TobyandMavisforever

Remember this journal I did a while ago? Good. Because I have another idea.

This is a reboot of the entire LG series. All the guidelines I set for series 3 will apply here, but I have some new ones too. Also, some minor elements of both the Six New Adventure stories and Lion King 2 will be altered slightly to fit this.

1. Simba has Noxolo, his sister from an AU I talked about, leading her Lion Guard. This consisting of Mheetu, Mtoto, Chumvi and Tojo (Tojo also has his birds with him.). This means they will be handling all the missions while Kion's group are the Junior Lion Guard, training to take over from them.

2. Tama and Kula are huntresses in the Pride. Nadra (concept name for Nala), also exists, as Nala's personal advisor, lady-in-waiting and royal doppelganger. Basically, this is a headcanon I borrowed from ReddRedPanda.

3. There are a bunch of other cubs in the Pride, including Tanabi and Tariku (cub from the Timon and Pumbaa show), cubs of Mheetu and Noxolo; Mbali and Mzamo (cubs from a video game), cubs of Nadra and Ni; and Thulani and Zarie (cubs from a video game.) The last two are brothers of Tiifu and Zuri respectively. Kopa also exists, as Kion and Kiara's youngest triplet.

4. Tama and Tojo are the parents of Tiifu and Thulani, while Kula and Chumvi are the parents of Zuri and Zarie.

5. There's at least three other Lion Kingdoms I planned out. The Sunlands (ruled by Mega and Sabini; cubs are Boga, Baba and Babu [Baba is a cub from a video game]), the Coastlands (ruled by Abdu [the lighter coloured cub; his mother is doubled up as Diku by the way] and Bititi [female cub from the "I Just Can't Wait to be King" book]) and the Rocklands (ruled by Malka and Nia; cubs are Sade, Rea and Afua [Nia is then unnamed sister of Rego. Her design is a lioness from a video game, as are all three of the cubs].)

6. All the seasons are to have 24 LG episodes each. The Rise of Scar and Battle of the Pridelands will count as movies, not standard episodes.

7. The Six New Adventure stories and two audio stories with Kopa will be implemented.

You guys ready? Let's do it.

Lion King 2: Cubs.

As well as other animals coming to see Kiara's presentation, members of the extended family also pop by. Diku, Abdalla, Abdu, Badru (the darker coloured cub), Naanda, Nadra and Ni. Naanda, Nadra and Ni ask if they can live in the Pridelands as Naanda has stepped down from her Lion Guard leader position in the Coastlands, and there's been a lot of cubs in the Coastlands lately. Simba agrees, due to some of his pride being lost in the drought.

Suddenly, Kula goes into labour and Nala dashes to help. Nadra is asked to stand in for Nala as presenting Kiara to the kingdom. Though a bit nervous, Nadra accepts the offer. And she turns out to be pretty good as a stand-in queen.

Timeskip happens and the cubs are now in the 'child' stage. The aforementioned cubs above have been born by now too. Kiara was planning on playing with the girls at Urembo Meadows, but decides to let them wake up later and play on her own. Kion and Kopa rush off to play with their friends. Kopa plays with Pimbi the hyrax and Jambo and Kwaheri the monkeys. However, what Kion didn't realise that his "friends" - Tariku, Mzamo, Zarie and Thulani - only wanted to be around him in hopes they'll be chosen for the next Lion Guard. Mbali, Tanabi, Tiifu and Zuri are looking for Kiara at Urembo Meadows, but of course, she's not there. She's in the Outlands escaping crocodiles with Kovu.

While the cubs are playing, Simba realises he's set up a meeting with the Sunlands and Rocklands on the same day, and Nala decides she'll go to the Sunlands to talk to Mega and Sabini. Nadra and Simba could talk to Malka and Nia in the Rocklands. This meeting is to discuss alliances as Scar had cut off ties with neighbouring prides. The plan is the betroth Kopa to Boga of the Sunlands, and Kiara to Afua of the Rocklands.

Simba and Nadra get back in time to hear that Kiara is gone, and they, with two other lionesses, go to fetch her from the outlands. Ni goes to round up the cubs and bring them back to Pride Rock. Cue We Are One.

Nala gets back home and is informed of the incident. Relieved that Kiara is fine, she talks to Simba and Nadra about the betrothals. The trio lament they still haven't got one for Kion, when Kula pops out and tells Nala she feels indebted to her due to helping her while in labour. Nala insists that seeing Kula and the cubs healthy was payment enough, but Kula offers to betroth Zuri to Kion. When Chumvi gets back from patrol, he's surprised, but agrees. Simba decides to keep the bethorthals under wraps as he doesn't want his kids to have the same reactions he and Nala did when they were cubs.

Zira's scene with her cubs is relatively untouched. However, I imagine that while Kovu sneaks off and Nuka pays no mind to him, Vitani is sparring with Shabaha, Kasi, Imara and Tazama, a Lion Guard in training meant to combat Kion's future Lion Guard. While Kovu was chosen by Scar to become King, Vitani was chosen by Scar to become the next Lion Guard leader.

Lion Guard: Season 1

1. A Tale of Two Sisters (Flashback to the First King and his daughters instead of Mufasa, Scar and Ahadi)

2. Never Judge a Hyena by Its Spots/A Friend For Life

3. Nala's Dare

4. Vulture Shock (The Night Pride are visiting Simba's Pride due to the shorter distance between them. This is where Babu is bethorthed to Rani and Tiifu to Bailyo - Leo meddles with some things on the Tiifu and Bailyo one)

5. The Rise of Makuu

6. Bunga the Wise

7. Eye of the Beholder

8. The Kupatana Celebration

9. The Search for Utamu

10. Follow That Hippo!

11. The Call of the Drongo

12. Paintings and Predictions

13. Bunga and the King

14. The Imaginary Okapi

15. Too Many Termites

16. The Trouble With Galagos

17. Day of the Crocodiles (Replaces Timon and Pumbaa's Christmas)

18. Baboons!

19. Beware the Zimwi

20. Never Roar Again

21. The Lost Gorillas

22. The Trail to Udugu

23. Ono's Idol

24. Ono the Tickbird

25. Janja's New Crew

26. Lions of the Outlands

27. The Mbali Fields Migration

Special: The Junior Lion Guard (Takes place before Never Judge a Hyena By It's ; retitled from Return of the Roar because Noxolo would already have the Roar)

This season has a few episodes shuffled around and moved because I feel this would suit the young Lion Guard more. I put Janja's New Crew and Lions of the Outlands as close as I can to the finale because it sets the tone for season 2. And I put the Mbali Fields Migration as the last episode of season 1, which to me, indicates the Dry Season is on it's way (as the herds outgrow their grazing grounds). Also, I don't wish there to be any human references in this series, so, Timon and Pumbaa's Christmas has got to go. The Day of the Crocodiles also helps to establish the Zuri/Kion romance as being a one-sided mess on Zuri's part. Rani and Bailyo will also be showing up a lot more, as visitors on diplomatic visits with their parents. Babu, Boga and Afua will also be visiting. We also may see occasion bits with Kovu, Vitani, her future guard and Nuka in the Outlands prior to the first season's finale. Anga will be aged down a bit, and we'll see her interacting with Kion's trainee guard every once in a while. Kopa also spends much of the season trying to find a niche in the pride, as his sister and brother have their futures worked out.

Lion Guard: Season 2

1. The Traveling Baboon Show

2. The Savannah Summit

3. Follow the Leader

4. Let Sleeping Crocs Lie

5. Swept Away

6. Rafiki's New Neighbors

7. Rescue in the Outlands

8. A Snake In the Grass

9. The Ukumbusho Tradition

10. The Bite of Kenge

11. The Morning Report

12. The Golden Zebra

13. The Little Guy

14. Divide and Conquer

15. The Scorpion's Sting

16. The Wisdom of Kongwe

17. The Kilio Valley Fire

18. Undercover Kinyonga

19. How True, Zazu?

20. Cave of Secrets

21. The Zebra Mastermind

22. The Hyena Resistance

23. The Underground Adventure

24. Beshte and the Beast

25. Pride Landers Unite!

26. The Queen's Visit

27. The Fall of Mizimu Grove

Special: The Rise of Scar (takes place before Let Sleeping Crocs Lie)

Again, more episodes are shuffled around. I expanded Rafiki's old mandrill troop to inculde these guys (Makini, her parents, Babu, Biba, Tonga and Nefu; Bobo is a deceased member who was Rafiki's mentor). This will foreshadow Makini as Rafiki's apprentice. While hints of who the true couples of Kiara's generation have shown up occasionally in series 1, they will really take flight here (Kiara/Kovu, Kion/Rani, Kopa/Vitani, Tiifu/Babu, Zuri/Bailyo and Afua/Boga). Anga also helps Kion's trainee guard more often.

