#1984 stex

[princeelectra]

The original "the rap" ( race you) IS A PURE GEM. Yes, I love to listen to Electra throwing tantrums for 4 minutes straight, it's my favorite thing

#stex #starlight express #electra starlight express #stex fanart #electra the electric engine #1984 stex #Hey you. #Who me? #Yes you. Race you. #😡🫵 #art #ballpointsketch

[tobbogan-13]

i bought some old vocal selections, I got STEX (1994 and the new stex), and they had some cool pictures

just wanted to share :)

im sure most of these are on the wiki anyway

#stex #starlight express #musical theatre #starlight express 1984 #the new starlight express #stex photos

[electricfied-wolf]

Please tell me I'm not the only person who gets really really emotional over old Starlight Express stuff. I feel like crying over all the original photos and costumes like that's where it started. That's when the concept was new and thriving and exciting to people. The older productions were when the show had all those whimsical sounding songs and you look back at all of the behind stage photos and its just all these people having the times of their lives. Did they know that the silly train musical they were performing would live this long??

#starlight express #stex #it make me ILL but like in a good way #like obviously the original musical did have *some* issues that did need to be changed but in all fairness it came out in 1984 #I love the update starlight I really do. Update Electra is literally one of my favorite characters #but the update and even productions before the update just seemed to loose all the charm and the spice that made stex what it was #not saying I dislike them because of that!! All productions are good and unique. It's just that the modernization- #-of the musical took away a lot of what made it Starlight Express. If you catch my drift

[queenladonna]

The original London cast of Starlight Express in front of the Apollo Victoria theater (1984).

(Source)

#This photo gives me serotonin! 🥰🥰🥰 #starlight express #stex #stex 1984 #stex original cast #stex olc #1980s #theatre #from the decade #stills

[1010neveragain]

I have really mixed feelings about the 2018 update because while I personally am not a fan, I'm so glad that there are people out there who love it and that version brings them so much joy. I'm also very happy that all the people behind it get the appreciation that their hard work deserves.

But it's also like. I mourn the loss of the version of starlight express that I fell in love with. I miss it :(

#i miss my wife tails i miss her a lot #starlight express #stex #idk man #if there were multiple productions running all doing different versions we would all win #they should give me complete and utter control of a stex prod pls pls pls i would fix every issue it has ever had since 1984

[dinahdoeeyes]

“I wish I could’ve seen them... I’m sure they were amazing,” I say dramatically, like an eccentric movie villain, talking about the original cast of Starlight Express performing Starlight Express.

#frances ruffelle #jeff shankley #stephanie lawrence #ray shell #jeffrey daniel #michael staniforth #chrissy wickham #nancy wood #pp arnold #lon satton #starlight express #stex #stex 1984 #stex olc #stex original london cast #text post

[alumnusofheavenandhell]

So the official Andrew Lloyd Webber spotify account posted a "Best of Starlight Express" playlist and it is honestly so rude of whoever made this to include the 1993 version of Freight and not the 1984 one. To include only the version where the coaches are just extremely, excessively mean for no fucking reason.

#I've complained about this thing a bajillion times before and I'll do it again #i AM more bothered by the coaches being essentially middle school bullies than I am by CB being removed BUT on that topic: #There is literally only one song in this playlist that has CB in it (1984 One Rock n Roll) #So it is NOT looking good for my fav lol #stex #the Josie Aiello version of ACDC is on the playlist which is interesting! #probably I should not read so much into this but the autism demands that I do

[suppenzeit]

NOTE: these are all original cast for that given year!

#tobys democracy simulator #stex #starlight express #honestly? id wanna see olc simply cause we have no footage of it. i wanna see jeffrey daniel dance. i wanna see staniforth go wild. #also if your personal favorite version isnt here uhh. choose what speaks to you the most

[honey-dont]

@umlexis sorry for writing a whole essay about stex pfjslk i love trains <3

so the basic plot is engines from all the world are coming together to compete to see who will be the new champion and rusty the underdog steamer wants to enter to prove that steam is still relevant and also impress his crush. things go off the rails (pun intended). the main antagonists are elvis, a nonbinary bisexual drag queen in a polycule, and a trucker-slash-clown-slash-conman. train god is there. a brick gets thrown into the audience.

stex originated in london and ran there from 1984-2001, but there's a revival happening next summer! it's also been running in germany since 1988 in a special custom-built theater (i got to see it there last spring it was so so cool<3), so there were 2 separate versions of the show happening at the same time for a while. it's also been through MULTIPLE rewrites, the most recent was in 2018. there's supposed to be a new cast recording for the update coming out soon and i'm just. staring impatiently.

