Trivia / Sodor the Early Years

• Creator Breakdown: In September 2019, several of Wildnorwester's models were illegally reskinned and posted on Discord. When asked to take them down, the offenders insulted him. In response, Wildnorwester shut down his website (though left the door open for a future return, and the models were still available if one knew the web addresses for the download pages, but while the pages still exist, the download links were set to private sometime in March 2020), and all but disappeared from DeviantArt (though his profile is still open, revealing that all characters were receiving 3D faces in the lead-up to final episodes of The Modern Years; at the time of the shutdown, the only updated models publicly released were Toby and the Scottish Twins). As a result, the remaining episodes of The Modern Years have been cancelled, and Wildnorwester has stated he is quitting YouTube.
  • Note that this is not the first time a major Trainz Thomas site has shut down or removed models due to outside influences: the first major takedown was when Hit Entertainment discovered MSTNoodle's Thomas models and issued a cease-and-desist. The models by Chris Burgess were taken down in 2008 due to the amount of "gimme pigs", which resulted in the formation of the famed Sodor Island 3D, which itself was shut down in January 2018 after a DeviantArt user illegally uploaded the 2010 models, and responded to anyone telling him to take them down with profanity. SI3Ds shutdown let Sodor Workshops (another site formed in the wake of the Burgess models' takedown) become the foremost Trainz Thomas content provider, and has already released models for TRS 2019 with eyes you can move, and are also making an updated version of Sodor Island 3D's old Island of Sodor route.
  • He eventually recovered and resumed work in July 2020, upgrading all of his models with 3D faces, giving Peter and Olivia new liveries, giving Lily a pair of glasses (as being underwater for over 70 years didn't do any favors to her eyesight), even creating a W&S version of Emily (the TV series character, not the current Fat Controller), and reiterating that, because of the reskinners, he no longer trusted anyone in the community and would not be releasing the new models. Then, on December 1, 2020, without any prior warning, Wildnorwester released all of the updated and newly-made models on his DeviantArt, a download containing 251 models. He warned that, if anyone modified them, he would take them down immediately (though he gave full permission to change the engine and whistle sounds). As of June 29, 2021, the models are still up. He slowly began easing back into releasing his models in 2021, first by releasing new models of the Fat Controllers (except Emily Helen Hatt, who is strictly private) with more realistic appearances (such as Sir Charles Topham Hatt II wearing a fedora and Sir Stephen Topham Hatt III wearing no hat at all), and later an RWS version of Bertie and a pack of GWR Autocoaches (both with faces and without).
• Development Hell: Adeline the Phantom Engine, a mini-series, was meant to be uploaded in 2019. It will instead be uploaded in 2022. This is due to a number of reasons.
• The Other Darrin:
  • Despite the switchover of most of the characters having individual voices (with the exception of Emily Hatt and Alice's voice actress) in the last season of Early Years, there are some characters that were still voiced by Wild Nor Wester until they were recasted. These include:
    • Peter Sam was recasted by Oliver 267 Studio once Modern Years started, but was replaced again by David Moyle in "Adeline the Phantom Engine" after the character had a lack of roles since 2015.
    • Duncan was recasted by Nick On Planet Ripple once Modern Years started.
    • Duck was recasted by Joel Hunter by the second season of Modern Years.
    • Donald was recasted by Cam Jones in "Engine of All Trades", but was later replaced again by "Evsta 101". Likewise, Douglas was recasted by Evsta 101 in "Troublesome Trucks" as well.
    • Bert was recasted by Generations 113 once Modern Years started.
    • Bertie was recasted by The Blue E 2 once Modern Years started.
    • Both Thin Controllers Mr. Peter and Roger Sam were recasted by Shunter Productions in "Adeline the Phantom Engine".
    • Trevor was recasted by Jonathan Asiamah in "Rowan the Garratt Engine".
  • Frank was originally voiced by Matthew Gamble in the last season of Early Years, but was replaced by Terrier 55 Stepney once Modern Years started.
  • Edward was voiced by Epic Thomas Fan 713, but was replaced by Estorianarmy 321 during "Rowan the Garratt Engine".
  • Henry, Rex and Skarloey were voiced by The Scotsman Returns, but was replaced by both Bourbon-Bob Jimmy (Henry and Rex) and Joel Hunter (Skarloey) on the second half of season 2 of "Modern Years".
  • Rheneas and Sir Handel were voiced by Vienna, but they were replaced by James Riddle and The Blue E 2.
  • Fred was originally voiced by Steam Diesel, but was replaced by JJLR after the former had allegations online.
  • Bo Co was voiced by Thomas 1 Edward 2 Henry 3, but was recasted by Smudgers PKMN on the second half of season 2 of "Modern Years".
• What Could Have Been:
  • WNW has said he intended to do a post-apocalyptic dieseled NWR following the death and resignation of Sir Stephen Topham Hatt. Norman Spencer, the antagonist from 'Winds Of Change' was to be in charge, and the engines would be split 5 ways (A. On heritage railways, b. Railway museums, c. Hidden on Sodor, d. preserved on Sodor e. part of the NWR diesel fleet) Emily and Richard Hatt investigate this, and find out that Duck had an accident at the bridge which injured many passengers and killed one. Sir Topham took the blame, resigned and everyone splits as above. Edward, hidden on Sodor thanks to Bill and Ben after he was slated to be scrapped, says that the bridge had been hit from underneath, and this plays out ala the season 5 finale. Only this time, the railway fails to get back to normal. Then, a diesel breaks down while taking the express, and Henry has to take it, (which he happily does). James, Alice and Peter, who are preserved by the NWR Heritage Trust, are the only ones left to run the railway after all the diesels break down. So, the other steam engines are called back and Donald and Douglas bring in a coal train arranged by Miss Hatt. Then, Richard and Emily take full control of the railway to bring it back to status quo. Diesel reveals he shunted some milk tankers into the fuel loading siding and that in turn brought the chain of events that lead to bringing the steam engines back. Diesel fully apologies to Henry, James, Gordon and Duck about the incident with the trucks. Most of the plot points of this and more are being recycled (or already have been recycled) into 'Sodor The Early/Modern Years'
  • While this itself didn't make screen, it did become a project TobyAndMavisForever put together on DeviantArt in picture format, the dialogue of what's going on below her pictures.
  • Diesel had been repainted into a green and yellow paint scheme for season two of Sodor the Modern Years, but he was painted back to black after users on Sodor Island 3D Forums voiced their disapproval. This scheme still appears in a brief fantasy sequence in "Endgame", and the model can be downloaded.
  • The episode "Aftermath", which details the aftermath of Thomas being involved in a collision with a BMW at a grade crossing, was originally much darker, with the driver and passenger being killed rather than hospitalized.
  • After the above-detailed Creator Breakdown, the remaining episodes of The Modern Years became this for a time. There were to be two more miniseries ("Adeline the Phantom Engine" and "Tinkerbell the Foreign Engine") and a feature-length Grand Finale title "Enterprising Engines". WNW later reversed course and decided to do the two miniseries, followed by a third and final season.

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