Terrible puns aside, my name is Te, and this is my TTTE sideblog! I also go by TrainingMontage on Ao3!
I am 25+ years old, she/her, and proudly queer. This is an LGBTQ+ positive; inclusive; and safe blog, so no NSFW, but you may see some swearing, references to drugs and alcohol, major and minor character death/violence and vaguely suggestive content.
My writing and analysis will primarily be based on the Railway Series and Model Series seasons 1-5, as that's what I'm most familiar with, but once in a while I'll reference other TTTE media.
The Skarloey Railway engines, and Skarloey himself in particular, are my favorites, but I also love Edward, James, Percy, Toby + Henrietta, BoCo, Mavis, Daisy, Stepney, and the Culdee Fell engines very much. Narrow gauge ship list here!
Please do not ask me to commission you.
I do not have a BlueSky account and do not plan to make one at this time! All of my work is ONLY available here on tumblr or on Ao3. DO NOT SHARE/REPOST MY WORK TO OTHER PLATFORMS.
📬 ASKBOX: 📬 OPEN!!
My askbox is open! I'd love to talk about headcanons, characters, RWS stories, TV episodes, my writing, or anything else. I'm always happy to chat, so please don't hesitate to drop a question, a comment, or an idea (or even a hello!) in my askbox, if you're so inclined.
Tag list + featured posts under the cut!
Tag List:
#te writes trains: all of my original writing pieces, including both fanfics and essays
Featured Pieces:
Let There be Light
Railroaded
Skarloey Appreciation Essay and Edward Appreciation Essay
Life's About the Journey
It's Love that Sits at the Heart of Violence
Hard Worker
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#te talks trains: all of my various thoughts about TTTE-related topics
Featured Pieces:
Skarloey Railway Headcanons and the Found Family Dynamic
Skarloey and the Stock Market (and its companion/prequel, While You're Here, You're Family)
Stanley, Duke, and Second Chances
Percy's "Obscure Antecedents"
TTTE Cafe/Bar AU
Sapient Vehicles and Engine Relationships
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#te draws trains: all of the TTTE-related art I've done
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#te answers questions: for any asks that I may receive
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#ttte analysis: where my and other people's wonderful analyses and essays about TTTE end up
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#ttte fanfic: the self-explanatory fanfic catch-all tag
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#ttte art: ...there's a lot of it
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#ttte irl: for posts related to real trains and places
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#ttte-adjacent: for posts that I personally think are relevant/related to TTTE but aren't directly tagged as or stated to be such
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#good ttte takes: this fandom has lots of opinions and these are my favorites. Other people's headcanons and AUs that I'm a fan of also go here
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#ttte textposts: just what it says on the tag
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#ttte shipping: for everyone who likes making the trains kiss
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Posts are also tagged by character/ship!
Please enjoy, and thanks for checking out the blog! 💖
NOOOOOO SKARLOEY, PLEASE!! But in all seriousness, this is so pretty!! I am in LOVE with the background especially; the grass and mountains and sky are so wonderfully done. And the colors are also gorgeous! The official Thomas library books really gave us some amazing art.
Given that it is 1/1 today, even though I don't have time to write a full fic, I DID want to do something honoring my favorite tank engine—Skarloey. This ended up being something of an unedited stream-of-consciousness type of thing, so it's a bit all over the place pacing-wise, but I decided that I liked it enough to post. :3 This is for you, my TTTE muse~
🚂❤️🚂❤️🚂❤️🚂❤️🚂❤️
Skarloey's driver couldn't help but yawn as she gave a loud stretch, rolling back her shoulders as she approached her engine. It was still dark out, but the telltale rays of the just-wakening sun warned of precious little time before dawn. Although New Year's Day was an observed holiday for Sodor's famed Skarloey Railway, Tabitha Sam and her companionable engine still had a ritual, an appointment important enough to both of them that, despite being wrapped to the nose in a puffy jacket and sending longing glances toward the tall thermos of homemade coffee, the driver got to work, precious few words shared between them as Skarloey's fire was coaxed to life.
After Skarloey was properly steamed up and ready to go, Tabitha hopped into his cab, and as quietly as possible—difficult for a steam engine, but thankfully, his fellows had slept through much worse—the two set out down the line. It was only then that Tabitha managed her first proper sentence of the morning.
"How many years has it been, Skarloey?”
It was a vague question, to be sure, but, knowing each other as well as they did, the old engine did not ask for clarification.
