Chapters Thomas and Friends: The Feast of Steven
Fimfiction Proudly Presents
A Story by The Blue EM2
Sponsored by the Guild of Equestrian Railroaders
And Based on an Idea by Thomlight Sparkle
Starring the Voices of:
Vanessa Hudgens
Kimiko Glenn
Sofia Carson
Liza Koshy
James Marsden
Bahia Watson
Jane Krakowski
Michael McKean
Keith Whickam
Rachel Miller
Theresa Gallagher
Richard Hammond
Jeremy Clarkson
Animation by Boulder Media and Arc Productions
Model Effects and Sequences recorded at Ellstree Studios
A Hasbro and Mattel Co-Production, Copyright MMXXIII
Thomas and Friends: The Feast of Steven
"Deck the halls with boughs of holly!
Pipp stopped next to Zipp, who seemed to be setting up a computer thing. "Sing the ancient Yule-tide carol!"
Zipp looked back. "Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la," she sang, flatly, out of tune, and with no enthusiasm.
Pipp pouted. "Zipp, can you at least make an effort to be festive? It's the most wonderful time of the year!"
"I'm a little busy, Pipp," Zipp replied. "I'm trying to get this live call set up so we can discuss our plans." She glanced back. "At least I put a Christmas jumper on." She looked surprise. "Uhh, what are you wearing?"
"Seeing as Christmas is about being light and jolly, I figured a sparkly dress would do the trick!"
Zipp glanced back to her screen. "It does kinda suit you. That'd work down a dark cave. I'm about to start the call, so if you wouldn't mind getting ready for the call?"
"Oh! Sure thing! I'll go tell Misty!" Pipp added, and she bustled out of the room. "You better watch out, you better not cry..."
"Already getting some practice in for the concert, are we?" Zipp smiled, as she glanced to her own paperwork. "I still need to get the harmony line totally nailed down. And... send!"
A few minutes later, Zipp's friends began to join the call.
First to join was Hitch. "Hey there, Zipp! Long time no see!"
Zipp nodded. "Same here, Sargeant. Any reason for the dress uniform?"
"The CCF is participating in a parade later, so we're turning out in full dress uniforms."
Pipp and Misty appeared in quick succession. "Hello!" Misty said, placing a festive version of Madame Taffytail in front of the camera. "Merry... whatever this is!"
"Advent," Zipp responded. "Began on the first. Hence why we have three doors open on our Advent calenders."
"Technically," Hitch said, "Advent begins on the 4th Sunday before Christmas Day, which this year was the Third. Or yesterday."
"You knew what I meant."
Pipp then blasted in with some vocals. "Santa Claus is comin' to town! Santa Claus is comin' to town!" She glanced about. "Just checking I'm in tune!"
Izzy appeared. "Hi Zipp! How ya doin'?"
Just then, before Zipp could reply, Sunny's screen flared into life, and the face of Sunny appeared on the screen. "Hi guys! Sorry I'm late, but we had a LOT of glitter to clean up."
"Has Izzy been doing arts and crafts at your house again?" Zipp asked.
"Nope!" Sunny replied. "I've been repeatedly waking up in ponied up mode. Since the battle on Sodor it seems to be happening more often. There's always mountains of glitter as well. Not sure what's causing that."
"I'll take the spare glitter!" Izzy said.
"Don't you already have loads of glitter?" Hitch asked.
"You can never have too much glitter, you silly billy!" Izzy replied.
Sunny spoke next. "Pipp, thanks for getting me the webcam. It makes interacting a lot easier."
"No problem, Sunny!" Pipp smiled. "Think of it as an early Christmas present."
Suddenly, a brass band began to play outside. "It's a bit early to be playing We Wish you a Merry Christmas, isn't it?" Hitch asked.
"Just say that to an employee of a Christmas shop!" Izzy laughed.
"What's a Christmas shop?" Misty asked.
"A shop that sells Christmas goods all year round!" Pipp answered. "There's even an entire town in Alaska which functions as Christmastown year round!"
"This is all very new to me," Misty answered. "Opaline didn't really celebrate Christmas. She was usually too busy plotting."
"Which," Zipp said, "is partly why we're having this call. Sunny, take the lead if you wouldn't mind?"
"Sure thing. Wait. Izzy, why is there a cardboard box in the back of the shot?"
"I was trying to get some Christmas ornaments down and I wasn't quite tall enough."
"Why not ask your parents?" Zipp asked.
"They're busy."
Sunny decided to lighten the mood with some singing. "We wish you a merry Christmas/ We wish you a merry Christmas/ We wish you a merry Christmas-"
"Sunny you're slightly flat," Pipp interrupted, without missing a beat. She produced a harmonica and played a note. "That's a D. You were singing in D Major."
When Sunny looked stunned at how she'd spotted that, Zipp chose to quickly explain. "Pipp has perfect pitch."
"Can we get on?" Hitch asked. "I have a schedule to keep."
So Sunny began. "Well, as you all know Christmas is a rather unfortunate time to be apart, given the season of goodwill and all that. So, I was thinking we could try and get together for the Falmouth Christmas Market. There's a ton of fun stuff to do there!"
Hitch leaned closer. "Sunny, that might not work. Grandma Figgy would like to see me at some point, and I always spend Christmas Day at her home."
"And Porter and I have been asked if we can come back to Bury for the East Lancashire's Christmas Tree Festival!" Izzy added. "I already have an ornament ready to go!"
Pipp then dropped in. "And we have a special event to be involved in. Tell them Zipp!"
"Great Western Royal Carousel Concert, which is in Swanage. Again."
