The Rails to Redemption
by Chase the Ferroequinologist is an adaptation of two Railway Series books, namely Henry the Green Engine and Toby the Tram Engine told in the style of The Adventure Begins and set in the same universe as Thomas and Friends - Original Episodes.
North of the island, Toby the Tram Engine's line is due to shut down due to hardly anyone going with them for transport in favor of buses and lorries, with one bus taunting them over it. As such, Toby, his coach Henrietta, and the baggage car Elsie all try to grapple with this impending doom... until he and Henrietta are called over to work on Sodor. Meanwhile, on Sodor, the other engines, including Thomas, go about their regular duties, except Henry, who is suffering from mechanical problems due to his build. As for Thomas, he intends to get Glynn to a new job placement on the railway, which happens to be right after Sir Topham Hatt went on a holiday and saw Toby. Will Henry be able to prove his worth? Will Toby be able to adapt to his new life on Sodor? And what will become of Glynn?
This story contains examples of
- Adaptational Expansion: As per the norm for Chase's fanfic, some main plot points are expanded on:
- Toby's life north of the island has him not just with Henrietta, but another baggage van, Elsie. Their line is due to close, which one bus, Graham, taunts them about. Also, his life during that time explores some events, such as him taking Graham's passengers one winter.
- During the Flying Kipper incident, Henry crashes into a train. Said train was pulled by James, who tried to use Henry's Welsh coal and ended up stranded on the line due to the coal working too well on his firebox.
- Armor-Piercing Response: In "A Kyndley Gesture", Toby is sent to rescue a stuck Thomas, who's still angry at Toby for seemingly "replacing" Glynn, which was made worse when Glynn vanished from his siding. Toby then explains his origins to Thomas, mentioning that owing to his experience of leaving Elsie behind right as he and Henrietta were given another chance to be useful again, he knows exactly what it was like "to not be able to save someone" and wanted him to move forward, just like Elsie told him and what Glynn would have wanted. Thomas is left speechless at this response, realising that his hostility and grudge towards Toby was meaningless and unbecoming of him.
- A Day in the Limelight: The story focuses on Henry and Toby (Chase's favorite characters), with the latter being brought to Sodor after Thomas gets in trouble with the police.
- Emergency Transformation: As per "The Flying Kipper" story spanning Chapters 6 and 7, Henry gets repaired at Crewe, gaining a better build and shape and a bigger, better firebox. This allows him to take the express once he returns to Sodor.
- Game-Breaking Injury: Graham knocks one of Elsie's wheels, which ended up causing her to be put out of commission for the time being while Toby and Henrietta are allowed to continue operations. This sadly means that Sir Topham Hatt saw only these two and called for them, causing Elsie to be left behind, even though she's repaired later on.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Graham was basically being a prick to Toby and his two friends, taunting them over their line closing and knocking one of Elsie's wheels. Toby was able to gain payback when Graham's reckless driving causes him to be stuck in the snow, allowing him to take his passengers, and when he's called over to Sodor, he unintentionally scares him and dirties the bus's paintwork.