"Hmmm... 15, I think?”
"Yeah, sounds about right.” The driver couldn’t keep back a sigh, shaking her head. “15 years of hauling myself out of bed to give you the year’s first run of the line.”
Skarloey smiled widely, cheeks folding into dimples. “And as always, I appreciate it greatly. There’s just something so magical about it, you know…”
Loathe as she was to admit it, Tabitha did know. The year’s first run was always a special one, one of the few times they were permitted to go light engine and enjoy the morning ride at its simplest, without all the complexity of timetables and traffic. It was at times like this that one could be coaxed into believing that the good neighbors were also out, paying their respects to two-headed Janus as he waved the old year on its way.
It went without saying that this was also her excuse to be away from other people for a while.
The two of them traveled at a fairly slow speed, merely taking in all of the usual sights—familiar, yet no less beloved—as the sun's glowing fingertips grasped at the sides of the hills and trees, reaching forward eagerly until it could grasp their cheeks.
"Have any hopes for the year?”
The driver's voice delicately wove through the reflective silence, causing it to ripple but not quite retreat, and once again, Skarloey hummed, thinking through his answer.
"I'm not sure. After all, the powers that be, both mortal and not, saw fit to give Neil back to me. I don’t think I’d dare to hope for more after that particular miracle, else I seem ungrateful, although I would enjoy some more time with him.”
An affectionate snort escaped his driver as she took a sip of her coffee. "Yes, yes. Your childhood crush has come back. It's all you've been talking about, so why should I expect anything different.”
Skarloey simply laughed, taking the teasing on the chin. "Come now! It's certainly the nicest piece of news I heard last year!”
Well. Tabitha couldn't argue with that.
"But still," the old engine continued, winding his way down the loneliest part of the line and sighing in delight at the crisp breeze that brushed his nose. "It's a new year, and that means it's ripe with possibility. Who knows what might happen?”
"Hopefully not much," the driver replied sardonically, her hand waving back and forth. "I'd really like a quiet year. With the holidays and everything else going on, both here and in the rest of the world, it feels like I've barely had time to catch my breath. I'd appreciate a break, let me tell you.”
Tabitha seemed to ready herself to do just that when the familiar shape of the Glennock church came into sight, and the driver instead found her eyes drawn to the old fossil they called a landmark. She couldn't call herself a fan of the old parish, yet today, it seemed oddly resplendent in its sunbeam drapery, as though even the building had seen fit to put on its best for the new year. "Well, if you need a break," Skarloey laughed, "the current Sir Handel Brown has always said that he finds going to church relaxing.”
"You couldn't pay me to go in there again," Tabitha grimaced. "But still, I guess I can appreciate how long it's been around. Despite the craziness and the changes and the whole world going mad, this old thing's still here.”
The little old engine couldn’t help but smile appreciatively. "You know, that church might just outlast us all. It's changed with time, of course, but its soul is the same.”
"Wouldn't surprise me. What's Sir Handel and Peter Sam's favorite saying? 'Engines may come and engines may go, but Granpuff is forever?' They ought to add this church too.”
Skarloey just snickered as they continued their journey, the church soon retreating into the distance behind them. "Speaking of churches and hopes, perhaps we can even hope for another miracle.”
“Oh?”
“Indeed! Perhaps your lovely partner will finally find the courage to 'pop the question,' as they say—”
"Ohhhhh, don't you start too!" Tabitha huffed, taking another sip of coffee and trying to pretend the blush on her cheeks came from the cold. "It'll happen when it happens! It's just a matter of finding the right time, when things aren't so... you know.”
"Of course, of course!" Skarloey laughed again, clearly enjoying her reactions, and she was about to scold him for his nosiness when suddenly, his voice turned quiet, a little more somber, a little more honest. "It’s just that…”
He paused, taking a breath, and Tabitha instinctively leaned in.
"...I waited, hoping for the right time, the perfect time, believing I had forever, and now that I have been granted a second chance, I realize my foolishness.
"Every year brings both its own wonder and its own insanity; every year is more than one expects it to be. One of the lessons carved into my frames is that one should not wait for something like the perfect time. There is so rarely a perfect time for things, Tabitha Sam, and while one must never rush, time is not usually so kind as to honor one's preferences either.”
He swallowed, jerking slightly with the motion. “If you are serious, then don’t wait too long. Churches may last, but we are not churches. I would not see you make the same mistake I did, a mistake that I am lucky enough to fix.”
