Peter Sam and Henry at the station.
Crovan's "Gate" is a narrow gap in the hills that is the only practicable route from the east into the interior of the island. A famous victory in Sodor's history occurred here when the heavily-outnumbered King made use of the narrow pass to hold off an invading army until reinforcements could arrive. The gap has since been widened by road and railway builders. The name Crovan's Gate now also applies to a town which has grown up to serve the railway works and former quarries and mines in the area. Crovan's Gate is the terminus of the Skarloey Railway and a station on the main line of the North Western Railway. It is also the location of the North Western Railway's extensive works. Just east of Crovan's Gate, the NWR's Ballahoo - Norramby branch leaves the main line; this line was at one time part of the Sodor & Mainland Railway. The NWR's express service from Tidmouth to Barrow calls exclusively at Crovan's Gate.
Henry inside the works with his red undercoat.
The NWR works are possibly the best-equipped steam locomotive works in the British Isles, and are capable of undertaking any repair, overhaul or restoration job for any locomotive on the Island. (In the late 1960s it had been enlarged and a boiler-making facility erected with the end of regular steam operation on the mainland. At around the same time the former-S&M repair shed was refurbished and converted into a museum, which now houses some of the more aged locomotives and stock held by the NWR.) They have also played a major role in the construction of new engines for the Arlesdale and Skarloey Railways. The Fat Controller has also recently been looking into the possibility of manufacturing components for engines on heritage railways. (This has happened with contracted work, in which engines have actually visited Sodor in said manner.)