"That Hell-Bound Train" is a dark fantasy short story by American writer Robert Bloch.
The conductor accedes to this request; however, over the years that follow, Martin discovers that he cannot choose which moment is his happiest.
[1] Comic Book Resources has described it as "a classic deal-with-the-devil tale with a nice twist at the end".
[2] The story was shaped by William Tenn, who at the time had an editorial position at Fantasy and Science Fiction salvaging stories that had been selected by Anthony Boucher (prior to Boucher's retirement) as "not quite good enough to be published, but still too good to have been rejected".
[4] An opera adaptation of the story is currently in production by composer Lisa DeSpain and librettist David Simpatico.