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The Extended Railway Series was one of the oldest instituions
on Sodor Island Forums, stretching all the way back to the early days of the Thomas Fan Forums. Generally, it is just
another form of fan-fiction on the forum, but in a style that emulates that of the Awdry writings. It has become an
outlet for members of the forum to "continue" the series of books where Christopher Awdry left off in 1996, and now boasts
around more than 50 new "books" by forum members past and present.
The idea was originally conceived by Sillyevan and PeterSam,
which incidentally took place away from the forum at the time in 2003. Later on, however, the format was brought to
the forum and was popularised with the addition to the boards of an Extended Railway Series section.
The volumes included in the Extended Railway Series are numerous, and
introduce a whole range of new characters, places and events to the Sodor Railway fold. However, with the
Hyperboards crash of 2005, a number of the volumes of the time appeared to be lost, but help was at hand from members
who had saved the volumes to text files and allowed the slow resurrection to begin. Eventually, nearly all the volumes
in the Library had been returned, but at the same time, a small number of them were removed or rewritten to allow
for a better flowing. Here, you can read about the most important moments within the Extended Railway Series'
history!
The Extended Railway Series Evaluation Committee
is the one sole part of the Sodor Island Forum staff structure that has never remained the same throughout the entire time
it's been a part of the forum. Throughout that time, there have been no less than eleven people involved in the
evaluations - Fat Hatt, Ryan, Peter Sam, Sillyevan, Benpennock, Christopher, Chris, The Old Bean, ATKtrains, Alaric and
Old Square Wheels.
However, with this new board, in 2004, new regulations had to be set
up to avoid the continuing clutter that was arising. Slots were being taken up with To Be Announced (TBA)
volume numbers, most of which were never completed or even started. And so, the Extended Railway Series Evaluation
Committee was formed with the Administrator, Fat Hatt, and two of the Moderators - Ryan and Peter Sam,
taking up the job of evaluating books for entry to the Library section of the board. The conditions had to be met that
the books had to meet with the quality factor, with style of writing, ecological validity of events, and above all else,
references to the TV series beyond Series 5 ommitted. In all, the new precautions implemented by Fat Hatt proved effective
in producing a better standard of quality in the writings brought in.
However, with relations in a state of permenant strain between the two Moderators, Fat
Hatt decided to take on two new staff members purely for the purpose of evaluating the Extended Railway Series volumes.
The members taken on were Benpennock and Sillyevan, who again, was later dropped from the position due to
his other commitments. The replacement chosen was Christopher, who had already written a multitude of stories for
the Extended Railway Series, and knew the format well enough to work within the team. The staff changes continued with
Peter Sam leaving the forum, and later being replaced by Chris, who hasn't been actively involved in writing any ERS volumes,
but had been known previously to write very strong and enjoyable fan-fiction.
The third and so far, final addition to the Extended Railway Series team
was democratically elected in a manner unlike his predecessors. The Old Bean was the winner in a test that was put out
to all potential candidates wishing to join the ERS Evaluation Committee. When the forum moved in late 2005, Christopher,
as the longest standing member of the committee was elevated to the new post of Extended Railway Series Administrator -
the leader of the evaluation committee!
From the first year of the original forum to the 3rd Anniversary
of the community, the event was always marked with a special commemorative Extended Railway Series volume in a special slotting.
The honour of making it into the library was a high one indeed, as at the time, it was the heart and soul of fan-fiction
within the forum, which has subsequently been overtaken by the popularising of media production.
No.50 - The Useful Little Engine
The First Anniversary Volume
For the first anniversary of the forum, the "50th" slot of the Extended
Railway Series was used to produce a book from three of the staff members - Fat Hatt, Ryan and Peter Sam.
The premise was simple, the Railway Series characters were fully aware of the books being published about them, and so, the
Fat Controller opts to celebrate it on Sodor. While a vast number of famous visitors from other railways begin to pile
in to join in the fun, Thomas begins telling a temporary newcomer - Audrey - all about his early days on the Island of Sodor.
The stories pick up from when Thomas first arrived on the Island, a while before his initial appearance in Thomas
and Gordon, and tell of the follies and indignities that he endured and brought upon himself before becoming part of
the Sodor Railway family.
