SONBoomer

Come the next day, 25025 was still thinking about the night's events. He didn't even realize he had arrived, until his driver braked him to a stop. "Here we are..." he said "Vicarstown yards! Now, I've been told to leave our trucks here, and sidle up to the diesel shed for another tune-up... They're taking good care of you here, old boy..." He hopped out from the cab, and began to make his way to the first truck. "...Don't know why you wouldn't want to stay." The diesel exhaled. "It's just not my place to stay." he replied, coolly. His driver just shook his head, and engaged in a chat with the shunter, as they disconnected his engine from the train. While waiting for them, 25025 looked around. As the mainline renovations have been completed here before he came here, he had little to do around the eastern side of the island. The yards looked far more modern than they did on the rest of the island, and aside from the grand building of Vicarstown station itself, it seemed like

While the weather remained as capricious as it was, the diesel - now with a bit more spring in his roll, thanks to the tune-up - took more part in the regular services. He primarily worked BoCo's trains, while the Metrovick was under repairs. This meant he would spend most of his time with Edward and Molly, who welcomed him warmly. Unlike the others, they didn't have any friction between them and the visitor, so the three enjoyed working together, or side-by-side, as it were. It was never particularly windy, and the cool drizzles where otherwise welcomed alongside the surprisingly strong sun. "It gets more and more capricious each year." Henry lamented internally. Through his driver, the big green engine was aware of effects of the changing climate. Certainly, Sodor did not escape meteorological oddities, but a snowless winter still felt rather alarming to him. As reconstruction efforts puttered out, while their workloads increased with the coming tourist season, their visitor seemed

With the snowmelt, work on the main line's refurbishment could continue. The old ballast was being dug up and replaced by a fresh one, the gangers would cut the grass and weed on the lineside, and a special weedkiller train, consisting of a single engine - usually one of the Iron Twins - and an old, modified coach with the spreading equipment on it - would follow suit to get rid of any that remained. For this reason, vegetation seemed to give an unusually wide berth to the tracks. As did the trainspotters, who knew well enough to stand back whenever the weedkiller train would crawl past them, what, with the associated workmen all wearing hazmat suits. Children who usually stood by on overpasses would be ushered away by workmen or the police, lest a stray gust of wind carry some of the wet, powdery aerosol towards them. "It will be a silent spring..." Henry thought grimly, although a familiar racket would soon change his mind. As promised, 25025 returned to the railway, clattering to

It was a cold autumn morning on the island. The leaves have long since turned yellow, and were now growing ruddy and withered, falling off the trees like large, colourful feathers. Henry usually admired the changes in nature, but still scoffed at the sight - the falling leaves left behind the skeletal trunks of trees, gnarled and twisty. They looked like clawed hands grasping at the sky. "I do wonder what's in the soil to make them grow like that." the green engine muttered. He was bored. He, Gordon and James had managed to find some time to rest together at Vicarstown, while they were waiting for the next trains. However, as the minutes dragged on, they found themselves quickly exhausting the topics, and soon, his friends descended into a rambling argument about luggage vans, of all things, leaving Henry to stare out into the yard, looking for something to take his mind off of the other two. It was then that he heard the distinct sound of a diesel engine... And frowned. Visiting