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  • The Majestic 311

  • Written by: Keith C. Blackmore
  • Narrated by: R.C. Bray
  • Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (68 ratings)

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The Majestic 311

Written by: Keith C. Blackmore
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
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Publisher's Summary

In the spring of 1903, the 311, known to locals as “The Majestic”, carried more than 100 passengers on board toward a tunnel mouth that would allow the 13-car locomotive to pass safely through the underbelly of the Canadian Rockies. 

The tunnel swallowed the 311 whole, and the train - and everyone on it - were never seen again. 

Search parties scoured the tunnel length with torches, searching for clues as to the big engine’s fate. During that search, some of the men swore they heard a ghostly whistle echoing in the cold Albertan dark. The only thing they found, however, was a lady’s hand fan with an Oriental design, spread wide like a butterfly’s wing. 

In the winter of 1910, just after a snowy sundown, the Leland Baxter gang, a collection of cattle thieves, gunmen, and cutthroats, wait on horses before a tunnel exit. They wait for the 5409, which secretly carries a train car full of railway cash - wages destined for workers of the copper and gold mines of British Columbia. 

A payroll they intend to rob.

What they will discover, however, is that the approaching train isn’t the 5409. It’s the missing 311, the train only whispered about around dying campfires. A train that some believe still rides the iron rails, traveling to places no mortal should ever go, seeing things no one should ever see. 

Those men will climb aboard the 311...and will soon realize two sinister truths about the train. 

The 311 doesn’t ever stop. 

And no one ever gets off. 

A very weird Western. 

Approx 119,000 words. Contains violence, coarse language, and some elements of horror. 

©2019 Keith C. Blackmore (P)2020 Blue Heron Audio

What listeners say about The Majestic 311

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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OMG!!! What a RIDE!!

Wow! All I can say is be prepared to go on a train ride you'll WANT to 'ride' through again and again!!! And maybe even AGAIN!! When I saw it was R.C.Bray performing a Kieth C.Blackmore story I KNEW it would be a GREAT listen and I was NOT wrong!!! I've gone through this 'ride' 3 times already and all I want is to listen to it AGAIN!! R.C.Bray will have you pulled into the lives of these men in no time, and Mr.Blakmores talent to weave an excellent story will have you hooked to the END!! Love, love, LOVED this listen!!

5 people found this helpful

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Amazing!

When I bought the book all I read was train robbers got on a haunted train. The journey this book took me on was completely amazing. It's been awhile since I got into a book where I had no idea where it would lead. A+

4 people found this helpful

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Wow

This one feels like Stephen King. Well written and excellently narrated. Did take a while to settle in

4 people found this helpful

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W. T. F

In my opinion, Keith Blackmore should have his house checked for a gas leak. Although entering, the story doesn’t make any sense. Lots of plot holes and circumstantial events lurch the characters through this story just to leave us hanging in the end.
If you are an R.c Bray fan give it a listen as he does not disappoint. He brings depth and cadence to every character as few narrators can.

3 people found this helpful

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Another great book from Keith Blackmore

With excellent writing and performance from R.C. Bray you can't go wrong. After the Mountain Man series this is another outstanding book and performance from this team.

1 person found this helpful

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Quite a ride

This story had a little bit of everything. Narration was good, And the story was wild

1 person found this helpful

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Kinda kid story with a lot of swearing

I really wish I loved it, there are some great moments, but overal it felt childish. I listened til the end... But the end was the worse part.

1 person found this helpful

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A bit too much detail for me.

Overall I liked the book I would have preferred more character development however at the very end it made sense. RC Bray did a great job of it even though the content wasn’t the best to highlight his great action skills a tad less descriptive terms would be better I think I am not sure that a string of adjectives for every tiny detail is necessary. Overall a good read and I may try another if this authors books in the future.

1 person found this helpful

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craziness you would expect from KCB

odd but interesting, if you like odd crazy and stuff not of this earth, this is a good book for you. very well written and excellently performed, these two, writer and narrator, are a great duo for a great listen.

1 person found this helpful

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Bray Should Read Every Word K.C.B. Writes

Keith C. Blackmore provides a rollercoaster-ride of a SciFi/Horror novel that reminded me at times of Lovecraft, at others of Matheson, and at still more of King. Blackmore populates his paranormal adventure with seven gritty, violent, hilariously foul-mouthed outlaws trying to survive ghosts, hordes of bloodthirsty vampire-like monsters, and extradimensional incarceration.
The characters (alive & dead) are interesting, the description is mind's-eye vivid (and gloriously gory), and the dialogue is darkly hysterical (listening with earbuds in public will garner stares.. from neighbors curious as to why you're howling with laughter).
Yes, you need to suspend disbelief to get past some glaring plot holes - but the book is incredibly fun if you can manage it.

Reader R.C. Bray understands Blackmore's intention and tone *perfectly*.. delivering an unparalleled spot-on interpretation of the story. True, he reads with an annoying lilting cadence on this project for some reason, but if you are given a choice between a text copy of this story (paper or eBook) and this version, take this Bray-narrated iteration every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Blue Heron Audio did a remarkable job bringing this captivating tale to the audiobook audience. I am thrilled that I could get 'The Majestic 311' as a Daily Deal, because the 9/10 star recording is worth far more than the $5.25CDN I paid for it.

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  • Cheree Ingram
  • 2020-07-31

A Wild Ride!