The gentle rattle of an aborted sob shook through his frames, and Tabitha's breath caught in her throat. As much as she wanted to reply, all of her words seemed to fold in on themselves. Instead, she finally had to settle for gently patting at the doorframe of his cab, hoping that would be enough of a comfort.
“Well, I’m still not going to rush, but… I’ll keep that in mind.”
The crimson engine gave a slight chuckle, clearly intent on calming himself down. “That’s all I could ask of you.”
Once more, silence settled between them, both of them lost in their own thoughts, until at last, they reached the end of the line. “There it is,” Skarloey murmured appreciatively, looking out over the lake. Sunlight rippled across the waters, and a gentle breeze slipped through the leaves, leading a chorus of rustling. “It never gets any less wondrous, especially today.”
“You’re right,” Tabitha hummed back quietly. “Who needs church when you have a view like this?”
“Ah, so is this the break you so desperately need? Is that why you ‘haul yourself out of bed’ on a holiday?”
“Hm, maybe. Or maybe it’s ‘cause I have the pushiest engine in the shed, who’ll never let me forget it if I don’t take him.”
“HAHAHAHAHA!” Skarloey’s laughter startled some nearby birds, and Tabitha craned her neck to look back at them.
“Well, there they go. And we should be going soon, too.”
“Yes, you’re right,” the old engine agreed, his earlier upset firmly tucked away behind his smile. “Everyone will be awake by now, including Neil, and I would very much like to see him. That said…”
Tabitha paused, her hand about to pull up the brake. “What?”
“If my driver wants to stay here a little longer, we can.”
Tabitha didn’t answer, but instead closed her eyes, letting the world wash over her. Neither rushing nor lingering, but savoring, a balance more delicate than it seemed.
The driver’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at her engine, running a gentle hand across his cabside.
“This view’s beautiful, but… I’m good. Let’s go home.”
OUGHHHHH receiving fic art means the world to me, and this is SUCH a lovely sketch!! I love their expressions so, SO much~~ I am over the moon. Thank you, Pepper!! ❤️🚂
Been thinking about how from 1952 to 1957, Sir Handel and Peter Sam were the only two engines on the Skarloey Railway. The pair ran it alone for 5 years…
Idk this is just so interesting to me and ripe for story potential.
Well... Peter Sam ran the railway for those 5 years. Sir Handel tried running things in "Skarloey's way" for like a month tops, before giving up and going back to being an asshole.
In all seriousness, this is genuinely a very interesting time period to think about.
I'm sure for a while there is the feeling between the two of them that they're just looking after things until Skarloey gets back. Keeping things the way he'd like them. But pretty soon, they start finding their own way to do things.
Like, as much as the Skarloey Railway is impacting them (being somewhere where people actually acre about them, as oppose to the aluminum works which I tend to imagine really didn't), they are also having a major impact on the Skarloey.
Probably part of the reason the sheds got expanded was literally just that Sir Handel kept complaining about it. Heck, he helped knock out the back wall and lay that second track all by himself. First time he ever was happy doing "grunt work".
And really, "leaving his mark" as it were, probably does help a lot for Sir Handel especially to start seeing the railway as actually being his new home.
And Peter Sam is having an impact to. At first he doesn't know everyone like Skarloey does, but this is Peter Sam, he can make friends with anyone, so it doesn't take long for the locals to get endeared to him.
Also, I kind of think Peter Sam singing as he goes about pulling his trains is something unique to him, amongst the Skarloey lot that is. Skarloey and Rheneas are absolute gentlemen in how they handle the coaches and passengers, but singing just isn't something they would think to do.
The trucks are also a bit surprised, because Peter Sam sings songs with them to. Not quite to their taste, but it is something they take note of.
In all this time as well, it's worth noting that some more bits of the Mid Sodor also make their way over.
Cora is the big one, and Peter Sam was definitely overjoyed when that happened. Sir Handel is a bit more quiet about it (back on the MSR he had far to much pride to really take much note of a mere tool van), but he does appreciate having another familiar face around, and I'm sure he finds some way to show it. (he is growing and becoming more mature... Slowly, but it is happening).
There's also Gertrude and Millicent. Who are actually a bit weird to think about, because they're built from old Mid Sodor coach chassis, but whether or not they're old MSR coaches or new Skarloey originals really depends on how you view their whole building process and the weirder questions of engine and rolling stock sentience in this universe.
