The boys were still asleep when Amanda’s knocking on the door woke them up. Billy rolled over and looked at the clock; it was after 9 o’clock in the morning.

“Get up;” he called out to Bobby, “we’re sleeping the day away.”

Billy quickly got dressed and answered the door.

“Amanda’s here,” he called out to Bobby.

Bobby got dressed and walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning Bobby,” Amanda said, “are you ready to go exploring today?”

Bobby nodded his head yes as he took a bowl from the cupboard.  The three of them sat down to eat a breakfast of cereal, toast, milk and orange juice.  As they ate they talked about their plans for the day. They decided that they would start at the tracks behind the house. Then work their way south through the woods towards the area on the map that showed the two big buildings.  They knew that the track heading north led to Alaska, but they didn’t know where the tracks heading south went.

Amanda made up a lunch for the three of them, and they set out down the trail to the brick path in the woods that led to the old house.  Reaching the path they headed up the hill to the old house, and walked through the brush behind the house to the old railroad tracks.

They worked their way along the tracks clearing a path as they went.  Left unattended the tracks were heavily over grown with trees, bushes and weeds.  They worked their way along the tracks for quite some time.  Billy looked up and there, not too far ahead was a huge red brick building with a very large door.  As they worked their way along the track they reached a point were the track split into two tracks.  One led to the big red building and the other headed off on an angle to the left into the woods.  They made their way to the building and saw that the tracks went under the door.  

“Should we try to go in?” Amanda asked.

“We’re exploring aren’t we?” Billy asked, as he started to push the huge door open.

“A little help would be nice,” he said to Bobby.

Bobby helped Billy and soon the large door was open and they stepped into the dark building.  As they got used to the dark they could see better.  They walked a little further into the building, and there before them sitting on the tracks was a huge steam locomotive.  It was the Woodland Bell.

“Wow,” Billy said looking up at the steam engine, “this thing is huge,” as it towered over them.

The steam engine was covered with dust and dirt but other wise looked in fine shape.  As they walked around the locomotive they heard a voice that told them to close the door.  Billy turned to Amanda and Bobby and asked, who said that?  They both said, that they didn’t say it, when they heard it again, but this time it said, “Look up,”

They looked up and high on the roof rafters hung upside down a small grey bat.

“Was that you talking?” asked Bobby.

“Yes it was,” the bat replied, “and will you please close that door I’m trying to sleep.”

Bobby pushed the door shut.

“That’s better,” the bat replied, as he dropped from the rafter and flew down and landed on the Woodland Bell.

“What’s your name?” Bobby asked him.

The bat told them his name was Shadow, and that he lived there with the Woodland Bell.  He explained to them that bats sleep during the day and go to work at sunset and work until daybreak.  

“What kind of work do you do?” Amanda asked.

He told her that bats help rid the Woodland of many pesky insects.

“How can you see in the dark?” Billy asked.

“Well,” Shadow explained, “bats have a kind of radar, we send out a sound and listen for the echo coming back, and that tells us were we are.”

“That must be great, being able to see in the dark,” Billy replied.

“It has its advantages,” Shadow told him.

Shadow went on to asks them why they were there, that he has never seen anyone up there before.  Amanda asked, him if that meant that he’s never seen people before.  Shadow laughed and told her that he meets lots of people as he flies around the Woodland at night.  That in fact Brownie and Taillight the Firefly are two of his best friends.

“You know Brownie?” Bobby asked. “

Of course,” Shadow replied, “I’ve taken many a nap in Brownie cave,”

Shadow told them that he would have to go to work in a few hours so he was going to go back to sleep.  Amanda and the boys said it was very nice to meet him as he flew up to one of the roof rafters.  They walked around the Woodland Bell and were amazed at how big it was.

“This must be a very powerful engine,” Billy said, as he climbed up into the steam engine looking at all the controls.

“It is,” Bobby replied, “steam engines were one of the most powerful engines made for trains.”

Bobby told Billy to get down from the steam engine; he wanted to see where the other train track went.  They went back outside closing the big door behind them, and walked over to where the other set of tracks went off into the woods.  They walked along the tracks only a short ways when they came to a split in the tracks.  Where a second track led off on the left side and then ran along side the main track.  A little bit further down the track there was still another split in the tracks going to the right.  Then like the track on the left it to ran along next to the main track.  Amanda and the boys were now walking up the middle track of three tracks all going in the same direction.  They hadn’t walked much further up the tracks when there in the woods was the other building.  It was much bigger then the first building and almost hidden in the trees and brush.

As they came up to the building they could see that all three tracks went under the two big doors and into the building.  Billy and Bobby with Amanda’s help pushed open the two huge doors.  There on the tracks sat the rest of the train.  They walked around checking out the different train cars. Just as the book described, there were passenger cars, the sleeper car, the observation car along with the baggage car, dinning car and the caboose.  

“This is great,” Billy said, really excited about what they found.  

As they looked around the sleeper car Billy found a small note book.  

“Guess we solved another mystery,” He said to Bobby.

“What mystery?” Bobby asked; Billy told him that he knew what happened to the bear called Honeyhound.  Billy explained that Honeyhound had found the old train station and there was an old hand car sitting on one of the tracks and he decided to go exploring.  Billy went on tell Bobby and Amanda that Honeyhound described the hand car as a small platform on four wheels with a lever that when you pumped it up and down it made it move.  He continued, telling them that he took some supplies and headed off down the tracks to see what was outside the Woodland.

“Well I guess no ghost got him,” Bobby said smiling.

“No,” Billy replied, “he just went exploring.”  

As they looked around they heard a voice say, “It’s getting dark,”

It was shadow and he was going to work.  They came out of the building and sure enough the sun had set and the woods were getting very dark.  

“Will the three of you be alright?” Shadow asked.

“We’ll be fine,” Billy replied, as he turned on his flashlight.  Shadow said good night and flew off into the darkness.  The three started making their way back along the tracks.  

“Boy it’s sure getting dark and scary,” Amanda said.  

Just as she said that the woods in front of them started to light up with a soft green glow.  

“It’s Taillight,” Billy hollered out, just as Taillight and his family flew out of the woods.  

Taillight explained that they met Shadow and he told them that you were in the woods in the dark and that a little light might be helpful, so we came to help light your way home.  Amanda thanked Taillight, and the three explores followed him down to the trail that led to their homes.  

The boys said good night to Taillight and his family and asked him if he could stop at The Professors house and tell The Professor they were alright and that their on the way home.  They walked Amanda home, and on the way they talked about how they had to tell everyone what they found.  They reached Amanda’s house and said good night.

“Good night,” Amanda said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”  

Bobby and Billy got home, cleaned up and had dinner.  Being much too excited to sleep they sat by the fire in the living room talking about all the things that they had seen that day.  It wasn’t long before the boys again did what they said they wouldn’t do.  They feel asleep in there chairs again and each one tried to out snore the other as they fell off into a deep sleep.