"I thought that was held on a rotating basis between different West Country towns," Hitch asked.
"Normally it is. It was supposed to be happening in Paignton this year, but their concert hall was damaged in a fire and isn't safe to use. This makes Swanage the first town to host the event twice in a row."
"That is one mouthful of a title," Izzy said.
"You should have seen the original draft for the name," Pipp added. "It was totes way too long, amiright?"
"So," Hitch said. "It seems we all have conflicting holiday plans that can't easily be reconciled with one another. It's not as if we can just pop over to our respective towns."
"I know!" Pipp exclaimed. "It's 287 miles from here to Bury!"
"How do you know that?" Izzy asked.
"I just Googled it."
Misty then chimed in. "Who says we have to do all of these things in one day?"
Sunny's eyes widened. "Sorry Misty, what did you say?"
"If we can't all meet on the same day, why not stagger this over several days? The concern isn't for a few days, which gives time to slot in trips to Falmouth and Bury!"
"That's a great idea, Misty!" Pipp said. "Let's get organising!"
"I don't understand why we're doing all this shunting!" Charles grumbled. "As you know, I am an officer, and-"
"Officers don't work," Zipp replied. "But it just so happens that plenty of people want to travel from Swanage to Falmouth to see the Christmas Market this year, so us running this train seemed like a perfect chance to get our goals and their goals resolved at the same time."
Sophie was pushing some coaches into Platform 2. The line had ceased its regular running for the year, and was now mainly operating Santa trains the familiar Wonderlights service. The carriage rake normally used for those had been stabled in the siding, as the morning train wouldn't leave until after the railtour had gone.
"You all look festive!" Alexandra called, as she rolled into the yard.
"So do you!" Sophie called. "The tinsel and lights inside your compartment look fantastic!"
"Suitably festive for tomorrow's passenger runs," the railmotor said.
"Indeed." Robert stuck his head out of the cab. "Looking good, girls! This railtour idea of yours is a good way of seeing the sights."
"It is a lot of work to get ready, though," Zipp admitted through her own cab window. "Just look at all these coaches we need to move!"
"Alexandra can shunt the others into the platform tomorrow. I mean, we'll be working the passenger commuter service anyway as the roads are snowed up. I haven't seen snow like this in a while."
Bellerophon bustled past with some trucks. "Didn't it snow in Africa?" he asked.
Robert nodded. "The mountains of South Africa can get very snowy, but this level of snow is more characteristic of northern Europe. I am used to it- I have been living here for about thirty years." He then checked his watch. "Which reminds me, the wedding anniversary is coming up. Thirty years has just flown by."
Meanwhile, Zipp hopped out and uncoupled the coaches, before returning to the cab and pulling Charles away from the stock. "Good work, guys!" she said. "The railtour is ready to go tomorrow!"
Misty brought Bellerophon to a stop next to them. "Where will I be?"
"In the cab, riding with me," Zipp replied. "No point in you missing out, is there?"
"Thanks!" Misty smiled. "It'll be nice to put my feet up for a bit and let somebody else do the driving."
"A second pair of eyes never hurt."
Alexandra spoke up again. "I'm not sure five coaches are within my design specifications!"
Author's Note
Hello everybody, and welcome back to another story! This time, as the Season of Goodwill rattles closer, I thought it would be a good idea to give our characters a break from villains and plots and just have them go on a nice Christmas adventure where the stakes are low. (Between you and me, this is part of the reason I like Winter Wishday ; the low stakes make it enjoyable winter fare, and I applaud the writers for resisting the urge to engage in infodumping.)
The railtour concept is partly based on a real idea run at this time of year; it is common for trips to run from various parts of the country to visit festive things such as markets or carol concerts. Seeing as the mad dash in the Marestream was the same sort of thing, it made sense to combine the two.
Tomorrow sees the first of those railtours!
Thomas and Friends: The Feast of Steven
The Falmouth Festive Flyer
The railtour was prepped to get underway, but they had a lot of ground to cover. As a result, before the sun rose on the day of the journey, people were already arriving at the station and milling about on the platform whilst the final preparations were being made for the trip. Items were being loaded into the coaches- drinks, food, and other important commodities were being placed in the coach for the long trip.
Passengers were being sorted into two groups, and these were fairly simple. "Pullman and First Class passengers, please board the coaches on your right. Your coach number and seat is indicated in the ticket you received from the railway."
Several passengers shuffled over to the side of the platform, ready to board.
"Premium Standard class please board the coaches to your left."
Although there initially were some concerns about whether the quality would be comparable, passengers boarding Premium Standard soon found they were within nicely appointed stock, with plush seats and table lamps, and their own tables.
"If this is what standard is like," said one passenger, "imagine what Pullman must be like!"
One of her fellows pointed to the carriages on the other platform. "There's your answer."
A steam locomotive had been attached to them to prime the steam heating equipment, and Charles was attached to the other coaches when he heard Sophie being attached to the other end. "Why am I being attached here? And why is Sophie going in front?"
Zipp leaned out of the cab. "Because you have steam heating and Sophie doesn't. She's one of the ETH equipped examples, remember?"
"So?"
"These Mk1s lack the required wiring for ETH."
"That seems like a bit of a design flaw."
"Besides, when we get to Wareham you'll be leading the train all the way to Falmouth."
For reference, Charles was attached at the back of the train, facing Swanage. As the mainline junction only had a single curve which lead towards Bournemouth, which was in the wrong direction to Falmouth, the train was instead being towed by Vulcan as far as Wareham, and then they would change direction. As Vulcan's steam heating pipes weren't working properly, this was why having Charles attached was so important.
