Strangers on a Train

Summary
Sue Ellen takes a train trip and finds a mysterious diary on board.

Plot
Sue Ellen and her mother walk into Elwood City Station and Sue Ellen is excited about traveling on the Crown City Star. She thinks about how it will be like in the old movies. After her daydream, mom and Sue Ellen walk outside and Sue Ellen looks at the train and gasps in surprise.

Strangers on a Train Sue Ellen is still staring at the train in great shock. Then they both board the train only to find that it is run down on the inside. The counductor comes by and tells Sue Ellen that they still have an available snack car. An old lady bumps into Sue Ellen and apologizes. Soon mom and Sue Ellen find their seats. Mom goes off and Sue Ellen stays in her seat. Sue Ellen lets out a sigh and then it starts raining outside. The same old lady comes back and chats with Sue Ellen for a little bit. Then Sue Ellen remembers the snack car and wants to check it out. When she leaves her seat, she notices a lost diary. She looks inside and it says Property of Betsy Johnson, Age 8. She Ellen was excited that there was another girl on the Crown City Star and even tries to return the diary. She makes it to the snack car and looks inside and realizes that she has gone on many travels. Before she leaves, she sees taffy on the table that spells ENJOY. She wonders who put it there. She goes back to her seat and finds a note from her mom. She finds another note about the taffy on the table. The writing looked familiar so she compared it with the diary. They're the same. She goes everywhere to find her, but she still can't find her. She walking, but the train goes around a bend and she falls in a dark room. The conductor finds her. Sue Ellen stutters as she tries saying that she is looking for another girl on the train her age. The conductor replied there isn't unless she meant The Ghost of the Crown City Star. Sue Ellen shivers in fear. The conductor tells the story a girl lost her ticket. Having no money, she wasn't allowed off the train. She went around wandering the aisles searching for someone to take her place. Sue Ellen lets out a large gasp. Soon the train comes out of the tunnel and the conductor opens the window. They both chuckle. When Sue Ellen heads for her seat, a loose slip of paper falls out of the book. It was written in 1935. She reads the farthest entry that says ''Once again I am on the Crown City Star. It's been very long and I hope to meet someone fun this trip.'' Sue Ellen remembers everything and runs back to mom afraid. She is talking with Betsey (diary writer). She goes back screaming. She talks fast. Her mom lets Sue Ellen sit next to her and asked who owned it. She said someone named Betsey. Mrs. Armstrong was surprised because she was talking with Betsey and how she has traveled on the Crown City Star many times. Betsey offers Sue Ellen some taffy. Sue Ellen shrieks. Sue Ellen talked about how she left the taffy on the table and wrote the note. Betsey said it was to lighten things up. Then, Betsey thanks Sue Ellen for returning her lost diary. Sue Ellen wondered what happened to the girl who wrote it. Mrs. Armstrong said that Betsey was going to be published. After Sue Ellen learns about a little about Betsey's travels, Betsey wanted to learn more about Sue Ellen because she loves travel stories. Sue Ellen replies "me too!" She comes up with a story when she was in Paris with her mom and dad while the train heads on into the night.

Major

 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Mrs. Armstrong

Minor

 * Binky Barnes (in fantasy)
 * Buster Baxter (in fantasy)
 * Alan Powers (in fantasy)

Background

 * Mrs. Deegan

Trivia

 * Wanda Deegan and Marie-Helene are seen during one of Sue Ellen's flashback of the 1960s.
 * This is one of the episodes where Arthur never appears at all.
 * The train whistle is the same sound effect that was from Thomas and Friends used for Lady and Millie.
 * The Crown City Star is powered by a Milwaukee Road Streamlined Hiawatha steam locomotive but with a Berkshire 2-8-4 configuration and minus the tender.
 * Mr. Morris makes a cameo in the opening.

Cultural references

 * The title of this episode may be based on the movie , directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1951 from Warner Bros.

Errors

 * The Xfinity description messes up Sue Ellen's name by just calling her Ellen.

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