Going Off the Rails (short story)

Young Sam (a girl) and Harry are mates at school. Both their dads bought train sets about the same time, but while Sam's dad completed an impressive layout, Harry's dad hasn't really started his. Sam and Harry decide to build one themselves in the garage.

The train set is in bits in the garage. While they are rummaging around in the boxes of spare parts — some salvaged from a factory explosion where Harry's dad worked — they uncover enough parts to build a complete robot man; which they sit in a chair to watch them work. Once the head is put into place however, the robot man comes to life. It identifies itself as a Cyberman with the intention of upgrading Harry and Sam — to make them into machines like itself, with their brains electrified and resistance and emotion burnt out.

Harry and Sam are trapped by the Cyberman in the garage. Sam, who knows a bit about electronics, is made to follow instructions that will build a Cyber-conversion unit. As a very frightened Sam reluctantly completes the Cyberman's machine, she tries to push the Cyberman into the exposed wires. However, she is not strong enough.

Harry has been working on a plan. He sends one of the heaviest trains round the incomplete track at a great speed. The train flies off the end, catches the Cyberman off-guard and makes it stagger back onto the wires. The equipment is broken and explodes, destroying the Cyberman — just as Harry's mum calls him and Sam in for tea.

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Sam and Harry play with a model train set.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

The original short prose fiction featured in the Doctor Who Files series of hardbacks from BBC Children's Books was officially sanctioned by the Doctor Who production office.
Though the organisation is not refered to by name, the implication is that Harry's dad worked for Cybus Industries.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Harry's dad worked at a factory which had some "trouble" and brought back parts for a Cyberman. (TV: Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel)

v • e Doctor Who Files short stories

The Hero Factor • Stamp of Approval • No Fun at the Fair • The Final Darkness • Taking Mickey • A Dog's Life • Mission to Galacton • Going Off the Rails • Needle Point • Best Friends • Birth of a Legend • The Secret of the Stones • Blind Terror • Disappearing Act

Heroes and Monsters Collection

The Stranger • The Hero Factor • Mission to Galacton • Stamp of Approval • The Final Darkness • No Fun at the Fair • Taking Mickey • Needlepoint • A Dog's Life • The Secret of the Stones • The Planet That Wept • Disappearing Act • Once Upon a Time • Best Friends • Most Beautiful Music • Secret of Arkatron • Blind Terror • Amy's Escapade • Rory's Adventure • The Fifty-year Delay • Birth of a Legend • Lorna's Escape • Going Off the Rails • Normality • When the Wolves Came • Buyer's Remorse

Cyberman stories

For the purposes of this list, a "Cyberman story" is one in which one living, authentic Cyberman plays a part within the confines of the story, outside of flashbacks to previous stories and cliffhangers that lead into the following story. For this reason, stories such as Dalek are absent due to only featuring deceased Cybermen on display. Stories like Carnival of Monsters, A Good Man Goes to War and The Vanquishers are also not included due to the Cybermen's appearance being of little consequence to the plot of the story.

Television

The Tenth Planet • The Moonbase • The Tomb of the Cybermen • The Wheel in Space • The Invasion • Revenge of the Cybermen • Earthshock • The Five Doctors • Attack of the Cybermen • Silver Nemesis • Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel • Army of Ghosts / Doomsday • Cyberwoman • The Next Doctor • The Pandorica Opens • Closing Time • Nightmare in Silver • The Time of the Doctor • Dark Water / Death in Heaven • World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls • The Haunting of Villa Diodati • Ascension of the Cybermen / The Timeless Children • Flux: Once, Upon Time • The Power of the Doctor

Webcast

TARDIS Cam No.1 - The Moonscape • Real Time • Tardisode 6 • Tardisode 13 • Monster File: Cybermen • What if robots replaced teachers?

Audio

Sword of Orion • Spare Parts • Real Time • The Harvest • Silver Lining • Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Crystal of Cantus • The Reaping • The Gathering • The Blue Tooth • Human Resources • The Girl Who Never Was • The Ultimate Adventure • Kingdom of Silver • Legend of the Cybermen • The Silver Turk • Last of the Cybermen • Return to Telos • The Isos Network • The Tyrants of Logic • Code Silver / Master of Worlds • Hour of the Cybermen • Conversion • Return of the Cybermen • The Gates of Hell • Scourge of the Cybermen • Altered Status • Monsters in Metropolis • Secrets of Telos • Way of the Burryman / The Forth Generation • Bad Day in Tinseltown • Willkommen • Wulf • Übermensch • Auf Wiedersehen • The Great Cyber-War • Sins of the Flesh

Cyberman

Scorpius • Fear • Conversion • Telos • Outsiders • Terror • Machines • Extinction

Prose

Novels	Iceberg • Killing Ground • Illegal Alien • Warmonger • Loving the Alien • Made of Steel • Plague of the Cybermen • Dr. First • Scratchman • The Self-Made Man

Short stories	Birth of a Renegade • Heliotrope Bouquet • Scientific Adviser • Vrs • Going Off the Rails • Cybermen: Status Update • The Piper • The Mondas Touch • The Patchwork Pierrot • Consultation Exercise • Alit in Underland • Ghost in the Machine • The Heist • A Girl Called Doubt

Features	Cybermen

Comics

The Coming of the Cybermen • Flower Power • Cyber-Mole • The Cyber Empire • Eskimo Joe • Masquerade • The Time Museum • Test Flight • Junk-Yard Demon • Throwback: The Soul of a Cyberman • Deathworld • Black Legacy • Revelation! • Genesis! • The World Shapers • The Totally Stonking, Surprisingly Educational And Utterly Mindboggling Comic Relief Comic • The Good Soldier • Dreadnought • The Flood • The Power of the Cybermen / Drones of Doom / Enemy Mine / Time of the Cybermen • Assimilation² • Doctor Who and the Last Stand • The Girl Who Loved Doctor Who • Conversion • Untitled • Cyber Crisis • Supremacy of the Cybermen • The Bidding War • The Lost Dimension • High Noon in Hollywood

The Cybermen	The Dead Heart • The Flesh Unbound • The Black Sky • The Hungry Sea • The Dark Flame • The Future Perfect • The Ugly Underneath • The Prodigal Returns

Supremacy of the Cybermen prologues	The First Doctor • The Second Doctor • The Third Doctor • The Fourth Doctor • The Fifth Doctor • The Sixth Doctor • The Seventh Doctor • The Eighth Doctor • The War Doctor

Video
games

Destiny of the Doctors • Airships • Cyber Assault • Ghostwatch • Eye of the TARDIS • Return to Earth • The Mazes of Time • Blood of the Cybermen • Dalek Supremacy • The Eternity Clock • The Doctor and the Dalek • Lost in Time • Hidden Mysteries

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Going Off the Rails (short story)

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Going Off the Rails (short story)

Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

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