But anyway, the Skarloey railway is changing and adapting alongside it's new residents. So by the time Rusty shows up, it's already a different place than it was when Skarloey left.
And then Rusty gets to leave their mark on it, which was a big one.
Maybe that's why Sir Handel went back to grumbling again. He's just gotten used to having the place all to himself and Peter Sam.
And what? Now he has to share it with someone else.
Sir Handel just doesn't like change, but the good news is it happens regardless.
I love this analysis so much; it ties in very nicely with many of my own headcanons and I have long thought that one of Sir Handel's biggest motivations/character notes is the fear of losing his home again. So the idea of him getting to make his mark and settle into the running of the railway marries super well with that, and the contrast between Sir Handel trying to do things "Skarloey's Way" and Peter Sam settling in significantly easier by just doing his own thing is so cool to think about.
Given that it is 1/1 today, even though I don't have time to write a full fic, I DID want to do something honoring my favorite tank engine—Skarloey. This ended up being something of an unedited stream-of-consciousness type of thing, so it's a bit all over the place pacing-wise, but I decided that I liked it enough to post. :3 This is for you, my TTTE muse~
🚂❤️🚂❤️🚂❤️🚂❤️🚂❤️
Skarloey's driver couldn't help but yawn as she gave a loud stretch, rolling back her shoulders as she approached her engine. It was still dark out, but the telltale rays of the just-wakening sun warned of precious little time before dawn. Although New Year's Day was an observed holiday for Sodor's famed Skarloey Railway, Tabitha Sam and her companionable engine still had a ritual, an appointment important enough to both of them that, despite being wrapped to the nose in a puffy jacket and sending longing glances toward the tall thermos of homemade coffee, the driver got to work, precious few words shared between them as Skarloey's fire was coaxed to life.
After Skarloey was properly steamed up and ready to go, Tabitha hopped into his cab, and as quietly as possible—difficult for a steam engine, but thankfully, his fellows had slept through much worse—the two set out down the line. It was only then that Tabitha managed her first proper sentence of the morning.
"How many years has it been, Skarloey?”
It was a vague question, to be sure, but, knowing each other as well as they did, the old engine did not ask for clarification.
"Hmmm... 15, I think?”
"Yeah, sounds about right.” The driver couldn’t keep back a sigh, shaking her head. “15 years of hauling myself out of bed to give you the year’s first run of the line.”
Skarloey smiled widely, cheeks folding into dimples. “And as always, I appreciate it greatly. There’s just something so magical about it, you know…”
Loathe as she was to admit it, Tabitha did know. The year’s first run was always a special one, one of the few times they were permitted to go light engine and enjoy the morning ride at its simplest, without all the complexity of timetables and traffic. It was at times like this that one could be coaxed into believing that the good neighbors were also out, paying their respects to two-headed Janus as he waved the old year on its way.
It went without saying that this was also her excuse to be away from other people for a while.
The two of them traveled at a fairly slow speed, merely taking in all of the usual sights—familiar, yet no less beloved—as the sun's glowing fingertips grasped at the sides of the hills and trees, reaching forward eagerly until it could grasp their cheeks.
"Have any hopes for the year?”
The driver's voice delicately wove through the reflective silence, causing it to ripple but not quite retreat, and once again, Skarloey hummed, thinking through his answer.
"I'm not sure. After all, the powers that be, both mortal and not, saw fit to give Neil back to me. I don’t think I’d dare to hope for more after that particular miracle, else I seem ungrateful, although I would enjoy some more time with him.”
An affectionate snort escaped his driver as she took a sip of her coffee. "Yes, yes. Your childhood crush has come back. It's all you've been talking about, so why should I expect anything different.”
Skarloey simply laughed, taking the teasing on the chin. "Come now! It's certainly the nicest piece of news I heard last year!”
Well. Tabitha couldn't argue with that.
"But still," the old engine continued, winding his way down the loneliest part of the line and sighing in delight at the crisp breeze that brushed his nose. "It's a new year, and that means it's ripe with possibility. Who knows what might happen?”
"Hopefully not much," the driver replied sardonically, her hand waving back and forth. "I'd really like a quiet year. With the holidays and everything else going on, both here and in the rest of the world, it feels like I've barely had time to catch my breath. I'd appreciate a break, let me tell you.”
