The reason you've not heard from me in a while is simply that I lost interest in this blog. I was pretty much winging everything I wrote and doing little research outside of build, withdrawal and major event dates. I've decided on a full rework of my character profiles, and this time they ought to make a bit more sense. I hope everyone's been doing well and I should (emphasis on should) have the first new profile out soon!
tagged by @yourlocalegotisticalqueerishere thanks for the tag!
Last Song: currently listening to ICU by Citizen Soldier (at the time of starting this post). before that it was Gone Too Soon by Daughtry. at the time of finishing and posting this, i am currently listening to Lucky One by Simple Plan
Favorite Color: dark purple. always dark purple. dark purple my beloved <3
Currently Reading: nothing atm because i haven't had the chance to make another trip to the library, but the last book i read was The Meaning of Birds by Jaye Robin Brown! Very sad but very good. I've also recently read Stars, Hide Your Fires by Jessica Mary Best, The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor, and I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver! I very much enjoyed all 4 of them, but I will say that The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester was definitely my favorite :)
Currently Watching: rewatching Star Trek: Discovery with my dad (and introducing my mom to it at the same time), watching Only Murders in the Building with my mom for the first time, and my dad and I just recently finished watching Star Trek: Lower Decks. plus my mom and I are always in a perpetual rewatch of Legends of Tomorrow and/or Arrow (though they've been on pause a little bit lately). now I'm just waiting for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon: The Book of Carol to come back in late September lmao, among other shows
Last Movie: uhhhh I'm honestly not entirely sure. I think it might've been either Heart of Stone or Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, but I could be wrong about that
Sweet, Spicy, or Savory: definitely savory. i do love salt lmao. i do still have a bit of a sweet tooth but nowhere near as much as i used to, and now it's mostly reserved for white chocolate and other vanilla-flavored things lmao
Relationship Status: i am so, so incredibly, painfully single and i do not see that changing anytime soon unfortunately
Current Obsessions: uhhh, i guess my usuals? Citizen Soldier, of course, Legends, The Walking Dead, Star Trek. those are like. the main ones, idk.
Tea or Coffee: neither. i can't stand to drink either of them, they both taste nasty to me ngl. just let me have apple juice and i'm set
Last Thing I Googled: uhhhh ngl i think it was 'savory definition' just to make sure my "i love salt" comment would make sense LMAO but before that it was the 4 books I've read recently to make sure I was getting the names of the authors correct
andddd idk if i actually have 9 people to tag but i'll do my best.
No pressure tags: @forthehonorofgrey @chocolatemilk25 @for-forever21 @lochjhessmonster @lola-andheruniverse @justpalsbeingals @marimacha-tonto @mari-the-alien and anyone else who wants to! (just pretend i tagged you lol)
Last Song: The Summer Ends by American Football. I've been putting together a "Coming of Age/Last Summer" vibes playlist to inspire me as I conceptualize this slice of life campaign I wanna run :>
Favorite Color: Pink and Green, 1000%. I love pink because it's cute, and I've come to really love green because of my whole alien motif. I don't quite love green as much as one of my friends, though, so I could never take that away from him hahah
Currently Reading: The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan. I finished the first book in this series, The Ranger's Apprentice, and thanks to it, I finally understand the ranger fantasy. I always had trouble understanding what "ranger" was supposed to evoke, only to find out that everything it's supposed to be is what my D&D 5e rogue character already is.
Currently Watching: Nothing yet, but I had just finished a rewatch of Dimension 20's Mentopolis. The summer campaign I'm going to run will be using the Kids on Bikes system, and Mentopolis was an amazing game that showcases it. Plus, I love Brennan Lee Mulligan <3
Last Movie: It's been a good while since I've sat down to watch a movie, so I think that would have to be The Menu. I was watching that as inspiration for the last campaign I ran which surrounded a cult :) The cult leader gave a speech to her townsfolk very reminiscent to how Chef Slowik talks to his kitchen.
Sweet, Spicy, or Savory: Sweet all the way. I love savory, and I can tolerate spicy, but ten times out of ten, I gotta pick something sweet, but not too sweet.
