top

Key & Compass presents:
Ghost Train
by Paul T. Johnson

Ghost Train is a Z-machine interactive fiction game written with Inform 6 and is © 2003 by Paul T. Johnson.

This game begins on Christmas Eve, 1935, on a train trip home from London to Torquay with your best friend Ingrid. Tragically, the train crashes! — and you are the sole survivor — or are you? When you seek help by telephone, you hear Ingrid's voice begging you to help her! Eerier still, you soon discover a secret railway track, an abandoned train station, and a one-way ghost train to St Gorgon's Cemetery.

This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 7 of the game. Changes from Release 5 are noted where applicable.


Maps

Map 1: Railway Track

wake u (crash!) 🎀 🎀 firstclasscarriage railwaytrack railwaytrack railwayline railwaytrack signalbox top ofwoodensteps railwaytrack outsidesignalbox railwaytrack railwayline railwayline blackness station platform tunnel under-groundrailway under-groundrailway tunnel tunnel d

Map 2: Ghost Train

d u station'swaitingroom platform cemeteryhalt train'scab passagewaythroughthe tender redcarriageno:1 redcarriageno:2 redcarriageno:3 bluecarriageno:4 bluecarriageno:5 greencarriageno:6 blackcarriageno:7

Release notes:


Map 3: Cemetery

climb rope enter open grave u u yes d under-groundpassage train'scab chapel pathnorth back ofthechapel chapelpath(westside) belltower chapelpath(eastside) chapel chapelbellroom chapel pathsouth meadowpath railway-man'scemetery cemeteryhalt

Release notes:


Map 4: Underground

enter open grave u d d d d d 💀 under-groundpassage under-groundpassage under-groundpassage stonesteps tightpassage-way a scarletcave a scarletcave a scarletcave a bluecave a bluecave a greencave u u u u railway-man'scemetery northwesttunnel northeasttunnel northwesttunnel northeasttunnel under-groundcavern train'scab a blackcarriage

Walkthrough

A First Class Carriage

> x me. i.

> take newspaper. read it. (Has a review of the year's events.)

> x Ingrid. x necklace. talk to Ingrid.

> x suitcase. (The ticket collector doffs his hat to Ingrid at turn 9.)

> x ticket. (The carriage is shaking at turn 10.)

> x window.

The train crashes!

Blackness. A Sleepy Unconscious State.

> wake.

Railway Line

> x chest. (Broken ribs?)

> i. (Carrying nothing.)

> x bodies. x debris. x rail. (north and south)

> x engine. x carriage. x snow. x sky.

> n.

Railway Track (several locations)

Note: This key wasn't in release 5 of the game.

> take key. x it.

> x brambles. x embankment.

> s. s. s. s.

> x box. x light. x tunnel.

> w. u.

Top Of Wooden Steps.

Note: This door wasn't in release 5 of the game.

> unlock door with key.

> w.

Signal Box

You see a black locomotive run south into the tunnel! Then you see a caped figure with a lantern call "Look out below" before he enters the tunnel.

> x telephone. turn handle. (You hear Ingrid call "Help me!")

> x panel. (Loose. Also note: a spur in the tunnel goes west.)

> pull panel. (It falls and smashes.)

> look. (A rusty key is now here.)

> take all.

> x rusty key. x coin. x necklace. (It's Ingrid's.)

> x window. x lever. (It can be pulled or pushed.)

> pull lever. (All lamps set to danger.)

> e. d. e.

Railway Track (just north of tunnel)

> get lamp. s. s.

Tunnel (at iron door)

> x door. read writing. x switch.

Although you can explore the south end of the tunnel and the track beyond, there's nothing there for you. You're to go through this iron door.

> unlock door with rusty key. w.

Underground Railway (east end)

> x station. x sign.

> x canopy. x posters. x rubble.

> n.

Platform

> x posters. ("One train only 10:30 every night. One way only.")

> x clock. (Stopped at 10:24.)

> n.

The Station's Waiting Room

A voice calls your name from the window!

> x window. take newspaper.

An apparition speaks, "FARES PLEASE."

> give coin to apparition. ("Beware the Demon.")

The clock starts ticking. It's now 10:25. You now have a railway ticket.

> s.

Platform

> x ticket. ("One way to St. Gorgon's Cemetry")

> read newspaper. (The Illustrated London News 1849)

> x clock.

A red and gold steam train arrives. Carriage no. 2 opens for you.

> s. (As you enter, the door closes and the train leaves the station.)

Red Railway Carriage No:2

> x seats. x lamps. x windows. w.

