Cold autumn air swirled around the mountain top that night with the ocean waves crashing against the rocks below. The moon hung full above the clouds, gleaming down on a certain express train running down the mountainside.

Consisting of ten brightly-lit blue coaches with golden fringes, the head of the express was a towering G3 steam locomotive named Marklin. He had blue paintwork which reflected the light of the moon, three driving wheels connected by a golden coupling-rod, and seven headlights each of a different color.

The Express was called The Northern Star.

The Northern Star thundered down the endless tracks. Marklin's headlights shone forth with golden fumes flying from his smokestack. In the cab, the engineer, Casey, was reading a map, marking off stations that they had stopped at, while, the fireman, Richard, shoveled golden coal into the heart of the engine, the firebox.

The Express Speeded through forests, the natural green colors of the trees changed to gold as the fumes tickled them softly. Nearby campers questioned to themselves was it an early fall.

The Express passed by a small farm, causing the farm animals to grow wings and fly away. The passengers were amazed when they saw animals flying alongside the train.

Over a large, rocky hill, crossed a trestle that stood high above a rushing stream, combed through a desert, and whistled through a long tunnel. The Northern Star never slowed down.

Casey and Richard decided to take a little break to pass the time. They both chatted about how their lives back at home and drank cocoa mixed with a bit of rum. During the conversation, Casey decided to have a smoke. As he reached into his overalls to grab his pipe, a faint sound stopped him. Richard stopped talking too, for he heard the sound as well. The sound came again, but more clearly than before.

They both stuck their heads out the window to see a faint light in the distance up ahead. They watched as the light grew bigger and bigger until the sound of a horn blared. That's when they realized what was coming towards them, It was a freight train returning from its night run. The engine roared down the tracks with its horn on blast, its empty train of boxcars jittered and jerked about behind.

In a panic, Casey pulled the lever and with an ear-piercing screech, Marklin's wheels came to a sudden stop. The engine slid forward on the rails, sending sparks flying. The smell of scorched steel filled the air.

As the train came to a complete halt, the coaches slammed into each other, making the passengers jerked forward.

The two men started to panic, Casey started pacing back and forward, thinking of a plan, for the freight train was approaching fast. He was more afraid of a train wreck, which would kill hundreds of passengers, than his neck.

Richard jumped out of the cab, standing far from the crash, but stopped when he noticed something. Nearby, he saw a railroad switch. Next to the switch, a man was slumped in a rocking chair with his hat tilted over his eyes. It was a switchman who had fallen asleep on the job. Noticing the sleeping man, an idea came to Richard. He climbed back into the cab, grabbed the cord that was attached to the roof, and yanked hard on it, emitted a high pitched chime through the engine's whistle.

The switchman woke up startled and covered his ears. The first thing he heard was someone shouting.

"Switch the tracks! Collision approaching! Switch the tracks!"

He removed his hat to see the freight train bearing down on The Northern Star. With his adrenaline rushing, he jumped from his chair and tried to pull the lever to switch the tracks, but it jammed halfway. He then pulled it again, but it wouldn't budge.

The ground started to rumbling underneath him.

He pulled again, no budgeting. The light of the oncoming train nearly blinded him.

With the little time he had, he spat twice on the switchgear and with all his strength, pulled the lever.

The opposing freight train was now mere meters away. Casey and Richard shut thier eyes, bracing for the collision. But instead, to their surprise, there was none. They opened their eyes to see the freight train speeding past the window on another set of tracks. They relaxed their bodies and let out a sigh of relief.

The switchman collapsed in exhaustion as he whipped the sweat from his brow.

"Dang timetables," The switchman grumbled. "That train was supposed to pass through here hours ago."

Casey checked his pocket watch and saw that they were now a few minutes behind secluded. With no time to spare, he took off the brakes and set the throttle to high. Richard heated back up the fire and with a whistle, they started again on their journey. The switchman waved goodbye to them and sat back in his chair.

It was quite a challenge for Marklin to get back up to speed, but after a while, he was soon speeding down the tracks like before.

The Express kept going until it reached a city.

The Starlight Railway always advised engineers to not travel through cities and places where the public can spot them. But, why take that advice when The Express is running on a tight schedule?

Casey pulled the throttle down some, slowing down Marklin to navigate. The tracks appeared in a mist of gold dust as they laid flat in mid-air, guiding the train through the brightly lit city.

The Northern Star passed by the buildings, leaving them in a shade of gold. The passengers looked down at the streets below and spotted some people watching them go by. Casey laid back in his seat as he smoked his pipe while Richard kept shoveling coal into the firebox.

Marklin let out a whistle as the tracks lead the express into the night sky, toward The Northern Star.



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