When the board moved to Proboards in 2005, there were changes made to
the above volume. The initial book was said to celebrate the Fat Controller's 50th Anniversary in charge of
the line. This didn't tie in with the history laid out in the books, and so, when the opportunity arose, Christopher
took it upon himself to rewrite and redefine the opening story written by Peter Sam, to give it the more believable and valid
premise of the 50th Railway Series book's publication.
But despite the inaccurary of the original, the book has been deemed
one of the best loved within the Extended Railway Series for its charming and warm storyline. A fitting tribute to the
first anniversary of the Sodor Island Forums.
No.75 - The Five Sudrian Engines
The Second Anniversary Volume
The second anniversary volume was written as a five piece
project. While the first anniversary volume had focussed particularly on one engine - Thomas - the second one was to
focus on five.
Originally, the plan was to base the premise around five fan-fiction
characters who had been introduced within the Extended Railway Series. But instead, that idea was scrapped in favour
of each member focussing on a particular engine of their own choice. Those chosen were James, Duncan, Bear, Thomas
and ERS character - Eagle. While not as fondly thought of as the previous, it marked the 2nd Anniversary
quite fittingly with all five writers (Peter Sam, Christopher, Sillyevan, Benpennock and Ryan) - past and
present members of the Extended Railway Series Evaluation Committee.
Nos.100 and 101 - The War of Words Books!
The Third Anniversary Volumes
For the 3rd Anniversary of the Forum, the idea was hatched
to do things a little differently in regards to the appointment of the next Anniversary book. Instead of having one
written by the ERS staff, it was decided instead to hold a friendly competition to decide the winner.
The teams were divided up into four groups, each with a leader from the
Extended Railway Series Committee. The final teams consisted of Ryan, The Old Bean, Stuart and
Old Square Wheels; Christopher, Evan, Ciremi and Sean; Benpennock, TheHalford and ATKtrains;
as well as Chris, Eliot and Aidan. The idea was for each team member to write a story for their
volume by December the 4th, when it would be put up for a poll vote against the other competing volumes for the coveted place
in the library.
However, it was a plan that was riddled with problems. The
first was the dropouts that occurred within both Chris and Benpennock's teams.
Consquently, it meant Chris's team dropping out of the race all together, and reducing it to a three horse race.
As the time drew ever nearer to the completion date - only Ryan's team was ready with a finished volume. Benpennock's
team were suffering from their last dropout, and were "as yet" uncompleted. Shortly following the deadline,
Christopher's team finally finished their own volume, and it was accepted into the Library along with what was to be Book
100 - Edward and the Branch Line Engines. However, while Ryan's team might well have claimed the coveted 100th
slot, Christopher's team took the prized 60th ERS slot, fittingly in the 60th Anniversary year, with The Thin Clergyman's
Railway.
Edward and the Branch Line Engines took on the role of
a traditional Railway Series book, focussing on Thomas's branch line being extended to the town of Ulfstead, a few
miles beyond Ffarquhar. Again, the premise had a combination of both Awdry and ERS characters playing the
main parts, with Thomas and Edward taking centre stage as the antagonist and the voice of reason. Christopher's team
took on a different slant, using an idea previously invisaged by Evan but never used before. They chose to recount events
from the original Railway Series books, but only this time, telling them from the perspective of the Reverand and Christopher
Awdry, as if they were there at the time. Stories given the treatment were those of Edward and Gordon, James
and the Bootlaces, Thomas and Bertie as well as Triple Header. A unique telling of the much loved
stories, and a worthy joint winner.
Beyond the third...
As is the way, a fourth anniversary volume was never
written. There's no particular reason as to why it wasn't marked by an Extended Railway Series volume, but quite fittingly,
that quaint tradition seemed to just die out along with the old forum. But still, no-one should rule
out a return to form for the fifth anniversary of Sodor Island Forums at the end of the year, as the Extended Railway Series
has been one of the most unique and inspiring forms of fan-fiction within Sodor Island Forums ever.