Lion King 2: Young Adults

Note: Some of series 3 takes place before this and most is concurrent.

With the battle of Scar's spirit won, Kion and Ono unfortunately got hurt in the process. Kion due to a surprise attack from Janja (pre-reformation), and Ono due to saving Bunga from a volcano. Though Simba is a bit paranoid, he isn't nearly as much as he is with Kovu later (Kion has his father's gold coat and red eyes, so PTSD isn't as strong). In any case, Rafiki suggests they go to the Tree of Life to get Ono healed. Kion's scar doesn't need treatment, but he does need therapy. They agree to go.

Nala takes Kopa to the Sunlands to settle in with Boga. (Again, Nadra fills in for Nala in her stead). Tiifu, who is on her way to the Night Pride anyway to marry Bailyo - again, due to grandfather Leo's meddling - decides to tag along with Kion's group. Zuri decides to go too. Kion, knowing the real reason why, begrudgingly allows Zuri to come.

With Kiara's brothers and her best friends out of the Pridelands before her first hunt and her bethorthal to Afua on her mind, she struggles with it ala the movie. Much of Kiara's bit remains unchanged actually. Afua had been making excuses not to go to the Pridelands however, and eventually he's dragged down there by Malka. When the duo arrive, Afua is glad to see Kiara has now chosen Kovu as her future consort. This gives him hope that he could be with Boga.

As for Kopa, he is set to marry Boga, much to his worry. The days he spends in the Sunlands are nice, but he finds Boga a bit too quiet for his taste. However, he assures Nala he's fine and she should get home. Somewhat hesitantly, she does. The wedding happens some weeks after the Pridelander/Outlander unification and Kopa and Boga both admit they can't do it. They instead confess their love for Vitani and Afua, respectively (Kopa doesn't say this name aloud.). Kopa heads back to the Pridelands on good terms with Boga, and Afua arrives just in time to have the wedding proceed.

Doubly meanwhile, at the Night Pride, Babu is sent over to marry Rani, escorted by Tabia (The Sunlands majordomo). They can't go through with this either, as Babu is in love with Tiifu and Rani loves Kion. Tiifu and Bailyo too confess their love for Babu and Zuri respectively, and the couples all wish to marry right then and there. However, Kion knows of his responsibility as Leader of the Lion Guard. He knows his aunt Noxolo and her guard can't keep going forever. Jasiri and Janja arrive and they tell Kion's guard about Zira's children. The whole battle of Lion Guards happen, this time with Rani, Bailyo and Babu present too, and Vitani's team take over. Kion is overjoyed, for now he and Rani are free to be together.

Kopa finally returns to the Pridelands, the very day after Vitani's guard were made offical. He and Vitani's romance rekindled and he gets to know the rest of the guard better. Ulitamently, Kopa was dubbed Vitani's Smartest.

Lion Guard series 3:

1. Upendi Day

2. Fire In the Sky

3. Can't Wait to Be Queen

4. Beshte and the Hippo Lanes

5. Babysitter Bunga

6. Ono and the Egg

7. Fuli's New Family

8. The Harmattan

9. Outlander Destoryers (Poa the Destoryer)

10. The Avalanche (The Accidental Avalance)

11. Friends To The End (Mashup of this and Race to Tuliza)

12. The Tree of Life

13. The River of Patience

14. Mama Spinster Ratel (Part 1; Mama Binterong/Granny Ginterbong mashup)

15. Mama Spinster Ratel (Part 2; Mama Binterong/Granny Ginterbong mashup)

16. Marsh of Mystery

17. Long Live the Queen

18. The Lake of Reflection

19. The Ghost of the Tree (Ghost of the Mountain)

20. Triumph of the Roar

21. A Great King? (Jounrey of Memories)

22. Journey to the Pridelands

23. Return to the Pridelands

24. We Are the Same

25. The New Apprentice (Dragon Island)

26. Fight for the Throne (Instead of Simba fighting Kesho, it's Kiara who reclaims her birthright as The Lion Queen.)

27. The Next Generation

Special: Battle for the Pridelands (takes place before The Harmattan)

Much of this follows a journal I made, but with more episodes. I picked a few from series 1 and 2 because I found these scenarios more fitting for an older guard. (Why is Fuli hunting a full grown gazelle as a cub? Or Kiara in charge who the Pridelands as a cub?). There's also some stories I added to even things out.

• Upendi Day, Simba and Nala both explain that the triplets are bethorthed. Kiara, who is head-over-paws for Kovu, sobs profusely and bolts. Kion is more angered and asks why he wasn't told this sooner, and he storms off, the fact Zuri had been obsessive over him as a cub doesn't help. Kopa feels numb, but deep down, wonders if this was the purpose he was looking for: becoming Boga's consort. However, they all secretly meet Kovu, Vitani and Rani. Tiifu, Zuri, Babu, Boga, Bailyo and Afua all meet with them too, and the six couples all act romantically in secret. When Simba or Nala come over, Kovu and Vitani rush back into the Outlands, and the bethorthed "couples", all act as if nothing happened.

• We Are The Same, Janja tells Jasiri about how his clan came to be, and she tells him about hers.

To really put everyone in the mood, here's all the Thomas Christmas episodes I could find:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muUlqkRV0Bo&t=254s

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x50xo46

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKiCbwVzSzM

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6u5n64

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7un6qk

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there might have been one from S23 I might have missed. But have a very merry Christmas, my friends!

1. Simba's Lion Guard

In this AU, Simba has a younger sister named Noxolo (peaceful). She is born after Scar forces Simba into exile, and Sarabi realises she's expecting Mufasa's second cub. Noxolo was named so because she was destined to take Scar down as leader of the Lion Guard. Her LG consists of Mheetu (Bravest), Mtoto (Fastest), Chumvi (Strongest) and Tojo (Keenest of Sight). Tojo also uses his six birds: Kuraka (Fly), Kofi (Flap), Mrengo (Wing), Peka (Peck), Kupanda (Soar) and Mdomo (Beak) as scouts to fly ahead and spot trouble. Noxolo's Lion Guard are forced to head to the Rocklands - Sheena's pride - to complete their training due to Scar's hyeanas trying to chase them down. They complete their training and head back to fight, but... the battle between Scar and Simba had already gone down. In this canon, Kion and his friends are mentored by Noxolo's guard, and have more time to just be kids.

• Noxolo aboustely loves Kion and takes being a mentor very seriously. She is amazed at how quickly Kion takes on the responsibility of being the future Lion Guard leader. That being said, Noxolo loves to play with Kion, tell him stories and even allows him to ride on her back when he is little. Being an aunt was the greatest thing that ever happened to her... well, next to her own two cubs of course.

• Mheetu's relationship with Bunga is... very strained. Bunga is incredibly reckless and Mheetu has a trying time teaching him that "being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble".

• Mtoto and Fuli's relationship starts off average at best. Mtoto doesn't understand why Fuli likes to eat her meals in a corner away from everyone, but she explains it's just the cheetah way. He starts to understand and even becomes a better father to her than her real father, Kesho, ever could be.

• Chumvi doesn't want to give Beshte a chance at first, as he wanted lions in the guard as tradition. Beshte tried not to let it get to him at first, but it started to drain on the poor hippo after a while. Chumvi starts to realise his errors after... *need some kind of event*

• Tojo welcomes Ono to the guard with open paws. He allows Ono to scout ahead with his birds and they teach him sky power combat. Tojo and his birds react similarly when Anga later joins the Guard.

