Casey is the quintessential old-time railroadman. You can practically see the soot flowing through his veins --- kind of a disgusting image, isn't it? Anyway, he's irritable, pigheaded, and generally impossible --- all the qualities that make him just about my favorite character.

Jeb is Casey's brickheaded sidekick and all-round whipping boy. He's also one of the world's greatest sheep --- meaning he's yet to see a dumb trend or insipid cultural fad that he didn't fall for hook, line and sinker. If you've got a flavor-of-the-month bandwagon, fear not-- Jeb will jump on board..... and probably help pay for the gas.

The stationmistress and frequent thorn in Casey's side. It doesn't take much to put a bee in her batty bonnet and make her skipping rope-like arms flail wildly.

Walter-- the mastermind behind the model railroad which is TTR-- has a terrible job --- REALLY terrible. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it's definitely high-pressure and soul-crushing. In fact, it's so bad that he's had to turn to the toy trains of his youth in a desperate attempt to find some relief in his life..... heart-wrenching stuff, right? But nice for me because it gives me something to write about.

MONA

Mona is a self-confessed "Toy Train Widow." Her fondest wish in life is for Walter to forget about his toy trains for an hour and come watch 'Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman' with her (now THAT'S sad!). At the moment, she's a bit of a nagging harpy, but I suspect that her personality will mellow somewhat as the strip progresses.

Trevor is Walt's son, and the occasional tormentor of Casey and Jeb. Luckily for them, he's usually too wrapped up in his computer games to bother with something as dull as a model train....

If only he knew...

TTR's resident hobo and V.P. of Ambiance. He's a man of means by no means - king of the road!

Jeb's nasal impaired ladylove. The only thing she fancies more than him is a good decongestant.

BUZZ

The train depot's new office manager. For reasons found only in comic strips, no one seems to realise he's a bee.

THE RED ROCKET

I know, I know... technically speaking, it's not really a character, but it IS sort of the star of the strip.
What interests me about it is that all of the main characters perceive it in a different way. To Casey and Jeb, it's their livelihood. To Mona, it's a potential homewrecker. To Trevor, it's merely an occasional distraction from school and cyberspace...

And to Walter's eyes, well, who knows? It could be an escape route into a kinder and gentler past, or a one-way ride to the booby hatch. I guess only time will tell....