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'Merican Thomas

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Posted by wjstix on Friday, March 29, 2024 1:08 PM

Although the first Thomas stories came out in the 1940s, I believe Rev. Awdry based Thomas and the other early engines on engines that he saw as a boy in 1910s Britain. So I would say if Thomas were American, he'd still be from that time frame, a WW1 era engine.

Maybe "Mike the (USRA) Mikado"?

Stix
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Posted by SD60MAC9500 on Thursday, March 28, 2024 4:58 PM

I can see Thomas as a 2-8-4 Berkshire.

Rahhhhhhhhh!!!!
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Posted by mudchicken on Thursday, March 28, 2024 9:56 AM

All I know about that Thomas guy is that he comes around once a year for three weekends in a row, causes absolute chaos and havoc, then leaves the CRRM museum under cover of darkness and goes back to Durango.

"Sam" probably got downsized  by those "less than usefull" financial zealots that think they know how to railroad in the US and Canada.

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 6:39 PM

kgbw49
 
BaltACD

Thomas, being American, would not be the smallest engine in the house, he would be the largest. 

LOL, Balt! You had it nailed per the attached!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t_zsnNs-VYI

Surprised they didn't use a Big Boy rather than a 2-6-6-6

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by kgbw49 on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 6:24 PM

BaltACD

Thomas, being American, would not be the smallest engine in the house, he would be the largest.

 

LOL, Balt! You had it nailed per the attached!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t_zsnNs-VYI

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 11:25 AM

rdamon

Thomas would not exist in the US as it is a one man crew and the union would object.

Big Smile

 

Really?  What happened to the two very responsible railway workers?  Huh?

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Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 4:33 AM

rdamon
Thomas would not exist in the US as it is a one man crew and the union would object.

But Thomas is at least level 4 autonomous, capable of speech interaction, and arguably possessed of consciousness and self-awareness.

As are most of the other engines who are his friends...

Certain literary situations mention themselves other than the obvious, including a Keith Laumer SF story and a certain Stephen King monorail...

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Posted by rdamon on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 12:45 AM

Thomas would not exist in the US as it is a one man crew and the union would object.

Big Smile

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 1:10 PM

Flintlock76
the Jersey Central's tank engine was a 4-6-4 (The first Hudson?)

That is a pin-guided trailing truck, so at the very lease it would be 'Baltic', not 'Hudson', if you're agnostic about whether tank engines share Whyte coding.

It is my opinion that they should not.  A 4-6-xT is basically a fancy 4-6-0 (a wheel arrrangement that itself lacks an interesting name!) and needs a name that reflects this somehow, the way that 'Forney' means 0-4-4T.

A very clear example is those Reading 2-6-4s, which are properly called the 'Suburban' type.  They are NOT, NOT, NOT Golsdorf-style Adriatics, no matter whether the trailing truck is pin-guided or otherwise.

I would name the 4-6-4T arrangement the 'Remembrance' type (after the greatest of all 4-6-4T locomotive classes). 

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 12:35 PM

Overmod
that barracuda in Diver Dan...

Baron Barracuda!  Wow!  Somebody besides Lady Firestorm and me remembers "Diver Dan!"  

Oh yeah, I know the Jersey Central's tank engine was a 4-6-4 (The first Hudson?) but I just couldn't find a decent link to a picture of one in a reasonable amount of time.  So when all else fails fall back on Lionel!

I suspect Lionel used K-Line tooling to produce that model, if they ever did produce it, I've never seen one anywhere while I have seen K-Line's. 

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Posted by Mrchickenstrips on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 12:33 PM

I suck at computers but It would be neat to see someone animate this. (Ahem Cowl Unit Productions)

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Posted by zugmann on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 12:32 PM

Overmod
I'm already starting to prepare the pilot episode where Berkshire Partners sends the Fat Controller's brother Jonathan over to the island of Sodor to implement PSR and a fleet of Progress Rail diesels there...

Jon Oliver already kind of did that. 

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 12:30 PM

Perhaps "Rent to Wreck" would be even funnier.

The question is whether that is a recurring series, or a short-term gag.  I'm thinking that there's comedy gold to be mined from a great deal of recent British and American railroad history... the intersection of which promises to be far funnier than many of the other 'clash of cultures' movies and shows...

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Posted by Mrchickenstrips on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 12:23 PM

Overmod

I'm already starting to prepare the pilot episode where Berkshire Partners sends the Fat Controller's brother Jonathan over to the island of Sodor to implement PSR and a fleet of Progress Rail diesels there...

