| Galaxy Express 999 | |
|---|---|
 銀河鉄道999 | |
| Information | |
| First Appearance | Departure Ballad |
Also known as the GE999, the Galaxy Express 999 is a space train and route in the Galaxy Railways transit system. It is one of the most expensive routes available and many must save up money for years just to travel on it. Despite express being in the title, the route is actually extremely indirect and has many stops and layovers with some lasting a few hours and others lasting for weeks. To compensate for the lengthiness of the stops, passengers are given an allowance and hotel accommodations during especially long layovers. The final stop for the GE999 is the planet Promethium, where free mechanical bodies are given to those who visit.
Creation[]
The Galaxy Express 999 originally appeared in a manga of the same name that was created by Leiji Matsumoto that ran from 1977 to 1987. Matsumoto has said that the inspiration for the train and series came from Kenji Miyazawa's 1934 novel Night on the Galactic Railroad.
Basis[]
The locomotive of GE999 is based on a Japanese National Railways C62 steam engine.
Livery[]
The livery of GE999 differs in the anime and film. On the big screen and in Galaxy Railways: Letter from the Abandoned Planet, the engine was painted gunmetal grey with its number on its smoke deflectors. In the television series, the locomotive is black with a Galaxy Express logo on the tender, and pulls brown coaches with cream window surrounds. Interestingly, Letter from the Abandoned Planet features the film livery while the characters are voiced by the original TV cast.