On the standard and narrow (gauge)...
Right, for starters, does everyone know who Victor is? Here he is:
The main shunter at the Sodor Steamworks, at least in canon. My headcanon is that instead of the separate steam and diesel workshops, all major repairs are concentrated in a single facility at Crovan’s Gate (I also reckon that there are other smaller workshops spread across Sodor, but that’s neither here nor there).
Anyway, as part of that headcanon, I wanted to keep Victor as the main works shunter, but my issue was this: What gauge to make him? He’s based on a standard gauge prototype, but is canonically the same narrow gauge as the Skarloey Railway engines.
There are some equally good cases for going in either direction: Making him standard gauge would allow more to be done with the character, as he could then travel further. However, narrow gauge would be in keeping with canon, and also pay lip service to similar engines in works like Crewe or Doncaster.
That was the problem I faced, until I happened upon a solution: Why not just do both? And how might this be done, no-one asked?
Allow me to introduce you to something called a haulage truck:
Believe it or not, this was a genuine railway practice, employed by the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, from 1888 to 1965. The brewery had its own internal tramway, built to a gauge of 1′10″. However, it was also served by a branch line of the Great Southern & Western Railway, joining it close to what is now known as Heuston Station. That railway was built to a gauge of 5′3″, and though the branch was built and run by the brewery, they didn’t actually have any broad gauge engines to their name.
What was to be done? Originally, the broad gauge wagons were moved between Heuston and the Brewery by horses, but in 1888, something altogether more creative was put into action:
A narrow gauge locomotive was lifted by an hydraulic hoist which stood astride a short section of gauntletted, dual gauge track. A haulage wagon was then propelled under the narrow gauge engine and the latter lowered between the frames of the former. Both ends of the locomotive were engaged in the wagon and the wheels of the narrow gauge engine rested on rollers whose shafts were geared to the running wheels of the haulage wagon at 3 to 1 reduction. Thus, temporarily, a narrow gauge engine became a broad gauge geared locomotive. Until the advent of conventional broad gauge locomotives, this was the exclusive form of broad gauge motive power. They were permitted to work loads of as many as thirteen broad gauge wagons fully laden.
The Guinness Brewery Tramways by Paul Ellison (Industrial Railway Record, December 1968)
It may sound a little ramshackle, but as I say, it worked for nearly eighty years. And it was upon learning this that inspiration struck. Why not apply this same basic principle to Victor, and give him a haulage truck? He could move around the Works on his own narrow gauge rails, no problem. Then, if he has to go further afield, just crane him onto a standard gauge haulage truck, and away he goes!
Of course, it’s not just Victor who could use the haulage truck - any of the narrow gauge engines could feasibly use it.
Give one to Sir Handel, and I’d give it a week before Sodor fell into pure anarchy.
Give one to Duncan, and it’s looking more like ten minutes...
