The Sudrians: The Archive Collection

Together In Electric Dreams

A/N: Sorry guys! This was finished a lot later than I hoped it would be. But it's done now, and I'm hoping to get the next episodes done until the new year begins.

~1956~

The railway had gone through many changes in its years. But the most bizarre change was electricity. Some railways were getting ahead of their time, and began using this new source of energy before I was even built! The North Western Railway decided to test this on their own railway in 1922. The Peel Godred branch line was completed in 1923 and was soon putting these weird telephone-looking wires above the track.

Not long after that, the first electric engine arrived. His name was Nelson, and was one of the biggest electrics around. With having a 4-6-4 wheel configuration. He and his brother, weren't given a class at the time before 1945. But a year after he arrived, it had been proved that he couldn't be able to manage the work alone in the branch, and the other engines were either too small or too busy to help.

Ross and Ellie arrived in 1923. And with the help of them both, the branch line began to run efficiently. None of them really got into adventures, mainly the usual passenger complaints or the Culdee Fell engines having the occasional repairs of either the lines or engines.

But when the eight core engines went to the mainland, Nelson was annoyed and Ross was beyond furious.

"How dare the Fat Controller leaves us!" exclaimed Ross, one morning after the evening when the mainland engines arrived. "We've been working trains on this island for decades and now we are pushed aside for some steam kettles to go to England without us! Even that feather engine is going and he hasn't been here for five years!"

"I know," grumbled Nelson, "we've worked just as hard, we should get a break every now and then too."

Ellie felt the two electric engines were being quite embarrassing. "Fools," she said quietly, "the only reason why they're going is that those books that the reverend had written has made them an icon for British Railways. We've barely been heard of before and besides."

She paused, thinking wisely over her thoughts. "We are needed here, we are different to others with our electric, and steam engines could not understand how we work here anyways!"

Nelson looked at Ellie. "To be fair you've got a point," he said.

"WHAT?"

"Oh come now brother," sighed Ellie, as Ross seethed with fury, feeling like he had been betrayed by Nelson.

"Don't you dare say that," fumed Ross, and rumbled away.

***

British Railways didn't really care about the appearance when the North Western Railway became a region. So they didn't bother having the engines all repainted into BR black or green, this also applied to the electric engines who had different coats of paint. Nelson had a rich ruby red with white streaks coming from the middle with the words N.W.R. painting on each side. Ross had his paint as a dark navy blue. This his him within the darkness, which he secretly liked. Ellie, had a beautiful green coat with white lining similar to Nelson's lining.

This was mainly inspired by Emily the Emerald Engine's coat of paint, which she still wore the S&M livery after being sold to a private owner. This caught the attention of a pannier tank engine when she first met Ellie.

The pannier engine glanced at Ellie's coat and found in quite attractive. One day, the engine came into the yards to find Ellie resting in one of the sidings.

"Green really suits you," said the pannier, coming to holt with the wagons grumbling behind.

Ellie looked up. "It does?"