An off take of the series called The Galaxy Railways: Faraway Angels (銀河鉄道物語 ～最果てのアンジェラ～) was released as a Drama CD in March 2009.

The fleet of the Galaxy Railways is protected by the Space Defence Force, or SDF, against intergalactic terrorists, meteor storms, and malicious alien life.

The Galaxy Railways Headquarters presides over the SDF and the SPG (Space Panzer Grenadiers, an elite defense force) as well as all passenger operations.

At the beginning of the story, the main character, Manabu Yūki, has always had dreams of joining the SDF, following in the footsteps of his father and brother.

Manabu trains hard and despite conflicts with Captain Bulge, Bruce, and other characters, joins the Sirius Platoon that his father used to command.

A 4-part OVA series The Galaxy Railways: A Letter from the Abandoned Planet (銀河鉄道物語 ～忘れられた時の惑星～, Ginga Tetsudō Monogatari ~Wasurerareta Toki no Wakusei~, Planet of Forgotten Time) was produced that bridges both seasons of the show (production on the OVA began before the sequel TV series, even though it was released later).

The Galaxy Express 999 crashes on the off-limits planet of Herise (ヒーライズ) and it's up to the SDF Sirius Platoon to assist.

In 2006 a sequel series, The Galaxy Railways: Crossroads to Eternity (銀河鉄道物語 ～永遠への分岐点～, Ginga Tetsudō Monogatari ~Eien e no Bunkiten~) began broadcasting in Japan for a 26-episode run.

Meanwhile, Sirius Platoon has an intern sitting in to observe and learn the ropes, Killian Black (the foster son of Mr.

Manabu who caught wind of the situation "borrows" a maintenance locomotive to rescue the passenger, and also save his home planet from destruction.

Just as it is about to enter Tabito's atmosphere, Captain Bulge fires Big One's main cannons at the runaway locomotive, successfully deflecting its course, stopping it.

A prototype SPG train, designed to be based on Big One is stolen by pirates who use it to ruin Sirius Platoon's name.

During a rescue operation to pull a stranded train from a dimensional fault line, a small pod emerges from it.

Once there, they start planet hopping using Big One's Off-Track Mode (not being anywhere near the Galaxy Railways, it would normally be impossible for a train to even move).

During this time, Frell starts spending periods in the engine room (inside the boiler, where all the glowing dials and switches are).

Suddenly, all the glowing dials and switches light up and a voice says that it is the Independent Train Control System, type G8001.

After fighting a ship and unmanned fighters on Fatom, Sirius Platoon goes back out into space to find what the locals call "The Demonic Machine".

Suddenly, all the SDF trains emerge into view to help Big One fight the Demonic Machine.

The ending shows Manabu and Louise returning to Tabito together and presenting his father's cap to his mother.

This series begins one year before the film Galaxy Express 999 which takes place in 2221 AD.

The first episode concludes one year after Galaxy Express 999: Eternal Fantasy takes place, which is 2225.

Leiji Matsumoto stated in an interview included in the first DVD of the American release that Manabu Yuuki is the brother of female space pirate Kei Yūki, seen in the Captain Harlock TV series and Endless Odyssey OVA, though such a relationship has never been mentioned in the anime series and seems unlikely.

Death is an extremely hard thing for Manabu to deal with, as seen in episodes 6 and 7 when a little girl dies in front of him.

[4][5] In episode 4, Manabu has to stop a man from chasing after the ghost of his love and convince him that he still has reason to live.

The first season debuted in a syndicated Funimation Channel programming block airing on CoLours TV on June 19, 2006.

[9][10] In a review of the first volume of the US release, Theron Martin at the Anime News Network praised the visuals of the series but stated that while the writing of the series was not bad, it did not seem fresh by modern standards and did not offer originality in the telling of its main story.

He went on to state that reactions to the series would largely depend on the viewers' appreciation of Leiji Matsumoto's other work, giving it a B− rating overall.