The Sodor & Mainland Railway town of Ballahoo via Rolf's Castle and Crovan's Gate, but never actually reached the mainland due to lack of money and misfortunes. The plan to extend to the Mainland via Vicarstown failed when the tunnel under construction through the Balahoo Ridge collapsed and plans to build a bridge across the Walney Channel was halted by the Admiralty (who ironically in World War I became the driving force behind the unification of Sodor's railways and completion of the same link to the mainland that they hindered the S&M in building). The S&M did, at one time plan to build a western
The Longest Voyage it is "nearly unmatched" in science fiction for its "lyricism, compassion, subtlety, thoughtfulness, and above all the relish it takes in the bristling strangeness and wonder of the world". Steven H. Silver commented that what distinguishes "The Longest Voyage" from similar stories is that "Anderson provides strong motivation for both the explorers and the natives". The Longest Voyage "The Longest Voyage" is a science fiction short story by American writer Poul Anderson. It won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1961. On a distant world the age of exploration is beginning. A party of daring explorers attempts to