Red Railway Carriage No:1

> x door. open red door. (locked)

> e. e. e. e. e.

Green railway carriage no:6

Note: This carriage was red in release 5.

After you ask the ouija board about Ingrid, the east door to carriage no:7 opens.

> x ouija. ask board about Ingrid.

There are some optional topics you can ask the ouija board about:

> ask board about me. ask board about crash.

> ask board about train. ask board about cemetery.

> ask board about creature. ask board about ticket.

> ask board about snow. ask board about hell.

When you're done with the board, go east.

> e.

Black Railway Carriage No:7

> x corpse. take black key. (The skeleton points at you.)

In subsequent turns, it gets up and tries to find you, saying "Fresh fare!" It will kill you if it catches you.

> give ticket to creature. (It goes away.)

> w. w. w. w. w. w.

Red Railway Carriage no:1

> unlock door with black key. w. w.

Train's Cab

> x boiler. x boiler gauge. x brake gauge.

> x lever. x chain.

> x sand wheel. x brake wheel. x damper wheel.

It's up to you to stop the train:

> pull lever.

> pull chain.

> turn sand wheel.

> turn brake wheel.

> d.

Cemetery Halt

Although you can go west or east from here in release 7, it's just endless track.

> x train. x moon. x archway.

> n.

Railwayman's Cemetery

> x stones. read inscription. ("INGRID / RIP. / December 24th / 1935")

> x chapel. nw.

Meadow Path

In release 5, this location was called "path of tranquility".

> x lights. n.

Chapel Path South

> x door. n.

Chapel

> x pews. x altar. x lectern. x bible. x candles.

> x inscription.

> e.

Chapel Bell Room

The bell rope stops moving as you enter. The inscription is not in release 5.

> x rope. x inscription. climb rope.

Bell Tower

> x bell. x books. (Search topics.)

> search Ingrid. take list. read list. (Ingrid and you are both listed as dead.)

> search demon. take parchment. read it. (The demon is permitted one soul every Christmas Eve as food. Also this chapel is an entrance to Hell, which the demon guards.)

This works in release 5, but not in release 7:

> search gorgons. take exorcism. read it. (rest of it?)

Yes or No? yes (A textdump of 21 paragraphs is your reward.)

Let's explore more:

> d. w. s. nw. ne.

Chapel Path North

> x statue. ("Salan")

> read inscription. ("The gargoyle's secret is known to the dancers.")

> sw. se. s.

Meadow Path

> ask dancers about gargoyle.

They tell you that if a man walks around the chapel anticlockwise three times, he will meet the Devil.

> n.

Chapel Path South

> ne. nw. sw. se.

> ne. nw. sw. se.

> ne. nw.

Back Of The Chapel

CAUTION: If you attack the demon, you die.

In release 5, only hell was the trigger topic.

> ask demon about Ingridorask demon about hell.

He offers you one hour to find Ingrid or he claims your life. (If you say "no", he calls you a coward and tells you to leave, but there's no exits from here. Your only option is to ask again and agree.)

"Yes or No what will it be!" yes

You are thrown to...

Railwayman's Cemetery

It's 11pm. A priest is leading mourners in a funeral services at an open grave.

> x open grave. (Steps leading down?)

> d. d. w.

Underground Passage (at hell hound)

> x hound. ("Pluto")

> e.

Underground Passage (at eyes)

> ask voice about Pluto. ("Pluto sleeps!")

> w. d.

Stone Steps

> x messages.

Note how the colour sequence of these next caves echo the colours from the ghost train.

> d. e. e. e. e. e. e. e.

Underground Cavern

> x engine. ("MILTON")

> x skull. x wheels. x switch. (Set for northeast tunnel.)

> u.

A Black Carriage

A gold box is Ingrid and the others?

> x box. (Unopenable. Unmovable.)

> open box. (Ingrid says you need to drive the train down the northwest tunnel.)

> n.

Train's Cab

> x plate.

> pull red. pull red. pull red.

> pull blue. pull blue. pull green. (The track has switched!)

> pull chain. (+1 in release 5.)

> turn brake wheel. (This releases the brakes.)

> push regulator. (The train starts to move. The demon is not happy.)

> turn damper.

> turn damper.

The train rushes into the sky. An iron skeleton returns you to the earth.

*** You have won ***


Extras

Characters


Endings


Inventory


Score

There is no score in release 7. However, in release 5:

You have so far scored your-score out of a possible 1, in several turns.


Thank You to my Patreon supporters

This walkthrough was funded via Patreon with