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Description
AU History: The NWR has proven itself as a railway unlike any other, especially to the Big Four railways of Great Britain – one point being it still exists and is fully operational! Made globally famous thanks to the works of the Awdry authors and writers following after them, the 87 Mile-long North Western Main Line runs from the industrial terminus of Tidmouth on the west coast to the Mainland junction of Barrow-in-Furness. This line is the biggest and busiest transportation system on the Island of Sodor, with seven functional branch lines spurring from it, a sizable fleet of locomotives in operation, and countless ties to Sudrian industries and freight companies.

Much like its previous counterparts on Mainland England, the Main Line in service today is an amalgamation of three pre-existing Victorian railways – the Sodor and Mainland Railway, the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway, and the Knapford and Ffarquhar Railway – later the Tidmouth, Knapford and Ffarquhar Railway; the latter two amalgamating in 1910 to become the Tidmouth, Wellsworth, and Suddery Railway. All three were formed to take advantage of promising traffic on hand – the S&M with the possibility of a link with the Mainland, the W&S to serve the multiple industries and passenger traffic, and the TK&F to exploit the minerals around the Elsbridge area.

It was when World War I broke out in 1914 when it was agreed all existing railways should join as one to properly defend Sodor, especially the south coast. The British Government sponsored the idea, and so the North Western Railway was formed. The S&M became the east of the Main Line, the Kirk Ronan and Norramby branch lines, the W&S the Brendam branch line, and the TK&F the west of the Main Line and the Ffarquhar branch line. The main motive Power Depot was formed at Vickerstown in 1915, and the railway was finally completed in 1916, double-tracked and with all existing stations.

From there, there were numerous additional projects and individual investors in the railway. One of the Engineers of the Tidmouth, Knapford and Ffarquhar Railway, Topham Hatt, worked his way up to Managing Director, beginning the tradition of the Hatt family running the railway that has remained to this day. The railway became the fifth biggest in England with the formation of the Big Four (LNER, LMS, GWR, SR), and the power of the railway and locomotives it built up were fully tested with the outbreak of the Second World War, where they proved it was more than capable as a growing industry.

Nationalisation of the Big Five railways of England had the North Western Railway become the North Western Region, but remained especially independent to the rest of the network, including avoiding dieselisation and eventually becoming its own railway again when British Railways disbanded. Further projects the railway has been a part of, from the Arlesdale Railway’s ballast produce to the redevelopment of major stations along the route, have furthered the railways impact on Sodor’s industries, as have the Railway Series written by the Awdry’s; clearly seen in the passenger traffic climb through the years since the 1940’s.

Starting from Barrow-in-Furness on the Mainland, the Main Line crosses over the rolling lift bridge across the Walney Channel and calls at Vickerstown before passing through Henry's Tunnel.
After passing the junction to the Norramby Branch Line and crossing the River Hoo, the line calls at Crovan's Gate, home to the Steamworks and the transfer station for the Skarloey Railway.
The line then crosses the old tracks of "The Railroad" and Ben Glas via two bridges. After this, it continues south-west through the cutting where Henry was rescued from a snowdrift by Donald and Douglas and past the spot where James' train brakes were mended with bootlaces to Kellsthorpe Road, which is the junction station for the branch line to Kirk Ronan. The line continues westward before turning north-west, passing the stretch of line where Toby ran out of water and over the bridge spanning the Hawin Russagh where Henry and Gordon encountered a stray cow, then through Henry's Forest before reaching Killdane, the junction to the Peel Godred Branch Line.
Cronk is next, and once leaving the station, trains cross a viaduct, and then arrive at Maron. Trains then descend Gordon's Hill and pass Suddery Junction, where trains enroute to Brendam leave the Main Line, before reaching Wellsworth, the junction station for Edward's Branch Line.
Leaving Wellsworth, the line passes cow fields, where James had an accident on his first day with some runaway trucks and where half of Edward's cattle train was broken by some cows. Trains then arrive at Crosby, where Duck once crashed into a barbershop, propelled by the runaway goods train.
After Crosby, the line continues west past the Sodor Dairy and washdown, and later pass through a mile-long tunnel after East Knapford and then stop at Knapford, the junction to Thomas' Branch Line. Passing through another tunnel after Lower Tidmouth, the main line terminates at Tidmouth, home to the headquarters of the North Western Railway and the main line sheds. The station is also the junction to Duck's Branch Line, which travels up the western coast to Arlesburgh West and the Greenfield Branchline up the Northern banks of Tid.
The main line carries several kinds of freight, including ballast, lead, zinc, silver, slate, bauxite, produce, building stones, milk and fish, including the Tidmouth Kipper, which is considered a delicacy. Tourism is a major part of the passenger traffic during the summer season, as Sodor has many beautiful lakes, mountains, and other beautiful scenery. The main passenger traffic is commuting, which consists of stopping trains while others consist of push-pull services and semi-fast services - many of which terminate at Cronk whilst semi-fast trains terminate at Barrow and Tidmouth, - or the railway's non-stop express trains, "The Wild Nor' Wester" and "The Sudrian" which go directly from Barrow to Tidmouth and vice-versa.

The current engines at work on the mainline are as shown above.

Links to each shed allocation (Saves having to explain fully):

NWR 'Tidmouth Roundhouse' Shed Allocations by Kaxman5735 on DeviantArt
NWR 'Oakham South' Shed Allocations by Kaxman5735 on DeviantArt
NWR 'Cronk' Shed Allocations by Kaxman5735 on DeviantArt
NWR 'Barrow-in-Furness' Shed Allocations by Kaxman5735 on DeviantArt

Thomas & Friends owned by Mattel.

The Railway Series (C) The Awdry Family.