Relationship Status: Single 😩 And hopelessly gay
Current Obsessions: D&D and TTRPGs. I've been obsessed over that in general, but I've been itching to run a new game. I just wish schedules allowed it!
Tea or Coffee: Neither! I just don't like the taste of either, honestly. I haven't found a way of preparing coffee that doesn't taste bitter to me, and tea is not the most accessible thing for me. I'm a big hot chocolate fan, though :)
Last Thing I Googled: Technically? the IMDB page for The Menu lmao. Before I started this post? Some D&D 5e rules text for warlock invocations lmao
No pressure tags: I don't know too many people here, but i wanna send this to @mysmistree, @writingwithfolklore, and to Norm at @preservationofnormalcy :>
Last Song: Travelin' Man by Dead Poet Society--soo good. Recently also got into Convey and City of Skin and Bone goes so hard. They do not match at all the manuscript I'm working on atm though haha so my vibe meter has been all off.
Favorite Color: Pink <3 All things pink. I used to hate pink as a kid because it was too 'girly' (had a long 'not like other girls' phase because I didn't like boys, would turn out that I'm gay and very much like other girls) but have basically liked pink since I let that go as a teen.
Currently Reading: I just finished Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim, was a super nice, kind of cozy? Kind of thrilling? Fantasy. Loved it. Now I'm probably onto an audio book as uni starts up again and I lose all my time to long bus rides.
Currently Watching: Also just finished The Bear, am on season 5 of the X Files, and am almost constantly rewatching Bob's Burgers when I need something light and easy.
Last Movie: I don't watch movies that often... Maybe Red Notice? But that was like months ago lol.
Sweet, Spicy, or Savory: Spicy everything <3 if a meal has the option or ability to be spicy I will make it so. I think everything is just a bit better when it's spicy.
Relationship Status: I move around too much to hold onto a relationship haha. Maybe better luck when I'm back from my abroad semester.
Current Obsessions: Is it narcissistic to say my own manuscript? I've been deep into writing and editing lately, I don't really think about anything else hah.
Tea or Coffee: Tea <3 especially matcha, or when I can afford it a London Fog. Coffee makes me anxious and weird, but tea doesn't so I'm a tea guy for life.
Last Thing I Googled: "Synonyms for disarm" I was writing a cover letter.
No pressure tags: I'm never good with knowing who to tag so let's say @bunchosnails @frostedlemonwriter @mrbexwrites @overdecorated-furniture @thewritinggrindstone @boxohobo @satinsolace and you all can let me know if you'd rather not be tagged in stuff!
Currently reading: If you count sometimes looking into it for AU info, Kolej Wąskotorowa Piotrków-Sulejów by Krzysztof Marek-Herman[railway book, tho some info is somewhat innaccurate]
Currently watching: uhh....nothing really, waiting on the FNAF 2 movie, Iron Lung, and Markiplier Connected Universe lore
Last Movie: FNAF 1[SPARKY IS FUCKING CANON WOOOOOO-]
Sweet, spicy, or savory: Anything that's not super spicy.
Relationship status: Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy?
Current obsession: my own characters, FNAF Movie lore
Tea or coffee: either or. I only drink coffee when i need to lol
Last thing I googled: .357 Magnum dimensions[ b o o l e t]
No pressure tags: @lnwrcauli @trainsandkitties @insane4fandoms @ @wolfram-but-art @truecobblepot
I don't understand people who come to your blog and tell you to get a job and stop making art based on a show for kids. Like, what's wrong with them? 💀 People can't have a job/study a career and having passions at the same time?
It's so easy to ignore and keep scrolling down...
How unhappy somebody has to be with their life to bother others on the internet? How miserable somebody has to be to invade someone's safe place on the internet and send them hate and calling them cringe?
The way these kind of people behave makes me think they are just envious by seeing a person making art or content related to their favorite things in the world...
