The Last Derailment

By Anthony Smales

In the tiny Cotswold village of Thornhollow, a model railway is the only thing keeping a sleeping evil at bay.

Arthur Vane has spent his life running from his past-from his family, from the village of Thornhollow, and from a broken promise to a dying woman. But when his Aunt Gwen dies under mysterious circumstances, he is forced to return. He inherits a converted Victorian chapel and the legacy it contains: a sprawling, one-of-a-kind model railway that is a perfectly scaled replica of the village.

The model is not a toy. It is an intricate trap, a cage of sound and motion built by his great-grandfather to contain an ancient, hungry presence beneath the village. As long as the trains run, the pattern holds and the village is safe.

Now, the trains are running without a controller, and Arthur is the only one who can take up the mantle. But the model's secrets are dark and its rules are deadly. A new figure appears on the miniature platform moments before a villager dies. A derailment in the model sends a real person to the hospital. Sleepwalkers are drawn toward the chapel by a force they cannot resist.

The pattern is breaking. The door is opening. And the thing beneath Thornhollow is waking up.

To save the village and its people, Arthur must confront the guilt of his past, master the impossible mechanics of the model, and become the new Controller. But the cost of holding the circle together might be his own soul.

The Last Derailment is a gripping supernatural thriller perfect for fans of atmospheric folk horror and stories of obsessive devotion, where the line between a hobby and a life-or-death battle is razor-thin.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H6722SGF
• ISBN13: 9798183513783
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"