|
As the show begins, an unseen nine year old boy playing with his model train set is sent to bed by his (also unseen) mother. As he sleeps, his imagination takes over…
A race is announced, and all the contenders are there, including entries from France, Italy, Russia, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, and, the favourite, the deisel train Greaseball from the U.S.A. One train with the odds against him is Rusty, a small steam engine who works in the freight yard. Each engine must be teamed with a coach for the race. Pearl, an observation car, is entering with Rusty, but the other coaches try to get her to change her mind, since he has no chance of winning. His chances look even slimmer after the appearance of Electra, an electric engine.
The race will consist of two heats, and the top two finishers in each one will go on to the final. Rusty asks Pearl to race with him, but she is tempted away by Electra. Rusty doesn’t have a partner, and therefore cannot race in the first heat. Greaseball, racing with Dinah, and Electra, with Pearl, make it through to the final.
Rusty visits his father for advice. Poppa tells him to use one of the freight trucks as a partner, but Rusty only wants to race with Pearl. Poppa enters the race in his place, with a freight truck, and wins! The race wears him out though, so he asks Rusty to take his place in the final.
Greaseball asks Pearl to be his partner for the final, leaving Dinah without an engine. She teams up with Electra instead, and Rusty takes another coach, Buffy. The race is forfeited though when Rusty and Greaseball crash. Greaseball insists it was Rusty’s fault, and tries to intimidate him into not racing in the re-match. But Rusty finds some inspiration in the “Starlight Express”, and vows to make it to the end. He will race with the freight truck.
Dinah is disappointed with Electra, who is now racing with Buffy. During the race, Pearl is distracted by Rusty, which makes Greaseball so angry that he disengages from her, and she nearly jumps the tracks. Rusty is able to save her. Greaseball and Electra crash, and Rusty wins the race. But he is more concerned with finding Pearl, who has finally realized that she loves Rusty. It’s a happy ending for them both.