Excess Express
The Excess Express is a luxurious train which is boarded by Mario and his partners, to get to Riverside Station and Poshley Heights in the game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. It, as well as the smaller areas Poshley Heights and Riverside Station, serves as the setting of Chapter 6 of that game. The Excess Express is made up of a locomotive, three passenger cars, a dining car and a baggage car.
History
The Excess Express has an article written about it, by the RDM (Rogueport Direct Mail Service), saying that the Excess Express workers gang-tackled a train-obsessed Lakitu who was in a worker-only area, making the train late for the first time in ten years. The Excess Express allowed him to leave with just a warning.
After returning to Rogueport from Keelhaul Key, the Magical Map leads Mario and his Partners to the Poshley Sanctum in Poshley Heights, where the Garnet Star is located. Like Glitzville, Mario needs a ticket to get to the Excess Express, which Professor Frankly says is the only way. After doing Don Pianta's workers (Tony and Vinny) a favor (finding Don's daughter and her boyfriend), Don gives Mario an Excess Express Ticket. While on the way to the station, Beldam appears and thanks Team Mario for saying that the next Star is in Poshley Heights. Knowing they must reach the Star before the Shadow Sirens do, Team Mario heads for the station.
During the three-day train ride, many unfortunate events happen, forging the premise of a whodunit novel or film and hindering Mario and his pals by keeping them from getting the sixth Crystal Star. Heff T. steals Chef Shimi's Galley Pot, and Doopliss (impersonating Zip Toad) steals a Businessman's briefcase containing ingredients for Nitro Honey Syrup, the waitress's Shell Earrings, and Toodles's Gold Ring. Under orders of the Shadow Sirens, he planned to mix the things he stole together to bomb the train, resulting in what he described as a "sticky, yummy explosion" in the threatening message he left in Mario's cabin. Mario and his friends enlisted the help of Pennington to foil his diabolical plans, and in doing so, returned the stolen items to their rightful owners.
Mario also meets Ghost T. here. Mario has to talk to him after the Excess Express conductor accidentally left Ghost T. a blanket (not realizing that he was a ghost), leaving himself without a blanket of his own. Mario has to retrieve Ghost T.'s diary for the ghost to get him to give the blanket back. If Mario opens the diary, he will be warned three times not to read it. If he says "yes" on all three warnings, he will be only allowed to read the first three lines before Ghost T. appears, giving Mario an instant Game Over.
Mario and his partners also encounter a massive horde of miniature Smorgs while the train is being refueled at the Riverside Station. After the Shadow Sirens' sticky bomb plan was foiled, they ordered the horde to guard the drawbridge switch to keep said bridge lifted and prevent the train from progressing any further. After Team Mario venture inside the station, they fend off the horde and lower the drawbridge, allowing the train to continue on its jorney, but little do they know, as the train left the station, the horde stowed away in the baggage car. The next morning, the horde attacks the train and kidnap all the passengers onboard, with the exception of the engineer, the shopkeeper, the conductor and the waitress, the latter two of which they hold captive in the baggage car. Mario and his team climb up to the heavily Smorg-infested rooftops of the train and fight the horde, eventually freeing the passengers and saving the Excess Express. Afterward, the rooftops (and the baggage car, for that matter) are inaccessible.
After Mario and his partners acquire the Garnet Star (which was hidden in a secret area of the Poshley Sanctum), they ride the train back to Rogueport. With the train ticket permanently in his inventory, Mario and his partners have the freedom to board the Excess Express to travel from Rogueport to Poshley Heights, and vice versa.
Passengers of the Excess Express
Below is a list of the occupants of the eight cabins of the Excess Express. With the exception of Mario, Ghost T., and Heff T., all occupants are replaced by various traveling Toads, Koopas, and Goombas after Chapter 6, listed after the forward slash.
- Cabin 001: Doopliss (disguised as Zip Toad)/Red Adult Toad and Green Child Toad
- Unboarded: Jr. Troopa
- Cabin 002: Toodles/Blue Adult Toad
- Cabin 003: Heff T.
- Cabin 004: Ghost T.
- Cabin 005: Mario and his partners
- Cabin 006: Pennington/Green Adult Toad
- Cabin 007: Businessman/Light Blue Child Toad
- Cabin 008: Goldbob, Sylvia, and Bub/Red Adult Toad and Red Child Toad
Other characters found on the train include the engineer, the waitress, Chef Shimi the cook, the conductor, as well as a red Toad who runs the shop. After completion of Chapter 6, a single Yoshi also can randomly appear in the kitchen cabin, the only one in the game other than Mario's Yoshi partner and his Stampede friends.