2. Scar's plan backfires

In addition to the Noxolo guard, this AU has Scar die in his own trap. Simba's all like "I'm going to find out what Dad's surprise is right now!". He leaves the gorge without Scar knowing, Scar signals the hyenas, the wildebeest stampede, Scar looks to try and find Simba and he falls into the gorge. Scar is trampled to death by the wildebeest. The hyenas, enraged the plan went wrong, took Scar back to the graveyard and eat him. Meanwhile, Mufasa did have a surprise for Simba - to visit one of the neighboring prides so he can meet the cubs there. They head there and don't return until evening. It also rained while they were out, washing away Scar's scent. The hyenas don't tell Mufasa anything and the wildebeest just told Mufasa that the hyenas were in the Pridelands. As far as Mufasa and Simba are aware, Scar left the Pridelands on his own accord. While some are upset for a while, they figure Scar made a new home away from Pride Rock. He wasn't much of a social butterfly anyway...

• Noxolo's Lion Guard does still happen, but with Scar not exiling males left and right, Tama and Kula replace Mtoto and Mheetu on the Guard.

• This effects Kion's guard too, as Bunga wouldn't have been adopted by Timon and Pumbaa as Simba wouldn't have met them due to not going into exile.

• Kula is a bit skeptical of the non-lions, but starts to root for her future successor in Fuli. She is always making sure she gets enough to eat, and is a warm and loving motherly figure.

• Kinyonga replaces Bunga on the Guard as the Bravest member. She uses her camouflage to slip past enemies and surprises them by flashing colours unexpectedly. She can get on Tama's nerves occasionally, but otherwise, Tama is impressed with the chameleon's quick thinking and bravery.

• Kion in this take is best friends with Fuli rather than Bunga or Kinyonga.

• Because of this, many of the LG's plots need to be rewritten to fit Kinyonga's presence. It's possible Bunga might show up, but this new take of him is far more subdued due to not having his "uncles" looking after him.

• Zira still exists, but she doesn't mother Nuka, Vitani or Kovu. In fact, because she doesn't go crazy for Scar when she arrived in the Pridelands, she doesn't stick around and runs off. The three cubs still do exist in this canon, but with another set of parents. (Most likely OCs/background lions). Their names are now Nukato (sweet smelling), Kheri (Goodness), and Vitani is still Vitani, just named for her blue eyes (Vitani also means "flax", which is a type of blue flower). Shabaha, Kasi, Imora and Tazama also still exist, just as cubs in Simba's pride. Nunka and Shentani also exist, parented by other lions, and are named Nufaika and Shartati instead.

• In spite of all this, Scar's spirit still shows up ala Rise of Scar.

3. Age swap AU

In Kiara's generation, the cubs are all swapped. Kopa is to be king, Kiara is to be the Lion Guard leader, and Kion is the youngest. This also applies to Vitani/Kovu; Boga/Baba/Babu; Rani/Bailyo; Sade/Rea/Afua; Mbali/Mzamo; Tanabi/Tariku; Tiifu/Thulani, Zuri/Zarie and Nunka/Shentani. Nuka is a little baby while Vitani and Kovu are the same age as the royal triplets. In this version, Zira failed to be pregnant by Scar and went to find a rogue. She gave birth not too long before Simba returned. Then she and Scar shared one final night together before Simba took Scar down...

• Kion is more carefree in this version. He spends most of his time goofing off with his friends. However, he never becomes quite so rebellious as his other siblings, and is a stickler for the rules.

• Kopa is much like his dad in his youth, right down to boasting about being king, and Simba and Nala find it very difficult to curve.

• Kiara's Lion Guard consists of a baboon, a wilderbeest, a hippo (not Beshte) and a bluebird. (All these animals were in the We Are One song). This is credited to Vtoony. Anga still joins in series 3. (For the record, if Kopa was second born, his Lion Guard would have Ngawa [a cirvet in Vulture Shock], Beba [a cheetah mentioned in A Snake in the Grass], Asante [a hyena in A Friend for Life and mentioned in Fight for the Throne] and Pimbi [a hyrax in A Tale of Two Brothers]). Hoo boy, if Simba was unnerved by a wildebeest in the guard in Kiara's version, how would he react with Kopa choosing a hyena?!

• The pairings all remain the same as the prime headcanon. How they get together is a bit different.

I've seen it, and the final product... it's good. The filming and music were well done, and the stock footage used fit the episode. The props were also utilized very well.

But what about the story and the characters. Well, I'd say everyone was written in character for series 5 standards, and the story is... nice. Toby wanting a feel for the old days again and then he stumbles on his old line by accident.

That all being said... I've seen far more ground breaking, emotional and exciting stories. I do recommend giving the story a watch, but there are far better fan projects out there.

Zack and I had gone over the OG twenty six books one journal entry at a time - in order of stories being eliminated from my mega long poll on Twitter. I have to admit, one of the reasons why I didn't do the Chris Awdry books is because I didn't actually start these journals; Zack did, right when Coal was eliminated from my poll no less, he did his journal on Henry the Green Engine. He also did Tank Engine Thomas Again; I did the remaining 24.

Now, I decided to tackle the Chris Awdry books, and try to discuss why I feel these books feel more flat than the original ones. To try and spice it up, I decided to talk about the books in the order that the final story was eliminated from the poll, and how I'd restructure each book.

42. New Little Engine

Speedkiller - Rusty gets a bit of interesting development here; it's shown that he hates taking the weedkiller tanker each year. That being said, why does he do this if the ballast kills the weeds when it grows? We also get a brief mention of a diesel named Fred, who unfortunately is never seen. Other than that, it's just a ripoff of Gallant Old Engine in fine weather with much lower stakes; even down to using Rheneas as the engine struggling with the train.

Sir Handel's Plan - Peter Sam comes back home and... Sir Handel is suddenly jealous of going to Wales? What?! He already went to Wales in the previous SkR book! He then knocks out his firebars to... pay Peter Sam back? What kind of excuse is that?! And then he later gets his new firebars after owning up. This story is not only boring, it's insulting. You'd think Sir Handel would have calmed down with Duke around, but nope! Ugh...

Dirty Water - Lizzie and Kathy are actually quite an entertaining duo when they're interacting with Peter Sam, but the poor engine sadly did not catch a break on his trip in Wales. It is admittingly a bit realistic as the engines are essentially celebrities and they would be given the spotlight weather they'd want it or not. Sadly though, this is as entertaining as the book gets...

I Name This Engine - So the engines are finally preparing for the naming ceremony of the new engine and are wondering what he's going to be called. They get cleaned up and... Skarloey and his crew and visitors are caught up chasing piglets? How does that get here? Anyway, after that, they get to the naming ceremony and the chief mechanical engineer dubs the engine's new name as Ivo Hugh... and that it. That's the end of the book. We don't know anything about Ivo Hugh or Fred! Are you kidding me?! That build up was for NOTHING?!

So, that was a very disappointing book. I believe, in order to get this to be more entertaining, here's what I'd do to change it up.

New Little Engines

1. Speedkiller - have bits of I Name This Engine... sprinkled in the story so we can get to the new engine being named sooner. This also establishes Fred as a character and he's the one taking the speedkiller... I mean, the weed killer, train. Maybe there's some banter with Rusty and the other engines in there somewhere. Young Ivo Hugh is eager to take the Skarloey Railway by storm. Unfortunately, his first train ends up with a bad first impression as he slips on the weed killer. Rheneas comes over to help him out, and this humbles the young engine a bit.

2. Fred's Plan - Fred is a bit jealous about being unappreciated compared to Ivo Hugh, and decides to take his anger out by breaking down - obviously not the firebars thing, it makes no lick of sense with him being a diesel. Unfortunately for him, this just gets him more ignored by the others. I'm also thinking that maybe Rusty plays a role here; there could be a thing about enthusiasts loving the steam engines more as they're rare or something, I'm not too sure.

3. Dirty Water - Ivo Hugh is in place of Peter Sam this time around, and the story takes place in the present. Again, people still want to see Ivo Hugh as he's a new engine, so he's quite humliated. Peter Sam tells Ivo Hugh something similar happened in Wales. Just as an aside, I think Peter Sam came back for a week or something following Ivo Hugh's construction so he can meet the newest addition to their fleet.

4. The Pig Chase - Ivo Hugh and Fred are frustrated with each other and are then tasked to work together on some kind of train - not sure what that is. In any case, they both get stopped by some pigs running wild, and they have to help their crews track them down, no pun intended.

