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In Last Train to Oblivion, the ghost of Casey Jones returns and commandeers a locomotive for one last midnight ride. Despite his love for trains, a kidnapped Peter would rather be somewhere else in case history repeats itself and the train crashes![2]

Cast[]

Casey Jones

Peter Venkman

Egon Spengler

Slimer

Ray Stantz

Winston Zeddemore

Equipment[]

Ecto-1

Proton Pack

Particle Thrower

P.K.E. Meter

Trap

Locations[]

Grand Central Station

Firehouse

Plot[]

When the Midnight Express from Trenton, New Jersey arrived at Grand Central Station, it caused a supernatural event to occur. The train tracks sprang to life and a ghost, in traditional train engineer garb, manifested. The bystanders immediately panicked and departed the station. The ghost flew through the train, shattered the windows, and entered the cabin. However, when he looked at the modern and complex control panel, the ghost howled in frustration.

At the Firehouse, Peter was having a blast playing with his new deluxe train set until it rammed in Egon's foot. Egon attempted to get through to Peter but it fell on deaf ears. Peter spent all day constructing the set. Slimer arrived and tried to play, too, but Peter denied him. Slimer then ate the train. Predictably, Venkman went ballistic until he was interrupted by a call from Grand Central. When they arrived an old security guard told the Ghostbusters he thought he saw a ghost of a "railroad man," who just might be Casey Jones and the team split up. Peter told Winston that Casey Jones was involved in the most famous wreck in railroad history. Peter discovered a working steam locomotive, an odd sight in the 1980s, on a nearby track and ran to board it.

Egon and Ray found Casey "humming off key" and enjoying a cup of coffee and iced tea in the break room. They opened fire but Casey departed through the double doors. They followed Casey's readings to the ticket counter and were buried in a pile of tickets. Peter played inside the locomotive cabin while Winston waited. Peter found an engineer hat in the locomotive and put it on, making him a target of an enraged Casey Jones. Casey kidnapped him and bound Peter to the cabin of the locomotive. Winston ran in pursuit but the train started up and sped off. Inside the cabin, Casey forced Peter to become his fireman, the person responsible for keeping the fire inside a steam engine going.

As the train entered New Jersey, the remaining Ghostbusters pursued in Ecto-1 with the intent to board the train. Ray's first idea was to jump atop the train from an overpass. However, there were four cars instead of five and the guys landed on the track. Ecto-1 then narrowly avoided driving into the Delaware River but crashed through the "Welcome to Pennsylvania" sign. The guys then attempted to block the track with Ecto-1 but drove off just before the train crashed through them. Ray got another idea and used the track ramp to jettison onto the fourth car. Casey confronted the guys but was temporarily left behind when the train entered a tunnel. Peter was down to his last coal when the guys arrived and trapped Casey. To everyone's horror, the Amtrak train was ahead of schedule and headed straight for them. Ray pulled the throttle but it snapped off. After they talked about it, the Ghostbusters came up without an escape plan.

Winston lamented the ghost must have been Casey Jones after all. Peter realized something and opened the trap. Casey flew out and pulled the lever to divert the train to another track. The trains then narrowly missed each other. Peter explained Casey was trying to correct mistakes made in life - preventing a train wreck and saving lives. Egon interjected it was a lucky guess. Peter confirmed it. They looked at and saw Casey wave goodbye. He then dispersed as the sun rose.

Quotes[]

Casey Jones: MORE COAL!
Egon: By the way, has it occurred to anybody that this is amazing stupid, and unreasonably dangerous?
Peter: I've always loved trains, ever since I was a little boy. I used to dream about driving a big locomotive. I studied Engineering in college for two years before I found out it didn't have anything to do with trains.
Peter: [singing] You load 16 tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt.
Peter: [singing] Listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar, as it glides along the woodland, through the hills and by the shore.
Winston: Why do you think the ghost grabbed Peter?

Egon: To get to the other side.
Ray: That's what I'm afraid of.

Trivia[]

  • The episode was recorded on October 17, 1986.[3]
  • The episode call sheet misspells "Oblivion" as "Oblivian".[4]
  • Peter has loved trains since he was a child. He dreamed about driving a big locomotive. He studied engineering in college for two years before he discovered it had nothing to do with trains.[5][6]
  • Just before he is grabbed by Casey Jones, Peter is mistakenly with Ray instead of Winston in the railroad yard.[7]
  • The episode takes place in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
  • While hauling coal, Peter sings "Sixteen Tons" and "Wabash Cannonball." "Sixteen Tons" was a song about the life of a coal miner while "Wabash Cannonball" was about a fictional train from the late 19th century, while stoking the engine's furnace with coal from the tender.
  • On the engine's cab, while the train is travelling to Oblivion, Peter mentions Asbury Park, a city in New Jersey located on the Jersey Shore.[8]
  • In the script only, the ending was Slimer playing with Peter's train in the Firehouse lobby.[9]
  • Janine doesn't appear in this episode as Peter was the one to answer the phone.
  • The engine is a 4-4-0 or American type steam locomotive with a coal tender, a coach, a boxcar, and flatcar, but without a caboose. The engine is also a model train set with a coal tender, coach, and boxvan, that is owned by Peter, since the wheel arrangement for the 4-4-0 was the most common wheel arrangement for locomotives during the 1800's on American railroads.

Animation Errors[]

  • While playing with his toy train in the Firehouse lobby, Peter is briefly seen in uniform.

Notes[]

  1. According to the Episode Call Sheet and SAG Report for "Last Train to Oblivion", Laura Summer is credited for a Walla only, but not part of the cast for the actual recording of the episode.

References[]

  1. Marsha Goodman (1986). Episode Call Sheet and SAG Report - "Last Train to Oblivion" (1986).
  2. Eatock, James & Mangels, Andy (2008). The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection booklet, p. 18. CPT Holdings, Inc.
  3. Marsha Goodman (1986). Episode Call Sheet and SAG Report - "Last Train to Oblivion" (1986).
  4. Marsha Goodman (1986). Episode Call Sheet and SAG Report - "Last Train to Oblivion" (1986).
  5. Peter Venkman (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Last Train to Oblivion" (1987) (DVD ts. 8:58-9:04). Time Life Entertainment. Peter says: "I've always loved trains ever since I was a little boy. I used to dream about driving a big locomotive."
  6. Peter Venkman (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Last Train to Oblivion" (1987) (DVD ts. 9:05-9:10). Time Life Entertainment. Peter says: "I studied Engineering in college for two years before I found out it didn't have anything to do with trains."
  7. Peter Venkman (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Last Train to Oblivion " (1986) (DVD ts. 09:21). Time Life Entertainment.
  8. Peter Venkman (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Last Train to Oblivion" (1987) (DVD ts. 15:00-15:02). Time Life Entertainment. Peter says: "How about you drop me off at Asbury Park?"
  9. Edens, Mark and Edens, Michael (2009). The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection Volume Two Disc Five, p. 35. CPT Holdings, Inc.


Gallery[]

Episode Screen Caps[]


Collages and Edits[]


RGB DVD Boxset Features[]


 
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