a lot of videos/recordings got scrubbed recently which is honestly such a bummer, pour one out for the 1988 bochum concept album </3

ENGLISH RECORDINGS:

the 1984 original london cast recording is a good place to start imo! it's not a full recording so there are some bits of the story missing, but the actors are all fantastic

the 1987 music & selections album is actually not a cast recording, it's just contemporary artists singing (modified) songs from the show, but i still enjoy it a lot

the 1993 new starlight london cast recording is for the 'new starlight' show rewrite in 1990. also not a complete recording but it has some of my favorite versions of the songs! the stretch from freight to crazy is just chef's kiss

GERMAN RECORDINGS:

the 1989 bochum cast recording is a complete recording, a lot of the songs on the internet archive are out of order/mislabeled tho :(

the 1991 bochum cast recording is also not a complete recording, has some versions of songs that aren't on any other recordings

the 2013 bochum cast recording is a full recording of the show! it's in german and just fantastic all around. it got scrubbed from youtube a few years ago sadly but the internet archive still has it

SPANISH RECORDINGS:

the 1997 mexico city cast recording isn't a full recording and the quality isn't a bit crunchy, but it's still good! there was supposed to be a professionally released album but it never happened :(

the 2000 amateur spanish cast recording is also not a full recording but tbh it slaps and the quality is great

-

this channel on youtube has clips from various versions of the show that's a good place to start watching! i also have a pretty big boot collection so you're free to shoot me a message if you want any :)

posting some misc vids i like a lot too!

#this is so long i was possessed by the spirit of the starlight express itself #hope this is helpful!! #stex #david.txt

[finleyforevermore]

2023's StEx Appreciation Month!

Day 5: Electra the Electric Engine

Anthony T. Perry in the first picture, Andreas Wolfram in the second and fifth pictures, Matthew McKenna in the third picture, and Leon Maurice-Jones in the fourth picture.

Favorite Actor(s): Jeffrey Daniel (Original London cast, 1984-1985), Mykal Rand (multiple productions from 1989 to 2015), Jaime Rojas (Mexico, 1997-1998), Anthony Frazer (Bochum, 2001-02, swing), Richard Woodford (Bochum, 2016-2018), and Liam Tamme (2017 Off-West End Workshop).

Face Claim/Voice Claim: Leon Maurice-Jones with Andreas Wolfram's 2007-2011 wig (face), Mykal Rand (voice)

Favorite Song(s)/Scene(s): AC/DC and No Comeback

Favorite Costume(s): Broadway/pre-2018 Bochum costume!

Favorite Ship(s): Frozen Lightning (Electra x Volta), Electronents (Electra x Components), and while I'm not crazy over it, I have a soft spot for Electraboose.

Headcanon: Because of the heart monitor on his chest, Electra pretty much can't lie, because his heart rate will give away if he's being honest or not.

Unpopular Opinion: Electra is canonically genderfluid so the idea of just making him exclsuively female or feminine presenting takes that aspect away from him. Same with making him exclusively male or masculine presenting. Electra's supposed to be all over the gender spectrum, you know? /lh /nm

#starlight express #starex #stex #stex appreciation month 2023 #stex electra #electra the electric engine #electra #electraboose #electronents #frozen lightning #electra x volta #volta the freezer truck #cb the red caboose #stex components #joule the dynamite truck #wrench the repair truck #krupp the armaments truck #purse the money truck #queued

[princeelectra]

You know the rules here: I'm stressed - And when I'm stressed, I draw trains!

I must say: I love, LOVE, OG electra's poses. So artificial and artistic. For me, just the poses itself say everything about him.

#stex #starlight express #electra starlight express #electra the electric engine #stex fanart #drawing #art #1984 stex #1984 electra #I can't talk how much I love elecyra enough UHHHH #if you have a specific Electra request for me to draw #say it! I'll be glad to do it!

[starburst2000]

Attention to all StEx fans! Here come some characters I spoke about in some headcanons, but never bothered to draw until now!

🌹Tudor Rose's design is very Tudor-dinasty inspired, and she was the Welsh National engine from 1959 to 1964, when the Royal Family chose her as Royal Engine after winning the 1964 World Championship Railroad Race in Greece. She and Milton Keynes met after the 1984 Championship, fell in love, and eventually had Princey (who became the Royal Engine in 1990) and Unity (who was stolen by Ukip in 2003, renamed Brexit, and forced to be Nigel Farage's personal engine until 2015, when a Scottish Stationmistress saved him and kept him safe until 2018... but this is another story.)

