?"

"You did me a favour by coming here," 311 answered. "You gave me what I wanted- though I'd find it eventually."

"You're not making any sense."

"The power I need is within her," 311 said, despite not having a mouth or face. "In fact, it'll make this so much easier."

Goldie glared at the engine. "You hurt Sunny and you'll regret it."

The engine snorted in response. "You think you can do anything to me? How ironic that you continue to defend her. After all, the life you brought into the world nearly snuffed yours out."

"That was out of her control!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Gloria," 311 answered, before fadiing into the distance with a whistle. "We shall meet again!"

With that, the sky returned to normal, and Goldie sighed. "I think I need some air. But I'll get this work done first."

---

In another part of town, Aurora was in the garden of the house they had been assigned by the railroad, picking at her guitar and uses a pencil to write something down. She was, of course, writing a new song for her upcoming album. The only part she was struggling with with with some of the rhymes.

And I cannot be pulled apart/
From the hold you have on my... cart? Part?" She hummed, then seemingly had a brainwave. "Of course! Heart!" She scribbled this down on the sheet, figuring that she would type this up later.

"And even if the world tells us it's wrong/
You're in my head like a catchy song!"

She quickly went back to strumming, switching between chords. "Hmmm. E minor works well as it establishes the tonal centre. But does moving to a G work?" She moved from one chord to another. "Perfect! Then use A to switch to D for the next verse."

She went back to the piece of paper before scribbling the chords onto the page. She quickly strummed through them. "Doesn't sound so good verticalised. Perhaps switch to arpeggio pattern?"

Suddenly, there was a blast of brilliant light, and this caught Aurora's attention. "What the?" She looked in the direction of the light, then pulled her laptop over and took a look. "That's odd. Why would it be coming from there?"

She grabbed her phone and dialled a number she had set to speed dial.

"Hello honey," Isaac replied. "Everything OK in songsville?"

"I just saw something very odd," Aurora said. "Some sort of column of light from near our position. We need to go and take a look."

"Why us?" Isaac asked, quite reasonably.

"Because the others are all busy, and we know our way around caves."

"It's in a cave?" Isaac said. "A pity I didn't bring my potholing gear. I'll pick up a hard hat and a torch at the railroad for both of us and then we can head into the cave."

"Gotcha. You know where to find me."

Aurora ended the call and put the phone down.

A few minutes later, her husband returned from the railroad, with supplies in hand. He packed a bag with useful equipment. "Some food supplies, batteries for torches, medical bag in case we get hurt, and a radio to broadcast a distress signal." He glanced over to his wife. "You might want to tie your hair back- you don't want that getting stuck in anything."

Aurora nodded, and did so. Within a bit, they were ready to go, and with all the gear in place they set off across the town and towards the cave. "Just like old times, isn't it?"

"Tell me about it," Isaac replied. "Funny how we both bonded over our love of going in holes in the ground."

Both of them continued on their way, unaware somebody was watching them as they went on their way.

---

Goldie was out in town, keen to find something to eat. She'd spent the entire morning working, and as such had only just clocked off. Whilst this had made things a little simpler, her family had already popped out to do the things they were doing today, so she was slightly behind the curve.

She put her hands in front of her eyes, even with sunglasses on. "I'd forgotten how bright the sun can get on this side of the pond," she said. "I can only hope Sunny is coping with it."

Suddenly, she heard what sounded like an argument, and snuck up behind a pillar to listen in. She looked round a corner, and her mouth dropped when she saw it. Hoffman was speaking to Gloriosa, and he seemed to be in some sort of position of power over her.

"You fell behind on your payments, Gloriosa," he said, with a smirk on his face. "I own the land the Strasburg Railroad sits on now. And now that it's mine, this small town can finally achieve the greatness it deserves."

Gloriosa looked frantic. "Please. The railroad has been here for nearly 200 years, and a vital part of the local tourist economy for over 60 of those. It's been in the town for generations! You have to let the line stay! You can't just destroy history!"

Hoffman laughed coldly. "Who says I can't? Who says I can't tear it down and replace it with the greatest theme park Pennsylvania has ever seen?"

That'll be a tall order given Hersheypark's not far from here, Goldie thought to herself.

Hoffman then continued. "A theme park that will bring more people and money than a group of sad old men and delusional children playing with their choo-choos ever could? I don't think so. Sentimentality has stood in the way of progress for much, much too long."

Gloriosa tried again, demonstrating her desparation to save the line. "This is the home of these engines! They'll be homeless if you do this!"

But Hoffman cared not. "Sell them to another railroad. No doubt they'll be another group of braindead idiots who'll be keen to gawp at a pile of junk well past its scrap by date."

