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thebocostan.bsky.social
@thebocostan.bsky.social
15 followers 87 following 36 posts
Just here for the funny blue train stuff.
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thebocostan.bsky.social
Last but far from least, the railway's only numbers 8 and 9.
Built originally to serve as a mixed-traffic engine, this Baldwin could best be described as the engine form of Hank Hill: a good ol’ boy whose work ethic was resonant to people around the world. Indeed during the Stanley debacle, it was Atlas who helped prevent Duke’s opinion of Americans from being permanently soured. As more reliable engines arrived on the line like Falcon and Stuart, Atlas would usually work behind the scenes, filling in for engines that were undergoing repairs. He would also be modified twice on Sodor: first with a coal bunker in 1906, then with an extension of his saddle tank in 1921. Unlike most of the engines that were sold off when the Mountain Road closed, Atlas actually ended up elsewhere on Sodor, working the Sodor China Clay line to Brendam Harbor until it was converted to Standard Gauge and he was replaced with Bill and Ben. He was later returned to America, rebuilt into a 2-6-0 tender engine, and now works at an amusement park in Wisconsin. Originally built in France, Mina was shipped to Sodor with five V-tipper wagons for use at the Cas-Ny-Hawin mine company. She spent most of her days running through the mineshafts and out into the open, not unlike a rat running through tunnels. She generally relied on Bertram for news about the outside world, since he had more direct contact with the other engines. When the company downsized operations in 1945, she was deemed surplus and sold off. Like with Jim, no one really knows what happened to her afterwards, but it's more likely than not that she was scrapped due to lack of evidence regarding her whereabouts.
May 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
thebocostan.bsky.social
Engines that had the Number 7. While Tim is a clone of @rexeljet.bsky.social's headcanon, I decided to change the direction with Jennings.
Built based on the success of Dogoch and his sister Rheneas (yes Rheneas is female in my AU). In contrast to John and his loving attitude towards the coaches, Jennings was careless and barely gave a hoot about the coaches or passengers’ safety. This led to Jennings being stripped of his number, repainted Olive Green, and being demoted to goods work. Even then however he would not learn, leading to the nickname of “Smudger”. Eventually, he was rebuilt into a generator and used at a factory in Arlesburgh. When Tim was sold off, he spent work on a tramway in the Netherlands, where he survived the country’s Nazi occupation and made it into preservation at the Dutch national railway museum in Utrecht.
May 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
thebocostan.bsky.social
Engines that had the number 6. These are directly lifted from @rexeljet.bsky.social's headcanons, with the addition of my take on their post-MSR fates.
One of the two engines originally assigned to the Boat Trains before the arrival of first Falcon in 1904 then Stuart in 1920. During his time on the Mid Sodor, John was known for his “showtunes”, where he would blow his whistle regularly while singing to the coaches. This annoyed the other engines, but the Manager saw no reason to care since if nothing else, it meant John ran to time. When he was eventually retired in favor of Stuart though, he did tell the younger green engine about singing to the coaches, which Stuart took to heart. John was sold off to a mining company somewhere in Africa. No one really knows where however. Jim was sold off for use in India after the Mountain Road's closure. No one is really sure what happened to him in India. However, it is possible that he survived as part of a small museum.
May 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
thebocostan.bsky.social
Engines that had the number 5.
No one knows much about this original No. 5. Beyond that the engine was female, and was likely a Corris Railway Falcon class like many other engines on the Mid Sodor. Her vanity got the better of her, and eventually she ended up being sent away after she was too busy looking at her reflection to stop on the quay. My idea is that the MSR manager gave the Falcon works a second chance when Proteus, which was built for the Skarloey railway to the 0-4-2 redesign in 1898, proved a better performer. Leading to the acquisition of Falcon in 1903. While technically Austrian, fewer Mid Sodor engines fit the moniker of “German efficiency” better than Klaus. He was originally intended for a railway in South America, as was the brake coach Hildegard (or “Hildy”), when the order was suddenly cancelled while the ship was in port at Arlesburgh. The Manager took advantage of this happy coincidence, and bought them both. While Klaus was busy as the main goods engine, he still took the time to see Hildy when possible. However, Klaus proved too large for the notorious clearances on the Mountain Road, and eventually had to be sold off due to his weight causing premature wear and tear on tracks. Much like in the Seventyverse, Gerry is a female whose name is short for "Geraldine" in my take. One of the few female engines to ever operate on the Mid Sodor Railway, Gerry was best described as a talkative and fast-paced sort. While good-natured, her preference for a fast-paced life was not a good fit for the Horse and Cart, which was her usual assignment. She would often speed down the line with her train, causing problems like fragile goods being shattered or milk churned to butter in some cases. Ultimately, this would lead to the Manager selling Gerry off to a sugar cane railway in the Australian state of Queensland in 1922, where she would continue to operate into the 1960s. Albert was the last No. 5 on the line.
May 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
thebocostan.bsky.social
Engines that had the number 4.

