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how do you characterize Nancy and Violet?

I will be completely honest - I have no idea! I had to look them up to remember who they were. I reckon Nancy would be full of self-importance, being the one who delivered coal to Tidmouth Harbour, and would feel the steam engines are indebted to her. By contrast, Violet strikes me as a plucky little hard-worker, maybe a bit rough around the edges from being out on the waters, but always well-meaning.

How do you feel about Dwayne & Eddy? Do you think they'd have any interesting interactions with Sherman & Tess, or even some of the other Mainland Diesels like Spamcan?

(Alternatively, how do you imagine Sherman would have gotten along with Spamcan? I feel like there could be some fun parallels to Thomas & Gordon's dynamic in the earlier books between them.)

Sherman’s dynamic with bigger diesels can be a bit contentious. Much like what Thomas faced in his early days, most of the big diesels don’t tend to give Sherman the time of day, given how small he is. After meeting Gordon, he gets a major confidence boost and doesn’t stand for any bad behaviour. The likes of Spamcan would think they’re in for an easy target, only to leave the interaction completely stunned!

As for Dwayne and Eddy, maybe they’d have an easier time, but then again, maybe they’ve never even met Sherman - I shouldn’t say more, though, or I might spoil things. 😉

What is Edward’s relationship with the W&S engines?

Without giving away too much of what I have planned: contentious, amicable, touch-and-go, and very friendly!

Are there any characters you wish had gotten more spotlight in either the show or the books?

I think the characters that came at the tail end of each other’s tenure got the short end of the stick. I’d have loved to have seen what else Wilbert had in store for Oliver, Bear and Mavis, and Christopher should’ve been allowed more opportunities to use Ivo Hugh, Victoria and Pip & Emma!

What types of locomotives do you wish the show tackled?

Honestly, electric ones! The electrics are so cool and could provide a lot of fun story potential.

G'day I have a question: Any thoughts on the North Western Railway having a total of eighty locomotives? According to The Island of Sodor: It's People, History and Railways.

I love it! I think it allows for a lot of creative freedom - you can add engines here and there, but by no means are you bound to come up with ideas for all 80.

read the new story w/ sherman earlier today and it's really good! loving sherman and gordon's dynamic, i think it's interesting to show that while gordon can be and is very friendly with diesels, he still has his own prejudices against them (something about his "any other diesel" line feels significant, especially with where the story's established relative to other diesels coming to sodor).

also, i love streak's art for this story! the palette has a very nice late autumn/early winter vibe to it.

Thank you very much! I’ve been sitting with Sherman and his stories for quite a while now - it’s exciting to finally start releasing them! It took some careful crafting - this story specifically takes place after Stepney’s book, and we know from Main Line Engines that, at that point, Gordon still considered diesels “ugly, smelly, and noisy.” I wanted to carefully slip Sherman in without disrupting that, and what better way to do that than with a diesel who is completely taken with Gordon - who certainly wouldn’t say no to some “ego-stroking!” Sherman’s stories, and the volume I have that immediately follows it, are going to reshape the Fat Controller’s Railway in a big way!

What liveries would you give your OCs in the TV show? Would Edith and Eleanor both be orange? Would there be any accomodations for the stories to fit? Could they possibly work out to be main characters?! The last one is joke, but really what are your thoughts

That’s tough, as I’ve never considered what my characters would look like in the TVS! I suppose they would all get the “Skarloey Railway” treatment and be different colours, though I’m not sure what colours exactly! As for accommodations, I could absolutely see the TVS crew changing the electrics from overhead wires to third rail for ease of filming. Edith and Eleanor do have main character energy though, so Thomas might have competition.

How do you feel about some of the new loredrops that came out this morning? (Official Names for the W&S and TK&ELR Engines, The Second GWR Pannier, Aubrey, etc.)

I like the names for the pre-NWR engines, though I’m sticking to the ones I’ve chosen since I’ve been developing them for so long. Not super keen on the second Pannier - the station pilots have all been unique from each other, so picking the same basis as Duck feels odd. I do like the idea of Aubrey, Barry working on the Main Line, the CFR acquiring diesels, and the inclusion of modern rolling stock!

How would you describe real-life engines personality-wise in your universe. Mayflower? Butler-Henderson? Thundersley? Morayshire? I’m dying to know!

I think it would be fun to tackle them as characters during their respective preservations, either as visitors to the Fat Controller’s Railway, or with his engines going to their home Railways. I think they’d all be more lax in their preservation years, but still with a bit of cheek!

so if one of your OCs is called Walter and the fabled Austerity engine is also Walter, how would your Walter react?

I think my Walter would be cross at first, but then feel a strange sense of pride that his name is being used all around the Railway for different engines.

Do you imagine Crab being a regular visitor to Sodor or a prominent one-off?

A semi-regular visitor right up until the withdrawal of steam!

what's the spoooookiest story edward's told the other engines?

I don’t think he’d try to go for anything outrageously spooky - just something to make Bill & Ben smarten up!

How would you describe Richard's current tenure as Fat Controller so far? Any exciting differences between him and Stephen among the engines?

That’s a great question! I think Richard, more than any Controller before him, would really try to strike the balance between modernity and heritage. Expanding the container terminal at Tidmouth, development of the Harwick line to service the nuclear plant, mining the coal deposits found north of the Island, they would all be a priority in order to keep his Railway competitive. At the same time, he knows the value of tourism, nostalgia and heritage, so organizing plenty of fun events for tourists and rail-fans makes up a good portion of his scheduling.

What are some of Edward's favorite spooky stories?

Anything that keeps Bill and Ben in order. I like to think he takes bits he’s heard from railway staff reading Edgar Allan Poe and turns them into cautionary tales, but really, he’d prefer to hear more light-hearted things.

Is the forth W&S engine a cryptid?

Maybe at present - but hopefully not for long!

Does The Truck miss Godred?

We all miss Godred.

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