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Purple spotlights rolled around the circular yard, up the incline at the rear of the yard, around the circular track, over the overhead bridge and across the double level tracks.
"This is Control! This is Control!" a voice boomed, "Tonight is the most important night in the history of the world! Take your seats for the World Championship Railroad Race! Who will win? Will it be diesel? Will it be electric? Or will it be steam? The tension is unbearable at the track here tonight!"
There was the sound of footsteps and the lights froze.
"Put those trains away," a no-nonsense female voice ordered.
"Aw Mom," the first voice, Control, whined, "Just five more minutes!"
"Put them away and into bed!" Control's mother ordered.
"But-"
"No buts!" she ordered, silencing all complaints.
Her tone changed and she started to sing. As she sang the purple lights slowly faded.
"Starlight Express," she sang, "Starlight Express, are you real? Are you near?"
"Starlight Express, Starlight Express..." Control joined in.
Their voices faded away and silence fell over the train yard.
"This is Control, this is Control," Control whispered, as long as it was quiet and Mother thought Control was asleep the race could go on.
"Tonight is race night! Let's hear it for the champion engines of the world!"
A spotlight lit the rear of the yard and a figure in blue and white stripes, on wheels, rolled across the top of the hill. Behind him was a figure in black, also on wheels. The second figure's black helmet was lit up. He carried a French flag and followed close behind the first figure.
The rolled down the side of the incline and came to a stop in the center.
"From France:" Control announced, as they rolled out, "The 120 mph Sudest. The power of the Sudest: Bobo!"
Bobo removed his helmet and saluted smartly before continuing around the circle track with the flag bearer close behind.
"From Italy:" Control continued as the next engine in red and white skated in with his flag bearer.
"The Rome to Milan Express, the Settebello."
The engine skated in from the opposite side. He skated halfway up the hill, spun and came back down. He went down on one knee and mimed a suggestive shape.
"Powered by: Espresso!"
Espresso jumped to his wheels and pulled off his helmet with a shout. Then he also continued around the circle track.
"From Germany:"
The next engine, in green and gray, race up the side of the hill, clipping the top with his skates, and rolled back down, his flag bearer imitated him.
"Right on time, the Inter-Continental Express."
The engine removed his helmet and snapped a salute, letting out a shout.
"Powered by: Ruhrgold!"
Ruhrgold and his flag bearer followed the other two around the track.
"From Russia, as fast as possible, the Trans-Siberian Express."
The Russian engine rolled in down the hill, folded his arms and struck a pose.
"Powered by Turnov."
Turnov pulled off his helmet and downed a shot of vodka before continuing around.
"From Japan: the Shinkensen Bullet Train."
The yellow and white engine shot into the yard, his flag bearer barely keeping up.
He came down the hill with on led out in front of the other, skidding to a stop, and then stood up.
"The power of the Bullet: Nintendo!"
Nintendo tucked his helmet under his arms, brought his hands together and bowed.
"From Great Britain, battling through the wrong kind of snow, the Royal Train. Powered by, The Prince of Wales."
There was a pause and the rest of the nationals moved forward to give the British train room.
"British Rail announce a delay in the arrival of the Royal Train," Control said after a few seconds, "This is due to staffing difficulties."
The British train skated in, backwards, down the hill. He came to a stop, removed his helmet and saluted before realizing he was facing the wrong way. He turned around a little sheepishly and waves before taking his place in the line.
"And from the US of A," Control continued dramatically as the back of the hill slowly rose up, revealing two flag bearers with American flags and between them another engine knelt, lights in his yellow helmet.
"The reigning champion, the greatest diesel locomotive in history, the Union Pacific. Powered by..."
The diesel engine slowly skated out. The other flag bearers had put their flags away and they came in behind him as he sank to his knees.
"Greaseball!"
Greaseball slowly reached up and pulled off his helmet, handing it to one of the flag bearers behind him.
The flag bearer turned and skated away, to put the helmet down.
Under the helmet, Greaseball wore a pair of sunglasses. He smoothed his slicked down black hair.
The six flag bearers gathered behind him, copying his pose. The national engines had already put their helmets down.
Suddenly at a signal from Greaseball, they all stood up.
"I'm just the fastest thing you'll ever see," they sang, "That streak of lightning you just missed was me. Don't stop now," they sang rolling in place, "We gotta keep it going all night. Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock!"
Greaseball stepped forward, "You got no wheels you don't know how it feels."