First of all, you can't go wrong with Keith Blackmore and R.C. Bray. I bought it the day it was launched on Audible. This is the first book i ever purchased without any reviews and I was confident that I had a winner. And I was right! Admittedly, I got a bit discouraged with the seemingly dead end train ride in the beginning but that quickly changed to: What the hell! And I couldn't stop listening. There were more than a few laugh-out-loud moments at some of the gun mens' banter. This story is western, sci-fi, adventure, fantasy and more! And I still have about 4 hours to go! I am so pleased with this surprise purchase that I felt compelled to tell somebody about it. So here I am. I promise to update if the ending doesn't match the the same quality as the story.

66 people found this helpful

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  • Old Hippy
  • 2020-08-04

Jesse James meets Darth Vader and you lise!

The 311 started off great as a turn of the century western train robbery and swept me along gladly ... until about half-way in. Then it turned into some kind of inexplicable and increasingly painful journey through ocean serpents and alien pirates, endless alien deserts, battles with monsters, drinks at a version of the Mos Eisley Cantina, and hundreds of train cars. It just goes on and on until you want to scream "ENOUGH ALREADY!" Part science fiction, part quest, without being either. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you'll have had belly full by the end. The extreme level of violence, profanity, and juvenile level sexual fantasy gets real old. And the ending does not satisfy - not in the least. Unless this kind of stuff is your thing, I would avoid. Narrator is very good - but he can't salvage it.

48 people found this helpful

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  • Wesley J. Critchfield
  • 2020-08-14

A grade Z stinker.

Steve Martin said it best "When you tell your stories, HAVE A POINT! It makes it so much more interesting for the listener!“
The story started out good enough, but then it went to all manor of strange places. It seemed like there was a pattern that was adding up to something, but ultimately there was nothing but strange events.
No one learned anything about themselves or the nature of the universe or anything and the 1 character we followed to the end, doesn't remember any of it when all is said and done.
Could have been so much better. Save your money or credit and move on to the next car. Wish I could get mine back but I waited too long to actually listen.
RC Bray is Brilliant as always but I bet even regrets wasting time on this stinker.

26 people found this helpful

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  • Matthew
  • 2020-08-03

This is a brilliant audiobook.

Of course, most anything performed by RCB is outstanding, but this one is over the top. Completely original concept, with enough geography and history to hold the interest of even the most jaded listener. ( Small quibble with the author's apparent focus on the word " a*s" ) but aside from that, very well done. The characters are engaging ( and we care enough about them that it matters when things happen to them! ).
The story arc, as odd as it is, rolls along. The resolution is honest, if not also a bit odd.
There is some violence, gore, and swearing, and as such, this is an adult book. But oh man, go for a ride on the Majestic 311!!!

19 people found this helpful

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  • Eddie
  • 2020-08-11

The weakest ending to a book I’ve ever read.

The hook was a good one and the start was strong but it’s obvious that the author had no idea where to take the book or how to wrap it up. I wanted to love it but it’s a hot mess that I feel ashamed to have paid for.

15 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Marilyn Morrison
  • 2020-08-11

What was the point?

It seems like the author just threw out as many crazy scenarios as he could possibly think of, but none of them served any actual purpose unless that purpose was to illustrate that we were taking a ride on a crazy train? I don't know, but I I was ready for it to end about half way through. I just kept asking myself why was {insert crazy world here} important to the story? In any event, when it did finally end, it was made clear that there truly was no actual point to any of it; which was not surprising but still disappointing.

R.C. Bray, as always did a fantastic job as one of the best narrators out there.

14 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • TK2.0
  • 2020-08-27

311 Goes everywhere and totally nowhere.

13 hours of this:
Door opens
Wow, I cant believe what I am see!
20 minutes of walking, we are gonna die!
Monsters come, shoot endless supply of bullets...
find door...
REPEAT, Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Ending with no how, or what or real motivation or science or magic... It was basically like watching ONLY season two of SLIDERS and never watching season 1 or 3. Some random guys went some weird places and did stuff and every episode had nothing to do with the last.

This other reviewer is 100% correct

"For instance (not a spoiler) at one point our Robbers are hooked up with Universal translators by "aliens" but other than for that scene it doesn't amount to anything. It adds nothing."

"Ultimately it's a fun exercise in an interdimensional playground, but like the games a playground, it lacks a real narrative or satisfying conclusion. Skip it."

The book is all fun concept and just goes on and on and on and nothing adds up. Then in the end, no real how, why, when is even given. They go through dozens of places and 95% of them could be cut from the book and you would never know it was gone because they revealed nothing on each stop, l;earned nothing, never progressed.

Just a bunch of robbers running from door to door, then ends with you knowing basically nothing about the antagonists, nothing about anything.

I tried to like it but it was ALL CONCEPT and no story.

12 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Brad
  • 2020-08-06

FANTASTIC!! Smut Smut for the win!

Keith C. Blackmore can write! And of course RC Bray makes the characters come to life! This book went in so many different directions, but it flowed well. Definitely always has you thinking, what will happen next? The scenes is the saloon were absolutely great, just wow. Smut Smut should return in future books, for sure.

10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Justin B.
  • 2020-08-04

Like an acid trip on rails

Get ready for a hell of a trip! Crazy story that will make you want to listen again immediately, and RC Bray kills it as always!

9 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Chris
  • 2020-07-30

Wow

I loved this book! A time travelling, world hopping adventure, so unpredictable, RC is killer in it too.

9 people found this helpful