"It was a really scary time!" says Theodore, the friendly tugboat. "I've dealt with storms in my time, but the wind and snow made it hard to turn the right way! It sure was nice spending the rest of the year with my friends after that...and welcoming the new one with them!"
"The job was a tough one for sure." says Emily the Vigorous. "Ice and snow are never a tug's friend when it comes to a job like this. I had to really put puff into my pull to keep her on course. I'm lucky we had a team at the ready to assist and get everyone safely to port!"
"I can safely say I had a bit of a thrilling New Year." says Hercules, eldest of the three tugs on call. "In my younger years, I carried out missions to Greenland and abroad, so it's not been my first run of ice. Good thing to train the younger chaps with though!"
It's safe to say thanks to these three tugs that everybody had a truly Happy New Year.
REMEMBERING THE "PARTY POPPER" INCIDENT!
How Strong Badia Came To Crotoonia
JANUARY 2024
As we start a brand new year, an anoymous Crotoonian historian has requested we begin with a story of how two unlikely people wound up coming to work on our vast and widespread railways.
On New Year's 2013, things were roaring for the Kahlville Works' annual New Year's Eve party. Engines were cooling their fireboxes after a lengthy and busy year of shunting trucks and hauling freight. Drivers, firemen, and workmen were giving cheers and clinking glasses after a busy year of driving, shoveling, and shifting. And machines and under-repair locos were enjoying company for the final hours of a rather eventful year. The countdown was on to 2013
All of a sudden...BANG! An explosion of party poppers errupted from the funnel of visiting Sodor Railways No. 1 "Thomas", showing the yard in confetti, and giving the little blue engine a rather uncomfortable experience. Upon swift investigation, the party poppers were found to be "STRONG BADIAN SWEET POPPIN' POPPERS", only carried in Strong Badia, USA. It was then the culprit was quickly caught on camera and found: A Mr. Strong Bad, who was quickly arrested for vandalism and intentional internal steam engine discomfort.
Following a brutal one-night stay in Kahlville Police Station's Jail (for the poor officers who had to put up with the endless boasting and crude escape attempts), a trial at Kahlville Town Hall the following day did reach a comprimise for the incident: Strong Bad would be dropped of charges and fines, on the condition that he, over the next three-to-five years, work community service for the Kahlville Freight Depot and Railroad Company Yards. Eager to avoid what would be many an embarassing email (and a story for a few of them), he accepted.
Ten years have followed the incident, and in that time he has been surprisingly found a half-decent engine driver. While his work ethic as a workman has been frequently put into question, his skill in driving and operating railway engines has seen him make quite a few more friends and good business than expected. After the sentence was fulfilled at minimum for a court reevaluation, he chose to continue his work for the Fantasyland and Fairytale Railway Company Limited (transferrable to other yard work for other companies), on the codition that he pull no more pranks or silly schemes.
"Ya know," begins Strong Bad (who begged this editor more times than Echo on a party night), "I never thought talkin' trains would be where I'd find my half-decent passion for work. But it keeps SBLOUNSKCHED! bars on the table and I can always use the expert-teas for my emails. And whenever I get yard work to handle...I got Homestar to do it for me!"
"As long as he doesn't pop another party popper pack down my funnel," said Thomas, "the yards are a safe place.
ASK A CROTOONIAN
Welcome to our fourth edition of ASK A CROTOONIAN, where we ask a Crotoonian of your choice about their day-to-day lives on the railway and all the burning questions you've wanted to ask them! What coal do you take? What water works the best? What copies of bad movies are safe to chuck into your firebox?
"So, Belle, do you know how much training and time it will take for you to become an official driver?" - Henry Dahl
I usually work only a bit of the time inbetween helping Papa with his work, but Chugs has been a great little engine to train with! I'd like to be ready in time for me and my prince to go on a little holiday in the summer.
"To Speedy: Have you ever pulled a passenger train before? And if so, how did it go?" - Reuben
I've pulled many a carriage in my time, and most of them fairly smooth. Mostly prefer local trains myself; much slower and calmer than all the rushin' about of express trains.
"Dear Ten Cents, What happened to Miku the [tug]boat? I was gonna ask Mrs. Ella or Sir Allen Featherington but then I realised that you might know. It's been almost 10 years since she's appeared and even so she didn't even speak." - Epic Lemon.
Oh, that funny lookin' switcher? She's shown up from time to time (you mighta seen something when me and Theodore were workin' on Beamer Isle some time ago), but she mostly works at another harbour outside Crotoonia now. Sometimes if we ever need extra help, she puffs up from up the coast..
"Say, Jacob, back in Manhattan, did you feel yourself moving faster and saw two mice running from you?" -Adam Haneline
I remember being asleep one minute...then racing out the next minute...and then being asleep again! I don't know anything about mice, must've been a strange dream or something
"How was it seeing your old friends like azul, huey, ect again?" - Cam Kelly"
It was a real delight to see! That little blue train's grown up a lot since I nearly ran into him at top speed all those years ago.
If you wanna get your favorite Crotoonian on our next edition, get your butt over to