diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/post-stream.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/post-stream.js.es6
index 2ce7e1076de..7db4ea2ce02 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/post-stream.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/models/post-stream.js.es6
@@ -728,6 +728,63 @@ export default RestModel.extend({
     });
   },
 
+  backfillExcerpts(streamPosition){
+    this._excerpts = this._excerpts || [];
+    const stream = this.get('stream');
+
+    if (this._excerpts.loading) {
+      return this._excerpts.loading.then(()=>{
+        if(!this._excerpts[stream[streamPosition]]) {
+          return this.backfillExcerpts(streamPosition);
+        }
+      });
+    }
+
+
+    let postIds = stream.slice(Math.max(streamPosition-20,0), streamPosition+20);
+
+    for(let i=postIds.length-1;i>=0;i--) {
+      if (this._excerpts[postIds[i]]) {
+        postIds.splice(i,1);
+      }
+    }
+
+    let data = {
+      post_ids: postIds
+    };
+
+    this._excerpts.loading = ajax("/t/" + this.get('topic.id') + "/excerpts.json", {data})
+      .then(excerpts => {
+        excerpts.forEach(obj => {
+          this._excerpts[obj.post_id] = obj;
+        });
+      })
+      .finally(()=>{ this._excerpts.loading = null; });
+
+    return this._excerpts.loading;
+  },
+
+  excerpt(streamPosition){
+
+    const stream = this.get('stream');
+
+    return new Ember.RSVP.Promise((resolve,reject) => {
+
+      let excerpt = this._excerpts && this._excerpts[stream[streamPosition]];
+
+      if(excerpt) {
+        resolve(excerpt);
+        return;
+      }
+
+      this.backfillExcerpts(streamPosition)
+          .then(()=>{
+            resolve(this._excerpts[stream[streamPosition]]);
+          })
+          .catch(e => reject(e));
+    });
+  },
+
   indexOf(post) {
     return this.get('stream').indexOf(post.get('id'));
   },
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/topic-timeline.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/topic-timeline.js.es6
index eac9551e16a..927c605c4bd 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/topic-timeline.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/topic-timeline.js.es6
@@ -131,6 +131,13 @@ createWidget('timeline-scrollarea', {
       result.lastReadPercentage = this._percentFor(topic, idx);
     }
 
+
+    if (this.state.position !== result.current) {
+      this.state.position = result.current;
+      const timeline = this._findAncestorWithProperty('updatePosition');
+      timeline.updatePosition.call(timeline, result.current);
+    }
+
     return result;
   },
 
@@ -219,6 +226,47 @@ createWidget('topic-timeline-container', {
 export default createWidget('topic-timeline', {
   tagName: 'div.topic-timeline',
 
+  buildKey: () => 'topic-timeline-area',
+
+  defaultState() {
+    return { position: null, excerpt: null };
+  },
+
+  updatePosition(pos) {
+    if (!this.attrs.fullScreen) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    this.state.position = pos;
+    this.state.excerpt = "";
+    this.scheduleRerender();
+
+    const stream = this.attrs.topic.get('postStream');
+
+    // a little debounce to avoid flashing
+    setTimeout(()=>{
+      if (!this.state.position === pos) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      stream.excerpt(pos).then(info => {
+
+        if (info && this.state.position === pos) {
+          let excerpt = "";
+
+          if (info.username) {
+            excerpt = "<span class='username'>" + info.username + ":</span> ";
+          }
+
+          excerpt += info.excerpt;
+
+          this.state.excerpt = excerpt;
+          this.scheduleRerender();
+        }
+      });
+    }, 50);
+  },
+
   html(attrs) {
     const { topic } = attrs;
     const createdAt = new Date(topic.created_at);
@@ -232,11 +280,21 @@ export default createWidget('topic-timeline', {
       if (attrs.mobileView) {
         titleHTML = new RawHtml({ html: `<span>${topic.get('fancyTitle')}</span>` });
       }
-      result.push(h('h3.title', this.attach('link', {
-        contents: ()=>titleHTML,
-        className: 'fancy-title',
-        action: 'jumpTop'
-      })));
+
+      let elems = [h('h2', this.attach('link', {
+              contents: ()=>titleHTML,
+              className: 'fancy-title',
+              action: 'jumpTop'}))];
+
+
+      if (this.state.excerpt) {
+        elems.push(
+            new RawHtml({
+              html: "<div class='post-excerpt'>" + this.state.excerpt + "</div>"
+            }));
+      }
+
+      result.push(h('div.title', elems));
     }
 