Misty soon joined Zipp in the cab. "Hey Zipp! I'm looking forward to this!"
"So am I," Zipp replied, as she glanced around the cab. "All is looking good to go. Misty, I have a very important job for you."
"Yes?" Misty asked.
"I need you to monitor the steam heating system. If the steam heating system isn't supplying steam properly, let me know."
Misty nodded as she looked at the control panel. The system was already running. "How can Charles supply steam heat? He's a diesel!"
"Some Class 33s were fitted with steam heating boilers as the conversion process from steam to electric heating was still underway when they were introduced. This, incidentally, is part of the reason why the position of fireman was maintained- as you can probably see I can't really operate the controls and drive at the same time."
Just then, the guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag. "RIGHT AWAY!"
With that, Vulcan and Sophie thundered into life, drawing their portion out of the platform and stopping at the station approaches. They then reversed onto the other portion and attached to it, a member of platform crew connecting up the steam heating and brake pipes before setting the coupler.
Zipp glanced down to a panel in Charles' cab. "Steam heating is on, central door locking is active, lights are on. All safety checks complete, we are good to go!"
At last, as the snow continued to fall, they could get going, and away they went!
The Purbeck Line rolled away beneath them wonderfully, and the falling snow certainly made for a wonderful sight as they rattled along the line. The passengers relaxed and watched the Dorset countryside rumble by, enjoying a hot beverage and a complimentary pastry as they rumbled along the track.
At last they rolled through the junction and rumbled along the line to Wareham before stopping in the platform. Here, Vulcan was detached and moved to a siding, ready for when they returned. "Good luck!" he called.
Pipp switched cabs in Sophie, as she needed to be able to use the radio to communicate with Zipp. She'd also installed a special something inside the other cab.
Once an express for Weymouth had passed, it was time to go. Zipp opened the throttle and Charles' engine roared into life, the sound of twin Crompton engines filling the skies as they got underway along the line. Before long, they were gliding along the line at great speed, the scenery moving at speed.
Zipp was quick to pick up the radio. "Good morning, passengers. This is your driver, Zipp Storm, speaking. On behalf of the train crew I would like to thank you aboard the Falmouth Festive Flyer today. We are currently running at our maximum permitted speed of 75 miles per hour, and the time is currently just past seven in the morning. We have a booked arrival time of around 10 in the morning, with an estimated journey time of two hours twenty four minutes. This train doesn't have seatbelts, but I ask you remain seated in your seats as your stewards are about to begin a drinks service." She smiled. "And now a word from a member of our train crew, Pipp Petals."
"Zipp!" protested a voice. "I'm the train manager! I do the announcements!"
"It's the train driver who does the announcements," Zipp replied. "And as I am driving, I do the announcements. Simple as."
Pipp then spoke up. "Hello everybody! As Zipp said earlier I'm Pipp Petals. I'll be serving as your entertainment coordinator today. I suggest we start with a festive singalong. You'll have noticed we've placed festive music books in the seats, so please turn to Number 26 to begin."
Zipp was listening on the radio the whole time. Before long the train manager got into contact. "Pipp, we're going to have to stop. They're singing it to different melodies."
"How? There's only one melody for Away in a Manger!"
"Some of our passengers are American."
"Oh. I hadn't considered that possibility."
Zipp popped her receiver away. "Some things never change."
A few hours later the train pulled into Falmouth, and the passengers disembarked to head to the market. Pipp and Zipp, on the other hand, met up with their friends. "Shall we go?" Sunny asked.
"Go where?" Pipp asked, adjusting her winter hat.
Izzy coughed. "It's that time in the story where we have a song!" She then began to sing.
"Over the hilltops and through the woods/
Zipp, Hitch, Pipp, and Izzy then sang an extended chord (added seventh, for any musicians reading).
Pipp and Zipp then took over vocal responsibilities. "Over the mountains and through the clouds/
Before they all joined in collectively as Hitch led them down the path to his grandmother's home. "To Grandma's tree we go!"
"Children play!" Pipp chimed in.
Before her sister joined in again. "Make snowmen all day!"
"Through peppermint candy snow!
Ohhh-ohhh-ohhh-ohhh/
"Somehow these aren't the most profound of lyrics," Misty said quietly.
Pipp was once again on vocal responsibilities. "When we get closer to Grandmare's house/"
Before Sunny suddenly chimed in. "The pretty lights let us know!"
The pair then switched to dueting. "And soon we'll see!"
And then the entire gang together, as they small community in which Figgy lived hoved into view.
"A special person/
"Ohhh-ohhh-ohhh-ohhh/
"Ohhh, ahhh/
"Now that we're here at Grandma's house/
"'Cause we're warm as can be!" Pipp chimed in.
Before the entire team finished together. "With friends and family/
"Ohhh-ohhh-ohhh-ohhh/
"Ohhh-ohhh-ohhh-ohhh-ohhh-ohhh/
"Ohhh-ohhh-ohhh-ohhh-ohhh!"
As they stopped outside the door, Hitch turned to face his friends. "Grandma Figgy is very particular about things being done a certain way, so please keep that in mind." He knocked on the door.
Sure enough, the door opened. "Ah!" Grandma Figgy beamed. "Hitch! It's so lovely to see you and your friends. Come in! I've already gotten drinks ready for all of you."
Safe to say, they had a wonderful time at Grandma Figgy's house. The fire roared with warmth, and the snow made a beautiful backdrop. Even if Hitch's statement about things being done a certain way wasn't quite accurate, they still had a great time.
