After Dinah disconnects Electra, why would he choose CB as his partner for the final, who he knows is a completely untrustworthy psychopath, rather than one of his faithful components?
Especially since some stagings of this scene have his components mere feet away from him.
In the original cast recording, the second 'He Whistled At Me' (sung by Dinah just before she disconnects Electra) changes the lines from "he whistled at me" to "he never whistles at me", "I don't think he can whistle at me", "why do you never whistle at me", et cetera. In between these lines, there isn't a whistle noise where there would usually be one, obviously to show that Electra does not whistle at her and is completely uninterested. So why, then, does the whistle noise return when Electra is talking to CB? Is he whistling at him? Or, if Electra really does "lack the apparatus" and cannot whistle at all, is it implying something about Electra's feelings?
It could be because Electra is panicked at this point and desperately wants to find someone to race with, but the musical makes so much of a romantic emphasis on whistling that I doubt they would make an exception here- especially since Dinah's section of the song focuses on the fact that Electra doesn't whistle at her. It's contrasted immediately, therefore, by the whistling when he talks to CB.
The explanation that it is simply just a repetition of the musical motif doesn't hold water either for the same reason.
According to the "Starlight Express the Musical Wiki"[1] a caboose can whistle. So it is possible, that CB is whistling at Electra and not vice versa. This could also explain why Electra chooses CB for the race and not one of the Components.
Why does Poppa have such a backwards way of thinking in regards to steam power? His main explanation for steam being a "new and better form of power" in 'Light At The End of the Tunnel' is the fact that it is more efficient than solar power ("It don't shine at night"), nuclear power ("Nuclear fission/makes nasty emission") and electricity ("Electricity's fine/'till there's leaves on the line"). However, throughout the entire musical, it's shown that the diesel and electric trains are faster, stronger, and generally much better at what they do. Rusty's greatness as an engine comes from his determination, courage and kindness, not the fact that he's a steamer- and Poppa himself breaking down due to strain is the entire reason Rusty ended up taking part in the first place!
Using steam power in steam engines also requires combustible fuels such as wood, coal or oil, which are all non-renewable, so it's not as environmentally friendly as Poppa thinks.
In a meta sense, since this all takes place in the imagination of a child it could just be because The Controller thinks steam power is cool and doesn't actually know enough about different forms of energy to understand why the other types of power are better.
a caboose can whistle. So it is possible, that CB is whistling at Electra and not vice versa. This could also explain why Electra chooses CB for the race and not one of the Components.