Sodor: Echo

Signals From The Past

Date: July 21, 1979

The morning air hung thick and heavy as I and Ted, climbed into the cab of Thomas.

The island had grown quieter since the strange vibrations and glowing mist appeared near the quarry, but the sense of unease never left me. We had another task today, one that seemed simple enough: clear debris from an old tunnel on the Skarloey Railway. But nothing on Sodor felt simple anymore.

Sir Topham Hatt had assigned Edward, Murdock, and Neville to lead the task, with us accompanying to offer support. Edward, the oldest and most reliable of the engines, had seemed eager to help, as always. But as I looked across the yard at his familiar blue shape, I noticed something different—he seemed more hesitant, a shadow in his usually calm demeanor. Maybe it was the way his eyes kept shifting toward the mountains, where the old tunnels snaked through the rock, as though he could sense something waiting there.

The Skarloey Railway was nestled in the hills, its narrow-gauge tracks winding through forests and ancient rock formations. The tunnel in question had been out of use for years, blocked off by a landslide sometime in the 1950s. With recent tremors shaking the island, debris had shifted, and Sir Topham Hatt was concerned that it might become a hazard for the engines running on that line. Clearing it was supposed to be a precautionary measure, but something in the air that day told me there was more to it than just a safety issue.

We set out from Tidmouth in a convoy: Edward at the front, Murdock next, then Neville, and Thomas bringing up the rear. The rails beneath us still vibrated faintly, though it had become so constant that I almost forgot to notice it. Almost.