A Guide to Indie Fiction
Independent Fiction is probably the most underappreciated,
but when done right the most creative, form of writing on the entire forum. The idea is generally centered
around creation of original characters, locations and situations of the author's choice. It's essentially a
chance, for those who wish to use it, to break away from the norms and constraints of writing normal Thomas-based fan-fiction
and do something different and original. Sadly, feedback in regard to most Independent Fiction is generally
never all that high, which can be quite off-putting for some people, who feel they're putting in a lot of effort, but
not getting any appraisal or readers. And so, the main objective to avoid disappointment is to write for fun.
If you have anything of an enthusiasm for the characters and universe you've created, you will be drawn to write for
them regardless.
Independent Fiction on SiF started out in 2003 when copies
of Ryan's unpublished novel, "Laggan and Stone", began circulating around the forum. The stories
captured the imagination of a few, which brought about the confidence to start an entire series based around the characters
in the story. They were successful enough to inspire others, and in the end, merit the inclusion of an Independent
Fiction section on the forum. Writing of the later half of Series 1 was done by Christopher, who has become the writing
partner of the Laggan Railway stories since. The Laggan Railway stories have continued on four series of 20
stories each, and four spin-off series consisting of 12 stories each, focussing on a different premise each time.
Originally, the rules of the Independent Fiction section were confined
to stories and series of a transport theme only. This in turn brought us notable and continuing independent fictions
such as The Cumbrian Engines (Eliot), Steam Engines of the Forest (Bono) as well as Scarlet and
Friends (FlyingScotsman), each of which followed a transport theme in regard to the characters and premise that
mainly consisted of railway related fiction, but not always (Steam Engines of the Forest instead being based
around Steam Traction Engines).
But then, a shift in trends meant that new forms of Independent Fiction
were going to emerge. The confinement of a transport based theme was scrapped completely, and in turn, it allowed
for the Independent section could take in other equally, if not more, interesting fictions and styles. Under the
new rules, new and interesting writings came such as ATKtrains' "A Very Pinchy Wedding" - about a band called
the Pinchers; TheHalford's sci-fi based fiction "Gifted", and more popular "Baking and Baker Street"
based around the Saturday night exploits of a part time pizza delivery employee; old iron's dark sci fi fiction
about robots - "Fading Away", as well as a slightly more unique piece of writing from Sodor18 - "The Jacob Diary"
charting his time and the events that happened throughout the period where he was playing Jacob in "Joseph and His Amazing
Technicolour Dreamcoat". All worthwhile mentioning, as they've all brought something different, inventive and fresh
to the Independent Section, which, although it isn't read much or appreciated by the masses, still holds a lot of worthwhile
and good fictions that from reading this, I hope more people will read in future.
Where it all began
SiF was the birthplace of
multimedia projects surrounding Thomas and Friends from 2004. What became the first ever redub was produced by
Ciremi in the summer of 2004 - a take on the series 5 episode - Something in the Air. The project was very
basic with no narrative, no introduction clip and no script, so essentially, a retelling of the TV series episode.
The idea was taken up by Ryan and Christopher who, with only a minor selection of episodes to work with at the time, chose
Duck Takes Charge as their first production. This followed the original idea of what Ciremi had done before
them - no script or narrative, but worst of all, no sound effects. The first redub with an adapted script came
as Cranky Bugs, another redub by Ryan and Christopher, and subsequently, a better quality production. However,
when Sodor Studios came together in 2005, the idea was taken to include narrative after all to subsidise the dialogue
- a trend that a lot of others making dubs have followed, with Alaric's Troublesome Engines parody saga proving an
exception and making the idea viable in his means of work.
Original Productions
In 2005, shortly before the coming together of Sodor Studios,
Sir Topham Hatt Wants Vengeance was released. This was the first of its kind, a dub that took a selection of
footage from different episodes and combined them into one parody film. The idea behind the production was later used
in further redubs where additional footage has been used to expand and differenciate the storyline. The format was carried
on by productions such as Eliot's 3 part comedy, Buggered! which followed the more bizzare
and surreal adventures of life on Sodor!
