The huge black steam engine was easily twice the size of that of the rather fruity and girly-looking train he had just travelled on from Pawstown. The carriages looked like they were double decked, and a fair number of large carriages had no windows at all. He later learned this train was a dedicated trading vehicle, a joint project between Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom. Considering the large distances and rough terrain between griffon and pony centres of trade, it was considered more economical to construct a train to go back and forth and maintain the tracks rather than the cost of fleets of couriers carrying vast amounts of goods over the mountains every year.