Even the story of Snowfall Frost the Christmas hater wasn't enough to dampen their spirits. Eventually, Pipp and Zipp had to leave, as did Misty, as they had to work the return train to Swanage, but the friends knew they would see each other again in Bury the very next day.
Author's Note
Welcome to our first railtour of the lot! This journey is based on Christmas Market trains which run regularly at this time of year. Usually operated with steam power, sometimes diesels are used to keep up schedules (and let's face it, most people on these sorts of trains probably don't care). They often have a dining option as well, which is saved for the return run.
The song joke is based on a real difference between Christmas carols on either side of the pond; British and American people do sing some to different melodies. It's a curious phenomenon.
To Grandmare's House we Go is based on the much older song To Grandmother's House we Go . As the lyrics from the special wouldn't work with a human setting, they have been further adapted to the setting. On the topic of Grandma, Figgy is voiced by Ellen-Ray Hennessey-one of only two VAs to return from Friendship is Magic (the other is Tara Strong).
And tomorrow, we make our first visit to Bury since the very first story in this series!
Thomas and Friends: The Feast of Steven
The morning at Falmouth turned into the usual hive of activity before something important happened. The railtour was currently being assembled, with many coaches being turned into a rather wacky assortment of liveries. They had since acquired more MK1 coaches, but these were in a variety of liveries so it looked less uniform than it could do.
Salty and Porter were assembling both halves. "Ahoy there!" Salty called. "It looks like we'll be repeatin' the old trick with the boat train!"
"Splitting the coach rake?" Sunny replied. "I've got no idea how long the platforms at Bolton Street are, so we might be doing the same when we get there."
"Why not take Porter with us so he can split the train at the other end?" Salty suggested. "I'd go but as you know my bearings can go a bit odd when pulled at high speed."
Sunny nodded. "It's probably best we bring Porter."
The shunt signal held them in place as Porter was detached from his coaches, yawning as he headed away. "It's so early," he grumbled.
"Have some festive cheer!" Izzy said, as they rattled forward through the yard and into a nearby siding.
Sunny looked over. "Should we take Porter with us?"
"Of course we should! He shouldn't have to miss the Christmas trees for anything!"
A familiar snorting of steam started from the shed as Rebecca was backed out of the depot. She looked magnificent. Hitch had spent the night attaching the Golden Arrow regalia to the engine, and the golden platework and decorations perfectly complemented the malachite green paintwork and yellow striping. Safe to say, this was an engine you'd struggle to lose in a snowstorm.
"This weather's looking bad," Hitch said, as he brought Rebecca to a stop outside the platform. "Sunny, I'd like you to ride with me. If we're bringing Porter, I want him coupled to the back."
"On second thoughts, couldn't we use a diesel at the other end?" Porter asked. "Rocky can look after me whilst you're away."
Izzy thought for a moment. "That's probably a good idea. I'd need to partly take you to bits to make you safe to tow!"
With that, Izzy boarded the back of the train, and Sunny joined Hitch in the cab, both of them dressed nice and warm for the cold. With a gentle clunk, Rebecca rolled onto the coaches. "Ten coaches? I'm getting flashbacks to that boat train!"
"The weather's not as bad as it was then," Hitch reassured her. "We'll make it this time."
"That snow doesn't look to be stopping anytime soon."
Grandma Figgy had come to wave them off. "Stay warm! And drive carefully!"
"We will!" Hitch called, as he moved the first portion of the train out of the platform. Once the back was clear of the points, he stopped, and then waited for them to change. Once changed, he backed the formation onto the second set of coaches and waited for Izzy to couple them up.
Izzy held up a green light. "Frosty shivers!"
"What did you say?" Hitch asked over the radio.
"We're good to go!" she replied. So they went.
Rebecca was soon snorting up the grades on the Falmouth Branch. It was important to keep speeds up on this run, as they had a very long way to go, and not all of it on the relative quiet of the Devon main line. In fact, this trip would take them up part of the West Coast Mainline, which required a right dog's leg as steam locomotives were prohibited from running south of Crewe.
"Wasn't yesterday fun?" Sunny asked. "It was great seeing Pipp and Zipp again!"
"Don't forget Misty!" Izzy added.
Just then, Sunny got a text from Pipp.
Misty is down with something, so chose to stay behind. She's saving her strength for the concert tomorrow.
Pipp.
"What a shame," Sunny said.
"What's the matter?" Hitch asked.
"Misty can't make it today. Apparently she's ill."
"That is a shame," Hitch said, as they flew along. "What did you think of Grandma?"
"I know her pretty well, but I had fun."
"Good," Hitch said. "Even if she is rather set in her ways."
Sunny chortled. "Oh course, Hitch. Of course."
Izzy then chimed in on the radio. "Do you mind if we pop by my house in Heywood on the way? I've got a few things I want to pick up."
"Sounds fine," Hitch said. He saw the speed limit had increased, and so took advantage of it.
After arriving at Bury, a diesel shunter helped to split the train between the platforms. The train from Swanage had arrived before them and was currently occupying Platforms 1 and 2, so the Falmouth train was placed on Platforms 3 and 4. Once Izzy had returned from Heywood, the five friends met on the platform with hot drinks.
"Thanks for the scarves, Izzy," Zipp said. "They'll really help in this cold."
"No problemo!" Izzy replied.
Pipp looked around. "So, where are the trees?"
Izzy smiled. "They're in the station car park. We'll want to head to the Trackside Bar first."
Pipp nodded and began to walk that way, before Zipp suddenly stopped her. "Huh?"
Just then, a large amount of snow fell off the station canopy and landed where Pipp had been about to stand. "Oh."
"Saved you from having to use a hairdryer, Pipp," Zipp said.
