Alternative Universes

There are several AUs that the writers have come up with for the series.

## Midis Management AU

This AU has all five Midis on the North Western Railway together. Among the changes are as follows:

* Johnson, Lauren and Julie still run the Kirk Ronan line, but Katie now works at Vicarstown yards (after Diesel mentors her), and Nicole is on the Norramby branch (later joined by Arthur, Molly and Sidney).
* Addison Darnell kills the Midi controller and forges a note to Sir Bertram Topham Hatt, saying the Midis were given to them for free. Once this was found out, the current Midi controller says Sir Topham Hatt can keep the Midis as it wasn't his fault and the Midis were content in their new home.
	+ This was because the Midi controller kept raising the price of quintet. In the prime timeline, Amanda Hatt decides to buy Nicole and Katie to keep them safe so Sir Topham Hatt can keep the rest.
* Nicole is painted orange with purple stripes (as Emily is green and Tasha is a reddish-purple), Julie is painted lavender with pink stripes (like Sweetie Belle), Lauren is painted teal, and Katie is painted indigo (a reference to her short-lived crush on Thomas). Only Johnson retains his old colours.
* The Midis are numbered 13-17 (only Julie retains her actual number). All engines after them are in numerical order. (42 engines total).
* Arry is killed instead of Duck being knocked out. Bert is traumatized and Duck and Diesel seek theapy. This is because Addison already crossed the line during the Midi controller fiasco.
	+ This also means Diesel doesn't end up going through the same "distant" phase he does in the prime timeline.
	+ Despite this, Emily does still enter her bossy phase. Without Arry and Bert though, this doesn't get as out of control.
* Bert eventually goes over to Sodor to warn the engines about Addison. Whether or not if they listen to him or not is still being debated.

## Good Addison AU

* Addison is born to Alice Regaby (now Alice Darnell and she doesn't die) and Rodney Darnell. She also has an unknown amount of siblings in this AU, and she and Annabelle are cousins.
* Carla Drew has a much better life after seeking professional help, often traveling the world and bringing back gifts for her endless sea of honouree nephews and nieces.
* Addison and Annabelle are both the Railway Girls, and they form a girl group with their other friends, Gwen, Penny, Pansy, Bridget, Sophie, Helen and the Brown sisters (and any sisters Addison may have).
* Alice Regaby is sometimes left in charge of the NWR when Sir Topham Hatt is away.
* Jacob Hockings
* Addison was the guard on Duck's train when he went to Barrow in *Diesels and Westerners*. She helped derail Arry and Bert when they tried to catch him. Diesel does end up arriving, only to find Duck completely unharmed.
* Sir Handel, Peter Sam and Rusty
	+ The Ironworks still gets shut down, and Arry and Bert learn the truth about diesels being scrapped another way. They also *refuse* to go back to Sodor as they don't want Duck to bump them off the rails again.
* *Engines of the Same Metals* doesn't happen. Instead, Annabelle and Addison are tasked to run the North Western Railway together, and they have a great time.
* The engines of Sodor
* Boris is still alive.
* Evelyn Broke
* Addison doesn't end up with Evelyn Broke, and ends up with Sylvia Starkey. She does still adopt the same three children though, albeit not as twisted.
	+ Also for obvious reasons, Addison doesn't have a crush on Annabelle in this AU. In fact, she is the biggest supporter of Annabelle and Paul Percival's relationship.
* Carole, Stevie, Lisa, Simon, Ashley, Melanie and Jess all still run the Peel Godred Branch Line. This is because Sir Topham Hatt was able to stop Hockings from killing Stevie. He was initially on his way to check on the Peel Godred electric engines in the prime timeline, but because Hockings hurt Addison, he rushed her to hospital and didn't get there in time. Sir Topham Hatt wouldn't have been guilty over a lack of a death he couldn't prevent; and the Peel Godred Branch would still be in serviceable condition. Hurricane
* The Anti-Diesel/Electric League Revolution is being run by Evelyn Broke, albeit under a slightly different name and reason.