"Rolling Stock! Rolling Stock!"
"You got no lovers if you got no wheels," Greaseball added scornfully.
He turned and skated to the center where his gang, the flag bearers, and the national engines circled him.
"Don't try and show you can go faster then me," they all sang, turning around, "This is my back view and it's all you'll see! Don't stop now, we gotta keep it going all night!"
"Yea-ah!" Greaseball sang
"Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock!" they sang, "Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock!"
The engines took off up the hill. Greaseball jumped the last few steps to land neatly on top.
His gang and the nationals rolled down the side one by one, landing on their knees at the bottom.
Several of the nationals ran up and down the sides of the hill, spinning and doing cartwheels.
One of the gang dropped flat on the ground as another skated over him. He jumped over the gang member on the ground and then dropped down next to him. One of the national engines jumped and flew over both of them. They rolled over out of the way.
Greaseball zoomed down the hill, crouched down, ducked through the others and emerged at the front.
His gang returned to him and the national engines fell in behind.
"So get the motion in your wheels somehow," they sang, "The racing action's starting here and now."
They raced around the yard, Greaseball in the lead.
"Don't stop now, we gotta keep it going all night!"
"Oh yeah!" Greaseball shouted.
"Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock! Hooah! Hooah! Hooah!" they shouted, "Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock!"
They collected together once again.
"Rolling Stock! We're Rolling Stock!"
With a final shout, they came to a stop.
An engine in brown zoomed along the tracks, coming closer to the yard where the others were gathered.
"Woo-woo, woo-woo," he whistled and sang, "Nobody can do it like a steam train."
Greaseball looked up towards the engine and then waved his gang over.
The brown steam engine skated from the tracks and across the top of the hill to come down the other side. As he rolled along, he moved his arms in a circular motion, to help move him along.
"Woo-woo, woo-woo," he repeated, "Nobody can do it like a-"
"Okay, Steam train, where you been?" Greaseball interrupted, blocking the tracks of the smaller engine and giving him a shove. The steam engine quickly backed up.
"You've got work to go!" the nationals shouted.
"I've got a race to win!" Espresso added.
"Fetch the coaches from the marshaling yard," the Prince of Wales ordered.
"Where's my schedule?" Ruhrgold demanded.
"Where's my guard?" the Prince of Wales shouted.
"Rusty, we're not here for fun!" the engines shouted, "Rusty, we've got a race to run!"
The steam engine, Rusty, went around the circle track, hoping to get away from the others.
"My seating has not been shampooed!" Bobo shouted.
"My dining car is out of food!" Turnov yelled.
"Where's the schedule?" Ruhrgold demanded.
"Where's my oil?" Espresso shouted.
"Come on Rusty, get on the boil!" Nintendo shouted, jumping.
Rusty sped up and narrowly avoided being kicked by the Japanese train. He backed up to get away but one of the nationals caught him and gave him a shove towards the others.
"Rusty, we're not here for fun!" they repeated, "Rusty, we've got a race to run!"
They closed in on him all shouting at once, "Rusty!"
Rusty covered his ears and ducked.
"Shut it guys!" Control interrupted, "This is Control!"
Rusty looked up gratefully as the national engines pulled away.
Greaseball called off his gang with a wave and looked up innocently.
"Engines to get fueled up," Control commanded, "Rusty to fetch the coaches."
Rusty, who had been rolling in place nodded and whistled softly.
"Move it! Move it!" Control shouted.
The nationals obediently moved out, as did Rusty in the opposite direction.
"Hear that Rusty?" the gang sang skating around him as he sped off, "Rusty bye-bye."
"Go fetch the coaches like the boss man said," Greaseball ordered.
"Hear that Rusty?" the gang sang as Rusty re-emerged from the side of the hill with four coaches in tow, "Rusty bye-bye."
"Or you could enter for the race instead," Greaseball and his gang sang. They burst out laughing.
Rusty swallowed angrily and stopped.
"Yeah right," Greaseball laughed. He skated up a spiral ramp up to the tracks.
"Bye-bye Rusty, Rusty bye-bye," the gang sang as they skated around Rusty's train once more before following Greaseball, "Bye-bye Rusty."
"Hey Rusty," Greaseball called.
Rusty looked up, Greaseball was leaning over the railing at the top of the ramp.
"Bye-bye!" Greaseball called with a wave and a laugh before taking off after the others.
Rusty sighed and started moving again. The coaches yelped in protest of his abrupt start.