Enemies
- Smorg (Chapter 6 Boss)
Items found
Additional items are on sale at the Sales Stall item shop in the dining room.
| Item | Icon | Found In |
|---|---|---|
| Autograph | 
|
Given by the engineer while doing Bub's favor. |
| Blanket | 
|
Given by Ghost T. after returning the Ragged Diary to him. |
| Briefcase | 
|
Given by Doopliss as Zip Toad after he is caught. Later Mario returns it to Businessman. |
| Dried Shroom | 
|
In cabin 005, it's left by someone inside the drawer. |
| Galley Pot | 
|
In cabin 003, found in Heff T.'s drawers after checking the footprints. |
| Gold Ring | 
|
Given by Doopliss as Zip Toad after he is caught. |
| Dried Shroom |
|
In cabin 005, it's left by someone inside the drawer. |
| Mushroom | File:MushroomTTYD.png | Given by the conductor after returning him the blanket. |
| Ragged Diary | 
|
In the freight room, it's behind some crates. Accessible using Paper Mode. |
| Shell Earrings | 
|
Given by Doopliss as Zip Toad after he is caught. |
| Shine Sprite | 
|
Found in cabin 005 |
| Given by Bub during the events of Chapter 6. | ||
| Star Piece | 
|
In the engineer's room, it's under a panel in front of the gauge. |
| In cabin 004, it's under a panel in the southwest corner. | ||
| In the dining room, it's given by Chef Shimi when returning his Galley Pot. | ||
| In the dining room, it's given by the waitress when returning her Shell Earrings. | ||
| In cabin 008, it's found in the drawer. | ||
| Vital Paper | 
|
It's found in cabin 001 after Businessman's things are stolen. |
Tattles
- This is a passenger car. Orange and brown decor... That actually looks good! the passenger cabins here are numbered 3, 4, and 5, in case you forgot your numbers.
- This is a passenger car. The green and brown colors actually work here. Wow. There are two passenger cabins here, numbers 1 and 2.
- This is the dining car. There also seems to be a cute little shop here. Dining and shopping while watching scenery go by... Talk about heavenly...
- This is a passenger car. The blue and brown interior here is totally chic. The passenger cabins here are numbered 6, 7, and 8. ...But you knew that.
- This is the engineer's car of the Excess Express. Any kid would LOVE to see this! Look at me, Mario! I'm an engineer! WOOP WOOOOOP! Hey, but driving a train is really nothing to joke about. I totally respect engineers!
- This is the freight car. Usually, passengers aren't allowed back here. Looks like there are lots of bags here, ready to be unloaded at the next stop.
- This is the train's roof. Look at that scenery go whipping by! Wowser! ...Look, this is no time for me to be describing stuff! These guys are so ANNOYING! They're flippy and floppy and gross and I HATE them! Let's get rid of them!
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | リッチリッチエクスプレス[?] Ricchi Ricchi Ekusupuresu |
Rich Rich Express | |
| German | Glimmer-Liner[?] | like the English term | |
| Italian | Fasto-Express[?] | Pomp-Express | |
| Spanish | Tren Ricachón Exprés[?] | Tycoon Train Express |
Trivia
- During the events of Super Paper Mario, Francis writes about wishing to buy an Excess Express train set.
- Ghost T. does not notice the Smorgs attacking at all if Mario talks to him while they are at the train.
- The Excess Express has the most music tracks in the game, with there being a total of eight (one each for day, dusk, and night, one as the track for Pennington, one as the music played for Ghost T., one for Riverside Station, the music played when the Smorgs attack the train, and one more if counting the lack of music for the baggage car).
- In the photo of Zip Toad in his Email, one can see Jr. Troopa flying outside the window.
- A train similar to this appears in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, in the stage known as Blizzard on the Star Express.
- On Day 3 of the Excess Express, the player will get an email in the dining car in the Japanese version. In the international versions, the player will get this email to the right of Mario's room.
- The Excess Express seems to be based on the Orient Express from the English detective novel Murder on the Orient Express. The chapter featuring the Excess Express involves a crime taking place and several peculiar passengers who are also all suspects, just like the story from the book, including most notably a detective (Pennington, who references Hercule Poirot) and a celebrity (Zip Toad, who loosely references Linda Arden from the novel).
