Through the distant trees floats the grinding whoosh of a steam engine. A distant figure, silhouetted by the glare of a headlamp, approaches. The portable stereo on his shoulder gives an eerie train whistle. Tonight, Frank has a tale of trains, but also a tale of the dangers of hopelessly longing for something. Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, he calls this story "The Tale of Train Magic."
Young Rail Enthusiast Tim Williamson, in the conductor’s cap of his late father, stands amidst a rather splendid model train set, and announces a stop at an imaginary Waterloo Station.
That evening, by the railway, the cap is blown away. As Tim stoops to pick it up, a man’s voice brightly greets him from behind. Behind him, in a man in a conductor’s uniform introduces himself as Ray Lawson, conductor on the 713, which passes each night. He draws his pocket watch, and offers it to Tim. As Tim uncertainly reaches, older brother Hank calls through the nearby trees. Ray cautiously withdraws his hand. When Tim looks up, the conductor has vanished.
One day, at the bustling station, Tim lugs a heavy suitcase to railway mechanic Cap Anderson. Tim asks about the 713. Cap confirms its tracks to have been disused since he was Tim’s age.
On the front lawn, Ray Lawson approaches Hank, asks him to pass onto Tim a small model of a railway coach. Hank takes it, and calls through the door for Tim - but when he next looks, Ray has vanished.
A delighted Tim couples the model coach to his electric train, and switches on the track. As he fondly watches, the room starts to shake. A bright white light from the window expands to engulf him.
When it fades, he finds himself stood in the aisle of a train coach. Around him, in somewhat old-fashioned attire, sit several passengers. Ray then arrives; announces Tim’s new custody of the 713, and once more proffers his conductor’s watch. Suddenly uneasy, Tim hurries to the brake handle, pulls it, and is thrown to the floor. He then finds himself on his basement floor. On the model train track, the new coach lies on its side, and exudes a wisp of smoke.
Next day, at the station, Tim relates his strange adventure to Cap, who patiently suggests the possibility of a highly active imagination - or, perhaps, Train Magic. Trains, he says, in their mighty, orchestrated functions, have a kind of language - if you know how to listen.
Later, in Cap's office, he explains the conductor's watch to be at the epicentre of Train Magic: railways depend on time. Tim mentions the offer of such a watch from Ray Lawson. Perplexed at Tim’s acquaintance with the name, Cap shows him a framed, monochrome photo of a steam engine - before which stands its conductor, Ray Lawson.
Before radios, explains Cap, conductors received messages via notes left on trackside poles, which the conductor would reach for, by hand, from the train. At switch 224, word of a track change was relayed to the conductor of the 713. The conductor fell asleep, so forgot to check his watch, and never got the message to change tracks. The train crashed. Many died, including the conductor - Ray Lawson.
Switch 224, realised Tim, is on the tracks by his house. The 713 crashed into his house. Suddenly agitated, Cap sternly orders Tim home, denounces his train fixation, and urges more typical recreation for a young boy, such as sport or video games - anything but trains.
That night, by track 224, Cap looks up to see, standing on the quiet track, Ray Lawson. Cap confronts the spectral conductor, and demands he leave Tim alone. With a whistle and a thunderous whoosh, the 713 now looms on the track. Ray lifts his watch, and Cap, in some kind of trance, boards the train. With an insidious chuckle, Ray follows.
A distantly watching Tim cries out in dismay. The train shudders to life, rolls forward, and, in so doing, fades from the material realm.
In the cellar, Tim inspects his new model train coach, whose passenger figurines now include one in the likeness of Cap. Tim shows it to Hank, who laughingly admits the likeness.
Suddenly, on its track, the model train rolls into life. Tim can only suppose it must be… train magic. On the wall, the clock hands swiftly roll to thirteen minutes past seven - 713. Tim realises the spectral train to have just left the station.
Tim pleads for Hank’s help. Hank softly agrees to do as Tim asks.
Some time later, while Hank stands by track 224, Tim mans the cellar train set. Soon enough, the spectral signal starts to chime; the model train speeds up, and white light blazes through the window, and blooms to engulf Tim.
He finds himself back in the spectral coach. Seated at the end, in some kind of trance, is Cap....
By track 224, Hank examines the signal lever. Incredulous, he hears the distant whistle of a steam train.
Meanwhile, Tim tries the brake lever - but Ray arrives, and explains himself to have disconnected it.
...
