Characters / Adventures on Trains

Characters from the Adventures on Trains books.

The Railway Detectives

Hal

Harrison Beck, an eleven-year-old schoolboy from Crewe in the North of England.

• Chekhov's Skill - Hal initially draws just for pleasure, but it's very useful as a detective tool and thinking aid.
• Dude, Where's My Respect? - sometimes has trouble being taken seriously by adults in law enforcement, as he's a pre-teen.
• Nice Guy - Hal's kind and polite, with a strong sense of justice.
• Ordinary High-School Student - all Hal's adventures have to take place in the English school holidays.

• Limited Wardrobe - Hal's mostly consists of stripy tops, comfortable casual trousers or shorts and his yellow waterproof jacket. It's not just in the illustrations - in several books it's too limited and he has to borrow smarter clothes or go shopping.
• Meaningful Name - Harry Beck is well known as the creator of the famous London Underground map and a lot of London's travel signage.
• Non-Action Guy - he has some exciting moments, but doesn't tackle the mostly adult criminals himself.

Uncle Nat

Nathaniel Bradshaw, a travel writer.

• Ambiguously Gay - until book 3, in which his partner James is mentioned.
• Blind Without Them - or at least very shortsighted. Smashed glasses reduce his usefulness in book 5.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer - only moderately, but always wears six watches (set to different time zones), carries Yorkshire Tea wherever he travels, and is conspicuously resistant to smartphones and laptops, preferring to write first drafts in shorthand.

• Cunning Linguist - speaks French fluently and German very well, and can get by in other languages.
• Gentleman and a Scholar - very intelligent, kind, and also a wordly and experienced traveller.
• Hidden Depths - used to be an intelligence agent, which his family know nothing about.

• Must Have Caffeine - very frequently has a cup of coffee in hand. Also carries emergency teabags in his luggage.
• Reasonable Authority Figure - is always supportive of Hal, such that if they aren't open with each other, something's going on.
• Sharp-Dressed Man - always well-turned-out, Nat's clothes are described quite lovingly.

The Beck Family

Beverly Beck

Hal's mum, a teacher from Crewe near Manchester. Kind and loving.

• Alliterative Name - twice! Before her marriage she was presumably Beverly Bradshaw.
• Mama Bear - Uncle Nat frequently wonders what she'll do to him if she finds out he let Hal get into danger... again.
• My Beloved Smother - Hal fears she'll be this when she tags along uninvited on their Norway trip.
• Doting Parent - she's very loving to Hal.

Colin Beck

Hal's dad. Gentle, prone to dad jokes, good with babies.

• Doting Parent - loves his kids and has a good relationship with Hal.
• Like Father, Unlike Son - fair-haired Hal looks much more like his mum and uncle.
• Teasing Parent - that routine about Hal being too old for a Christmas stocking clearly comes out every year.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife - while Bev is pretty in the illustrations, Colin is rather squat, balding, and seems to be an older dad.

Ellie Beck

Hal's baby sister. Actually born during the events of The Highland Falcon Thief.

• Infant Sibling Jealousy - Hal isn't at all sure he wants a little sister. This only lasts until she's born, and then the Big Brother Instinct kicks in.

Spoiler character/ Bailey the dog

Hal is rewarded with Bailey for his part in capturing the titular Highland Falcon thief in book 1.

• A Boy And His Dog - we don't see much of this as he can't bring her on his travels, but it's implied Hal and Bailey are usually inseparable.

Passengers and crew on board the Highland Falcon

Sierra Knight

• Clingy Jealous Girl - appears jealous of Lucy's relationship with Milo.
• Troubled Teen - in the past: she has a criminal record for shoplifting.

Lady Lansbury

Marlene "Lenny" Singh

• I Have Brothers - inverted: Lenny is one of five sisters. She's quick to inform Hal they're just as tough.

The Prince and Princess

• No Celebrities Were Harmed - from both the illustrations and description, this is Prince Harry and Princess Meghan, newly married and still working royals at the time of writing.

