The Midnight Train Crossing

At that moment the long train pulled into the freight yard from the side of the hill.
"Long live Rusty, king of the track," they sang, "Long live Rusty, king of the track."
Rusty and Pearl looked up as the train circled around the yard.
Rusty had won! Pearl thought, she grinned and hugged him again.
Electra had collapsed and lay on his back, motionless. Greaseball made it a little further around the yard before he also fell.
Rusty turned to see Poppa and Dustin. He grinned and gave Dustin a hug. Poppa rolled over to Pearl, took her hands and smiled.

"Lap of honor cancelled! Lap of honor cancelled!" Control shouted, "Engines to obey Control!"
Rusty looked up and shrugged and returned to Pearl.
Joule, who was near Electra, reached down and took his hands, trying to pull him up, without much success.
Greaseball rolled over and tried to push himself up.

Dinah had slunk in at the top of the hill. She gasped when she saw Greaseball.
"Greaseball you're hurt!" she exclaimed, running down the hill.
She dropped to her knees and pounced on him, effectively tackling him.
Greaseball groaned as he was pushed down again, "oof!"
Dinah back off, her mouth forming an "O."

"Dinah, please don't cry," he begged, from his facedown position. He pushed himself up again and rolled over to face her.
"I'm washed up," he said sadly, "I'm finished, but gee Dinah," he groaned again as he managed to get up into a sitting position.
"I'm…" he started, and then looked down, "I don't know how to tell it."
"Come on Greaseball, you can spell it," Dinah said.
Greaseball looked up, startled.
"Okay Dinah," he said, "I'm S…"
Dinah nodded.
"O…" Greaseball continued, "R…"
She nodded vigorously after each letter.
"R…" he hesitated, being distracted by the very close presence of Dinah, "R. Y."
Dinah shook her head with a smile, okay he couldn't spell. Oh well.
She threw her arms around him and gave him a hug.
A silly smile spread over Greaseball's face as his head dropped down, leaning against Dinah's chest.

Rusty and Pearl were watching, hands in hands.
Poppa rolled over towards Greaseball and Dinah.

"You could be converted," Poppa said. He looked down at Greaseball and cleared his throat, "Ahem!"
Dinah put a hand on Greaseball's chin and lifted his head up and out of where it had been buried in her chest.
"Whaddya mean?" Greaseball asked.
Poppa ignored the delayed reaction. "Rebuilt," he answered, "With a new and better form of power."
Greaseball looked at Dinah and then back up at Poppa, who nodded.

Electra sat up and reached toward Poppa.
"You mean I could be converted to steam?" Electra asked.
Poppa turned to Electra and nodded.
"Sure could, and with steam you'd be under your own control!" Poppa sang.

"Engines must obey Control! Engines must obey Control!" Control shouted suddenly.
The train all gathered around Poppa and looked up. Poppa looked rather annoyed at being interrupted yet again.
"Do what you're told!" Control shouted.
"Shut it Control!" the entire group shouted.

"Diesel is for unbelievers,"Poppa said.
The entire group cheered. Greaseball made a face.
"Electricity," Poppa started.
Behind him, Electra started to smile.
"Is wrong," Poppa finished.
Electra's smile faded. Greaseball pointed to Electra and laughed.
"Steam has got the power that will pull us along," Poppa sang.
Rusty grinned at Pearl and the entire group moved back further into the yard.

"There's a light at the end of the tunnel," Poppa sang, "There's a light at the end of the tunnel. The inside might be as black as the night…"
"But there's a light at the end of the tunnel," everyone sang, "There's a light at the end of the tunnel, the inside might be as black as the night but at the end of the tunnel there's a light."
"There's a light!" the coaches echoed.

"It's the power of James Watt," Poppa sang happily, "The steaming Scot."
"The man who watched the pot and said "Hey, I've got"," everyone sang, rolling in place as they danced.
Poppa looked up surprised as they interrupted him and then he shrugged and smiled.
"A brilliant plot:," Poppa continued, "When the steam is hot, it seems to make a lot of power.
It could turn a wheel," he sang rotating his arms.
"Lots of power!" everyone shouted.
"Drive it down a track."
"Clickety clack, clickety clack."
"It could drive it with a beat," Poppa sang.
"Choo-choo-choo!"
"With enough left over for a…"
"Woo-woo!" everyone sang, Rusty's whistle rising above.

"He saw the light at the end of the tunnel," they sang, "he saw the light at the end of the tunnel."
"Well thanks James Watt," Poppa sang.
"Thank you Mr. Watt," everyone shouted.
"For watching that pot," Poppa continued, "He saw a light at the end of the tunnel."
"He saw a light at the end of the tunnel," they sang, "The inside might be as black as the night but at the end of the tunnel there's a light."

"There are dark days ahead, When the power goes dead," Poppa warned, "when the oil runs dry, what can we try?"
"We could use the sunlight," everyone suggested.
"But that don't shine at night," Poppa said.
"Nuclear fission leaves a nasty emission," everyone sang.
"Soon the pistons will be humming," Poppa sang, "steam will have a second coming!"
"Woo-woo-woo!" everyone shouted. They split into five lines and joined together, forming a star.

"We see light at the end of the tunnel," they sang, "we see light at the end of the tunnel.
Just dig a hole and haul out the coal, we see light at the end of the tunnel. We see the light at the end of the tunnel.
So let the water boil - goodbye to oil, at the end of the tunnel there's a light."
They broke formation and took off around the tracks.

"We see the light at the end of the tunnel! (We see the light!) We see the light at the end of the tunnel! (We see the light!)
When that Angel Gabriel blows his magic toot, we see the light at the end of the tunnel! We see the light at the end of the tunnel!"
Everyone returned to the yard.

"We see that distant gleam that tells you its steam," everyone sang, "at the end of the tunnel there's a light…
Starlight!"