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"Runaway's Railway" and the sequel, "Runaway's River" take place in a universe of sentient transport systems like the Railway. The books are aimed at Young Adult (YA) readers.
There are many kinds of transport systems, but they are all alive. In a brain, the electrical signals pass from neuron to neuron. In a transport system, passengers and vehicles pass junction to junction, station to station, or port to port like the electrical signals of a brain.
Any transport system is like a blueprint for all others of its type. The train that passes through your town reflects the Railway, in the same way that a toy train reflects the real thing.
Most the people on a transport system are just reflections of the outside world, but a few are Avatars. It is the Avatars that give a transport system its personality.
There is only one of each kind of Avatar, who is a best of whatever they are - so the Navvy is the best at laying and understanding track on the entire Railway.
In "Runaway's Railway", the central character, Mark, is the Runaway Avatar.