As he walked away, Gloriosa collapsed onto a bench and burst into tears. "What am I gonna do?" she whispered.

Goldie popped around the corner. "I got all of that recorded, if it helps," she said. "It gives us evidence to use against him. But we can help?"

Gloriosa looked over. "Thank you for the kind words, but there's not a lot you can do I'm afraid. Where am I going to get thousands of dollars out of thin air?"

Goldie then had an idea. "There are people out there who can help you. People who care about engines. Hoffman was wrong to call us delusional children. And I think I know just where to start."

She took out her phone and dialled a number on WhatsApp, before placing the device to her ear. "Hello? Ah, Mr Waterman. I know the timing is a little awkward, but there's a railroading issue that may need your help. Could you see if Rod will get involved as well?"

Author's Note:

We now have more lore to work with, as the ghost seemingly does not exist. But if that's the case, what is causing all the craziness?

Potholing is a term used for people who enjoy exploring caves as a hobby. They divide into several types, ranging from those who enjoy visiting show caves up to people who pull themselves through tight spaces. Personally I'm the former type.

The Strasburg having financial difficulties is a reflection of the railway's history; for most of its existence the line was cash-strapped and lived a hand to mouth life with worn out equipment. The resurgance as a heritage line is nothing short of remarkable.

Can any of you figure out who Goldie is referring to in her phone call?

Comments

[shining paladin]

awesome chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the next chapter

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

"Gee, the narrator is using a lot of recycled descriptions," Izzy said suddenly.

Not now Izzy!

"Of course!" Zipp said. "How about we go and look for some more evidence for this argument, and then we can try and figure out a solution? I mean, we are working on the rolling Dutch country service, which gives us a good vantage point for strange things going on.

strange things going on."*

"Keep telling yourself that, Gloria," 311 answered, before fadiing into the distance with a whistle. "We shall meet again!"

Gulp.

"Tell me about it," Isaac replied. "Funny how we both bonded over our love of going in holes in the ground."

How convenient.

Both of them continued on their way, unaware somebody was watching them as they went on their way.

Uh oh!

Hoffman laughed coldly. "Who says I can't? Who says I can't tear it down and replace it with the greatest theme park Pennsylvania has ever seen?"

There are other theme parks in PA that are better!!

Hoffman then continued. "A theme park that will bring more people and money than a group of sad old men and delusional children playing with their choo-choos ever could? I don't think so. Sentimentality has stood in the way of progress for much, much too long."

He's a sick man, I'll tell ya!

But Hoffman cared not. "Sell them to another railroad. No doubt they'll be another group of braindead idiots who'll be keen to gawp at a pile of junk well past its scrap by date."

Well, he sure blew something within me.

She took out her phone and dialled a number on WhatsApp, before placing the device to her ear. "Hello? Ah, Mr Waterman. I know the timing is a little awkward, but there's a railroading issue that may need your help. Could you see if Rod will get involved as well?"

Oh?

[The Blue EM2]

11830241
Glad you enjoyed it.

[The Blue EM2]

11830292
1. Precisely.

2. Corrected.

3. Scary, no?

4. Most couples meet through hobbies they share.

5. Yup.

6. He's from Delusional, IL.

7. Hoffman is intended to be the opposite of Argyle-whereas Argyle sees beauty in heritage and its restoration, Hoffman cares not and simply wants anything that isn't new flattened.

8. That's inspired by a leaked rant by an opponent of the Lynton and Barnstaple, who referred to railway enthusiasts as 'sad old men playing with their choo-choos'. One forum poster asked if said opponent could be sued for hate speech.

9. More on that later.

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

"Opaline want our magic, and we're away from home.

That should say: “Opaline wants our magic.”

That Hoffman is more delusional than he looks. Hitting on a married lady is one thing, but tearing down a heritage railway and building a theme park in its place to gain more visitors? Please, trains were around a lot longer before the first roller coaster came around, a lot more people like trains especially steamers than a roller coaster.

And I’m glad Goldie is using her business sense to help with this.

Also, is potholing the same as spelunking?

[The Blue EM2]

11830878
Sunny not cavewoman. Blue EM2 committed big oops.

Or they can be combined to create something greater than the sum of its parts. The first theme park railways were built from old lines; the Whipsnade Zoo Railway uses rails and locomotives from a decommisioned industrial line, and the interal rail line at Nott's Berry Farm uses old RGS equipment.

I imagined you'd approve of that particular addition; generosity is always a good trait to have, and seeing as heritage is a public good it helps later generations. Martin Luther King once observed that a person has not lived a day in their life until somebody owes them a debt that cannot be repaid.

Indeed. The two words have the same meaning,