Tabitha seemed to ready herself to do just that when the familiar shape of the Glennock church came into sight, and the driver instead found her eyes drawn to the old fossil they called a landmark. She couldn't call herself a fan of the old parish, yet today, it seemed oddly resplendent in its sunbeam drapery, as though even the building had seen fit to put on its best for the new year. "Well, if you need a break," Skarloey laughed, "the current Sir Handel Brown has always said that he finds going to church relaxing.”
"You couldn't pay me to go in there again," Tabitha grimaced. "But still, I guess I can appreciate how long it's been around. Despite the craziness and the changes and the whole world going mad, this old thing's still here.”
The little old engine couldn’t help but smile appreciatively. "You know, that church might just outlast us all. It's changed with time, of course, but its soul is the same.”
"Wouldn't surprise me. What's Sir Handel and Peter Sam's favorite saying? 'Engines may come and engines may go, but Granpuff is forever?' They ought to add this church too.”
Skarloey just snickered as they continued their journey, the church soon retreating into the distance behind them. "Speaking of churches and hopes, perhaps we can even hope for another miracle.”
“Oh?”
“Indeed! Perhaps your lovely partner will finally find the courage to 'pop the question,' as they say—”
"Ohhhhh, don't you start too!" Tabitha huffed, taking another sip of coffee and trying to pretend the blush on her cheeks came from the cold. "It'll happen when it happens! It's just a matter of finding the right time, when things aren't so... you know.”
"Of course, of course!" Skarloey laughed again, clearly enjoying her reactions, and she was about to scold him for his nosiness when suddenly, his voice turned quiet, a little more somber, a little more honest. "It’s just that…”
He paused, taking a breath, and Tabitha instinctively leaned in.
"...I waited, hoping for the right time, the perfect time, believing I had forever, and now that I have been granted a second chance, I realize my foolishness.
"Every year brings both its own wonder and its own insanity; every year is more than one expects it to be. One of the lessons carved into my frames is that one should not wait for something like the perfect time. There is so rarely a perfect time for things, Tabitha Sam, and while one must never rush, time is not usually so kind as to honor one's preferences either.”
He swallowed, jerking slightly with the motion. “If you are serious, then don’t wait too long. Churches may last, but we are not churches. I would not see you make the same mistake I did, a mistake that I am lucky enough to fix.”
The gentle rattle of an aborted sob shook through his frames, and Tabitha's breath caught in her throat. As much as she wanted to reply, all of her words seemed to fold in on themselves. Instead, she finally had to settle for gently patting at the doorframe of his cab, hoping that would be enough of a comfort.
“Well, I’m still not going to rush, but… I’ll keep that in mind.”
The crimson engine gave a slight chuckle, clearly intent on calming himself down. “That’s all I could ask of you.”
Once more, silence settled between them, both of them lost in their own thoughts, until at last, they reached the end of the line. “There it is,” Skarloey murmured appreciatively, looking out over the lake. Sunlight rippled across the waters, and a gentle breeze slipped through the leaves, leading a chorus of rustling. “It never gets any less wondrous, especially today.”
“You’re right,” Tabitha hummed back quietly. “Who needs church when you have a view like this?”
“Ah, so is this the break you so desperately need? Is that why you ‘haul yourself out of bed’ on a holiday?”
“Hm, maybe. Or maybe it’s ‘cause I have the pushiest engine in the shed, who’ll never let me forget it if I don’t take him.”
“HAHAHAHAHA!” Skarloey’s laughter startled some nearby birds, and Tabitha craned her neck to look back at them.
“Well, there they go. And we should be going soon, too.”
“Yes, you’re right,” the old engine agreed, his earlier upset firmly tucked away behind his smile. “Everyone will be awake by now, including Neil, and I would very much like to see him. That said…”
Tabitha paused, her hand about to pull up the brake. “What?”
“If my driver wants to stay here a little longer, we can.”
Tabitha didn’t answer, but instead closed her eyes, letting the world wash over her. Neither rushing nor lingering, but savoring, a balance more delicate than it seemed.
The driver’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at her engine, running a gentle hand across his cabside.
“This view’s beautiful, but… I’m good. Let’s go home.”
HEHEHEHEHE ohhhhhh, I love these dynamics so much! Everyone's so expressive (heh) and I love all the little details! I think the last one with Thomas and Gordon is my favorite, hahahaha
WOAHHHHHHH, this is fabulous! Absolutely love the All Engines Go style in comparison to the humanized version. And the horrified expression? Fantastic. Such a cool piece of art!