Description
AU History: The NWR has proven itself as a railway unlike any other, especially to the Big Four railways of Great Britain – one point being it still exists and is fully operational! Made globally famous thanks to the works of the Awdry authors and writers following after them, the 87 Mile-long North Western Main Line runs from the industrial terminus of Tidmouth on the west coast to the Mainland junction of Barrow-in-Furness. This line is the biggest and busiest transportation system on the Island of Sodor, with seven functional branch lines spurring from it, a sizable fleet of locomotives in operation, and countless ties to Sudrian industries and freight companies.

Much like its previous counterparts on Mainland England, the Main Line in service today is an amalgamation of three pre-existing Victorian railways – the Sodor and Mainland Railway, the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway, and the Knapford and Ffarquhar Railway – later the Tidmouth, Knapford and Ffarquhar Railway; the latter two amalgamating in 1910 to become the Tidmouth, Wellsworth, and Suddery Railway. All three were formed to take advantage of promising traffic on hand – the S&M with the possibility of a link with the Mainland, the W&S to serve the multiple industries and passenger traffic, and the TK&F to exploit the minerals around the Elsbridge area.

It was when World War I broke out in 1914 when it was agreed all existing railways should join as one to properly defend Sodor, especially the south coast. The British Government sponsored the idea, and so the North Western Railway was formed. The S&M became the east of the Main Line, the Kirk Ronan and Norramby branch lines, the W&S the Brendam branch line, and the TK&F the west of the Main Line and the Ffarquhar branch line. The main motive Power Depot was formed at Vickerstown in 1915, and the railway was finally completed in 1916, double-tracked and with all existing stations.

From there, there were numerous additional projects and individual investors in the railway. One of the Engineers of the Tidmouth, Knapford and Ffarquhar Railway, Topham Hatt, worked his way up to Managing Director, beginning the tradition of the Hatt family running the railway that has remained to this day. The railway became the fifth biggest in England with the formation of the Big Four (LNER, LMS, GWR, SR), and the power of the railway and locomotives it built up were fully tested with the outbreak of the Second World War, where they proved it was more than capable as a growing industry.

Nationalisation of the Big Five railways of England had the North Western Railway become the North Western Region, but remained especially independent to the rest of the network, including avoiding dieselisation and eventually becoming its own railway again when British Railways disbanded. Further projects the railway has been a part of, from the Arlesdale Railway’s ballast produce to the redevelopment of major stations along the route, have furthered the railways impact on Sodor’s industries, as have the Railway Series written by the Awdry’s; clearly seen in the passenger traffic climb through the years since the 1940’s.

Starting from Barrow-in-Furness on the Mainland, the Main Line crosses over the rolling lift bridge across the Walney Channel and calls at Vickerstown before passing through Henry's Tunnel.
After passing the junction to the Norramby Branch Line and crossing the River Hoo, the line calls at Crovan's Gate, home to the Steamworks and the transfer station for the Skarloey Railway.
The line then crosses the old tracks of "The Railroad" and Ben Glas via two bridges. After this, it continues south-west through the cutting where Henry was rescued from a snowdrift by Donald and Douglas and past the spot where James' train brakes were mended with bootlaces to Kellsthorpe Road, which is the junction station for the branch line to Kirk Ronan. The line continues westward before turning north-west, passing the stretch of line where Toby ran out of water and over the bridge spanning the Hawin Russagh where Henry and Gordon encountered a stray cow, then through Henry's Forest before reaching Killdane, the junction to the Peel Godred Branch Line.
Cronk is next, and once leaving the station, trains cross a viaduct, and then arrive at Maron. Trains then descend Gordon's Hill and pass Suddery Junction, where trains enroute to Brendam leave the Main Line, before reaching Wellsworth, the junction station for Edward's Branch Line.
Leaving Wellsworth, the line passes cow fields, where James had an accident on his first day with some runaway trucks and where half of Edward's cattle train was broken by some cows. Trains then arrive at Crosby, where Duck once crashed into a barbershop, propelled by the runaway goods train.
After Crosby, the line continues west past the Sodor Dairy and washdown, and later pass through a mile-long tunnel after East Knapford and then stop at Knapford, the junction to Thomas' Branch Line. Passing through another tunnel after Lower Tidmouth, the main line terminates at Tidmouth, home to the headquarters of the North Western Railway and the main line sheds. The station is also the junction to Duck's Branch Line, which travels up the western coast to Arlesburgh West and the Greenfield Branchline up the Northern banks of Tid.
The main line carries several kinds of freight, including ballast, lead, zinc, silver, slate, bauxite, produce, building stones, milk and fish, including the Tidmouth Kipper, which is considered a delicacy. Tourism is a major part of the passenger traffic during the summer season, as Sodor has many beautiful lakes, mountains, and other beautiful scenery. The main passenger traffic is commuting, which consists of stopping trains while others consist of push-pull services and semi-fast services - many of which terminate at Cronk whilst semi-fast trains terminate at Barrow and Tidmouth, - or the railway's non-stop express trains, "The Wild Nor' Wester" and "The Sudrian" which go directly from Barrow to Tidmouth and vice-versa.

The current engines at work on the mainline are as shown above.

Links to each shed allocation (Saves having to explain fully):

NWR 'Tidmouth Roundhouse' Shed Allocations by Kaxman5735 on DeviantArt
NWR 'Oakham South' Shed Allocations by Kaxman5735 on DeviantArt
NWR 'Cronk' Shed Allocations by Kaxman5735 on DeviantArt
NWR 'Barrow-in-Furness' Shed Allocations by Kaxman5735 on DeviantArt

Thomas & Friends owned by Mattel.

The Railway Series (C) The Awdry Family.