NOTE: Alfred's backstory, in addition to @rexeljet.bsky.social's headcanon, also was inspired by real-life locomotives that Disney animators Ward Kimball and Ollie Johnston owned.
Arnold and Arlo are based on two different universe's interpretations of Albert (based on what was known before 2020). Arlo shared ERS Albert's fate of being used as a spares donor after his firebox crown melted. Although he was never rebuilt as an 0-4-2. A Napoleon of the rails, Odin’s conceit is widely theorized to have come from being named after a Norse god. Despite the ego however, Odin remained a hard worker unlike Arnold. Typically he spent his time on light goods with the occasional passenger work. He would eventually end up being sold to work on the Granite Quarry line as said quarry’s designated shunter. Originally operating on a gold mine in Colorado, Alfred was purchased secondhand in 1895 for use on the Mid-Sodor’s Parliamentary passenger train. Alfred was initially an engine who struggled with passenger trains, but he grew better with time. He was also fitted with an extended saddle tank in 1906. In 1920 however, he would end up being sold to a company in Puerto Rico, where he was rebuilt into a 2-4-0 tender engine. Upon being slated for scrap in the 70s, a visiting artist from the Continental United States bought Alfred, and began operating him through his vineyards in California. Alfred has stayed with the artist’s family and estate to this day. While he fondly recalls his days on Sodor, Alfred much prefers the warmer climates he has worked in since then. Expecting someone else?
May 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
thebocostan.bsky.social
Engines that maintained the number 3.
Arnold was primarily a goods engine due to his fierce temper and rough riding. Unfortunately, the MSR couldn’t afford to fix the rough riding, but they could limit issues by relegating Arnold to goods work. Nonetheless, Arnold proved himself a temperamental and badly-behaved engine, who eventually blew himself up pulling a train of gunpowder wagons. The insurance from Arnold’s accident would enable the railway to buy Falcon, who was built as the 0-4-2 redesign. Falcon was built as a direct replacement for Arnold, since Arnold was destroyed in 1902.
May 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
thebocostan.bsky.social
As many engines came and went, many engines took the number that once belonged to another engine. For starters, these are the three engines that bore the number 2.
Bertram was the polar opposite of his brother Duke. While Duke was polite and methodical, Bertram was brash and reckless. However, said recklessness would lead to Bertram’s tender being destroyed in an accident in 1884, where the coupling between it and himself snapped and it rolled down the mountain all the way back to Arlesdale sheds! In the end, Bertram was sold to the Cas-Ny-Hawn mining company to help recoup losses caused by the accident, and he was rebuilt into a tank engine by that company. Afterwards, Bertram was much more careful and his recklessness turned to bravery which earned him the “Old Warrior” nickname, but still remained on good terms with Duke. When the MSR closed, Bertram was left abandoned until being discovered by The Sodor Construction Company several decades later. Since he was too neglected to be a viable restoration project, he was instead placed on display at the Arlesdale Railway’s station in Arlesburgh West. Elsa Built as a clone of Fletcher Jennings’ earlier Talyllyn (and her sister Skarloey). Known as the “Snow Queen” due to her light blue with white stripes, Elsa was known to have an outwardly cold and regal appearance. However, Duke, Falcon, and the others will tell you that Elsa was a much-needed calming presence amongst all the eccentric engines you could find on the Mid Sodor. However, Elsa would eventually have to be sold off when she burst a cylinder, which had been neglected thanks to the efforts of the railway to contribute to World War I. While the infamous derailments Stanley caused were partly due to his poor regauging, his flippant and reckless attitude did not help his case. Stanley particularly butted heads with Falcon on a regular basis. Then one day while speeding down the line with the Horse and Cart, he shattered his own frames. The damage was too costly to repair, and if you’ve read the books, the rest is history. The MSR decided to ditch having No.2 locomotives after Stanley thanks to the belief that the number had been cursed.
May 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
thebocostan.bsky.social
Albert (French like @rexeljet.bsky.social's interpretation) arrived with 4 French coaches. They, along with Hildy (see alt text) ended up on a line in northeastern Italy where they work heritage services to this day.
The coaches Albert arrived with - Paulette, Antoinette, Odette, and Juliette - are narrow gauge derivatives of these Réseau Breton coaches. The quadruplets were built for a revamped version of the Boat Train. Hildegard (or "Hildy" for short) was built in Austria along with Klaus (see below) for a cancelled project in South America. The boat was an Arlesburgh when the cancellation was confirmed, so the Manager bought Klaus and Hildy. At first the French quadruplets teased her due to her Austro-German heritage, until she almost singlehandedly saved the Boat Train from a nasty wreck.
May 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
thebocostan.bsky.social
Since Duke, Falcon, and Stuart are largely unchanged, I won't be going into too much detail about them unless somehow relevant. I'll also be using alt. text to explain the images to save on character space.
The MSR Trio
May 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
thebocostan.bsky.social
Thanks.

So far I had the idea for four French coaches that could arrive with Albert and Minnie (my take on the Mine Engine) from France. My idea would be that they're the original power for the MSR Boat Train.

I also had the idea to incorporate Proteus as the originally MSR No.3 before Falcon.
May 22, 2025 at 8:01 PM
thebocostan.bsky.social
Decided to do likewise.
February 18, 2025 at 9:33 PM
thebocostan.bsky.social
Now a realistic model of what Emily would look like in my AU of the TV series. My idea would be that she was built as an exhibition piece then put into revenue service much like Caledonian 123.

Her color scheme here is based on @dartharzenal.bsky.social's S5 retelling of Emily's New Coaches.
February 17, 2025 at 12:05 AM
thebocostan.bsky.social
Also updated my take on her design by making her running boards white.
February 16, 2025 at 4:40 PM
thebocostan.bsky.social
This is my take on if Molly had been introduced in the Classic Series. Personally, I think she'd have a better fit as a "fourth big engine" than Emily. Not only does her color complement The male big engines better, but her personality would translate well into a soft-spoken, ladylike character.
February 15, 2025 at 7:46 PM