At Balmoral Castle

Inverness CID

Inspector Clyde

Sergeant Prattle

• Police Are Useless - they don't get near to arresting the real thief, and nearly arrest the wrong person.

Passengers and crew aboard the California Comet

Sleeping cars

Hadley Moretti

Twelve-year-old wannabe stage magician from Atlantic City, New Jersey.

• Chekhov's Skill Teaches Hal how to do several useful bits of coin magic.

• Indy Ploy - improvises a way to get hold of a briefcase which may contain a clue.
• Little Miss Con Artist - shows promise in this line; fortunately she's only interested for stage magic purposes.

Mason Moretti

Hadley's thirteen-year-old brother. An aspiring actor and man of many voices.

• Comic Relief - good-humoured Mason usually has a wisecrack.

• Chekhov's Skill - in this case it's Mason's interest in voices that tips the team off that Adie Cabbage is trying to diguise her Boston accent.
• The Nicknamer - Hal isn't wild about being dubbed "Sherlock Da Vinci".

Frank Moretti

Hadley and Mason's dad, on his way to a new job in a casino in Reno.

• Amazingly Embarrassing Parent - Mason and Hadley are a little tight-lipped about what their dad actually does. He's an Elvis impersonator, rhinestone-jumpsuit era.
• Good Parents - warm, caring, and Hadley and Mason love him.
• Kavorka Man - short, tubby and balding, he thinks he has a shot with quirky, sexy redhead Adie Cabbage. His kids don't gainsay this.

Gene

A high school wrestling coach.

• Evil Uncle - is Marianne's uncle by marriage, now divorced and broke, and ready to listen to her money-making ideas.
• Fool for Love: is enamoured of Adie Cabbage, who promptly uses him to get the opportunity to steal August Reza's hard drive and disappear.
• Jerk Jock - mostly talks about sports, and is a huge jerk to his son.
• Jocks Vs Nerds: his son Ryan is slight, wears glasses and braces, and reads all the time. They don't have a lot in common.
• Teasing Parent - is very unsympathetic to Ryan's plight as he tries to eat steak with heavy orthodontics on.

Ryan

Aged about twelve, blond, and bookish. His most memorable features are his large red-framed glasses and the orthodontic headgear that covers half his face.

• Non-Action Guy - he's powerless to get away from his horrible dad or influence him in any way.
• Kindhearted Animal Lover: wants to adopt Julio the lizard.

Zola

A journalist acquaintance of Uncle Nat's.

Vanessa Rodriguez

An unfriendly, suspicious passenger in the neighbouring compartment to Hal's. She's an off-duty police detective.

Francine the stewardess

Very conscientious, kind and regular in her habits.

In coach

Adalbert Cabbage

• '60s Hair: Has a towering red beehive hairdo. It's a wig.
• Femme Fatale: She flirts with several male characters - seeming to have a preference for middle-aged men.
• Gender-Blender Name: Adalbert is a man's name, although she usually goes by "Adie".
• Manic Pixie Dream Girl: appears to play off this image, partly to ensure that people remember the quirks and not her actual appearance. She has an unusual name, hair like a ginger Marge Simpson, always wears a long puffa jacket, and carries a bearded dragon called Julio everywhere she goes.
• Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: Vanessa Rodriguez points out that "Adalbert Cabbage" is a pretty unlikely name.

The Silver Scout

August Reza

Tech billionaire, battery and renewables tycoon, dresses like Steve Jobs.

• Nice Guy - unlike most businessmen in the series, genuinely kind and generous, and sincere about making the world a better place.

Divorced dad of...

Marianne Reza

His thirteen-year-old daughter. A talented artist, but seems troubled.

• Bratty Teenage Daughter: has shades of his, but she does have reasons to be angsty - her parents have divorced, don't make much time for her, and have sent her to a boarding school she hates.
• Kiddie Kid - her clothing choices are noticeably young-looking for a thirteen-year-old. This is deliberate and done to cement her father's view of her as a vulnerable little girl.

• Tsundere - junior edition. She's desperately lonely, but so short-tempered and mercurial that she quickly alienates Hal, who was prepared to be friendly.