#the smallies

[norwegianrailwaystories]

Tell us about the smallies, they sound adorable!

"Oh, they are super cute! But don't tell them that. They don't like being called small or cute. They're quite small, so Bingsfos initially thought they were babies. He was quite surprised when he found out they are adults. Right now there are three of them, all steamers. There is Speedy, Vaarseter and Grenda. There is also an unnamed diesel visiting now and then. I gotta say I am impressed by how strong they are given their small size. They're the size of a dog and yet they can pull carts with 8 mildly obese adult humans on them without even straining! The two males often bicker and fight over nothing, while Grenda is a more calm type who hardly ever acts up. They're a bit aggressive and cocky, so Høland compare them to chihuahuas. They're big locomotives trapped in a tiny chassis!"

Here is a little video of Speedy (Red) and Vaarseter (Black) running on the miniature railway in our yard:

[norwegianrailwaystories]

Is there by a chance that you guys can send me a picture of the smallies all of them ? So I can get to know them too?

"The smallies doesn't have a big role in the books, they are mostly seen in the background and often serve as comic relief. So far only Vaarseter and Speedy has been drawn into the books, but Grenda, Etna, Wren and Odin might follow soon. They are all owned by members of Norsk Modell- og damp forening (the Norwegian model and steam association) and are often seen in our park during summer, though they also travel to other places, such as the railway museum and the Norwegian museum of technology and science. They are quite popular among children due to their size and overall cuteness. Vaarseter and Speedy are the ones mostly seen around UHB. We don't have photos of them all currently, but I've attached some photos of some of them here."

Speedy, the leader of the pack. He keeps the others in order and loves to work.

Vaarseter, in his present livery. He is the oldest, built in 1984, but he is also the one with the biggest personality. He's mischievous and energetic. As he is pretty intelligent, he is easy to teach tricks... IF he wants to, that is.

Grenda, formerly named Alice. She is the youngest, but also hasn't had much runtime as she breaks down all the time. She is stubborn and opiniated, and unlike Speedy and Vaarseter, she doesn't like to work.

Odin. He also has a identical twin named Wren. He's hard to train as he is dumb as poo. His sister, Wren, on the other hand has the intelligence, but is too shy and skittish. She only tolerates a few select people.

And as a bonus, here is a slightly bigger smallie named Etna. She isn't at UHB very often. She is pretty dominating and not too nice to male smallies. She is very kind to smaller, female smallies however. She is a bit shy in the beginning, but will warm up fast if you give her a treat.

[norwegianrailwaystories]

To whomever can answer this question are the smallies or garden scale engines actually part cat or dog mix or do they just think they are cats or dogs? Because when I draw locomotives I hybrid them with other things.

"Neither... They are smallies. They are their own species. I just used cats and dogs as a comparison. They are tiny locomotives, just not able to talk like us and they act more like pets and animals. Less sophisticated, so to say. Simpler and acting more on instincts. They are not any kind of weird hybrid. They sleep in a pile, bark at people and love to get treats and chew on toys. The diesel smallies purr when they are comfortable. The male smallies can also be rather territorial and bark at male engines. They are fairly easy to train to do tricks and to pull small carts that people can sit on. They are impressively strong to be that small. I'm not even sure if they are aware of how small they are themselves. Some of them, like Vaarseter, are also fairly intelligent and understand advanced commands, while others are more... simple minded and only care for food and play."

[norwegianrailwaystories]

What/Who are smallies?

"The smallies are the miniature engines running on the garden railway in the park. They're super tiny and adorable! They're not on the same level of sentience as us bigger engines, so they act more like cats or dogs, really. They don't speak either, but they might bark at you. They are also not as bound to the rails as we are, so you can often see them playing in the snow and such. Humans also find the cute, and often can't resist petting them. For size reference... I've added a picture of one of them meeting the shed cat."