💠Sapphire is inspired by 1997 On Ice! Pearl and Kristi Yamagutchi, who skate to a short medley of the musical with Rudi Galindo in 1990, as shown HERE. I accidentally made her look like the Asian lovechild of Elsa and Cinderella, and I'm proud of it. Also, she and Canuck work together in Canada, and are a couple.

💎Diamond's design is inspired both by Pearl's costumes in the Joburgh (hair pin, choker and puffy sleeves) and Tuacahn (the overskirt-cage thing and the gloves) productions, and was, by far, the hardest to draw and color. She's currently working on a private railway in Western USA.

#starlight express #stex #stex oc #my ocs #my art #traditional art

[isaterriblebore]

StEx Appreciation Month Day 30: Favourite Production

I have many favourites for different reasons! Also the below info are just my opinions! I'm in no way saying you should/shouldn't like a certain production :) Post 2018 Bochum Production This was the first production I saw live and I'm extremely lucky to have been able to see it as often as I have, despite living in another country. This production will always be special to me and I love it so much! Broadway Production This was the first production I saw a boot of! I wish the first bit of the boot wasn't missing but it blew my mind! I had listened to the 1984 and 1992 London albums before I watched the boot but watching the boot brought the story to life for me and it was so beautiful! Original London Production I love this production because it was the start of something amazing! Sure, a lot has changed since the London production first opened but there is still something so special about the OLC! Japan/Australia Tour Production I love this production so much! Everything about is is just amazing for me! The costumes! The songs! The actors! It's probably my favourite album to listen to and I just adore it so much. Pre-2018 Bochum Production Probably my all time favourite despite it's many changes. It has my favourite costumes, my favourite songs, and an amazing set! It's usually my go-to when I want to watch a Starlight Express boot and I wish I saw it live. I believe that no production of Starlight Express is perfect (in my opinion). Even in my most favourite production, I'm always like "Oh I wish they kept this song in" or "I wish they kept this costume" etc. I think every production has it's good parts and not so good parts (in my opinion) and that's fine :)

#stex appreciation month #starlight express #stex

[theuncoupleddiningcar]

Day 3 of StEx Appreciation Month!

Day 3: Greaseball!

Fave actors: Robert Torti, Michael Quinn, Rory McCollum, Maynard Williams

Favorite songs/scenes: PUMPING IRON, Coda of Freight, I like his sass in Call Me Rusty, The Rap, SORRRY

Favorite costume: Idk, hes always pretty

Favorite ships: GREASEDINAH 4EVER, but I also love my lil Greaseball x Dinah x Electra x CB thing I've got goin on

Headcanons: He has a book "the boyfriend book" that kinda teaches him how to be a good boyfriend. The thing is, he can't read it- So, he listened to the audiobook! He loves grilling. Sometimes, his accent gets so thick that he calls Dinah "Diner" (see I Got Me in the 2017 workshop)

Unpopular opinion: I enjoy 1992 Pumping Iron more than 1984- there's just so much more energy yknow?

#ilovetazstarship #greaseball the diesel #bri stex appreciation month

[queenladonna]

Ray Shell, P.P. Arnold, Michael Jackson, and Stephanie Lawrence backstage at Starlight Express (1984)

#ray shell #pp arnold #michael jackson #stephanie lawrence #starlight express #stex #stex 1984 #stex original cast #1980s #from the decade #stills

[bunnyjoyce-blog]

Using Train Facts for StEx Fics and Headcanons

Even if you eschew real-train AUs and have them be toys, StEx characters *think* they are real trains and reference real-life railroad culture. Familiarizing yourself with some railroad facts can enrich your story and give you a new understanding of characters. The following is some of the things which have helped me.

1) Establish the “truths” of your fanfic.

A common tactic I use in research is to establish what is true in my story — whether real-life facts or what is canon — and use those pillars to filter information. For example, suppose I want to write a story based on the Old London show. I begin by setting down “rules” which I, as the writer, must adhere to.

A) I want this to be set in 1984, so any information or media references after this point of time can be ignored (unless I have a good reason for the anachronism or I plan to foreshadow the future).

B) StEx is supposed to be set in America, so my worldbuilding will be (mostly) focused on America in the 80s.

