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The Spring 1977 Update is live! Check out all the new content in the update post.

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#1
General Discussion / Ray gueststars on Somehow You ...
Last post by DJ - Apr 06, 2026, 05:16 PM

Ray gueststars on Somehow You Didn't Die On Your Way To Work this week on Episode #19 The Many, Many Accidents on the Island of Sodor. Justin Roczniak of Well There's Your Problem gueststars as well.
#2
General Discussion / Re: Introduce Yourself
Last post by Ray - Mar 17, 2026, 06:23 PM
...and I'm Ray! I do most of the art & (for what it's worth) graphic design around here. I also write Pilot's letters.

If there's a problem with anything that isn't the site, you can also message me and I'll message DJ.
#3
General Discussion / Re: How many chuggas to a choo...
Last post by DJ - Mar 17, 2026, 04:45 PM
Thirty-two. Jaysus. You'd run out of breath doin' all that. You'd have no breath for any choos.
#4
Railway Series/Thomas and Friends / Best Bad Episode
Last post by DJ - Mar 17, 2026, 02:23 AM
How you interpret this distinction is up to you. Could be the best of the bad era. Could be the absolutely worst episode, therefore the best at being bad. Or it could be an objectively terrible episode with one bright spot. However you want to reason it out.

I've already presented my thesis on "Steady Eddie", but I'll just leave this here and come back with another answer to this after a bit.
#5
General Discussion / Re: 🌽 Corny Joke Thread - Not ...
Last post by DJ - Mar 17, 2026, 01:58 AM


How many Great Westerns does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

Spoiler
Only one but he's gotta tell you about both ways to do it first.
[close]

#6
General Discussion / Re: How many chuggas to a choo...
Last post by Ellie - Mar 17, 2026, 01:54 AM
As a kid it was always eight in my household, but my nephew (age 4) who is a train aficionado gave a solid thirty-two before the choo choo.
#7
General Discussion / Introduce Yourself
Last post by DJ - Mar 17, 2026, 01:53 AM
Hello! Welcome to the forum. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?


I'm DJ. I write Pioneer's letters. And I run most of the technical, backend infrastructure stuff around here. If there's a problem with the site, I'm the one you should message about it.

Happy to have you aboard!
#8
The Future is Still Silver and Black / The Spring 1977 Update
Last post by DJ - Feb 01, 2026, 09:51 AM


Last year, we moved The Future is Still Silver and Black to its new home on pioneerandpilot.com. This year, we're finally unpacked and hosting a trainwarming party.

In addition to seeing how 1977 is treating our preserved pen pals so far, we've made a lot of upgrades and added amenities that will make your ride with us smoother and more comfortable. While the route is a little shorter this time around, we've built a cozy station in anticipation of your arrival.

Now departing for 1977!


The Spring 1977 Update includes:

:letter: Four new letters to kick off 1977

:letter: A more user-friendly (and mobile-accessible) art gallery to view Ray's collected art

:letter: A complete website redesign built on Wordpress with tons of quality-of-life features including:

  • An overall aesthetic upgrade
  • Responsive CSS for a nicer experience on mobile devices, including embedded pages like the Timeline and Guestbook
  • Every letter is now its own post, making them searchable, linkable, and bookmarkable
  • This also allows for reading one by one in the post view or all at once in the blog view
  • Additionally, it means that we can post new updates as we write letters rather than waiting until we have a year's worth

:letter: New entries on the Engines, Etc. page for:

  • The Stephenson's Rocket replica (and his brothers)
  • Chicago Transit Authority No. 4391 (Green Hornet)
  • Nevada Northern No. 101 "Ely"
  • Illinois Terminal No. 101
  • Norfolk & Western No. 2050
  • Pullman 1792 (D.D.'s Delight)
  • Chicago & Western Indiana No. 1900
  • Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad No. 9904 "Pegasus"
  • Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad No. 191 "Silver Inn"
  • Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad No. 199 "Silver Inn"
  • Galena and Chicago Union Railroad "Pioneer"
  • Santa Fe (ATSF) No. 811
  • Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad No. 3001
  • Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad No. 4714 "Silver Dome"
  • Christian Radich
  • USS Constitution (Old Ironsides)

:letter: New sections in the "Posts and Parcels" page for:


:letter: New Reader Forum where members can discuss the letters, trains in general, or anything else.
  • With a merit badge system where members can collect illustrated stamps of all our favorite engines by doing things around the forum

:letter: New tumblr blog compiling TFISSAB content over the last few years - both from our separate train sideblogs and fanwork we've been given - all in one place and tagged for easy browsing.

:letter: And a new Bluesky account, just to branch out a bit.
#9
General Discussion / 🌽 Corny Joke Thread - Not sure...
Last post by Ray - Jan 22, 2026, 03:27 PM
If you're new to forum posting, it can seem pretty complicated or overwhelming.
Fear not! The only rule in this thread is very simple: Post your corniest joke here.

Sufficiently groan-worthy replies will receive the coveted corn stamp. I'll start.
What do you call two banana peels? 🍌
Spoiler
A pair of slippers!
[close]
#10
General Discussion / Re: Rules, New Features, and C...
Last post by DJ - Jan 21, 2026, 01:06 PM
Ray has begun making art for our stamp achievement system, so I made a small adjustment to the code so that the stamps under our posts link to their page on the stamp list. That way, users can easily access the full-size art of the stamps and see what one has to do to earn them.
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