This way, Ivo Hugh and Fred both get some character to go off of and we get to see how the pre-existing engines would bounce off them. There would be other minor interactions here and there where I see fit; maybe Sir Handel sees Fred as what he used to be?

41. Great Little Engines

Patience is a Virtue - When everyone - except for Rusty for some reason, and Duke should be in the works, so what gives - is at the sheds, the Thin Controller has a letter about Tayllan being ill and Sir Handel is chosen to go to Wales. He gets very cocky about it to the point that when Gordon calls him "indispensable", he accidentally leaves the guard behind. (Sigh) Definitely some recycling from Thomas and the Guard going on here, and maybe it's just me, but hearing Sir Handel mispronouncing indispensable is just cringe-worthy. It's partly why I decided to have the engines drop the whole mispronouncing "deputation" from Never Be Alone. I do wonder why Duke needs to be mended though. Is it from him being stuck in the sheds for decades? If so, why wasn't this taken care of sooner?

Peter Sam and the Prickly Problem - Apparently, the engines were 'too busy' to miss Sir Handel, good grief. He really gets the short end of the stick in the books no matter what's going on. Anyway, onto the story itself; Peter Sam is taking a train and then runs to some brambles. Then... he gets too big for his buffers and tangled up in them?! I'm sorry, but this is just wildly OOC for Peter Sam. This is not really working at the moment.

Pop Special - My friend The Brandam Engine summarised this story remarkably well in this video, but the short version is, Duncan is OOC, the stakes are so low the railway isn't effected at all, and it's boring. Swap Peter Sam and Duncan around and the stories would be much better. Next.

Sir Handel Comes Home - This is more of an exposition dump-slash-promotion of the Tallyan Railway than an actual story, but one thing I did like about it was Sir Handel was... very chilled when he told this story. The bit with Peter Sam telling Sir Handel about the brambles hinted to me that Sir Handel was laughing with him about what happened, rather than at him. I have to admit, the two bonding over that moment, and Duke remarking that he agrees with Sir Handel about feeling good about being at home was also sweet. It wasn't exciting but yet... it's nice. It's kind of a weird one for me honestly.

This book is less boring and more 'okay, that happened', for me. How would I restructure the book? Well, here's an idea or two. I'd push this book right back to 1969 at the earliest or 1970 at the absolute latest. This is because there's a little subplot going on with Duke getting used to the Skarloey Railway and how he interacts with the other engines.

Great Little Engines

1. Duncan and the Prickly Problem - Not many changes here except Duncan gets caught in the brambles instead. Hilarity ensues.

2. Sir Handel and the Trouble With Trees - I know, I know, series 5 episode with a changed character in the title, but bare with me. Sir Handel gets a little cocky for some reason as per Patience is a Virtue, and then he hits the tree and gets an eyepatch as per Sir Handel Comes Home. One of the others comes to his aid and Duncan mocks him about the tree.

3. The Refreshment Lady's Tea Shop - Series 7 episode, yes, okay, go with it. I think this fits really well, especially if small elements of Pop Special are tied into it. As a sidenote, the Refreshment Lady's coach is named Hilda.

4. A Broken Family? - George is actually not involved in this take, but what did happen is, in the first three stories, Duke slowly starts to see Skarloey and Rheneas' influence over Sir Handel and Peter Sam, and he begins to wonder if being back truly meant anything. He gets into a heated argument with his 'Grandchuffs' - in particular with Sir Handel - and things really cut deep for a while. However, like the SeventyVerse version, it's made clear Sir Handel and Peter Sam did miss Duke more than anything, and Sir Handel's word to the Thin Clergyman was a slip of the tongue more than anything else, and they're able to clear things up after Duke is rescued from an accident.

40. Thomas and his Friends

Thomas and the Swan - This story randomly starts off with... Pip and Emma taking over the express and Gordon stepping down. I'm not even kidding. I was legitimately shocked when listening to that on audio and was wondering if I had a problem with my ears. And then it jump cuts to Thomas saving a swan on the line and Pip and Emma remarking they might have made things worse if they were racing past. How the heck does that remotely tie together? Good grief...

Buffer Bashing - What... on earth... is this? People have complained non-stop about this story; it was the first one to be voted out of the poll period, and I'm not surprised. Donald and Douglas just randomly crash through the buffers by accident, and Douglas gets blamed but Donald does not. UGH!

Gordon's Fire Service - Admittingly, this story was the best of the bunch, as it shows what's Gordon's up to now that he's stepped down from the top link service on the railway and he even shows a moment of bravery as he puts out a fire himself. He even gets a medal that I'm sure he keeps in his berth on the back wall.

Centaury - You'd think that a story with a grandiose title and the final story of the book would be a wonderful way to end the series, right? Well... not exactly. It doesn't really hit any memorable points. Honestly, the only reason I remember anything what happens in this story is because wildnorwester did an adaption of the story that was SO much better than this. Go check it out if you haven't yet.

This book was a mess! Definitely needed some focus and direction.

Express Engines

1. Squeak, Rattle and Roll - A Series 8 episode of all things; TobyandMavisForever, have you lost your mind?! Okay, maybe I have, but I think this helps to set up what's to come. Gordon is put on a tighter timetable and he feels he needs to put on an extra burst of speed to keep up with it. Unfortunately, this leads to some issues. Some liberties are taken here and there of course. By the of the story, Gordon realises he cannot do his express runs, and he asks the Fat Controller to bring in two engines...

2. Big Wheels to Fill - Pip and Emma step up to the plate to take the express, but some passengers are quite vocal about Gordon stepping down despite Gordon's confidence. Pip and Emma take this in different directions. Emma is brimming with cockiness and Pip is very shy about her position. Unfortunately, this conflict causes... I'm not sure what exactly, and they get in trouble. Any ideas?

3. Untitled story [ideas] - Pip and Emma are still hardly talking to each other from their incident, much to the engines' disgruntlement. Gordon wonders if he made the right decision and he hopes they can figure this out. The answer comes when a young woman goes into labour on Pip and Emma's next train and they decide to work together to get her to the nearest hospital. The Fat Controller is most relieved with this, because the woman that went into labour... is his daughter, Emily Helen Hatt.

4. Gordon's Fire Service - Unchanged from the original for the most part, except, Gordon is a bit unsure if he'll be as useful as he was before. However, Pip and Emma are taking the express one day, and a fire happens to turn up in their path. They report this at the nearest signalbox, where Gordon is flagged down. He decides to take matters into his own buffers and go to put out the fire himself. He now finds himself in a new sense of routine, happy to be taking local trains and slower express trains.

I know I cut out the Centenary celebration, but I feel that could be a book on it's own. And I don't think Buffer Bashing was much of a loss. Thomas and the Swan could potentially be used somewhere though.

39. James and the Diesel Engines

Old Stuck Up - This 'character' is just the same as Bowler and Spamcan, and unlike the stories involving those two, Old Stuck Up only gets a dumb story about crashing into the sheds and is whisked off the island never to be seen again. Ugh, no wonder this was only a fraction adapted into the SeventyVerse's Enterprising Engines. One minor thing I did like was that it was mentioned that BoCo and Bear do often sooth ruffled feelings of the engines when visiting diesels were rude to them. Nice to know they keep the riffraff in line.

Crossed Lines - It does start off fair enough with James' prejudice against diesels, but suddenly it transitions to James shunting trucks due to... Donald and Douglas being busy? Okay, what? Didn't they bother to put in a station pilot as far in as the 80s, I swear! Anyway, James has a mishap with the trucks due to the signalman... mistaking another engine's whistle for James?! Okay, if this was Donald's whistle being mistaken for Douglas or something like that, I'd give it a pass, but this... no! And then James gets blamed for something that's not his fault! Are you kidding me?! Not a good story.

Fire Engine - We have a bit of an interesting discussion at the beginning as the engines are discussing liveries and then it shifts to James and Henry getting into an argument of their own liveries. Henry then gets into an incident where he knocks his tender loose and a fire starts. An overall not a bad story, but I'd up the stakes a bit more and make the fallout more severe. Though... what has this to do with James and his hate of diesels?

