Merry Christmas Lines

**Merry Christmas Lines** is a 37 minute audio drama Christmas story special from 2015.

## Summary

At the end of a busy year, the Engines of Waterdown gather at West Shed and exchange stories over Christmas. Join Sherlock, Clay, Ramona, Cojak and Atlas in their adventures from days past.

## Plot

It's Christmas Eve on the railway, and a Secret Santa staff party is being held over at West Shed by Charles Crawfoots, and the other staff members of the railways. All the engines pack into the engine shed for the night, but some such as Benjamin was away at Dragon's Warf for that night. The engines eventually knew that there was a party going on when they returned, and Atlas's driver Jim was concerned about his secret santa gift for Mr. Traverse that evening. When Charles came out to announce the railway being closed for both Christmas and Boxing Day to the engines, Jim asked him if he can switch secret santas with another staff member to which Charles was surprised that most people had said that they too had Traverse as well, and then realized that he tampered with the staff's secret santa box. So he told Jim that he would take care of Traverse, and that he allowed him that he can take care of his own.

The engines, as every year, began to share some of their Christmas stories from their past. Some, however, were a bit off topic to the subject of "*Christmas*"*,* and more on a couple of other eventful stories.

## Characters

* Atlas
* Zebedee
* Sherlock Hill
* Dawn
* Cojak
* Ramona
* Boomer
* Clay
* Charles Crawfoots
* Mr. Traverse
* Jim
* Benjamin (flashback)
* Boxer (flashback)
* Enid (flashback)
* Dev-Khan (flashback)
* Ember (flashback)
* Ince Castle (*Mentioned*)
* Tabitha Crawfoots (*Mentioned*)

### Characters Introduced

* The Masonry Bridge Controller (flashback)
* Fourscore (flashback)
* Icarus (flashback)
* Atlas' Original Driver (flashback)
* Atlas' Original Fireman (flashback)
* School Children (flashback)
	+ Child #1
	+ Child #2

* Trigger (flashback)
* Victory (*Mentioned*)
* Link (*Mentioned*)

## Locations

* Dragons Warf
* West Shed
* Masonry Bridge
* The Drains (*Mentioned*)
* Dawn's Goods Yard
* Times Worth
* Shatterlay (*Mentioned*)
* Waterdown
* Folkstown

## Cast

* Haydn: Atlas, Clay, Boomer and Others
* Daniel: Charles Crawfoots, Mr. Traverse and Dev-Khan
* George: Cojak and Icarus
* Lauren: Ramona and Ember
* Jake: Zebedee and The Masonry Bridge Controller
* Jonathan: Benjamin
* Matt: Sherlock Hill, Jim, Fourscore and Atlas' Original Fireman
* Louie: Atlas' Original Driver and Others
* Mayoorhan: Boxer and Others
* Lorna: Dawn and Enid
* Neil: Trigger and a Small Child

## Trivia

* This is the first time an audio story that's a spinoff of the actual series was made by Haydn Spencer.
* This is also the first ever Christmas special to the Crossed Lines series, and Atlas's first ever Christmas on the Waterdown Railway.
* The audio special also introduces more stories to both Atlas and Ember's past on the Masonry Bridge railway.
* The story plot and the audio special probably takes place somewhere in between episodes 6 'The Mail Bag Snag', and 7 'Rebel Iron' of the series. As Ember was not part of the Waterdown railway just yet it would seem, and only told as a past character still. This, however, contradicts Atlas' statement from the former episode about Ember at risk of being scrapped by next week, as well as the fact that Atlas is still in the workshops at this point in the timeline.
* Stock footages from the series episodes were scene in a sneak peek trailer after the ending of the credits to the last episode of the upcoming 2016 series finally episode, 'Kindred Spirits'.
* Neil joins the voice cast.
* This is the only story where Joel never had the opportunity to take part in as the voice for Sherlock Hill.  It's unknown as to what happened and why.
* In terms of parody jokes, Cojak's Christmas story was a spinoff in terms of references from *Star Wars*, and the television adaptation of *Christopher Awdry's* "Railway Series" book, *Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree*.
* This is the only special where Ince Castle doesn't appear.
* Stock audio from 'The Mail Bag Snag' can be heard in the background of Ramona and Dawn's story.