"She brought a hairdryer?" Hitch asked.
"What didn't she bring?"
Pipp snorted. "Looking my best helps me feel my best. It's kinda how I roll."
Sunny shivered. "It is a bit colder than it was in Falmouth."
"That's because Falmouth is next to the sea, and places by the sea tend to be warmer in winter," Hitch explained. "Places inland tend to be colder."
"Shall we go?" Izzy asked.
"Sounds good to me," Zipp said, and they set off for the Trackside Bar.
Inside, the fire was roaring and people were sat at tables with hot drinks and food, cheerfully exchanging stories and listening to a very noisy brass band.
"Is it usually this loud?" Pipp asked.
"We take our brass bands very seriously," Izzy replied, as they headed for the outer door. "Good, got my ornament and.. hey Alphabittle!"
A familiar face turned on his stool, a cup of hot cocoa in his hand. "Hello Izzy!" he said, hopping out of his seat and wiping some cocoa dust out of his beard. "What brings you five to Bury?"
"We're here for the Christmas Tree Festival," Sunny smiled.
"Well, you came to the right spot," Alphabittle replied. "I see Izzy has already given you presents."
There was a brief silence. "Fancy a game of charades?" Izzy asked. "My ornament as the prize!"
Alphabittle looked a little surprised. "Are you sure?"
"Oh, I am," Izzy replied. "We fixed that engine of yours in less than 24 hours."
"Indeed you did," the bearded man said, and sat back in a chair. "Let's see you figure this one out."
The series of gestures he did made no sense whatsoever, so Izzy was left trying to guess at it. "A running quadruped who scratches its ears, jumps up a tree and eats mayonnaise?"
Alphabittle looked confused. "That's weirdly specific."
Izzy sighed. "I give up."
Alphabittle smiled. "It was my own name. Now the ornament, as we agreed."
Izzy handed it over, her head slightly low.
"How was she supposed to figure that out from the series of movements you made, given Alphabittle is a nickname?" Zipp asked.
"How did you know?"
"I heard one of your fellows at the bar address you as Arthur when we arrived."
Alphabittle smiled. "Well, well, aren't you a little detective. I can see where you get it from." He then handed a package over to them. "Here's a spare ornament I had made in case anybody gave theirs away."
Izzy nodded. "No worries. I made two of mine!" She produced another from her bag.
"You made two?" Alphabittle asked. "Why?"
"There's an old US Army saying; why have one of something when you can have two for double the cost?"
Just then, a bell began to ring. "Please place your ornaments on the tree, and we shall begin the candle lighting ceremony!"
"That's our cue!" Izzy said. "Time to go and place the ornaments on the tree!"
"Ornaments?" Sunny asked.
"I made ornaments for you guys as well," Izzy explained. "Twice, in case of sudden games of charades."
Outdoors, they were busy at the tree festival. The snow cascaded downwards and downwards, falling gently upon the festive scene. The brass band were still going strong with their music, and the sound of their playing was marvellous to behold. The five placed their ornaments, along with a sixth for Misty, before they headed away for the warmth.
"Frosty shivers!" shouted a local.
"What does that mean?" Hitch asked.
"It's a local winter greeting," Izzy explained. "The process of saying it makes you warmer!"
As they headed indoors, Alphabittle paused by where they'd left the ornaments, and took a close look at one of them. "Wait. That needlework looks familiar..."
Author's Note
This chapter broadly adapts the Bridlewood portion of Winter Wishday , with some adjustments made to better fit the Northern England setting. Northern England is often bitterly cold during the winter and still sees regular snowfall on the mountaintops (trust me, it is lovely to see). The festive spirit is often alive and well up there as well.
It is true that there is a steam ban on some of the WCML; this makes organising railtours a bit hard. It is common, as a result, to have the first section of a London trip diesel worked, and then a steam locomotive takes over for the rest of the run.
If you look carefully, there's also a bit of foreshadowing too.
Next time: two aristocrats spin in a circle!
Thomas and Friends: The Feast of Steven
The Great Western Carousel Zephyr... Thing
"I can barely see a foot in front of my face!" Hitch shouted, as the train flew along the line.
The cab lurched and rocked and swayed as they flew along through the snowstorm. The snow had only gotten worse over these few days, and there were already some delays appearing on the network.
Sunny looked out of the other side of the cab to see objects flying past at higher speeds than she was expecting. "Steady, Hitch!" she said. "We're not out here to win a race! This isn't the Boat Train!"
Rebecca flew along, steam snorting away as she maintained a very high speed indeed. "We'll make it or bust!" she said. "Those passengers are counting on us to get to the concert!"
The radio in the cab buzzed. "Izzy here. Can we slow down a bit? The passengers are being tossed about like peas in a frying pan!"
Hitch checked his watch and the in cab displays. "If anything we need to speed up. That DMU got us severely held up near Axminster, and we have to make up the lost time."
Sunny looked out again into the driving snow and howling wind, and spotted something. "Hitch! There's a warning notice out on the other side of the line! We have to slow down!"
"Cab windows have lightly fogged up, and there is some ice buildup on the casing. Nothing we can't handle. Panicking solves nothing."
Just then, a speed board flew past. "There's the board before Wareham," he said. "We need to start braking when we pass the signal box."
Sunny glanced over again. "The warning notice-"
"I'll deal with it later!"
The train then flew past the signal box, and Hitch applied the brakes. But they didn't seem to be gripping. Rebecca's wheels skidded on the rails!
"What's going on?" she asked.
Sunny looked over. "There was a black ice warning!" she said. "The brakes can't produce enough friction to slow us down!"
