Who's Who in Starlight Express?

There’s a lot of trains in Starlight Express, so here’s a handy guide just in case you’ve ever wondered how exactly they all pull together.

Presented roughly in order of appearance, we have…

Control

A imaginative child with a much-loved collection of toy trains, Control is the beginning and end of Starlight Express. The show’s action takes place in Control’s bedroom, seemingly once the rest of the household has gone to bed. Whether the races and the rivalries happen while Control is also asleep and dreaming, or it’s an elaborate game that happens after the lights are out, is still debated. Either way, without Control there would be no race night at all.  

Rusty

Steam engine Rusty may not be the fastest train on the track, but he is the heart and soul of Starlight Express. He’s an old toy train that used to belong to Control’s father, meaning he’s more than a bit worn around the edges – and since steam is pretty much obsolete as far as modern train travel goes, surely a train like Rusty can’t complete with those more contemporary engines? But trusty-Rusty is determined to prove his worth. As he says, “Nobody can do it like a steam train”.

Entry of Trains

The first engine to be introduced by Control in ‘Overture/Entry of Trains’, Silver Bullet is one of a number of racing engines ready to compete in the evening’s World Championship races. Silver Bullet and his four companions appear in the current London production of Starlight Express in place of the National Engines that appeared in earlier versions of the show.

As his name indicates, Silver Bullet shoots on to the track, followed soon after by…

The Golden Eagle, as a train ready to swoop into action. It certainly seems that this eagle has a competitive edge, given the frustration he expresses when he is later eliminated after an intense race against Green Arrow.

Arriving like “a bolt from the sky”, Blue Lightning is another racer with a thirst for victory. Sadly, she crashes out in an early heat, but not before she’s backed up her engine buddies with a rendition of ‘Rolling Stock’ fit to raise the roof.

“Piercing through the air” is how Control describes Green Arrow, which is another apt description for an engine with a penchant for speed. Green Arrow goes head-to-head with pal Golden Eagle in one race, which doesn’t end well – perhaps unsurprising, given they both seem a little, ahem, hot-headed.

Rounding up this quintet of speed demons, the Orange Flash is the last of the engines introduced by Control in ‘Overture/Entry of Trains’. Another determined racer, Orange Flash partners with Tassita for the second race, but suffers a fall which puts them both out of the running.

A number of performers play the role of Marshal during Starlight Express, which essentially means they look after the track and perform some incredible stunts. Watch out for them during those races.

Greaseball

Also known as “the greatest diesel locomotive in history” Greaseball is the reigning champion and one of the two engines Rusty must beat to strike a blow for steam trains everywhere (woo woo!). But Greaseball is a confident (you might even say arrogant) train with no intention of being beaten by anyone, let alone a whistling steam train. She’ll do whatever it takes to win, even if that means ditching her long-time partner Dinah for another coach when the race demands it.

Dinah/Tassita/Belle

Coach Dinah races most frequently with her partner Greaseball, who she is very proud of – “Back off, girls, she’s mine”, she says in the song ‘Pumping Iron’. But Greaseball isn’t as loyal towards Dinah, and when she gets ditched for Pearl, Dinah is bereft. She breaks down in front of her friends, singing the song ‘U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D.’ to express her dismay. Yet, Dinah refuses to give up on Greaseball completely, and she is eventually rewarded for her loyalty with an apology.

As one of ever-loyal Dinah’s ever-loyal friends, Tassita – known in some productions as The Quiet Coach – is loudly supportive and not afraid to step up when Dinah needs a hand (or a tissue.) He’s also quietly confident in his abilities, joining Dinah and Belle to perform ‘I Am Me’ as they introduce themselves to Pearl and remind her that every coach is a champion.

Another coach with the confidence to be herself, Belle knows her worth and she won’t let any of the engines forget it. Like Tassita, she’s a loyal friend to Dinah, comforting her after Greaseball leaves her uncoupled and in despair.  

Pearl

Pearl is the new coach in town and is preparing for her first race night when she first meets the gang. Sweet, ambitious, and possibly a little naive, Pearl likes Rusty, but she also wants to win her races. So when she’s asked by Electra and later Greaseball to partner with them, Pearl’s in a quandary over her early commitment to race with Rusty. “One of them has style, sets the world alight / The other makes me smile, so who gets the part?” she muses in ‘Make Up My Heart’, trying to choose between Electra and Rusty. Sadly for Rusty, it isn’t him – at least at first. But after a disastrous race exposes the sheer lengths Electra and Greaseball will go to win, Pearl realises it’s Rusty she wants to partner with after all.

Porter/Lumber/Slick

Porter is one of four fuel trucks whose job it is to keep the engines going. “I’m Porter, I carry coal, night and day, that’s my role”, he says by way of an introduction in ‘Freight is Great’.

The second fuel truck to make his entrance is Lumber who is, as he says, “lumbered with timber.” Like Porter, he’s there to help keep the rest of the trains running – not that they seem to appreciate it, given the way Greaseball and the rest talk about the “dozy trucks”.

Slick is the oil truck, and as she says – “I’m oily, sleek and quick, guess that’s why they call me Slick.” She’s also a slippery truck unashamedly out for herself, later conspiring with both Greaseball and Electra to wipe out Rusty during the final race. In ‘Wide Smile’ she confesses as much, saying: “Each time a train ends up in the ditch / This small truck makes a buck / Ain’t that rich?”

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Hydra

But there is one more fuel truck – Hydra, the hydrogen truck. The character of Hydra was created for the current 2024 London production, and he arrives like a breath of fresh air, complete with catchy song. After all, “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when/ For hydrogen…” Hydra’s clean energy helps power Rusty to victory in the final race, so he’s definitely one to watch out for.

Electra/Wrench/Killerwat/Joule/Volta

Making their grand entrance several songs into the show, Electra the electric engine knows how to work that train track to their advantage. Much like Greaseball, Electra has a confidence that tips over into arrogance and they are unafraid to do what it takes to win – swooping Pearl out from under Rusty’s nose, manipulating Dinah into partnering with them when Greaseball ditches her, and leaving Slick to sabotage Rusty with barely a second glance. It has to be said, though, that Electra creates chaos in style.

Electra’s repair truck Wrench is the first of four components to introduce themselves in the synth-tastic introductory song, ‘AC/DC.’ Like the rest of Electra’s components, Wrench is in thrall to Electra and can generally be found wherever their boss is.

Killerwat is Electra’s security truck, and therefore in charge of Electra’s safety. It is obviously a job he takes very seriously, as he says in ‘AC/DC’: “We ask the questions. Electra means power.”

Electra’s dynamite truck is called, appropriately, Joule. She knows her boss is “hot” and is generally also a loyal follower.

On the other hand Volta, Electra’s freezer truck, thinks Electra is “cool”. But one thing all the components agree on is that Electra is “a mega star.”

Momma

Rusty’s mother figure, Momma is an old steam train who has been around the track a number of times. The competitions, the rivalries, the wins and the losses – she’s seen it all before, and she won’t let Rusty give up. This character is played by the same actor that plays Control’s mother, and she’s definitely the show’s parental figure, arriving onstage to comfort Rusty near the end of Act 1. But that doesn’t mean she won’t play the game when she needs to – it’s Momma who races when Rusty loses heart, and she’s also the one to lead the whole company in the exuberant final number ‘Light at the End of the Tunnel.’