One of the highlights of the 2005/6 period was Christopher's Series
8 Adaptations, which sought to take what was seen as a shaky start to the new format of the show and give it
the flare of previous series. Christopher wrote adaptations for and narrated majority of the episodes, releasing
them on a weekly basis on SiF. However, he did allow for his friends to appear as guest writers and narrators to step
in for guest slots, with Ryan, The Old Bean, Ciremi, Crscottjr, Chris, Kate669, Truro, Alaric and ChrisTheXelent,
each lending their talents to the productions in one form or another throughout. The only episode not adapted was Percy
and the Magic Carpet, which was done as an official Sodor Studios redub previously. Although, it never stopped
Jarrah White and old iron from making their own version of the episode in late 2006. The format has
been carried on more loosely by Chris, who is now doing a selection of Series 9 episodes, which he feels are in need
of improvement.
Another notable favourite that occured on SiF would
have to be Captain Punjab's Thomas the Bachman Model series, which has inspired many other model series of the same
format. Using wholly original footage shot by himself on his model railway, Punjab has so far made 12 episodes of the
Bachman Model series, with more promised, but as yet, not delivered.
But then again, prior to the release of redubs or media of any kind as
we know it, Ciremi had released a documentary, expressing his views on the Thomas series as it currently stood at that time.
The Nitpicks video, as it is formally known, was one form of petitioning HiT Entertainment regarding Thomas and Friends, and
their position on how they were handling the writing/production during the Gullane era. In 2005, a follow up video was
made by Ciremi with contributions by Ryan and The Old Bean in regard to how the series was being dealt with under its
new format. Largely more an appraisal on how things had changed, but still with more points to be dealt with.
It's widely believed to have been successful in acheiving its objectives. In a comparative view, it would
be fair to say that upon reception and watching, those involved in production have answered a lot of the problems
addressed in the Nitpicks Videos.
But the Nitpicks Videos haven't been the only documentaries on SiF.
Following a spoof format - ChrisTheXelent compiled Behind the Smoke and Steam, a documentary where the engines spoke
their true feelings about the Awdrys, Railway Series books and about the TV Series in the humorous, heart warming, dramatic
and fun production, which profiled from before the beginning in the 1940s to the present day in a Behind the Music
style documentary.
Audio Production
When the redubbing of footage craze began to take off at first,
Chris, chose to try and do something slightly different with his Flying Kipper Studios and produce a couple of audio
dubs instead. The first, but sadly uncompleted project, was an audio production of Harvey to the Rescue.
The next, and this time completed, project was a production of Old Iron, which at the time, was successful, but never
inspired more productions of the same idea.
The Old Bean and the Mountain Engines...
February 2005 rolled around, and at the time, redubbing of episodes was
the main staying power of the format. But, new member of the time, The Old Bean, had faith in the audio format, and
had plans to use it to his advantage in a way that no-one had done previously. He proposed turning the Rev. Awdry's
Mountain Engines book into an audio production, breathing life into the characters for the first time by any medium
outside of print media.
The idea was a sure-fire success from the point of the first release.
And over a period of a few months throughout 2005, each new installment made was eagerly awaited by the other members of the
forum. The format has since been carried on and used by ChrisTheXelent, TheHalford, Ryan and ChrisBurrell,
who have both created adaptations of Railway Series books to audio.
The Originality Factor
But while it was all well and good to take heart from
what The Old Bean had done previously, ChrisTheXelent set out following his "Small Railway Engines" adaptation to
create an original audio production based on the mixed (Railway Series/TV Series) Sodor Universe. The
result was an hour long special audio called We All Make Mistakes where a drought has hit Sodor and there isn't enough
water to run all the engines. When the Fat Controller goes away to sort the problem out, the man minding the engines
and Diesel hatch a plan to try to get rid of them...! A brilliant audio production, which at present, has not yet been
emulated by other members.
The only other major original production idea came from Alaric, who,
using his notion of what would become SiFiction, in December 2005, took a selection of Sodor Island Forums members and
put them in a production where they'd be playing themselves. The Quest for the Missing Xmas Presents
was a popular idea, and even spawned a sequel in the following summer - A Very SiF Summer Holiday, both of
which can be downloaded from SiF Audio Adventures.
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