"We'll have to put our faith in the carriage brakes then!" Hitch replied, as he glanced out of the cab to see a shower of sparks trailing from Rebecca's wheels.
"Bit sparky out there!" said somebody.
Sunny grabbed the radio. "Izzy, can you apply the handbrakes on the brake coach? It'll give us a bit more braking force!"
"On it!"
"We'll still be coming in pretty hot!" Hitch called.
Another electric rain roared by on the other line, powering into the snowstorm. The train continued to slide along before the station suddenly loomed into view.
"HOLD ON!"
They were down to thirty miles an hour when they hit the front of the platform, and speed continued to drop. The engine brakes finally bit into the wheels, and the formation was safely brought to a dead stop before the signal.
Hitch wiped his brow. "I need a cup of tea after that."
Sunny glanced out of the cab and back down the line. "Looks like we'll need to wait for the support engine to tow our train down to Swanage."
The Swanage seafront was lovely at this time of year. Decorations hung from buildings and lamp posts, and everything you could think of was festooned in lights and other Christmas objects. A record number of wreaths had been put together to be displayed outside buildings, and this was quite the sight.
Not that you would have noticed this based on the scene occurring in the streets. The familiar sight of the Three Havens was proceeding along the seafront stores. They paused outside the butcher's shop. "Jones has outdone himself!" Lady Haven smiled. "That's quite the display, don't you think?"
"Look at that pie!" Zipp said. "I bet Cloudpuff would like that."
Lady Haven looked back at her. "Beef? Don't be absurd. Cloudpuff prefers lamb."
Speaking of Cloudpuff, he was currently on a lead, but still looking through the window and drooling at all the meat produce inside.
Suddenly, Pipp looked over. "Over there! Christmas syrup tasting at the Confectionary Cart!"
The two girls suddenly dashed off at speed. Lady Haven shook her head. "Girls, slow down! The Confectionary Cart isn't going to run away from you!"
She stopped next to the cart, puffing and panting. The winter air wasn't the best for her lungs, and all this running around was a painful reminder that she wasn't getting any younger. "Besides, as your grandfather always said, shopping is a marathon, not a sprint!"
"Didn't he call it a marathon not a race in one version?" Pipp asked.
"Yes," Lady Haven replied. "But at the time he had drunk a little too much sherry. He was, shall we say, rather merry. But why are we racing around?"
"We just want to ensure we see all the stuff we want to see before we need to go prepare for the concert," Zipp said.
"You are aware the same things will be open tomorrow, right?"
It was at that moment Zipp realised there was a bit of a flaw in her plan. "Good point."
Inside the Swanage Concert Hall, Sunny and the others had been guided to the Duchy Box, which gave them an excellent view of the stage, which was currently being set up for the night's proceedings.
When the door was opened, they were delighted to see Misty waiting for them. "Hey guys!" she said. "Nice to see you again."
"I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Misty," Sunny said, as she took a seat around the central table. The table was piled high with gourmet food and drink, all themed for the season.
"Anybody for a pig in blanket?" Hitch asked. "I remember when there was a shortage of these last year."
"We produced more specially," said a voice, and two security guards entered. "Is there anything you need?" asked one.
Zoom looked to him. "This should be an easy job."
Thunder nodded. "But there is a distinct lack of babies, and I doubt they like being sat on."
Meanwhile, Izzy had opened one of the boxes. "There's nothing in them!" she said.
"It's air from Charles," Thunder said. "You know how much he produces."
Izzy put the box to her ear. "I can already hear it calling Porter a blithering idiot!" she joked.
Zoom tapped Thunder. "Good save. I don't know why we didn't just tell them they're decorations for the show!"
"Would you want to ruin that?" Thunder replied, pointing to the gathered friends.
"Fancy sending the punch round another time?"
"Sure thing!" Misty replied. "But I think I may have used too much grape juice..."
Pipp and Zipp still hadn't gotten the memo, and were, for reasons Lady Haven could not fathom, speeding past the shops. "It looks really interesting when you go past them at high speed!" Pipp called.
"You're going to slip on some ice at this rate!" Lady Haven called, as she struggled in vain to keep up. She was even thinking of bringing out that rarest of parental discipline tactics (the full name ultimatum) when her phone buzzed, taking her out of her thoughts.
She checked the message. Final setup for concert in half an hour.
She'd set that as a reminder to herself to get to the concert hall on time, and suddenly her daughter's actions made so much more sense. She turned a corner to see them stopped near the concert hall entrance, glancing at some displays.
"Wow. They really pulled out all the stops this year," Zipp noted.
Lady Haven finally caught up, and stopped behind them. "Well, given that this year we have the performers from two entire towns this year some extra planning was required."
"I don't like where this is going," Zipp said quietly.
"We have to fit in twice as many performers as usual, as it hardly seemed fair to not let the musicians from Paignton not perform their set after all their hard work. So I was able to get them involved and the show this year shall be twice the usual length!"
Pipp tapped her sister. "Sunny isn't gonna like this at all."
Everybody was feeling thoroughly relaxed when the lights in the concert hall dimmed. A brass fanfare sounded, and a voice spoke out. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, please welcome to the stage, Her Ladyship the Duchess of Dorset, Elizabeth Haven!"
The crowd cheered as Lady Haven stepped onto the suitably winty stage. "Good evening, everybody! Owing to the circumstances of the year, fitting the show into the hall was rather more challenging than last year, but I would like to formally thank the hard work of our transport and information staff who succesfully pulled this off. And thank you to all of you for braving the fierce winter weather to attend our wondrous and joyful, joyful and wondrous Great Western Royal Carousel Concert!"