Hank looks to his left. Along the track, headlamp glaring and funnel flaming, the old 713 looms forth. At the lever, Hank pulls desperately.
Ray announces Tim's custody of his very own train. Having crashed eighty years ago, the 713 has done so ever since - right on time! Having made one fatal mistake, Ray has been trapped in the repeated crash ever since - but will soon be free.
He proffers his watch. Tim, suddenly entranced, reaches for it. He takes it - and is suddenly attired in the full uniform of a train conductor.
From his trance, Cap calls across to Tim - this is train magic: the most powerful kind. Tim resists his trance. He drops the watch - and smashes it with his foot.
...
As the watch breaks, Hank manages to wrench the lever. The track switches. The ghost train whistles along it, and fades into the ether. From behind, in the protective grip of Cap, calls Tim - Hank has amended the conductor's failure to switch the tracks.
Cap steers the two away from the track, having noticed, standing upon it, the distant, solitary figure of Ray Lawson. As Cap and the Williamson brothers head off, Ray, spectral lantern in hand, wanders his tracks...
With a final train whistle from Frank’s stereo, Gary closes the meeting.
This episode provides examples of:
- Affably Evil: While not evil, Ray tries to force a young boy to take his place in a phantom train crash, but is quite genial about it.
- Afterlife Express: The 713 on release from its repeated crash, carries its passengers into the ether.
- Alas, Poor Villain: As ruefully noted by Cap, Ray’s fate is quite poignant - Due to abandoning his role as conductor at the last moment, escape from the repeated train crash brought not freedom, but estrangement from his duty and charges, leaving him to wander the tracks alone.
- Anger Born of Worry:
- When afraid for Tim’s life, Cap brusquely orders him home.
- Scared for his grieving brother’s state of mind, Hank becomes quite vexed.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: With a friendly gesture, Tucker praises Frank’s story, to which Frank responds in kind.
- Big Brother Bully: Downplayed; Hank ribs Tim a bit, sometimes scornfully, but despite his vexation with Tim’s train fixation, tries to help him.
- Big Brother Instinct: Finally convinced of Tim's sincere belief in his strange ideas, Hank solemnly agrees to help him.
- Cool Train: The 713 looks undeniably fantastic - and traverses the astral plane, which is pretty cool.
- Disappeared Dad: On his untimely death, Mr. Williamson left Tim his conductor’s cap. Later, Hank tells Tim his obsessed preoccupation won't bring their dad back.
- Dissonant Serenity: The spectral passengers seem eerily disengaged from all but their immediate environs.
- Friendly Ghost: Subverted; while genial, Ray aims to lure Tim into taking his place in the phantom train crash.
- Ghost Train: The 713, between solid repetitions of its crash, fades between the material realm and the ether. Having crashed into the house where the Williamsons now live, the electric train set in its cellar speeds up in anticipation of this.
- "Groundhog Day" Loop: A repeated train crash.
- Hypno Pendulum: Ray uses his watch in this manner to bring Cap onto the Train and make Tim the new conductor in his place.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Young Rail Enthusiast Tim Williamson, and railway mechanic Cap Anderson. Tim also seems to be on friendly terms with local station staff in general.
- It Only Works Once: Tim was able to escape the train the first time by grabbing the brakes. When he tries it again, Ray says he disconnected it.
- Ironic Hell: Ray had tried escape his place in a phantom train crash on by foisting the role of conductor on a young boy. But, having given up his watch and abandoned his role as conductor, his charges and his train, when the tracks are instead finally changed on time, the passengers spirits are released into the afterlife, while Ray's spirit is left behind to wander the tracks alone.
- It Can Think: According to Cap, trains, in their mechanical functions, have a kind of sentience - Train Magic.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Hank may be a bit mean about it, but he's right in how his little brother's fixation with their late father's model trains is not healthy.
- Ominous Fog: Behind Ray, a pale mist hovers above the track.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Easy-going Cap readily listens to, and accepts the possibility of, Tim’s suggestions.
- Technology Porn: Some lovely shots of life-size trains and Tim’s model replica.
- Tragic Mistake: Ray fell asleep and forgot to check his watch, leading to a horrible train crash. However, instead of learning his lesson and asking Tim to help fix it, he decides to give his burdents to the boy. This leads to him trapped on the railways forever while everyone else gets to move on.
- Undeathly Pallor: On the 713, the passengers have a slight pallor.