C) Greaseball is a Union Pacific engine, so Control’s yard must be close enough to UP territory for Greaseball to see Dinah regularly.

Link

D) The yard is likely in or near a mountainous area, since the original set for the Apollo Victoria Theater had so many levels. Therefore, the characters live in a mountainous area near UP lines.

Link

Even though I haven’t pinpoint the exact location of the yard, I’ve plausibly narrowed it down, so now I can filter information relevant to my story. I *know* they can’t live in Miami, Florida or New York City or anywhere along the east coast. That’s not to say I can’t have them travel east or have characters who used to live east. In fact, the east coast will play a key role for certain characters. (More on that later.) Even so, I’m not going to have Greaseball drinking an egg cream or have Rusty spotting a Floridan crocodile on his way to work (unless I have a good in-story reason for this).

2. Pick a character, research them, then work your way through the cast — not JUST your favorites

Fun leads to creative flow, so it’s understandable to start with your favorite characters. However, neglecting or ignoring train details because you’re not interested in a particular character can cause you to miss out on enriching details.

For example, I’m not particularly interested in Flat-Top. That’s not to say I hate the guy, but compared to my favorites, he’s typically not on my radar. However, flat cars serve an important role in railroads, so if I failed to research them, I would not be able to understand rolling stock as I do now.

Did you know that flat cars are used to transport new trains from the factory? If I wanted to do a fic about Electra’s earliest memories, or a fic about Rusty and Pearl nervously waiting for their “newborn” child to arrive, then I would likely need to have a flat car carrying a “baby” train in my plot at some point. If I had ignored Flat-Top altogether, my story would have been lacking. I might have even made the mistake of having the newborn rolling on their own wheels!

As for how to start researching, my process was to focus on one character at a time. The very first StEx character I seriously researched was Volta. As a newbie, I was genuinely surprised that she was Electra’s coach. ELECTRA, the narcissistic, hard-hearted bully, had a deeper relationship with one of his components, not just treating them all as staff to exploit and mistreat? Curious, I looked up freezer trucks/refrigerator cars, and I discovered Volta would have been diesel powered. ELECTRA is in a relationship with a DIESEL vehicle??

You can imagine how I wanted to understand more about these hints at character depth for our electric villain.

Volta is a freezer truck from the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad? That led me to discover the Santa Fe Reefer Dispatch, which was completely gone by 1988 (as in, the final 4 reefers were sold off that year). So, Volta is an outdated vehicle when she’s portrayed as a Santa Fe car. And Electra, the ageist engine of the future who hates antiques, still has her on his train? Whoa!

(Furthermore, in 1995 the railroad itself was merged with Burlington Northern to form Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, so this makes the Santa Fe costumes more antiquated.)

From Volta, I moved onto CB. Fortunately, a wealth of information has been written about cabooses, so it was comparatively easy to research him. (Admittedly, I used to be a big Dinaboose shipper, so I found many interesting facts regarding the pair.)

Cabooses have kitchens? Then he and Dinah could cook together!

Cabooses used to have whistles before radios replaced them? Interesting!

Cabooses stopped being used as brake vehicles once air brakes were introduced in the 1800s? What does that say about CB’s character?

Since I had a character to associate information with, it became easier to retain the facts and recall them when needed. When I began to branch out into train facts that aren’t related to the show’s canon, I had accumulated a lot of foundational knowledge.

3. Cross reference characters

What it says on the tin. This can help you understand how different characters and their histories interconnect, thus making your fanfic world feel more real.

For example, you might decide to look up James Watt’s steam engine (not a locomotive, by the way). In doing so, you discover that James Watt is the namesake for the watt (electric unit of measurement). So, in your fanfic world both steamers and electric vehicles might respect Watt as a historical figure. Then you might take it a step further and have Poppa use this common ground in order to talk to Electra about converting to steam.

Another example, the Union Pacific and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe were rival companies, and their respective territories ran through a lot of the same areas. Since Wrench and Volta are from the Santa Fe, you might decide that one or both of them have crossed paths with Greaseball years ago, and this is why they leave Electra to flirt with Greaseball during “Pumping Iron.”

4. AVOID CHERRY PICKING

This may seem to contradict what I said about filtering information and knowing Rusty wouldn’t see a crocodile, but there’s a difference between saying “Oh, I don’t need this” and saying “I don’t need this right now.”

