A black steam locomotive rounds a bend through tall evergreens at night. Its round headlamp throws a wide cone of pale yellow light across the snowy bank. Rows of amber windows glow along the carriages, and a thick plume of white smoke rises into the misty, blue-grey air.

The forest recedes into deep shadow behind the engine, while the snow in front catches streaks of cream and yellow. Bold, buttery palette-knife strokes shape the drifts and the smoke, giving the scene a hushed, cinematic stillness.