 
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/topic-timeline.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/topic-timeline.scss
index bb74942aa45..2cc8fa4cc4f 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/topic-timeline.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/topic-timeline.scss
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
     z-index: 100000;
     .topic-timeline {
       width: 100%;
+      table-layout: fixed;
       margin-left: 0;
       margin-right: 0;
       display: table;
@@ -61,12 +62,38 @@
         text-align: right;
         font-size: 1.1em;
       }
+      .post-excerpt {
+        max-width: 650px;
+        max-height: 155px;
+        line-height: 1.4em;
+        overflow: hidden;
+        word-wrap: break-word;
+        text-overflow: ellipsis;
+      }
+      .username {
+        color: dark-light-choose(scale-color($primary, $lightness: 30%), scale-color($secondary, $lightness: 70%));
+        word-wrap: break-word;
+        font-weight: bold;
+      }
       .title {
         margin-top: 0;
         padding-left: 1em;
         display: table-cell;
         vertical-align: top;
-        line-height: 1.3em;
+        width: 100%;
+        h2 {
+          margin-top: 0;
+          display: block;
+          display: -webkit-box;
+          -webkit-line-clamp: 4;
+          -webkit-box-orient: vertical;
+          max-height: 110px;
+          line-height: 1.3em;
+          word-wrap: break-word;
+          text-overflow: ellipsis;
+          overflow: hidden;
+          font-size: 1.3em;
+        }
         a {
           color: $primary;
         }
diff --git a/app/controllers/topics_controller.rb b/app/controllers/topics_controller.rb
index 404495c06ff..4961793ffa9 100644
--- a/app/controllers/topics_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/topics_controller.rb
@@ -186,6 +186,40 @@ class TopicsController < ApplicationController
     render_json_dump(TopicViewPostsSerializer.new(@topic_view, scope: guardian, root: false, include_raw: !!params[:include_raw]))
   end
 
+  def excerpts
+    params.require(:topic_id)
+    params.require(:post_ids)
+
+    post_ids = params[:post_ids].map(&:to_i)
+    unless Array === post_ids
+      render_json_error("Expecting post_ids to contain a list of posts ids")
+      return
+    end
+
+    if post_ids.length > 100
+      render_json_error("Requested a chunk that is too big")
+      return
+    end
+
+    @topic = Topic.with_deleted.where(id: params[:topic_id]).first
+    guardian.ensure_can_see!(@topic)
+
+    @posts = Post.where(hidden: false, deleted_at: nil, topic_id: @topic.id)
+        .where('posts.id in (?)', post_ids)
+        .joins("LEFT JOIN users u on u.id = posts.user_id")
+        .pluck(:id, :cooked, :username)
+        .map do |post_id, cooked, username|
+          {
+            post_id: post_id,
+            username: username,
+            excerpt: PrettyText.excerpt(cooked, 800, keep_emoji_images: true)
+          }
+         end
+
+
+    render json: @posts.to_json
+  end
+
   def destroy_timings
     PostTiming.destroy_for(current_user.id, [params[:topic_id].to_i])
     render nothing: true
diff --git a/config/routes.rb b/config/routes.rb
index 35645a8fbc0..06f799640bc 100644
--- a/config/routes.rb
+++ b/config/routes.rb
@@ -592,6 +592,7 @@ Discourse::Application.routes.draw do
   get "t/:slug/:topic_id/:post_number" => "topics#show", constraints: {topic_id: /\d+/, post_number: /\d+/}
   get "t/:slug/:topic_id/last" => "topics#show", post_number: 99999999, constraints: {topic_id: /\d+/}
   get "t/:topic_id/posts" => "topics#posts", constraints: {topic_id: /\d+/}, format: :json
+  get "t/:topic_id/excerpts" => "topics#excerpts", constraints: {topic_id: /\d+/}, format: :json
   post "t/:topic_id/timings" => "topics#timings", constraints: {topic_id: /\d+/}
   post "t/:topic_id/invite" => "topics#invite", constraints: {topic_id: /\d+/}
   post "t/:topic_id/invite-group" => "topics#invite_group", constraints: {topic_id: /\d+/}
diff --git a/spec/controllers/topics_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/topics_controller_spec.rb
index 7ee8aa42b37..05a7b504778 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/topics_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/topics_controller_spec.rb
@@ -1306,6 +1306,36 @@ describe TopicsController do
     end
   end
 
+  context "excerpts" do
+
+    it "can correctly get excerpts" do
+
+      first_post = create_post(raw: 'This is the first post :)', title: 'This is a test title I am making yay')
+      second_post = create_post(raw: 'This is second post', topic: first_post.topic)
+
+      random_post = Fabricate(:post)
+
+
+      xhr :get, :excerpts, topic_id: first_post.topic_id, post_ids: [first_post.id, second_post.id, random_post.id]
+
+      json = JSON.parse(response.body)
+      json.sort!{|a,b| a["post_id"] <=> b["post_id"]}
+
+      # no random post
+      expect(json.length).to eq(2)
+      # keep emoji images
+      expect(json[0]["excerpt"]).to match(/emoji/)
+      expect(json[0]["excerpt"]).to match(/first post/)
+      expect(json[0]["username"]).to eq(first_post.user.username)
+      expect(json[0]["post_id"]).to eq(first_post.id)
+
+      expect(json[1]["excerpt"]).to match(/second post/)
+
+
+    end
+
+  end
+
   context "convert_topic" do
     it 'needs you to be logged in' do
       expect { xhr :put, :convert_topic, id: 111, type: "private" }.to raise_error(Discourse::NotLoggedIn)