Cinders

James Worthington Steele is a railroad magnate who finds his grand plans derailed by a slow‑moving freight train and a relentless demand for a pinochle game. While his wife insists on playing cards and his daughter Alicia drifts through the heat of a California lake, a telegram forces James to hitch his private car, the Lake Louise, to a clunky convoy of aging railcars. The cramped journey sets the stage for a clash of personalities, from the earnest yet weary Steele to the sultry, fashion‑obsessed Alicia who longs for something beyond her privileged life.

At the remote San Rego depot, a young brakeman named “Slim” Simpson arrives, caught in a tangle of love, jealousy, and a desperate need for cash. He encounters Jim Hilton and Barney McGonigle, two ranch hands scrambling to cover an urgent shipment, and they all become entangled with Alicia’s mysterious allure. As the train rattles forward, the characters’ ambitions and desires intersect, promising a lively mix of humor, romance, and the gritty realities of early‑20th‑century rail travel.