Deep Freeze - James looses his ejector due to it being frozen over and then... a nameless diesel comes to get him back to the works causing him to let go of his hate? Uh... did I read this right?! This role could have easily gone to BoCo or Bear and the ending wouldn't have changed. You don't just let go of prejudice just like that! Admittedly, the engines putting up with the cold isn't a bad idea, but the execution here is really poorly done.

This book had an overall interesting premise, of James learning to let go of his hate of diesels, but the execution was so sloppy. Okay guys, this next revamp might turn a few heads but... this book is going to bring Diesel back, and tackle this hate head on. I'm also going to be pushing the events of this book back to 1967, and I know a LOT has been going on that year, but trust me.

Diesel the Not So Devious Engine

Prologue: The Two Henries - This goes back in time to the Duck and Diesel trilogy and how Diesel came up with lies about Henry. Long and short, this is pretty much how it happened in the SeventyVerse, minus the mentions of the Midi engines, so you can go read that for information.

1. Duck and the Evil Diesel - This is based on a bit of a dated rewrite, but the basic premise is still the same. Diesel's brought over as a temporary solution to the station pilot situation. To say Duck, Gordon, James and Henry are livid is a massive understatement, but the 08 is trying to prove he's changed over the past decade. Unfortunately, an incident with the trucks made him rallied up, and he has a talk with Bear. He gets Diesel to understand why the distrust of diesels began in the first place with engines having escaped from scrap. Diesel barely has time to react to this though as he has to go and help Duck. In this changed up version, Duck and Diesel don't make up just yet, but it's a step in the right direction, and Diesel's chat with Bear is closer to that of his chat with BoCo in the SeventyVerse version. Diesel's stay is also extended due to his good deed, and Duck puts in a good word for Diesel to the big engines. Sidenote, I made a change to this based on a bit I saw from @MikeD57s's take on Diesel: his real name is Rudolph after Rudolph Diesel, but he decided to go with his last name because he didn't like the fact he had the same name as the red-nosed reindeer. The works diesel is also given the name Christopher.

2. A Hole Between Us - The big engines' reactions to Diesel's stay being extended is very... mixed. Shockingly, Gordon's the one who is the most lenient about it, even though he's still giving him the disapproving glance. Henry is a bit stuck in the middle, though Bear tells him he will keep a close eye on Diesel. And James is still as hot-tempered as ever. James and Henry get into a bit of an argument with Diesel - the red engine more so, though Gordon and Bear try to de-escalate the situation. It doesn't go well and disgruntled, Diesel decides to sleep on a siding, not realising he had been leaking oil. The next day, James is going in for a washdown and crashes through the back of the shed ala original story.

3. Crossed Lines - This is actually almost the same as the original, except it's Diesel who mishandles the well wagons due to James' fight getting him into a bad mood, not because the signalman mistook Diesel's horn for another's.

4. Fire Engine - That night in the shed, Diesel tries to get to the bottom of why James and Henry are more upset than Gordon is; he already knows why Duck was upset as he was because he was the one he lied about in the first place. Henry crossly reveals it's because he was also a victim of the lies; not just the nicknames, but the 'two Henry' fib. Diesel is rattled with this revelation, and tries to apologise, but Henry isn't buying it. Unfortunately, Henry's anger into a scrape with a fire in the main yards the following day. Diesel, having been shunting nearby, grabs a water tanker and gets his driver to put out the fire. Surprised by this brave act, Henry gets respect for the shunter, but isn't willing to forgive him yet.

5. Deep Freeze - This takes on a more metaphorical meaning as well as literal. Though Henry has lightened up by now, James is still not convinced and wishes for Diesel to get the heck off the island. Diesel is still puzzled as he only lied about Duck and Henry, not James, but then James snaps that he was angry at the nickname he got during Diesel's nickname rounds - Rusty Red Scrap Iron, and that he deserves to be scrapped to see how he likes it. Diesel, enraged at the comment, snaps that he was bought here as a last chance of survival from scrap himself. The red engine thinks this is ridiculous and the two get into another fight, only for Bear and/or Duck to halt the situation. James heads off in a huff, and his ejector gets frozen on the return leg of his journey to Tidmouth. Diesel at first refuses to rescue James for accusing him of lying, but his driver manages to convince him otherwise. James and Diesel manage to talk it out - again, James doesn't actually forgive him just yet - and Diesel reveals that he recently lost a brother of his named Jasper - number D3193, if you're curious. By the end of the story, Diesel decides to rename himself Jasper to honour his late brother and he's also more humbled due to his time on Sodor, and James finally starts to see diesels in a more respectable light. Diesel is also officially made the station pilot following this.

Okay, this was a LONG one, but I had a lot of info to convey. It may need some ironing out, but I think this is pretty good. Diesel/Jasper's story arc is a step in the right direction.

38. Thomas and the Twins:

Scrambled Eggs - Honestly, I think this book pushed Thomas onto the Brandam branch just so we could see more of Thomas. Sloppy opening aside, I guess it is pretty decent. Bill and Ben do get into a bit of witty banter at Thomas, and it is pretty funny with Thomas looking like an omelette at the end. Though... what did Thomas do to deserve that? He didn't say anything to the twins about them being 'improper colours'.

What A Picture - This is actually a really good story. Bill and Ben are kept in suspense for a while, and then the enthusiasts come to take their photos. Unfortunately, one such photographer wanted to take a picture of Bill for so long he had to help Ben with a ship, and the photographer took a terrible photo in the end!

Trevor Helps Out - Honestly, this was the weakest story in the book. It's... fine I guess, everyone's in character, it's nice to see Trevor, and it's also nice to learn more about the China Clay trucks, but it doesn't add anything to the Thomas/Twin situation.

Down the Drain - This story is pretty good too, as one of the twins gets caught in the drain and Thomas proves himself in the eyes of the twins by rescuing him. (Was it Bill or Ben, I can't remember).

This book is actually quite good compared to the others, but there is one thing I'd change about the book. I'd make it a book about Edward meeting Bill and Ben for the first time; pushing this books events back to 1948... I think. The first, second and fourth stories would be the same minus Thomas of course, but the third one... probably about Edward learning how the China Clay works... work. If that makes any lick of sense.

37. Jock The New Engine

We Need Another Engine - We do meet a new diesel, Frank, and it actually turned out he was on the small railway but the clergymen missed him when writing the book Small Railway Engines. Interestingly, there's a few continuity issues with Frank's design and the radio usage. Frank himself is actually a pretty entertaining character, which is something that helps boost the story to it's advantage.

Sticking Power - This was a pretty good story, though I was in disbelief that GLUE stuck the train together. I did think it was a nice lead into his potential rebuild, if it took place early enough, considering Bert's steaming problems in this one. But what did this have to do with Jock, exactly?

Jock - I have to admit, for a boring premise, Mike, Rex and Bert were having a show of wits when they were "building" up to the reveal of Jock. How come Jock had his nameplate and lining already even though the story says he has an undercoat and he doesn't get his name until Douglas suggests it? Overall, not a bad story.

Teamwork - Jock gets a bit of character development here, which is more than what I can say for Ivo Hugh or Fred in the Skarloey book. I don't have too much to say about this one, but the story is pretty good for what it is.

Jock's book is fine for the most part, if a bit unfocused in the first half. Here's how I'd fix this:

Jock the New Engine

1. We Need Another Engine - This story is a mashup of this and Jock, thus pushing the story of Frank's shed incident to the year of Jock being built. Maybe Frank is grumpy because he feels he doesn't get as much love as the steam engines?

2. Sticking Power - Jock's cockiness gets to him teasing the older Bert, and Frank, Mike and Rex get in on it too. The rest of the story is pretty straightforward.

3. Buffer Bashing - Okay, yes, I know I said it wasn't a loss in Gordon, Pip and Emma's story arc, but I do believe it could work better here with the small engines all getting into a number of scrapes. Maybe Jock starts pushing the engines' buttons when Rex accidentally crashes through some buffers and then, getting puffed up in the smokebox, crashes himself. Much scolding ensues from the Small Controller for Jock.

4. Teamwork - For the most part, it's the same, but Jock tries to redeem himself. Unfortunately, Mike isn't willing to look past this and the rest of the story plays out as normal.

36. Thomas and Victoria

Overloaded - Right out of the gate, this story has a problem. Why is Henrietta only struggling with the workmen NOW and not years prior? If the theory about Toby having another coach in Awdry's layout is to be believed, this story makes even less sense. That being said, it is an interesting idea for an engine to randomly come across a coach in need of help.

