'I'm sure we've met somewhere before, haven't we?'

Toby looked over the visitor curiously. "'I'm sure we've met somewhere before, haven't we?' he asked. The engine smiled. 'Indeed we have!' he said with a twinkle in his eye. "I was the engine you helped rescue on your way to the seaside all those years ago. Toby was atonished. "Well, bless my bell!" he exclaimed. "I'd never thought I'd see you again! How ever did you manage to survive?"

"I had suffered badly due to a lack of maintenance in the days we first met, but my driver and fireman kept me working the best I could. Eventually I did get an overhaul and reallocated to Stratford. I was withdrawn in 1962, and saved by a railway preservationist group. I work on the North Norfolk Railway now, and heard a lot about you and your friends through Jinty, who visited the railway a few years back. Your controller invited me to come visit you and your railway for that "Before the Big Four" gala he's having. In the meantime, he said I could work around the branchline here and catch up with you on stuff."

"Well, I wouldn't know where to begin," chuckled Toby. "A lot can happen in 67 years, would you believe?" And the two old Great Eastern engines laughed and talked about times gone by.

Well, Paul Hobbs released his old GER Y14/LNER J15 payware model on the DLS for freeware now, and this engine type just happens to be the basis for 1020 ("The Old Engine") from the story "Toby's Seaside Holiday". Wonder how long it'll be before someone reskins this model to make into the character, or puts a face on the model like TheFattHatt does?

DISCLAIMER:

Thomas & Friends/The Railway Series (C) The Awdry Family and Mattel.