While some people are quick to assume that the Polar Express train is driven by the conductor, this magical train is actually driven by Smokey and Steamer, twin brothers who are the fireman and engineer on the magical train. They aren’t the only ones who drive the train in this adventure though, as we’ll soon find out.
When we get our first glimpse of the locomotive's control room —after a close call with Flat Top Tunnel— we find none other than Hero Girl in charge of driving of the train. She’s been put to task by Smokey and Steamer, who are hilariously trying to replace the train's headlamp with great difficulty. She shows that she’s up to it when she quickly explains to Hero Boy how to operate the train.
After finally getting the headlamp working again, Smokey and Steamer spot a herd of caribou on the tracks. They yell out to the locomotive to stop the train and avoid a disaster. After a tense moment between Hero Boy and Hero Girl, he manages to pull the brake lever just in time, leaving Steamer face-to-face with a caribou on the track.
Once the track is cleared of the caribou by means of yanking on Smokey’s beard (just watch the movie if that doesn’t make sense), they return to their locomotive control room and get the Polar Express moving again. They’re still a big part of the film though, as their antics and mishaps result in the tense and enthralling Glacier Gulch and Icy Lake sequences.
Their characters were originally voiced by Michael Jeter, who unfortunately passed away during the production of the film. André Sogliuzzo stepped in and rerecorded the lines that Jeter had already recorded. Michael’s original voiced lines can still be heard when Steamer speaks and yells in the caribou scene.
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