#The Molentary Railway Express

[kidlit-queen-competition]

Poll: The Little Engine that Could vs the Molentary Express

(image descriptions in alt text)

[gingermuses]

baby’s first starter call | @uptrain

"Oh, this is wonderful! And you drive the train?"

This train was quite different from the one other railway that Flora had been on in her life. Despite the difficulties she, the Professor, and Luke had endured, Flora had quite liked the Molentary Express, and she was shaping up to like this train as well. It certainly had a kind and knowledgable engineer, it seemed.

"I'm sorry, sir, what did you say it was called? It's the first... sub-way... I've ever been on. I'm from the country, you see."

This poor man didn't need all the unnecessary details about Saint Mystere - unless sub-ways were common in small villages. Were they?

[amyfevernight]

fuck it she’s mine now, here’s a kind of oc and i say kind of because she’s basically the Molentary Express from Layton.

This is Molen aka Madame Molentary! She's an express engine who absolutely adores puzzles and mysteries. When a strange occurance happens, she'll be on the case! She obtained this love of puzzles from a certain professor who travelled with her once on his way to Folsense. That certain professor being the famed Professor Hershel Layton. 

and here’s some potential plot-lines: "Madame Molentary and the Magic Railroad”: Molen arrives to Sodor when the lost legendary engine Lady appears and warns that Sodor will soon fall to ruin. The puzzle-solving engine is determined to prevent this prophecy from coming true. "Madame Molentary and the Hawin Lake Specter”: During a visit to the Skarloey Railway, Mr. Percival gets kidnapped and Skarloey suspects the specter from the Hawin Lake, 1020, has something to do with it. "Madame Molentary and the Misty Island”: Thomas disappears, sending the Steam Team into a frantic worry. Molen ends up on the mysterious Misty Island in order to search for him.

[dearesthershel]

Artwork of the Molentary Express, upscaled x4.

[sapphire--art]

Mr Beluga and his Molentary Express for inktober day 11: “The railway man”

[kidlit-queen-competition]

I would like to submit the lovely Molentary Express!

He looks very polite! Added!

[ID: a screenshot from the game "Professor Layton And The Diabolical Box". The locomotive that pulls the Molentary Express is pictured. It is a squat green engine with yellow lining and yellow buffers. It has the Molentary Railway Express logo on its front, and a headlamp above that. In the front of its cab, there is a row of small, dark square windows.]

[kidlit-queen-competition]

The bracket is done!

Now, this is literally impossible to read because it's so busy, so matchups are under the cut! Polls will be up tommorrow!

the train from Animal Crossing vs Casey Jr from Dumbo

the Red Zephyr from Friends At The Tavle vs the Mirage Express

the Beast from Girl Genius vs the Supertrain from Supertrain

Old Puffer Pete from Chuggington vs the Mighty Hooterville Cannonball

Rusty the Steam Engine from Starlight Express vs the Phantom Express from Cuphead

the Mystery Train from Adventure Time vs The Mede from Railsea

the Metro from Pikuniuk vs the Train from Unrailed

the Friendship Express from My Little Pony vs the Runaway Express from Soul Eater

The Celestial Spear from Drawtectives vs Emma from Jim Button

Lemon Demon's Trains from My Trains vs the Sea Train from Spirited away

the "I Like Trains" train from asdfmovie vs the eponymous Stardew Valley train

Ivor The Engine vs the Deep Sea Metro from splatoon 2

the Polar Express vs the Monorail from the Simpsons

the Old Black Train from Over the Garden Wall vs the Accordion Train from Jack and the Cuckoo-clock Heart

the Magnet Train from Pokemon vs the Limitless line from Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion

Snowpeircer from Snowpeircer vs the Infinity Train from Infinity Train

the Ratatosk Express from the Bifrost Incident vs Big One from the Galaxy Railways

the Mugen Train from Demon Slayer vs Blaine the Mono from the Dark Tower

Chargeman from Mega Man vs the fallout 3 train head npc

Lil Chew Chew from TF2 vs the train from Kirby

the Ghost Train from Monster High vs the Owl Express from A Hat in Time

the train from Inception vs the Ghost Train from Paranatural

The Little Engine that Could vs the Molentary Express

the Phantom Train from Final Fantasy vs Every Single Troublesome Truck from Thomas the Tank engine

the train from Spider-Man 2 vs The Excess Express from Paper Mario: the Thousand Year Door

the Spirit Train from Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks vs 401 from Mark of the Dragonfly

Thomas from Thomas the Tank Engine vs Steam Tank Obsidion from Octopath Traveller 2

The Starflight Express from Dragon Quest IX vs Your Locomotive from Sunless Skies

the snail train from precure vs the blind train from Malorie

Iron Girder from Discworld vs the Taffy Train from Toonkind DND

Senca from unprepared Casters vs Titipo from Titipo Titipo

The Dinosaur Train from Dinosaur Train vs the Train to Busan from Train to Busan

[dearesthershel]

Upscaled images of the Molentary Express dining cart.  If you look towards the back of the room, you can see Barton without his hat on - one of only two times in the games where this is seen!  His hairstyle is probably a nod to Inspector Chelmey’s one too.

[dearesthershel]

Quick break from all the Spectre’s Call artwork to show off a couple shots of the London Station we see at the start of Pandora’s Box.  I initially thought the station was based on St Pancras, because of the large clock at the back of the second shot, though the Japan-only artbook ‘Professor Layton’s Secret Book’ states that the station they used for inspiration was Paddington.  This could also explain the dark green livery of the Molentary Express, as it’s very similar to the Great Western Railway’s livery.  Paddington is also the London home of the GWR, so it makes sense for this to be the station.  Just wish we would’ve been able to explore this area a bit more! (The people in the first pic are blurred as I had to stitch together every frame of the shot to give a full image of the platform.  Anything that moved became a blur.)