## Ulfstead Extras AU

* Instead of being bought for the Aluminum works, Duke, Falcon and Stuart all get bought by the Earl himself. The Earl also swiftly rescues Bertram, Freddie and Colin, and the six of them are joined by his own engine, Millie, at Ulfstead Castle.
* The Ulfstead extension is built much earlier on.
* Falcon and Stuart managed to rescue Sir Handel Lloyd Brown and Mr. Peter Sam from a rockslide near the castle when the humans were visiting Sodor, and their nameplates came off. This time however, the Earl ends up knighting both engines, Sir Handel and Peter Sam.
* When the Skarloey Railway ran into trouble, Mr. Percival went to Ulfstead for help. Sir Handel and Peter Sam were getting increasingly curious about the Skarloey Railway, but didn't want to leave Duke. Duke tells them they can "spread their wings", and they happily head off, knowing their Granpuff was at Ulfstead if they needed him.
* Duke joins the Skarloey Railway during Skarloey and Rheneas' 100th birthday.
* Jacob Hockings is arrested right on the day he tries to purchase Falcon and Stuart for the Aluminium works.
* After Albert Regaby is fired from the Railway Board, Tasha Stone (who is still alive because she didn't need to confront Hockings), convinces Burnett Stone to bring Tasha (the engine) out of hiding. She is asked to be the NWR's new number 1, but she declines, feeling it's too soon after Glynn's withdrawal. Instead, she becomes the Steamworks pilot, privately owned by them. Tasha is proven to be really good at her job, as she has a soothing and calming presence, especially to those that have been through serious accidents. She's later joined by Victor, Kevin and Theo.
	+ Tasha also makes runs to the branch lines occasionally if the workload is busy. In this alternative set of events, this is how she and Duck fall for each other.
	+ Tasha plays many supporting roles in her new job.
	+ Tasha Stone and Burnett are Tasha's crew until they retire and Lily and Patch take over for them.
* The original electric engines' fate is the same as in the Good Addison AU. However, this time, the reason is because Jacob Hockings was arrested earlier and he couldn't have killed Stevie.

## Canon Divergent AU

* This rewrites all the Brenner era episodes as depicted here.

## Paxton AU

* Paxton replaces Diesel during the events of *Duck and the Diesel Engine*.
* Though Duck is a bit cautious at first, he eventually warms up to Paxton. No lies are spread about them.
* Unfortunately, this means no one is there to stop Henry's breakaway, and Dexter and the Spiteful Brake Van are crushed as a result. Everyone mourned Dexter, but the Spiteful Brake Van wasn't missed. S.C.Ruffey takes charge of the Troublesome Trucks after this.
* James' arc in *Skarloey the Little Old Engine* would be about him moving on from Dexter's death.
* Paxton remains on Sodor and he and Duck run the yard together until Duck's premotion. This causes some grief when Donald and Douglas arrive.
* Donald and Douglas' trial still is a bit of a mess, but it was S.C.Ruffey that caused them grief. Douglas accidentally crushed him due to the non-sentient brake van breaking away before banking James up the hill. Much to their surprise, Paxton is one of the engines who gives Donald and Douglas the most support when they confessed about Douglas being the stowaway.
* Sir Handel wouldn't attempt to fake being ill and Peter Sam's funnel wouldn't get damaged. His Giesel Ejector would be given to him differently though. Duncan would still arrive as well.
* Instead of Diesel showing up the day after Duck's incident with the fish, it's Collet, much to his shock. This new story is about Collet and Duck slowly making amends to their relationship. When Duck is promoted to the branch line, Collet alternates between it and the yards until Oliver is rescued, then runs the yards with Paxton.
* Oliver, Toad and Collet were secretly assisted by Diesel to get to Sodor, however, he asked not to mention who he was in their stories.
* Oliver gets into grief with Fred Pelham and tears him apart.
* Old King Cole is still crushed in the mines.
* Rickety is the one who causes Toad's runaway and is turned into a dumpster on rails. He was on Gordon's train and later gets crushed per the original timeline.
* D261, Diesel and D7101 arrive on trial as a trio. However, Diesel is not the same engine he once was in *Duck and the Diesel Engine*; having been a witness to Collet's and Oliver & Toad's near deaths. Diesel is relieved to see the trio on Sodor safely, and his subplot revolves around him being a better brother to Paxton as well as befriending the Little Western engines. At the end of the story, Diesel officially goes by his real name, Jasper, while D7101 and D261 still get Bear and Bowler (much to the latter's disgust). Jasper helps Paxton in the yards while Collet shuffles around the island as an odd jobs engine.
* The engines, now losing Randolph instead of Dexter, still try to find him. They locate him much quicker this time, as they couldn't lose a second coach.
* The London trips and stand-in engines are as follows:
	+ Thomas (Jinty), Edward (Harriet/Barry), Henry (Murdoch), Gordon (Molly), James (Arthur), Percy (Pug), Toby (Katrina), Duck (Jackie), Collet (Amanda), Mavis (Rosie)
	+ Donald (Katrina), Douglas (Harriet/Barry), Oliver (Jackie), BoCo (Molly), Daisy (Arthur), Jasper (Rosie), Bear (Murdoch), Paxton (Amanda), Bill (Jinty), Ben (Pug)
* Bert, having seen Diesel in action back at Barrow, is a changed engine much earlier on. He starts to betray Arry's actions, and even tries to have Donald escape during *Don't Fear the Scrapper*. In *Diesels and Westerners*, Bert "fumbles up" and gets Duck to escape "accidentally on purpose". Because of this, Bert is given a second chance to shunt at Barrow with Ali, Prisca and Lyla, while Arry is given the boot.
* Bert and Ali run the Ironworks at Killdane later on, and when Jasper realises how much Bert has changed, decides that he'll leave the two be.
* Jasper is a lot more cheerful in this new timeline and is less likely to get jealous.
* Emily still does enter her bossy phase, albeit not as out of control.
* In *School of Duck*, Jasper actually helps Duck try to find a new way to help the school kids. He accidentally finds a non-sentient coach (the same coach he took the mayor and Sir Topham Hatt to the S&RC in during the now non-existent *Wild Water Rescue*) and has them convert that into a classroom.
* Percy's cockiness lasts longer due to Jasper not taking him down a peg in *Wild Water Rescue*.
* Jackie is on better terms with Jasper.