Btw I really admire you as an artist! Your art is so beautiful. I love the style, the colors, the symbolisms, the lore and the little details you add to make it unique!!! Please, keep going. You are a big inspiration for many in the TTTE fandom💚🚂
thank you for the kind words, val! I dunno what's with their mindset -- people make gijinkas of kids medias like mlp and sonic and cars all the time, but when it's ttte, it's suddenly weird? I'm not angry or sad! I'm just wondering why. ttte's lore is interesting too and it's been a thing for almost 80 years. it's easy to ignore haters, in my experience. I've had many run-ins with such people in the past, and to be honest I'm no longer discouraged. they wanna play with me? I'll play too! the key is to not let them win -- they say those words casually in hopes that it'll impact you severely. get what I mean?
it's an unspoken rule in the internet that if your niche content escapes your personal circle/fandom, outsiders are bound to be caught off guard by it, spread it anywhere they want, or even call you unsavory things. especially if you have a pretty sizeable following. unfortunately, that's a risk you have to be ready to accept. you gotta defend yourself, but don't lose your cool. act like the bigger, more civil person so the other can be more at a disadvantage and look more like a fool. classic debating tactics (also it's kinda fun at this point like remember skipo123 from january)
not to mention, the amount of people that love and support me immensely outweighs those that hate me and my interests. a thousand to one, even! that would be unfair to my supporters for me to just feel down from one insensitive comment, no? let's all hold hands and have fun! let's unlearn shame together :]
Truer words haven't been spoken I feel like all anyone remembers about thomas is the hit Era and Shannon miller's run and that's why it gets treated as more childish
So it turns out Bulleid had so many of his designs dropped for one reason or another, and since I can't stick with a single project for more than a few seconds, I wrote up histories for all of them!
Enjoy the ramblings of a madman who spent a good long while finding free number slots for them.
Southern Railway Warship Class
The Southern Railway was the most financially successful of the "Big Four", but this was largely based on investment in suburban and main line electrification. After the successful introduction of the SR Schools class in 1930, the railway had lagged behind the others in terms of modernizing its aging fleet of steam locomotives, as they were more focused on Electrification. Following the retirement of the general manager of the Southern Railway Sir Herbert Walker and Richard Maunsell the Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) in 1937, their successors considered that the time had come to change this situation. In March 1938 the new general manager Gilbert Szlumper authorized Oliver Bulleid, Maunsell's replacement, to prepare designs for twenty express passenger locomotives. The deteriorating international situation prior to the Second World War was an additional factor in this decision.
Originally, Bulleid had wanted a 4-8-2 Mountain Type, but the Civil Engineering department had resisted this based on size and weight, so a 2-8-2 was chosen instead. Bulleid had worked with Gresley on his P2 2-8-2 express engines, so he already had some background knowledge, especially with the P2’s problems and ideas on how to solve them. Of course, due to the war, they were classified as heavy mixed-traffic engines to get around wartime regulations.
They were built with high-pressure 280 PSI boilers and three 18inx26in cylinders, as well as being the first engines to use Bulleid’s chain-driven valve gear, though the middle cylinder had to be inclined steeply to clear the first driven axle. The boiler was partly welded to save on cost, and the inner firebox was made of steel. The Southern had no facilities to build these boilers, so it was subcontracted to the North British Locomotive Co., as well as Beyer Peacock. They were also fitted with Bulleid’s Air-Smooth Casing. Unlike later designs that utilized this, the casing on the Warships both served their function purpose as labor saving as well as being able to be passed off as some sort of streamlining. How Bulleid got that one through during the war is a mystery! The Warship’s were also the first to use Bulleid’s Firth-Brown Wheels.
10 of these engines were constructed in 1940. More were set to be produced, but once again, the Civil Engineering Department expressed their discomfort at such a large engine running at high speeds with only a single pony-truck in front, despite other engines of a similar design getting on fine elsewhere. This would lead Bulleid to designing and building 30 of his well-known Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2s.
They were named after Warships as a way to increase morale, with 11D1 being officially named “Dreadnought” in April 1940. They performed well in service, hauling heavy passenger and express goods, though the Chain-Driven valve gear was sensitive and required high maintenance, as well as the oil-bath having leaking problems, contributing to wheel-slips(Though the extra wheel helped negate this as well). The casing, while it did save on labor during cleaning, and the more streamlined appearance helped with publicity, it made maintenance hard to carry out. Surprisingly, thanks to their different front ends, they never really experienced drifting smoke like Bulleid’s Pacifics.
