Title: Dead On Its Tracks (Strange Matter, No. 12)
Author: Johnny Ray Barnes Jr. (Series co-created by Marty M. Engle & Johnny Ray Barnes Jr.)
Publisher: Puffin Books (An Imprint of Penguin Books Australia Ltd)
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Publication Date: 1996 (First Australian Puffin Edition)
ISBN-10: 0-14-038222-4
ISBN-13: 9780140382228
Country of Publication: Australia (Printed by Australian Print Group, Maryborough, Victoria)
Original Cover Price: AUS $6.95 (Recommended)
Dedication: To our family and friends (You know who you are)

An exceptional piece of mid-90s children's horror memorabilia. This is the 1996 first Australian paperback edition of Dead On Its Tracks, the 12th highly sought-after volume in the cult-classic Strange Matter universe. Complete with its iconic, lightning-infused phantom locomotive cover art, this specific copy features a rare vintage Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Christmas Book Appeal bookplate on the inside cover, neatly inscribed by a previous owner ("Deanna M.").

Time is rapidly running out for Elizabeth and her friend Jacob. Desperate to catch a screening of a hit new horror film, the duo are devastated when they find out the theater is completely sold out. Looking for an alternative adventure to salvage their afternoon, they decide to sneak around the local train depot, eventually slipping past the doors of the historic Fairfield Express.

Their exploration turns into a living nightmare when they are mistakenly locked inside, and the ancient locomotive suddenly roars to life. Before their eyes, the regular train transforms into a chilling, lightning-cracked phantom death ride. Trapped aboard, the two kids are forced into a terrifying confrontation with a gruesome, reanimated ghoul—the legendary engineer who supposedly sabotaged and wrecked the engine over a century ago. However, the ghost reveals a shocking truth: the history books are completely wrong, and the real saboteur is still actively hiding somewhere in the shadows of the train. Elizabeth and Jacob must solve a century-old mystery before the phantom express crashes again, or risk becoming permanent passengers.

The Strange Matter franchise stands as a major cultural milestone within the 1990s juvenile horror paperback boom. Launched to compete directly with properties like Goosebumps and Shivers, the series differentiated itself by combining traditional monster folklore with sci-fi elements, high-stakes kinetic action, and exceptionally striking CGI-rendered cover art that immediately leaped off bookshop shelves.

This 1996 printing is highly prized by regional collectors as an authentic artifact of the Australian school book market. Published out of Ringwood, Victoria, and offset printed by the historic Australian Print Group in Maryborough, it showcases how global mid-90s pop-culture properties were distributed and localized down under via primary scholastic book clubs and holiday charity appeals.

Johnny Ray Barnes Jr. is an acclaimed American author, scriptwriter, and designer. Alongside his creative partner Marty M. Engle, he co-founded Front Line Art Publishing and launched the Strange Matter universe, authoring many of its most memorable and fast-paced installments. Celebrated for his cinematic pacing, relatable dialogue, and genuine appreciation for classic monster movies, Barnes helped shape the reading habits of millions of middle-grade readers across the globe during the height of the 1990s paperback era.