In the spring of 1903, the 311, known to locals as “The Majestic,” carried over a hundred passengers on board towards a tunnel mouth that would allow the thirteen-car locomotive to pass safely through the underbelly of the Canadian Rockies.
The tunnel swallowed the 311 whole, and the train—and everyone on it—were never seen again.
Search parties scoured the tunnel length with torches, searching for clues as to the big engine’s fate. During that search, some of the men swore they heard a ghostly whistle echoing in the cold, Albertan dark. The only thing they found, however, was a lady’s hand fan with an Oriental design, spread wide like a butterfly’s wing.
In the winter of 1910, just after a snowy sundown, the Leland Baxter gang, a collection of cattle thieves, gunmen, and cutthroats, wait on horses before a tunnel exit. They wait for the 5409, which secretly carries a train car full of railway cash—wages destined for workers of the copper and gold mines of British Columbia.
A payroll they intend to rob
What they will discover, however, is that the approaching train isn’t the 5409. It’s the missing 311, the train only whispered about around dying campfires. A train that some believe still rides the iron rails, traveling to places no mortal should ever go, seeing things no one should ever see.
Those men will climb aboard the 311… and will soon realize two sinister truths about the train.
The 311 doesn’t ever stop.
And no one ever gets off.
A very weird western.
Approx 119,000 words. Contains violence, coarse language, and some elements of horror.
Not available in Audiobook yet, but it’s being worked on….
5 Responses
I just finished the majestic 311 and it was spell binding. The worlds you painted in printed put me right there in them. Is this a stand alone story or might we see the 311 with new characters on a new journey?
Anything’s possible lol. I had a story for a prequel in mind, which would have been more horror in tone, but (shrugs) not with the same characters. Right now, however, the story that’s out there is a standalone. Glad you liked it Matt!
Keith, I’ve just listened to your incredibly imaginative book read by R. C. Bray. Can you please explain the ending to me? Thank you.
This is one of the most engaging books I have read in a while. It reminded me a lot of the Dark Tower series with Old West feel with interdimensional travel. The one thing that I’m having a hard time understanding is the ending. It simply didn’t make any sense to me. Is there somewhere that you can explain what exactly happens in the last chapter?
Thankee Sai.
There’s a lot of different elements in there, but then again, it’s a weird western :). I don’t want to do spoilers here Sterling, so drop me an email there whenever you can or are inclined to do so….