 

"Rent-A-Wreck" is your title. Clapped out PRLX diesels with previous rr logos crossed out

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 12:21 PM

Mrchickenstrips
this: Thomas (600hp SW-1) is usually working in the yard. On this particular day, the cranky diesel "gertie" broke down, so Thomas has take gertie's heavy train over a grade...

No, he helps Gertie take her train over the grade, and they do it together where neither one of them could alone.

Then they both thank and acknowledge each other as the other engines look on with admiration and growing understanding.

Gertie isn't stereotype 'cranky' like the crane: she has disabilities and has to surpass them.  This is the United States: we don't need convenient comic-relief villains like the scarecrow in Bob the Buiilder in this modern day and age.

Gotta do the messages right; no one else seems to be willing...

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 12:19 PM

I'm already starting to prepare the pilot episode where Berkshire Partners sends the Fat Controller's brother Jonathan over to the island of Sodor to implement PSR and a fleet of Progress Rail diesels there...

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Posted by Mrchickenstrips on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 12:19 PM

For me an episode would look something like

this: Thomas (600hp SW-1) is usually working in the yard. On this particular day, the cranky diesel "gertie" broke down, so Thomas has take gertie's heavy train over a grade...

 

Excellent replies everyone.

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Posted by zugmann on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 12:11 PM

Overmod
Well, it does have to be said that it would fit right in with our contemporary social rewriting of historical characters:

The fans' headcannons are going to rewrite the characters no matter what you do. 

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 12:05 PM

And almost immediately we get the episode where the (also female) equivalent of Spencer -- the PRR T1, of course -- approaches poor Gertie, tells her that she also had a long history of undeserved prejudice and discrimination (and comes from the same minority builder) and should hold herself up no matter what.

I'm already thinking who the voice talent should be...

 

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Posted by Mrchickenstrips on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 12:01 PM

If you want tank engines from the land of the cheese steak instead of the bean and the cod, consider the P&R.

 

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/pr381sa.jpg

 

Love those P&R Tank engines. Looks like it should work, not oversized and humongous like the B&M 4-6-4s

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 12:00 PM

Well, it does have to be said that it would fit right in with our contemporary social rewriting of historical characters:

Male to female.

Major disabilities.

Judged by everyone to be a pariah based on perceived major disabilities, to be overcome with pluck.

Minority origins

Wink

 

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Posted by Mrchickenstrips on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 11:58 AM

What other Gravel Gerties could there be?

None other! I'd just never heard of that term until now. Weird considering my town used to be served by NYC/PC/CR before being sold to NS and trackage closed about 6 years later. The ROW is now the "Tunnel Hill State Trail"

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Posted by Mrchickenstrips on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 11:56 AM

Thomas would be a 600hp SW-1.

 

An original 'I think I can, I think I can' type engine. Saw one drag 8700 tons of cement up and over the switching hump at Clark Ave. Yard in Cleveland. It wasn't fast but it was moving.

 

I like this one, especially if we were willing to change the type of engine Thomas is presented as.

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 11:55 AM

What other Gravel Gerties could there be?

https://nycshs.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/gravelgerties.pdf

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Posted by Mrchickenstrips on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 11:50 AM

... although I would cast my vote for an oily operational disaster with one of the NYC Gerties. 

[/quote]

By "gerties" are you referring to the Baldwin diesels?

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Posted by Shadow the Cats owner on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 11:48 AM

Thomas would be either the 2-6-0 if steam you know a nice little mogul that did it all and if a diesel the GP7 I get it done.  

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Posted by BaltACD on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 11:26 AM

Thomas would be a 600hp SW-1.

An original 'I think I can, I think I can' type engine.  Saw one drag 8700 tons of cement up and over the switching hump at Clark Ave. Yard in Cleveland.  It wasn't fast but it was moving.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by zugmann on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 11:23 AM

Overmod
(I don't want to post any of the obvious furry-vs-F40PH memes on this innocent forum!)

The venn diagram would be a circle.  

I think a GP7 is too old. The  38-2s are still on the class 1s, so would have broader appeal. 

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 11:19 AM

In meme circles, it's the full F40PH or nothing!  (I don't want to post any of the obvious furry-vs-F40PH memes on this innocent forum!)

But that's not a "Thomas-sized" locomotive; it's a full-on high-speed passenger engine.  

GP38 would work, but I'd argue that Thomas would be more a GP7 (or GP10/11) sort of fellow.  Would he be a GP38-2, though?

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