| Old Bradshaw’s Timetable | |
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Original Name |
ォールド・ブラッドショゥの時刻表 |
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Romanized Name |
Ōrudo Buraddoshō no Jigokuhyō |
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Author |
Bradshaw (ブラッドショゥ Buraddoshō) |
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Debut |
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Powers |
It summons any train that operates in the past or future. |
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User |
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Status |
In Dalian’s possession |
- For the light novel chapter titled "Timetable", see Chapter 1 (light novel 5).
- For the manga adaptation, see Chapter 10 (manga).
Old Bradshaw’s Timetable, best known as the Timetable, is a Phantom Book used by Heizer Hayling to board a train that derailed twelve years in the past. Hugh also exploited its powers to prevent a derailment. In the manga, the Phantom Book is titled Old-Bloodshow’s Railway Guide. The Phantom Book is present in the Timetable story.
It’s a simple and thick timetable.[1]
Background[]
Hugh and Dalian examined a magazine brought by Kamilla featuring reports about ghost trains. They saw a man reading a book in one of the photos. Hayling Hayling had got his hands on the Timetable and planned to use the Phantom Book to board a train from twelve years in the past, when he was attacked by an escaped prisoner, resulting in a derailment that killed many passengers.[1]
The manga reveals that Hayling received the Timetable from Rasiel.[2] Also in the manga, Wesley wrote a train schedule for Dalian to use as reference while travelling through time using the Timetable. Wesley planned to meet Dalian after his death.[3]
The Phantom Book is based on Bradshaw's, a series of railway timetables and travel guide books initiated by English publisher George Bradshaw in 1839.[4]
Powers[]
The ghost train runs on a railway from the future.
The Phantom Book grants the power of time travel to a certain extent. After all, it’s a guide with registers of the schedules of all railway services, past and future. As long as the user is next to a place where a railway is or was, he can summon any train that had already been operated on it, along with its original passengers. When a train is called forth by the Timetable, anyone can go aboard it and be transported to the past. Inside the conjured vehicle, it’s even possible to change the fate of the people aboard and, consequently, the present world. The Phantom Book can also be applied when the user wants to travel on a railway that only exists in the future.[1]
Plot[]
The ghost train appears.
Hayling appears holding a book in a photo that was featured in a magazine that talked about ghost trains. After noticing that, Hugh and Dalian decide to investigate the Granholm Station, where a luxurious train that shouldn’t exist was seen running at a high speed. Hayling also shows up with the Timetable on his left hand. He boards the ghost train as it speeds by the platform. Hugh and Dalian follow after him.
Hayling is restrained by a detective, who suspects him of being an escaped prisoner. Dalian approaches them to ask about the Timetable. Before she can pick the Phantom Book from under the sofa, the detective confiscates it as evidence of a possible crime. The fireman identifies himself as Heizer Hayling, the responsible for operating the locomotive twelve years ago. The train and the people aboard are part of the past. Hayling is trying to prevent the derailment caused by Jiryis and change the fate of those passengers. The events of that day are repeated, so Hayling’s only option to solve the problem is to decouple the passenger cars from the out-of-control locomotive, sacrificing himself in the process.
Since the emergency brakes are overheated, the train is still accelerating downhill towards a steep cliff even after Hayling's sacrifice. However, Dalian won't let Hayling’s efforts be in vain. The Timetable on her hands reveals that, in the future, a bifurcation can take them to a new railway used by freight trains carrying slate from the top of the mountain. Hugh chooses this railway service, avoiding the imminent derailment. He and Dalian return to their era as the illusion around becomes unstable. They are transported back to Granholm, which now is a prospering and important station. The passengers, including Kamilla’s mother, were saved thanks to Hayling’s heroism. The Phantom Book was clasped in Dalian’s hands. It was probably sealed inside the Labyrinth Library.[1]
.jpg "Railway of Light (2).jpg (406 KB)")
In the manga adaptation, the Timetable releases a threatening dark energy when touched by the detective, as if rejecting the man. Hugh shoots it to no avail. The magic pushes a conductor through the window out of the train. As the owner of the Phantom Book, Hayling manages to close it shut. He takes the Timetable with him to the driver’s compartment. He hands it over to Hugh before sacrificing himself to stop the train. During his last moments, it’s revealed that Hayling received the Phantom Book from a mysterious little girl. Before using the Timetable, Hugh opens the gate to the Labyrinth Library on Dalian’s chest.[2]
In the manga's Epilogue, Dalian uses the Timetable to meet Wesley inside a train. The late bibliomaniac wrote the schedule of the train he took in a notebook so that Dalian could reach him even after his death. Hugh, who was waiting at a station by chance, sees two Dalians, one in the same timeline as him, and the other travelling through time.[3]
Dalian uses the Timetable to meet Wesley.
Trivia[]
- A train that travels in time appears in the 1990 American science fiction film Back to the Future Part III.[5]
- Timetable is the last Phantom Book featured in the manga.[3]
- Kairos’ Dynastic History is another Phantom Book associated with time travel.[6]
References[]
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