"Call me Rusty if you like," he sang.
"Cool off!" one of the coaches shouted.
"'Cuz soon I'll know just how a champion feels," he sang.
"Hey don't push!"another coach complained.
"When I show the rest a clean pair of wheels," Rusty continued,.
"Who do you think you're shoving?" a third wanted to know as she was unhitched.
"Call me Rusty if you like," Rusty repeated, ignoring the complaints of the coaches. He'd show them all, they wouldn't pick on him anymore after tonight.
"Rusty turn your fire down!" the coach behind him said as they continued around the yard. She waved her arms wildly, trying to keep her balance as he unhitched her.
"Call me Rusty if you dare," Rusty sang, turning to weave in and out of the coaches.
"He'll blow his top," one of the coaches commented.
"'Cuz when you see me on the finishing line..."
"Woah!" another coach yelped, whirling around as the engine passed her, "He's off the rails."
"And when I take the place that's rightfully mine," Rusty sang, yeah, he'd show them.
"He always fails," the third coach added.
Rusty sailed away, leaving the coaches alone in the yard, "Call me Rusty I don't care..."
The coaches remained where Rusty had left them. Three still in the train and the fourth where she had unhitched before. The three coaches looked after where Rusty had left them.
"Rusty..." the end coach in brown started.
"He can't..." the second continued
"Be serious." The third finished.
"Him."
"Go in."
"For the race?"
"You gotta be strong," the brown coach said.
"Is he strong?" the second asked.
"Not for long," the fourth coach in white answered.
"You gotta have speed," the brown coach said.
"Which he don't," the second added.
"What you need is a mixture of strength and power and length if you're gonna have pull where it counts," the front coach said. She straightened and bumped into the coach behind her, who bumped into the brown coach who yelped and spun, trying to keep her balance.
Once she was steady again, she skated over to the fourth coach.
"You're a fool to go with him," she said.
"Should I tell him no?" the fourth coach asked a little confused. She liked Rusty, he was a good friend, but she wasn't sure if she liked him that much.
"You gotta feel more," the brown coach said returned to her spot at the end of the train.
"There's gotta be more," the second coach added.
"You gotta be certain, you gotta be sure," all three coaches chanted.
"I gotta feel more," the fourth coach decided, turning and hitching to the front of the train.
"We gotta feel more," the brown coach said backing up and pulling the others along with her.
"We need to be certain, we need to be sure," all four chanted.
The lead coach unhitched.
"A lotta locomotion," she started.
"That's what we need," the second joined in, skating out.
"From a locomotive who can take the lead," one by one the other two coaches joined in.
"From the eastern ocean to the western sea locomotion's gonna carry me."
They skated around in a circle.
"A lotta locomotion, that's what we need if we are ever gonna get up speed. A lotta locomotion and the right approach for there are lots of different kinds of coach."
The second coach skated forward. She touched her curled blonde hair and smoothed her blue skirt.
"My name is Dinah," she sang, "And I'm the dining car. I'll cook for you and listen while you lean upon my bar. I'll serve you with your dinner while the train goes loop-de-loop."
She gasped and looked forward with mock concern, "Gee I'm sorry gentlemen, I hope ya wanted soup!"
The next two coaches came forward together, one in brown and the other in cream.
"I'm Buffy, have a sandwich," the coach in cream sang, "Each one is curled by hand."
"I'm Ashley, I'm a smoker," the brown coach sang, "The last one in the land."
"I stack the snacks in plastic packs," Buffy sang, "The range is really wide."
"Eat the plastic, that's fantastic," Ashley said with a glance at Buffy.
"But don't touch what's inside!" the two finished together.
The four coaches skated around in a circle.
"A lotta locomotion, that's what we need," they sang, "If we are ever gonna get up speed. From the eastern ocean to the western sea locomotion's gonna carry me."
The last coach in white skated out, she bounced her long curly pink hair.
"My name's Pearl, I'm a brand new girl," she sang, "My springs still bounce, my fans still whirl."
She looked back at the others, "Ain't gonna smoke, ain't gonna drink."
"What are you gonna do?" the other three asked.
"What do you think?" Pearl responded with a smile.
Ashley and Buffy skated around the circle track as Pearl and Dinah skated up and down the hill.
"A lotta locomotion, that's what we need," they sang, "From a locomotive who can take the lead. From the eastern ocean to the western sea." The four coaches lined up in the yard and twirled, "Locomotion's gonna carry me! Whoo!"
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