Misty tapped Izzy. "That was quite the tongue twister."
"This year's show is special. This festive tradition was started by the towns of southwest England forty years ago this year, and to pay tribute to that I am honoured to welcome the musicians from the Paignton Community Choir, the Paignton Brass Band, the Isle of Purbeck Chamber Orchestra, and the singers of the Swanage Singers to take you on a festive journey through Christmas traditions in our fair country. Act One of Six will begin with the Middle Ages."
Sunny looked over in shock. "Six acts?" she said. "The program only has three!"
"And now, it is my honour to hand over to the Paignton Community Choir for a trip into plainchant. Take it away!"
By the time it came to Pipp and Zipp's number (which was to conclude the show), most of the audience had fallen asleep. Luckily, a brass rendition of Deck the Halls courtesy of both brass bands woke everybody up.
The MC took over. "And now, to conclude this year's show, a special number composed for this year's performance. It is my greatest pleasure to welcome Ladies Zara Storm and Philippa Petals to the stage. Take it away, maestro!"
Just then, the lights came up on the two girls. Pipp, dressed in cliched holiday gear, looked to be in the moment if a bit tired, whilst Zipp had the distinct look of a deer in headlights.
The bands flowed in with the music as they stepped forward with what could only charitably be described as some form of interpretive dance.
"The fire is glowing/
"Hooves on the rooftop/
"Joyous, joyous Christmastime!
"Joyous, joyous Christmastime!
Sleigh bells are ringing/
"The gifts that we share/
"Joyous, joyous Christmastime!
"Joyous, joyous Christmastime!
Even though the audience were very tired, the number brought the house down, and the hall erupted in applause.
Unfortunately, the timings had been figured out based on the pre-extension version of the show, and the extra numbers had resulted in an overrun of about 90 minutes. As Pipp and Zipp left their dressing rooms, having changed out of their outfits, Lady Haven was very confused. "Where are you two going?" she asked. "The show's barely finished!"
"The railtour needs towing back to Wareham," Zipp replied.
"And we need to drive the engines to move it. We'll be back as fast as we can!" Pipp added.
The two girls dashed down the corridor as Lady Haven smiled. "Helping others in need. The Christmas spirit truly lives in them. Merry Christmas!"
"Thank you, ma'am," said Thunder, who had appeared behind her.
Author's Note
This is an adaptation expansion of the Zephyr Heights segment of the special, which despite being the shortest part in terms of runtime gave me the most to work with. Quite a few British Christmas traditions are referenced in here, including a modified version of the presents joke from the special (which is actually based on the old folk tale The Emperor's New Clothes ).
Old concert halls often have boxes, which are exclusive spots for rich people to enjoy a performance from in relative private. The description of the box experience is based on my own experience of seeing performances at the Royal Albert Hall from a box (as if a box's owner is not attending a particular performance it is standard procedure to rent the box for the night).
I am I one of the few people here who actually unironically likes Joyous Wishentine ? Unlike quite a few people on this site (I'm looking at you, Ohvist) I understand what the writers were doing there-parodying vapid Christmas music-but it legitimately nice to listen to and suitable for building the holiday spirit.
The finale will arrive tomorrow. Until then, safe travels!
Thomas and Friends: The Feast of Steven
By the time they had succeeded in shepherding all of the passengers to the station, they were running more than two hours late. This was not good for a number of reasons, not least because they had now missed their booked slot on the mainline and would be stuck running behind several other trains.
Another issue was that the snow had continued to fall, resulting in some of the coaches being buried. Track crews were working to get them dug out, but it was taking time.
"Brrr, it is cold," Izzy said.
Zipp looked over. "I'll get Charles hooked up and get him providing steam heat." She disappeared off into the distance towards the shed whilst the others tried to get the passengers into the correct coaches. This was made rather more difficult by the lack of light, as the gas lights struggled to work against the combined forces of the raging snowstorm and the darkness, which was not being complemented by fog.
Charles was soon attached to the coaches and was producing heating for half the train, whilst Rebecca heated the other half. Whilst Hitch checked her motion for any ice buildup on the frames, Sunny hopped into the cab to adjust the steam heating controls to properly warm the coaches. "Passengers, we do apologise for the delay," she said over the intercom. "We'll be trying to get you back on the move shortly, but as you can see the weather is being less than cooperative."
More people were still boarding their coaches, mostly complaining about the length of the concert and how quality should always be prioritised over quantity. Most of them seemed to be oblivious to the fact that one of the stars of the show was right there on the platform, hearing every word they said. Or maybe they did know and just didn't care. Both are equally bad.
After much fumbling with the people onboard, the train was finally loaded and ready to depart. Pipp fired Sophie up and attached her to the train. "What a pea souper!" Sophie said. "It reminds me of last year."
"There's a Christmas that could have gone better," Pipp admitted, as she grabbed the radio. "Zipp, I'm ready to pull."
"Roger."
"My name's Pipp."
"Affirmative, Roger Pipp."
The two diesels roared as they pulled the first five coaches out of the platform before stopping at the shunt limit and waiting for the points to change. They then pushed forwards onto the other train and coupled onto the stock, resulting in a complete train.
"Please drive carefully!" Izzy said. "They're currently serving the Christmas dinner that was part of the package!"
"Understood!" said two voices, and after receiving permission to depart once more they rattled away up the line. The snow bit at them and threatened to slow their course, but they kept ploughing along, for they knew the alternative would be unnaceptable to the passengers and everybody around them.
Hitch monitored all the onboard equipment, but couldn't help but feel that something was wrong as they rumbled back down the line towards Wareham. The two diesels eventually dropped the engine off in the platform, but as he tried to reset for forward travel he encountered the problem, proving his instincts correct.