Avalanche - It is an interesting take that Edward and Victoria found each other to be familiar in a way, and we even learn about Victoria's past with Albert and Helena. Unfortunately, Albert doesn't really stand out too much in this story alone, and the story feels a lot like Thomas, Terence and the Snow. That being said, I do wonder if the snow falling at the tunnel is inspiration for the series 5 episode Snow.

Eels on Wheels - Okay, this is a pretty fun story with Daisy, not going to kid ya. But one thing I don't get is... what did this have to do with Victoria? It doesn't really contribute much to the plot here.

Toby's Vintage Train - This story... it was nice to see Terence again, but ultimately, this whole thing felt a bit flat. Victoria doesn't do anything in this story and it just wraps itself up too quickly with Victoria's introduction to Toby and Henrietta being rushed as all heck.

Coupling this with the fact that things were unfocused, I don't think Toby should have gotten Victoria in the end. Rather, the engine who deserves Victoria - and Helena too - is Edward. I recommend you buckle up because this take is going to be dark. And I'm also changing a bit of canon here for it to work, so bare with me.

Furness Railway Coaches

1. Overloaded - Edward has five coaches he owns himself - Christen, Maria, Carl, Louise, Leopold. Unfortunately, they have been getting very packed, and Edward had to gather up two coaches to work with them, both are very rude to the Furness coaches. The coaches are getting into countless arguments and Edward is just done with everything, especially during his evening train.

2. Untitled Trevor Story - Trevor is getting worried about Edward when he tries to keep the peace with the coaches, only to fail each time, and he's trying to find a solution. He overhears the vicar telling a story about some ghosts who live in the orchard, which his children firmly believe due to the fact they've been hearing strange voices. One of the children is very scared of the idea of ghosts, while the other one teases their sibling of being a scaredy cat. Trevor decides to help the children figure out the truth, and as it turns out, the 'voices' are actually two coaches; Helena and Victoria, who were converted into a tool shed and a henhouse respectively on a farm further out from the Vicarage Orchard. Maybe Terence's accident from the original book could be the catalyses for them to find the two coaches?

3. Avalanche - Now with the two coaches being restored at Crovan's Gate, Edward goes in to chat with them, and they decide to tell the story about how they got abandoned. Back in the old days, Albert was one of the pre-grouping steam engines, but not from one of the three railways that we know - he was part of the Alusburgh & Harwick Railway. This railway was in the process of being merged with the other pre-grouping railways. He had Helena and Victoria with him, who he'd never trade for anything at all. Unfortunately though, one day, Albert was taking a goods train to help merge the lines together, but near Sudderdy, there's a rockslide, and Albert's crew were sadly killed. It was too dangerous for a rescue attempt.

4. Passing the Torch - Edward wonders where Helena and Victoria are going to work, and he also wonders if Albert is still around on the island. BoCo has doubts about Edward's story, but he decides to help his (boy)friend find the missing steam engine. Turns out, Albert is still alive and he's very in a terrible condition. Sir Topham Hatt decides to have him restored at Crovan's Gate and reunite with his old coaches, but much to his surprise, while Albert is grateful to be rescued, he feels like there's not much purpose for him on the NWR. No, he instead opts for retirement as a museum piece at the Vicarstown museum (we'll get to this at some point). Albert decides to give Helena and Victoria to Edward, and he gratefully takes on both coaches. They get along really well with Edward's first five coaches, and he loves them all very much. Albert is let out of the museum on occasion though, and takes Victoria and Helena as he once used to.

Heh, I told you this one was going to take a darker tone. I do want Eels on Wheels to be reused somewhere though.

35. Thomas and the Fat Controller's Engines

Birdstrike - The engines start talking about the Golden Jubilee and Gordon is told that he isn't tasked to take the special train; Pip and Emma are. Then... his brake pipe is knocked off by a bird for no reason? How does that connect here?! Gordon didn't do anything to deserve being boasted about.

Edward and the Cabbages - It is kind of difficult to write for Edward, given how gentle, kind and wise he is, so I can see that Chris Awdry was trying to write an incident which happened to him. I would spice this up a bit with Edward being annoyed at the prospect of being late and maybe in a tearing hurry. It's not a bad story by any stretch, but it is funny to think a wheel cut some cabbages.

Rabbits - I do admit, the idea of rabbits borrowing in the tracks do bring some dangers, but I think the main problem with this story was that there wasn't anything dramatic happening, there wasn't any heartfelt moments, it's just... something that went wrong for the railway.

Golden Jubilee - Very much like Centenary, this story... doesn't give off the grandiose vibe that the story hypes itself up to be. It's just a bunch of stuff that happens with the engines, and a signalbox fails. One thing I thought was amusing was Henry being pessimistic about the celebration, but that's about it.

Very much like Thomas and his Friends, this book has no sense of direction! Instead... I'm going to focus this book on the unnamed Austiery, who I believe was going to be named Warrington.

Warrington the Austerity Engine

1. Birdstrike - Warrington is introduced to the fray of steam engines and has been set to help Donald and Douglas. Turns out she arrived at a grand time because the Scouts are going to have a jamboree. Warrington believes, as the newest engine, she'll take the train. Unfortunately, that job goes to Donald, and Warrington is livid, saying she wish Donald would fly away. Douglas takes offence, though Donald makes a quip about how maybe he should say hi to Dilly's decedents so they can teach him how. Warrington then has her front brake pipe knocked out, and the twins joke about how she should learn to fly to keep up with the crows.

2. Warrington and the Cabbages - Warrington is very disgruntled about her slip up with the crows, and to make matters worse, while she's helping on the Brandam branch line, the connection at the mainline is delayed. Trying to get into good graces, she hurries along to make up for lost time, only to loose her wheel instead. Whoops...

3. Rabbits - The lost wheel isn't Warrington's fault, but it turns out there's rabbits all over the Little Western. The engines hope this gets sorted out soon, but much to Warrington's shock, Douglas is trapped over the hill where the rabbits were digging, and is in danger of falling down into the embankment. Warrington quickly gets a cable attached and pulls Douglas free. Douglas is very grateful for this.

4. Jamboree - The scouts jamboree is underway and Donald takes the train as planned. Only one problem though - while the scouts are celebrating, one of them foolishly climbs a tree and injures their arm. Warrington is passing by with a train when this happens and quickly rushes the scout to the hospital. Everyone is very grateful to Warrington for her brave actions.

How's that for twisting the book around, eh?

34. Thomas and the Great Railway Show

Museum Piece - It was kind of fun showing the big engines being jealous and it's also very meta to mention the TV show in this book. Goodness gracious, makes me wonder how the engines are taking the series like the Miller era and the AEG series... Anyway, Thomas sets off and his journey is uneventful for the most part, until a level crossing gate swung straight into him. Not a bad idea, though I think this was just done to pad out the book...

Not the Ticket - An embarrassed and disgruntled Thomas is loaded onto a lorry with the help of a diesel shunter who I'm sure is one of Diesel's sisters. The journey is uneventful until they get to a spot where Thomas is booked for parking... and the story ends! Again, pretty sure that was done for padded conflict.

Trouble on the Line - I'm legitimately curious as to how the original story went, considering Chris Awdry was upset it didn't go the way he wanted it to. All that happened was the lunch pack being damaged, and Thomas' brakes. As a sidenote, I would have liked to have seen Boxhill a bit more...

Thomas and the Railtour - This story is... okay, I guess. Mallard seems to be a precursor to Spencer, and it is nice seeing Thomas and Green Arrow working together on the railtour. I think the main issue I have here, is the story focused on the wrong things.

Okay guys, bare with me as this one gets a bit of shuffling.

Thomas and the Great Railway Show

1. Museum Piece - The bit with the big engines and Thomas chatting to Toby and Percy about the show is the same, but instead, we jumpcut to Thomas at the museum. He's being inspected for his long journey, and meets Green Arrow. Their meeting goes like it did in the books, and Thomas feels like he'll have a great time with the engines here.

2. Brighton and Proud - Thomas meets up with Boxhill and we get a flashback story of when the two used to work together, as well as how Thomas got sent to the NWR in the first place.