## Arthur and Barry siblings AU

* Clarence/Arthur and Harriet/Barry are siblings; Harriet's old number in this timeline is 41213.
* Harriet/Barry disapproved of Clarence's attitude, and even when he changed his ways for the better, Barry's relationship with Arthur would still be strained.
* Clarence/Arthur is seen as the 'golden child' while Harriet/Barry is the 'neglected child'.

## Crash Course Captain Star AU

* Captain Star is portrayed as he was in the original series. Captain Lucky would be seen as the Tugs' shining light in these darker moments of their captain, as she would console them and give them therapy.
* Captain Lucky would berate Captain Star in his less than stella performances - ie, *Pirate*, *Quarantine* and *Jinxed*. Over the course of these stories, the Stars turn their backs on him and turn to Captain Lucky for orders instead.
* Eventually, Captain Star starts to redeem himself, particularly in the *Munitions* ordeal, and the tugs slowly start to gain respect back. He becomes more like the Captain Star that we see in the SeventyVerse.

## TUGS on Sodor AU

* The tugs of the Star, Zero and Salvage Fleets, the V-Tugs and others such as Sea Rogue, O'Malley, Billy Shoepack, Finbar, Peeper Pipes, Davy Jones, Cappy, Snowy, Jimbo, Lillie Lightship, Sally Seaplane, Izzy Gomez, Little Ditcher, Mighty Mo, Scuttlebutt Pete, Lord Stinker, Pearl, Frank and Eddie, Felicia, Captain Lucky, Mr. Frederick Lloyd, Mr. Peter Stone, Michael Bateson and Admiral Cardona, would do operations on Sodor, with the Star and Zero Docks being based at Knapford Harbour.
* Zelda is sent to the Isle of Man after the fire and works at a harbour there. Captain Lucky's friend gives Zelda the therapy she needed and she remained there until after she finds out some of her friends (inculding her old love, Top Hat), were almost killed. She returns to Sodor and joins Lucky's Yard.
* Captain Star's family would be very close with the Hatt Family, due to their similar interests and business departments.
* As time goes on, Captain Star's family becomes more invested in preservation of steam alongside Sir Topham Hatt's family, which means keeping the Star tugs going. Captain Zero's family, though they don't like the admit it, do gradually come to care more about their tugs too.
* Later generations of Captain Zero's family become less invested in crime work, and the Z-Stacks eventually become as honest and true as the Stars like the main timeline.
* The Z-Stack and Star rivalry eventually evolves into becoming more playful, sort of akin to *Salty's Lighthouse*, also just like the prime timeline.
* Captain Lucky still runs Lucky's Yard, which isn't too far away from the Star and Zero docks.
* Captain Salvage still runs her Salvage Team, albeit they are based at Norramby.
* Captain Judd
* Finbar, Peeper Pipes, Davy Jones, Cappy, Snowy and Constance work for the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre. Captain isn't as lonely in this timeline as a result.
* Sea Rogue, O'Malley and Billy Shoepack work at Norramby. Sunshine used to work here, and Boomer is now a houseboat here.
* Chimera and Alonso still run their scrapyard, and despise Arry and Bert for their cruelty.
* Sally Seaplane is still near Lucky's Yard and Lillie Lightship is anchored further out from Knapford.
* Jimbo, Northumberland and Nautilus work for the UK Navy, as did Bluenose before he was used for target practice, and Hercules, Zeus, Grampus and Zilly before they were sold to Captains Star and Zero respectively. Ariel, Zion, Meridian, Penny and Venus still work there too before Meridian is transferred to Arlesburgh Harbour; Ariel, Venus and Penny join the Z-Stacks, and Zion joins Lucky's Yard.
* Robin still joins the Salvage Team later, and Moonlight still joins the Stars.
* Little Ditcher, Mighty Mo, Scuttlebutt Pete are stationed either at Knapford Harbour or Norramby Harbour.