All 10 of the engines would be passed into British Railways, numbered 37001-37010, where their duties mostly stayed the same. 11D8 “Black Charles'' took part in the 1948 locomotive exchange trials, where it was compared to LMS Duchess pacifics and LNER A4’s and A2/2s, where it performed favorably, though the chain driven valve gear and its oil bath still caused headaches. After the Crewkerne incident, BR chose a rebuilding program of any engines that still used Bulleid’s Chain Driven motion, however, as the Warships had required far less modifications that the Pacifics, they were on the bottom of the list in the rebuilding program. In the end, only 37003 “Triumph”, 37009 “Warspite”, and 37010 “Exeter” were rebuilt in 1956, 1957, and 1959.
Despite their status as a class with very few engines, all ten would survive until the end of southern steam, going between 1965-1966.
Two are preserved, both being rescued from Barry Scrapyard in Wales. These examples are Class Pioneer 11D1 “Dreadnought”, as well as 11D3 “Triumph”.
Stats
Power Classification - 8MT
Built - 1940 to 1941
Boiler Pressure - 280 PSI
Cylinders (3) - 18in x 26in
Wheels (Driven) - 6ft 2in
Wheels (Leading) - 3ft 1in
Wheels (Trailing) - 3ft 7in
Wheels (Tender) 3ft 7in
Tractive Effort - 40,640 lbf
Total Length - 74ft 8in
Fleet
11D1 (37001) - Dreadnought
11D2 (37002) - Anson
11D3 (37003) - Triumph
11D4 (37004) - Vanguard
11D5 (37005) - Ark Royal
11D6 (37006) - Audacity
11D7 (37007) - Valiant
11D8 (37008) - Black Charles
11D9 (37009) - Warspite
11D10 (37010) - Exeter
Southern Railway Prototype Light Pacific
(Pic by Sttophat on twitter)
In 1941, Bulleid had introduced his Warship Mikado's and Merchant Navy Pacific's to become the main motive power for the Southern Railway’s Express passenger trains, though while they performed well, they were restricted by their weight, especially since the condition of the rails were hampered by the Second World War. Initially, trains on the lighter sections were handled by the Q1 0-6-0 freight engines and other, older engines, but they couldn’t handle the faster trains that were anticipated after the war. There was also the planned electrification of certain areas after the war, so the new design also needed to handle freight traffic as well, fast enough to not impede electric services.
What was decided on in the end was a downsized version of the Merchant Navy’s, fitted with the same design theory of the Q1’s to create a “Light Pacific”. The Locomotive was completed in 1942 alongside the Q1’s, and was trialed for a short time before entering service. It was deemed a success, and numbered 21C201. It was powerful enough to handle fast, heavy trains, as well as having an extremely light axle loading for a pacific at 16.5 Tons, enabling it to be used on almost every part of the UK Network as a whole. However, Bulleid decided to go with a different approach, creating simply a downsized Merchant Navy with no Q1 elements. This would increase the axle load, though this wasn’t much of an issue, as the Battle of Britain and West Country Class Light Pacifics still had a high enough route availability for the work they were assigned. Thus, the “Q1 Light Pacific'' would remain a one-off.
During the war, No.21C201 would actually travel a fair amount, and would regularly venture out of Southern territory, its light axle-load coming in handy. After the war however, it would mostly stay in the South. Performance-wise, it seemed to inherit all of the good qualities from the Q1’s and the pacific’s. The light-weight was already a plus, coupled with a great, free-steaming boiler and additions that made the driver and fireman’s life easier. However, it also inherited the bad aspects as well. The chain-driven valve gear was a well-known headache on bulleid locomotives, but there was also the issue that its light-weight caused. The regular Light Pacifics had trouble starting heavy trains thanks to their weight, but No.21C201 had it worse, especially with the well-known issues with the oil bath the valve gear was situated in. The light weight would also affect braking power as well, making unfitted trains harder to stop, a trait inherited from the Q1’s.