3. Trouble on the Line - Okay, this one's dark, but bare with me. Thomas does go on the demonstration line, but instead of a lunch pack being crushed, a child slips out from the barrier to say hello to Thomas. Thomas brakes suddenly and the child rushes back. The mother mis blames Thomas for scaring her child, but the Railway Museum manager scolds the mother and says it's her fault for not keeping an eye on her child while also calming Thomas down.

4. Thomas and the Railtour - We focus more on Mallard's arguments with Duchess of Halmation, Lord Nelson and King George V, and their arguing ends up irritating the museum goers. Thomas and Boxhill are listening to the arguing with amusement and it's ultimately decided that Green Arrow would take the train. I'd also tweak the near miss to make it intense, and skim over the more boring part with Thomas and Green Arrow making their way back.

Don't mind Thomas getting a bit of a flashback, that's just to spice things up a bit.

33. Gordon the High Speed Engine

High Speed Gordon - This was a pretty good setup for the rest of the book, not going to kid ya. The High Speed diesels - Pip and Emma - were mentioned, and Gordon is determined to prove himself of being capable. Unfortunately, he gets into an incident where his wheels spin helplessly. Only question for this story: Who was whispering in the sheds that night?

Smokescreen - Again, a pretty solid entry into the RWS. Gordon makes a mistake with sooting the wedding guests, and there's an incident with Sir Stephen Topham Hatt's hat. What is it with the Fat Controllers' getting their top hats ruined?! This is just hilarious. Minor thing, I would have shown Bear in place of BoCo because BoCo's mostly on the Brandam branch.

Fire Escape - Nothing bad to say here either. Gordon's incidents get worse when he looses his firebars, but he still pushes on. Again, only change I'd make is swapping out BoCo with Bear.

Gordon Proves His Point - Very misleading title. I do wish Pip and Emma got more development; thank goodness for people like wildnorwester and StarSearch1927. That being said, I did like James in this story helping Pip and Emma out, and it is good to see Gordon taking the express again at the end.

I'd honestly not change too much about this book, except I'd swap out BoCo with Bear, and give Pip and Emma more development. Maybe retitle the last story... I don't know what, but Gordon Proves his Point doesn't really work as a title...

32. Thomas Comes Home

Snow Problem - Honestly a decent story, as Daisy is very cocky due to thinking the snow is pretty, only to get stuck in it. Though I have two questions: how did Harold carry all the passengers back - surely there was a lot - and why was Daisy left alone for a week before Toby bailed her out?

Washout! - I think this one could have been more dramatic in all honesty. I also think Percy wasn't the right choice for leading character, and I'll get back to this soon. What I did like about this story was Annie and Clarabel's worries for Thomas and Percy comforting them... which is why I wanted to punch Henry in the face.

Toby's Megatrain - This was another fun story with Toby taking a long load of trucks, and it's also nice to see his bond with Mavis in the beginning. The only problem I have with this story, was I felt it wrapped itself up too quickly.

Thomas Comes Home - Very misleading title if you ask me. But it was a blast seeing Daisy and George go up against each other. It's a simple and sweet way to bring Thomas back home, not much to say.

Honestly? This book held up better than I thought. But the forward... irks me. I'd alter that, and here's the rest I'd alter.

Meanwhile, on the Branch line...

1. Snow Problem - Daisy is rescued on the day she got stuck.

2. Washout! - Like I said, I don't think Percy was the right choice for a leading character for this one. I believe it should have been Toby and Mavis. I'd mashup elements of this story with Toby and the Flood to amp up tension, and Mavis is the one who nearly ends up in the river while Toby saves her. Ah, a good role reversal moment.

3. Toby's Megatrain - I wouldn't change anything here, except give the story a tighter conclusion with Toby bringing the trucks up the hill.

4. Thomas Comes Home - I'd give Percy, Annie and Clarabel the leading roles in this one. This lines up better with Annie and Clarabel being worried about Thomas, considering the titular blue tank engine arrives back home at the end.

31. More About Thomas the Tank Engine

Thomas, Percy and the Coal - It is pretty funny seeing Thomas and Percy arguing and Toby just watching it unfold, though I honestly prefer the sweeter Thomas/Percy brotherly relationship we see later. And the story ends on a cliffhanger. Why?

The Runaway - Honestly? This story is a bit random considering it barely mentions Thomas and Percy's feud, and Duck also comes in to lend a buffer while the Scots do his jobs? Er... why? And why doesn't Duck know Toby, Bertie and Terence? Ah, no wonder this story was slipped into Duck and the Diesel Engine when Zack and I were adapting it. I know that doesn't make sense as the Scottish twins were supposedly doing Duck's jobs, but hey, Chris was on a deadline and possibly got some information jumbled.

Better Late Than Never - A lot of people hate this one, and I'm not sure why. Yes, Thomas is a bit irritable, but we also see more of his friendship with Bertie, which I think is nice. And yes, sometimes being late isn't such a bad thing; that's a good lesson. Again, this doesn't really fit considering the book is supposedly about a feud with Thomas and Percy.

Drip Tank - This one apparently didn't bod well with Chris Awdry as the term 'drip' was outdated at the time of writing this book. I've heard some people complain that Percy wasn't really considered a 'hero' in the final story here, but that's not the point. The point is that Percy and Thomas are able to come to terms with their quarrel with each other and make up, and that is exactly what happens. It's not the best way to do it, but it serves it's purpose.

This book was mostly... pointless, especially with the middle two stories not adding much to Percy and Thomas' conflict, or anything at all. Here's what I'd do instead:

Barry the Rescue Engine

1. Bear to the Rescue - Basically a rewrite of Rusty to the Rescue, but with Bear as the leading protagonist as he goes to save Barry from Barry Scrapyard - Barry replaces Stepney, natch. Barry is very distrustful of diesels right out of the gate, as they've been throwing insults, jabs and taunts to her. Yes, Barry's a girl here, deal with it. Even so, Bear does ultimately rescue her.

2. Barry, Bear and the Coal - Barry still puffs around on icy rails around Bear, and some comments from Henry about her new paintwork go to Barry's smokebox. Barry and Bear get into quite the argument, and the story proceeds ala TP&TC in the OG timeline.

3. Better Late Than Never - The viaduct was under repairs and the main line engines are late to meet up with Barry at the junction. As Barry is new, she feels her position on the branch line deeply. Though she does calm down when it's Henry or James at the junction, she is very angry with Bear still. Henry has to come in and do a bit of damage control, but Barry still doesn't believe Bear was being genuine with wanting to save her and will shunt her aside later. Henry manages to grill into Barry that Bear's class has been withdrawn and scrapped too. The Standard Class 2 is stunned by this, and Henry grunts that he hopes this story got through to her "better late than never".

4. The Runaway - With more creative freedom, I decided to really up the stakes this time. Instead of Bear's handbrake being stiff from a trip to the works, it's due to him being very unfocused and cross. Barry races out and manages to catch Bear before he can have a major accident, and Barry apologises to Bear for all the grief she's given him. The are able to start their relationship anew.

So, now we get Barry inserted into this big load of books.

30. Toby, Trucks and Trouble

Mavis and the Lorry - The setup is interesting, in that Mavis is bored as all heck down at the quarry, but the story itself is... boring. Mavis randomly crashes into a lorry and the driver is all "I haven't seen a train before"... what?! This is SODOR! There's trains everywhere! I can't believe this... and the sideplate law was repelled ages ago. Jeez...

Toby's Seaside Holiday - This story was incredibly sweet, as Toby dreams of days gone by and when he used to run things at the harbour with his brothers and sisters. He also helps out another engine. Toby may not have had his wisdom when he was young, but at this stage, he has been very compassionate. Shame on the people who kicked him out of the festival...

Bulstrode - This was a very amusing story instead. Bulstrode is just a big whiner and he gets his comeuppance very humorously with the "barging in and moaning" line. Not going to kid you, it did take me a while to figure out what that meant...

Toby Takes the Road - It was nice to see Terence again, and he did get a bit cocky here, and it was quite funny to see Toby go onto the road. Though Zack and I are having trouble adapting this one into the SeventyVerse. Toby wasn't really doing anything beforehand which warranted a mishap like this. But I think I have an idea...