"Guys, we've got a problem!" he said.
"What's happened?" Pipp asked.
"Rebecca's cutoff is stuck in the reverse position," Hitch replied. "The locking bolt has frozen solid, and I can't free it with the equipment I have in the cab. We won't be going anywhere fast."
"And we're out of bootlace as well," Zipp said dryly over the radio. "Talk about Murphy's Law."
Suddenly, a voice from Izzy had an idea. "Remember how we all drove down from our respective homes last year?"
"Indeed you did," Sunny replied. "Where are you going with this idea, Izzy?"
"Why not take Rebecca off the train and have a rescue diesel tow her back, and Charles and Sophie work the train back to Falmouth?"
"We'll need to clear it with the railway first, but in principal it's a good idea."
After a few minutes on the radio, all was ready and planned. Hitch threw Rebecca's fire out (which had the added benefit of melting some of the snow) whilst Charles was used to move the stricken steam locomotive out of the way and into a nearby siding. Moments after that, the diesel was attached to the train.
"Let's get these people home," Zipp said, as she took the radio once more. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your new driver Zipp Storm speaking. Owing to unfortunate and unforseen circumstances we are unable to return to Falmouth under steam power tonight. Instead, two relief engines will power your train home tonight. Otherwise, nothing has changed. We are currently awaiting line clearance and should be on the move shortly."
A stopping train rolled through the snow and crossed over the lines to terminate, as the line beyond Wareham was currently blocked by snowfall. "Best of luck!" the EMU called.
"Thank you!" Pipp replied, and at last the signal changed.
The train accelerated away out of the platform. "POWER!" Charles shouted.
Zipp fiddled with some settings as they powered along the line. She certainly had to keep her coat on, as the cab heater was having next to no effect on the cold air around her. "This is what living in the arctic must be like," she said to herself, noticing that Charles' onboard lights were barely making a dent in the gloom.
"It's a right pea souper, this!" Charles called. "I know people often wish for white Christmasses but this is ridiculous!"
They roared along the West of England mainline, making short work of Honiton Bank. The line had been cleared for them- all other traffic had been halted in loops or sidings to let them pass.
The passengers had wonderful hot food and songs to enjoy courtesy of Pipp, who mostly focused on playing cheerful ones about sun and being warm to raise their spirits. They pulled into Falmouth, having made up about an hour of the schedule, and the passengers trooped home, exhausted but happy for their day out.
Pipp and Zipp stayed overnight at a nearby hotel before travelling back to Swanage in the morning. Life, otherwise, returned to normal for the team. A few days after this excitement, Zipp decided to host another Zoom call, and opened the system up to connect to her friends in other parts of the country.
One by one their faces popped in on the screen. "Hey Zipp!" Sunny said. "That was great fun. Thank Misty for the great idea."
"No problem!" Misty said, looking a lot better for a few days' rest.
"We couldn't have done it without you guys, though," Pipp said. "Brilliant idea to use all the onboard systems, Sunny." She smiled. "We even had time to do absolutely everything!"
Izzy gasped. "I forgot to give you guys the presents I'd wrapped!"
Hitch raised a quizzical eye. "You've wrapped presents? Izzy, you are aware it's only the Twelth, right? That's plenty of time for them to travel through the mail. And you live in the same town as two of your friends."
"Speaking of town, we'll soon have fun packing up the stuff to take back to Falmouth," Zipp said. "That half of the year is quickly approaching."
"We'll certainly appreciate the extra horsepower," Sunny said. "There's usually a surge in shipping traffic at that time of year, but apparently this year's weather produced a larger quantity of sea ice than is usual these days."
"Zipp, do you think cherry or cinammon would work better for the decorations?" Pipp asked, showing the assembled speakers some ribbons.
Zipp sighed. "They're both red, Pipp. I doubt anybody will notice the difference when the lights have been turned down." She noticed the confused looks on the others' faces. "We're decorating the town for something taking place next week or so."
"Just under two weeks," Pipp corrected. "Now, where did I put my scissors..."
Sunny suddenly chimed in. "Something in me thinks we may have gotten the best gift ever already."
"And what was that?" Misty asked.
"Each other. I know for some of us our relationship didn't exactly get off to the best of starts-"
Pipp shrugged. "Sunny, that's all in the past. Water under the bridge, so to speak. Knowing you guys has been so worth it."
"-And you guys shared your family traditions. Hitch got to introduce all of you to Grandma Figgy, Izzy got to show us northern tree traditions, and Pipp and Zipp gave us the gift of music along with all the other performers."
"Joyous, joyous Christmastime!"
Zipp facepalmed. "The day I never have to hear that again cannot come soon enough."
"But what matters the most," Sunny said, "was that we got to spend the holiday together as friends and share in the festive spirit. Merry Christmas, everybody."
Izzy turned slightly. "And a Merry Christmas to all of you reading this story at home!"
Author's Note
This final chapter, based on the final portion of the Winter Wishday special, probably contains the most changes of any section, as the magical element to the snowfall was removed. Another key source of inspiration was Edward's Exploit, a Railway Series story which features a hard run in similarly horrible conditions.
The final line of this story contains a Dr. Who reference. I'll be quite impressed if any of you reading spot what it alludes to.
This isn't it for the year's output, though. There's another Christmas story coming later in the month. But until then, have a joyful and wondrous, wondrous and joyful Wishentide, and don't let the troggles bite!
Thomas and Friends: The Feast of Steven
Cast- in order of appearance:
Sofia Carson - Pipp Petals