Regarding Rusty and that crocodile, while the likelihood of him seeing Floridan wildlife is slim, it is never zero. My hypothetical story takes place in the 1984 London show, and I know for a fact that before Joule was a dynamite truck, the canon had her as Electra’s animal truck. Ergo, I could have a part in the story where Electra illegally imports a crocodile if I want to show how decadent, spoiled and arrogant he is.

A big part of the problem with cherry picking is how much you miss of the big picture. For example, have you ever read a fanfic for an anime where the writer did not bother researching anything about Japan except for a few aesthetic details? The writer might have good intentions, but if they don’t know fundamental truths, such as how Shinto and Buddhism shaped (or at least influenced) many aspects of Japanese culture, then the writer might accidentally show the characters doing things which would be offensive or taboo (e.g. sticking chopsticks directly into a bowl of rice, which is reserved for religious offerings and ancestor worship).

“Um, well, uh, I’ll just have all the canon characters be atheists! Now I don’t have to research as much.” Except, even if the characters were atheists, they would still be influenced by religion because of how much Japanese culture has descended from it. Sumo wrestling? Influenced by Shinto. Manzai comedy? Influenced by Shinto. Fairy tales? Influenced by Shinto and Buddhism. Amezaiku candy? Originally an offering to Shinto gods. Street performers rolling a ball on top of a paper umbrella? I’ll give you three guesses.

Getting back to railroads, I am by no means suggesting you have to be an expert or have to know copious amounts of railway culture before you can start writing. One of my favorite StEx fics has a glaring flaw about how electric locomotives work, but I still enjoy it because it’s a cute read. What I’m getting at is this: don’t discount information just because it’s not relevant to you right this second. Store it away for later.

5. Fundamental truths to get you started.

A) Railroads are businesses, first and foremost. Profit and PR will typically influence major decisions. Why were steamers and electrics replaced by diesels on American railroads? Money. Why were cabooses replaced by end-of-train devices? Money. Why were all the characters built in the first place? Money. Why were Rusty and Belle allowed to become dilapidated? Money.

B) Profit is often why there are so many varieties of vehicles, especially for passenger trains. The parlor car was invented in the US because rich people didn’t want to ride in the same car as poor people. Smoking cars were originally exclusive to men, back when women generally didn’t smoke, and when women started wanting to have a place to smoke, some railroads started adding women-only smoking cars. Amtrak had the arcade car to attract gamers. Ski trains in Europe appeal to vacationers, and murder-mystery trains provide a fun, unique experience to patrons. The three McDonald’s dining cars (McTrain) in Germany and Switzerland were part of an experiment to see if they could make money.

When whole trains or individual vehicles fail to make profit, they are often quietly removed, refurbished, and/or scrapped.

C) Even so, some vehicles have been retooled for non-profit purposes. Hospital cars and other medical-related vehicles have been used to provide services to people. The Merci Train, which France sent to the US out of gratitude for the relief provided to them following WW2, were old boxcars filled with presents.

D) Steam locomotives are basically giant kettles with pistons — okay, not literally, but the design is so simple that many people have made working toy locomotives. Essentially, the firebox heats the water in the boiler, and the steam moves the pistons. This is why it’s such a big deal when Poppa’s boiler is cold after he wins the race.

E) Electric vehicles need to be connected to a power source. Some versions of Electra’s race helmet will show a pantograph on top, so he has to be connected to overhanging wires in order to go fast. Third-rail electrics comparably must be in contact with the, well, third rail, in order to move.

F) Most of the Nationals are electric vehicles, so Electra being electric isn’t that special.

G) Greaseball is an electric-diesel engine. Similar to how an automobile needs both gasoline and a car battery to work, Greaseball’s diesel powers his electricity. The Prince of Wales is also a diesel despite most of the UK using electric passenger trains. If a blackout hits a railway, the Royal Train isn’t trapped or stranded.

H) Dieselization has affected both steam and electric railroads in the US. Most electric railways are confined to the northeastern region of the country, with exceptions. The most common place to find electrics is the Northeast Corridor.

Link

I) CB began life as a boxcar. The fact that his cupola is on his head means he’s likely from the Eastern US originally because eastern cabooses typically had their cupolas in the center of their roofs. Western cabooses typically have their cupolas on one end.

Link

Link

J) Racing with rail cars is likely to show how well the racer can carry weight, since an engine has to be strong as well as fast. This is probably why Flat-Top wears bricks on race night, since he would be too light to meet the weight limit otherwise, and he was originally hoping to participate.

Now, go and write.

#starlight express #stex