No.21C201 (Now Renumbered 34000) was not considered for rebuilding like the other Bulleid Pacifics due to its one-off status. It would be given a general repair in 1960 before spending the rest of its life at Nine-Elms, mainly working express and semi-fast goods trains and the occasional passenger turn during peak period and summer excursions. It was withdrawn from service in 1966 and broken up at Eastleigh.
Stats
Power Classification - 6MT
Built - 1942
Wheels (Driven) - 6ft 2in
Wheels (Leading) 3ft 1in
Wheels (Trailing) - 3ft 7in
Wheels (Tender) - 3ft 7in
Boiler Pressure - 250 psi
Cylinders (3) - 16.5in x 24in
Tractive Effort - 28,145lbf
Total Built - 1
Southern Railway L1 Class
Bulleid designed these locomotives during the Second World War, but construction didn’t begin until 1946. They shared many components with Bulleid’s Q1 0-6-0 goods engines, and were essentially the Q1’s with an Air-Smoothed Casing and a bigger boiler (though the firebox was identical with that of a Q1’s).
Twelve of these engines would be constructed between 1946 and 1948, with the final 3 being built by British Railways. They were originally numbered 22C1 to 22C12, though they were renumbered in 1949 to 36101 to 36112. They were originally meant for short distance goods and passenger services, though they never really found their footing in this role. The passenger trains that usually necessitated big tank engines were already being handled by electric engines, and everything else usually required smaller and lighter engines, which meant that, despite inheriting the power and efficiency of the Q1, the added weight and size meant that they were barred from where they could be most effective. The goods work they were meant for were also in the care of both Q1’s and Maunsell’s Q Class, as well as the many N class moguls already in service. In the end they spent their time hopping from shed-to-shed before settling on ex-LSWR territory, and even venturing into Western Region territory.
They were withdrawn between 1962-1964. Only one survives, 22C9 (36109) on the Bluebell Railway.
Stats
Power Classification - 5F 4P
Built - 1946 to 1948
Boiler Pressure - 230 PSI
Cylinders (2) - 19in x 26in
Wheels (Driven) - 5ft 1in
Wheels (Bogies) - 3ft 1in
Tractive Effort - 30,080 lbf
Southern Railway Dock Class
After the Second World War, many of the Southern Railway’s shunters (mainly those at Southampton) inherited from pre-grouping companies were worn out and needed overhauling. As such, Bulleid opted to replace them outright with his own design of 0-6-0T, with a short wheelbase of 10 feet to enable it to negotiate the tight curves. Like many of Bulleid’s designs, he equipped it with a relatively high boiler pressure.
Six would enter service in 1946, and while a total of 18 were planned, this would never come to be, as Eastleigh works was not in a position to build new locomotives with the backlog from the war. In the end, the southern found it cheaper to purchase ex-USATC S100 dock shunters, as they fulfilled most of the requirements needed.
They were numbered C201 to C206, and were renumbered to 30071 to 30076 in British Railways days. The first, 30071, was built with the Idaglass boiler lagging and casing as used in the Q1 class, while the other 5 were built with conventional boiler lagging and tanks. 30071 would be rebuilt like the others in 1953.
The class would lead uninteresting lives as dock shunters in Southampton and Dover until their withdrawal between 1961-1962. One was initially purchased for preservation but the deal fell through. None are preserved.
Speaking of Just Dog Things (for Callisto): you know that thing where people talk to their dogs using keywords that SPECIFICALLY provoke head-tilts? I like that thing.
Oh god yeah, his crew DEFINITELY does that to him. He’s a wood burning engine too so his fireman will just randomly bring over his favorites like “oh who’s a good train???? You want some white oak?? Huh?? Oh, you want some walnut? Some pine?”
And the whole time his flag ears are PERKED and he’s doing the dog head tilt like a madman whistle going CRAZY bell going crazier :)))
Inane Ramblings of a Midlander @lnwrcauli - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
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