Guest
Korean War veteran Jeff Warren returns to his town and duties as a train engineer, driving streamliners hauling passenger trains for the fictional Central National railroad. Warren worked alongside Alec Simmons and was a boarder in his home before going off to war. Alec’s daughter Ellen is smitten with Jeff. Carl Buckley is a hard-drinking assistant yard supervisor married to the younger Vicki. After being fired for talking back to his boss, Carl begs Vicki to visit John Owens, an important customer of the railroad for whom her mother used to work. Vicki reluctantly agrees. Carl hopes Owens’ influence could help him reclaim his job, but when Vicki is gone for hours, Carl surmises that she has been unfaithful. After an argument during which he physically attacks her, he threatens to kill her if she does not admit to an affair with Owens. Terrified, she does so. He then forces Vicki to write a letter to Owens, setting up a meeting with him later that night in his sleeping car drawing room. Owens is taking the train to Chicago while Carl and Vicki are returning home. Carl and Vicki barge into Owens’ room and Carl kills him with a knife he used for whittling. Carl takes Owens’ wallet and pocket watch to make the murder appear to be the result of a robbery, also taking the letter that Vicki had written. After the murder, Carl sees Jeff on the train and persuades Vicki to distract him so that Carl can pass unnoticed.