* Izzy Gomez still transports bananas, but from the mainland, and Delta Queen also transports potatoes.
* Frank and Eddie still work with Top Hat and Zob, mostly to bring cargo from areas with rougher terrain.
* Pearl (Pilot Boat) and Petra
* Sigrid
* Rebecca (Research Vessel)
* Catherine (Ship)
* Digby
* R. Boat
* Shamus
* Pearl (Barge) still works on dreager detail, mostly with Sunshine and Little Ditcher.
* Bobby, Barrington, Shelburne, Bayswater, Bonavista and Brunswick
* Felicia brings cars up from the mainland and Phillip and Filmore
* Jack the Grappler works at the rubbish dump at Peel Godred. Mr. Oscar Krieger writes to Warrior, Lord Stinker and Guysborough, as they often get garbage from the railway.
* Bluenose (Schooner)
* Clayton
* Queen Stephanie
* Puffa, Little Owl and Kirke are also owned by the North Western Railway, not necessarily based at Brendam Docks. (Total steam engines on the North Western Railway in the AU: 46, including Nicole and Katie).
	+ Kirke works with Henney at Arlesburgh Harbour, while Puffa and Little Owl work at Knapford Harbour.
	+ Picado and Maeve are privately owned by the logging company at Cronk.
* Frosty, Camellia, Sean (Diesel), Crash and Marigold
* Michael Bateson operates at Brendam Docks.
* Captain Lucky works at Lucky's Yard, which isn't too far from Knapford Harbour.
* Mr. Frederick Lloyd works closely with Sir Topham Hatt as his secondary director.
* Mr. Peter Stone works at Knapford Harbour, where he often helps to unload stone into the barges.
* Admiral Cardona works for the UK Navy.
* Flotsam and Jetsam, Johnny Cuba, Jacob Burke and Ebenezer Blair are all still given the final firing for their crimes respectively. Otto would have been if he wasn't accidentally given the Final Firing by Warrior. Bluenose and Hans are still blown up in target practice for their crimes.
* Nightshade, Oleander and Foxglove are still sunk at the bottom of the sea as artificial reefs.
* Corona is still a goosehouse at Dun Tuggin'.
* Mr. Jebediah Broke and Ursula Zero are both still killed while in attempts to get them arrested. Only Ursula dies in the fire in this AU.
* Mr. Martin Hobbs
* Morgana Zero
* Nantucket is still around, only being a minimal troublemaker.
* Carla
* Oliver (Tugboat)
* The events of the *TUGS* spinoff series is rewritten to involve the engines and non-rail vehicles of Sodor. Notable changes include the tugs of both fleets, Billy Shoepack, Sally Seaplane, Kirke, Captain Zero and Mr. Oscar Krieger surviving World War II. Zak and Zeus still get fired, and are still replaced by Ariel and Venus.

## TUGS Survival AU

* The tugs of both fleets, Zelda, Billy Shoepack, Sally Seaplane, Zion, Kirke, Captain Zero and Mr. Oscar Krieger survive the Blitz and the events afterward.
	+ Zorran ends up losing his right eye and is later given an eyepatch to cover it, while Billy is struck with amnesia.
* Zak and Zeus are fired for their actions and Ariel and Venus replace Zak and Zeus respectively.
* Penny and Melody join the Z-Stacks, thus making it 10 tugs each for each fleet. (Three switchers, three harbour tugs, one railway tug, one ocean-going tug and one submarine on both sides).
* The Great Ocean Tug and Salvage Company set up their dock at O.J.'s old dock.
* Zak, Zeus, Corona, Nightshade, Oleander, Foxglove, Hans and Otto escape and join the Anti-Diesel/Electric League Revolution with Addison, much to the horror and disgust of the rest of the Stars, Z-Stacks and Salvage tugs.

## Trivia

* Another AU is preposed - the Thomas Fire AU, where Thomas chooses the Final Firing due to extensive damage, and Percy has to step up to be the next leader of the Ffarqhuar branch. Part of this was already written, but Railfanbronymedia doesn't feel up to doing it at the moment. TobyandMavisforever is still keen to do it at some point.