Overall, this book holds up pretty well, but I have an idea to really knock it out of the ballpark.

1. Toby and the Lorry - "What?! Why did you do this?" Well, I decided to mix in some bits of Horrid Lorry. As in, there's a horrid lorry that's boasting about taking more jobs, and this gets Toby anxious. And no, this isn't OOC for him - he's seen this before. And then, Toby ends up crashing right into the lorry when on his way down to the quarry from the harbour. Now Mavis and Percy have to pick up the slack.

2. Toby's Seaside Holiday - Toby is bored in the works, so he dreams of his days at the harbour. Nothing changes except for the ending being that the workmen had started mending him.

3. Bulstrode - Nothing changes here.

4. Mavis Takes the Road - I think Mavis would make a few snarky remarks to Terence, thus when she gets put onto the road, it feels like a dose of karma.

29. Really Useful Engines

Stop Thief - Not a bad story, all things considered. I'd also consider this a bit of a redemption in the police officer's eyes as Thomas helps to catch the thieves of the stolen car... if the story took place earlier in the timeline.

Mind That Bike - This is the first story to introduce the concept of the mail train, not Thomas, Percy and the Mail Train from series 3, as well as Mr. Tipper the Postman. This also teaches us an important lesson about railway safety as a boy foolishly rides a bike onto the track, right as Percy is about to leave. I do really like this story, but I do not think it's a good finale for series 4, or the RWS adaptions as a whole until S20...

Fish - Is the Flying Kipper cursed? This is the second time the train has appeared in the books and then Duck has an incident with it! Oh, poor thing... Though, I have to wonder why Duck isn't on his branch line. This supposedly takes place in the 80s. Chris Awdry isn't very good with keeping tabs on it. And I do think this story is good, all things considered...

Triple Header - It is really cool seeing Thomas, Percy and Duck pull together - pun intended - to take the express to Crovan's Gate. Though I have to wonder why they - three small tank engines - couldn't take the train all the way to the station, yet Duck and Stepney - two small tank engines, and Duck is there again - took another heavy train to the station without a hitch. It's a cool story, though it does raise that issue.

This book is very loosely tied together, and yet... it works. But I'd like to change a few things here anyway. Let's do it.

Station Pilot Engines

1. Tom Tipper - This is a mashup of both Stop Thief and Mind That Bike. Thomas and Percy are both friends with Tom Tipper due to their trips with the mail train, but are worried when Tom Tipper arrives with a bike instead of a van. Tom Tipper admits the reason for this is because his post van was stolen. When Tom Tipper had to sign some papers, at the same time, Percy accidentally runs over the bike ala MTB and Thomas catches the thieves with the van ala ST. The ending is a mashup of the two.

2. Fish - Because Percy is at the works due to some of the bike damaging him, Duck comes in to help Thomas and Toby. The rest of the story plays out like the book, but with the added scene of Thomas telling Duck to be careful around fish.

3. All At Sea - Don't mind me, I just wanted Duck to have a bit of redemption after the fish incident before the tank engines pull together.

4. The Hurricane - The damage on the island is very severe and Thomas, Duck and Percy have to pull together to help various people who had gotten caught up in the storm.

I was deliberating on keeping Triple Header, but the thing with three tank engines struggling with a train vs two engines doing fine with the train just bothered me.

28. Wilbert the Forest Engine

Percy's Porridge - Some of the dialogue was funny, but why on earth did Percy go to the works just to get cleaned up? That just seemed like a poor excuse to get Wilbert over to the Ffarqhuar branch if you ask me.

Cab Over Wheels - Why did Sixteen have to exist?! Ugh, it doesn't the series at all, much less the rest of this book. Okay, to be fair, without this story, there would be no Sheffield, so that's something at least...

Foaming at the Funnel - I have to admit, for a bland story, I did hear an amusing narration of it, especially when the title dropped. Unfortunately, this story just seemed like a weak tie in to Percy's Porridge.

Wired Up - It's kind of too similar to Sticking Power for it to work really well, but I guess it's fine.

Sorry that this one was short and brief, but... Wilbert is just a bland engine. Is this because Chris Awdry wanted to make his father look good as a visitor? That's the theory I have. Let's try and spice this book up a bit.

Wilbert the Forest Engine

1. Dropping In - (Of course, the opening lines of Percy's Porridge are valid here.) After Wilbert comes to the Island, he is first tasked to take some trucks down the branch line. The engine is keen to make a good first impression and goes smoothly down the line. Unfortunately, he is so busy chatting with Duck he forgot to fill up on water, and he eventually runs out on Bulgy's Bridge... which has weakened due to the patch job given it. Duck is thankfully able to rescue him, but Wilbert is badly shaken.

2. The Trouble With Mud - "What? The poor series 3 adaption of Leaves?" Hear me out. Wilbert works really hard on the branch line, but is completely dirty by the end of the day. When he's offered a washdown, he refuses, instead offering to take the last goods train to Tidmouth. Unfortunately, the mud causes problems by getting clogged in his pipes, and Donald has to bail him out.

3. Wilbert's Way - This was an amazing story written by TheBulliedTruck. However, as Scruffey is scrapped, I decided to choose another truck, Fred Pharley, who was close friends with Scruffey and Old Spiteful and feared that he might get destroyed by Oliver or Douglas next. So yeah, in this story, Wilbert is cross with not just Oliver and Toad, but Douglas as well.

4. Cab Over Wheels - I have a plot twist - in this iteration, Wilbert WAS Sixteen, which is why he was trying so hard to appear as a perfectionist. He got derailed and was shunted aside, but was given a chance by the Dean Forest Railway. I don't know if this was historically accurate, but you know what? I don't care.

Whew, that was the trickiest one of the bunch. Now for the last one.

27. Henry and the Express

Out of Puff - This was a fun story; nice call-back to Super Rescue and it is nice seeing the Scots with their quick wit against Henry. Who knew paper maeche could fix a steam leak temporarily? It was also clever how they used elements of this story to make Henry's Hero for series 17.

Overhaul - It is really fun to see James and Henry having a banter of wits together, and now I think about this, this would have been nice to see meshed in with What's the Matter With Henry when Zack and I adapted this for the SeventyVerse.

Sliding Scales - Like I said, the Flying Kipper is cursed! James had another incident with the fish and he couldn't move the train. Poor James! In all seriousness, this story served as inspiration for The Smelly Kipper from series 17 as well.

Henry Sees Red - A pretty interesting way to end the book, though I think the story at the end was a bit rushed. Maybe having some of the engines laughing at Henry's undercoat would have added more to the story? Other than that, I've no real complaints.

This book was pretty solid overall, but I'd also mention Bear as an engine who takes the express in Gordon's absence, and Bear would also break down in the last story as opposed to some random diesel.

So, in conclusion, Chris' books were a bit of a mess. I hope my interpretations of each one spices it up a bit. And for reference sake, here's the chronological order of the books (Release order is in order of the OG timeline)

1. Three Railway Engines

2. Thomas the Tank Engine

3. James the Red Engine

4. Tank Engine Thomas Again

5. Troublesome Engines

6. Henry the Green Engine

7. Edward and the Twins

8. Toby The Tram Engine

9. Gordon the Big Engine

10. Edward the Blue Engine

11. Four Little Engines

12. Percy the Small Engine

13. The Eight Famous Engines

14. Duck and the Diesel Engine

15. The Little Old Engine

16. Station Pilot Engines

17. The Twin Engines

18. Branch Line Engines

19. Gallant Old Engine

20. Stepney the Bluebell Engine

21. Mountain Engines

22. Tramway Engines

23. Very Old Engines

24. Main Line Engines

25. Small Railway Engines

26. Enterprising Engines

27. Oliver the Western Engine

28. Diesel the Not-So Devious Engine

29. Duke the Lost Engine

30. Great Little Engines

31. Jock the New Engine

32. Barry the Rescue Engine

33. Gordon the High Speed Engine

34. Toby, Trucks and Trouble

35. Thomas and the Great Railway Show

36. Meanwhile, on the Branch Line...

37. Henry and the Express

38. Wilbert the Forest Engine

39. Warrington the Austerity Engine

40. New Little Engines

41. Furness Railway Coaches

42. Express Engines

What else would you have changed? Do you like the changes I made? Let me know in the comments.