This article appeared in the May 14th Issue of TV Times
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By David Maull
TV Times

The train was slowly lumbering out of Lewes when the first cast of characters entered the dining car.

Among them were Phila-delphia Mary, the owner of the only speakeasy train on the East Coast; Ruddy Valleley, a former vaudeville star currently on the wagon; Pinkey Pinkerton, a former church singer who now provides entertainment in the speakeasy and "Baby Face" Melson, a small-time criminal who is tired of bootlegging stolen chickens and wants control of rum-running operations on the Delaware Bay.

All try to create a party atmosphere in the car.

The typical Saturday evening on the Queen Anne's Railroad begins innocently enough with dozens of anxious passengers boarding the train at a small depot off King's Highway in Lewes.

Soon, however, their evening will dissolve into a maze of murder, bribery, intrigue and good old-fashioned detective work.

A murder will occur sometime during dinner, and for two hours, the dining cars will be engulfed in mystery. Passengers will discreetly offer $50 bills in exchange for information about the crime. Others will be slyly interrogated about their knowledge of the incident.

Eventually, the murderer will be revealed, dessert will be served and everyone will go home.

Of course, the mafia figures and shady characters wandering about the train are really local actors, the $50 bills are fake and the murder part of a fictional script that unfolds throughout the evening

In fact, passengers who correctly guess the murderer, motive and weapon become eligible to win prizes.

"People have a good time. It's just a lot of fun, said Joanne LaMere, Queen Anne's general manager. "We're the only ones who really do this."

At Nassau, the train comes to a halt and three other characters hop on board.

There's Al Kaseltzer, the ruthless mob boss who purchases illegal booze from Philadelphia Mary; Mugsey Balone, Al's thuggish "left-hand man" and Velma Banks, Philadelphia Mary's daughter and a wanna-be actress who is currently Al's girlfriend.

Queen Anne's Royal Zephyr Dinner Train is currently in its seventh year of providing locals and visitors with one of the most unique dining experiences on the East Coast.

The two-and-half-hour ride takes passengers on a 20-mile round trip from the Lewes depot to Harbeson. The evening includes a catered meal by Kupchick's of Lewes and a special murder mystery program performed by actors from Footlight Productions.

"It's different and people have a good time with it," LaMere said. "People are making reservations already for August."

The three dining cars can seat more than 150 people and the murder mystery is performed separately in each.

Those who ride the train on a regular basis are prevented from becoming ace detectives because the murderer changes from week to week and a new script and cast of characters is unveiled each month.

"A lot of it has to do with how the actors work," LaMere said. "There's a lot of talented people in this area."

This month, the murder mystery features a spoof of the old Thin Man movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.

Tom Sweeny, vice president of Footlight Productions, said actors meet each month to formulate ideas for the next mystery.

"There's all sorts of ideas. Murder is serious business, but we try to be humorous about it. Otherwise, it's pretty grim," he said. "We try to involve the passengers as much as possible. We do try to make it a memorable evening."

Footlight, which formed in November, is a spin-off from Baystar Productions, the company that first began performing murder mysteries for Queen Anne's four years ago.

"We're new, but we've been doing it on the same train for two years now,'' Sweeny said. "We enjoy it thoroughly."

He noted the six or seven actors on the train do not follow a set script but improvise based on their interaction with passengers.

"Most of it is (improvisation)," Sweeney said.

As passengers enjoy their salads and entrees, Al and Baby Face take turns threatening each other's lives, Philadelphia reveals to Velma that Ruddy is her father, Al rages about a "snitch" on the train who tipped off the feds about the speakeasy, Pinkey performs a solo and Ruddy gradually gets drunker.

Queen Anne's Railroad is named after the last major railway built on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Once extending 60 miles from the Chesapeake Bay to the Delaware Bay in Lewes, the railway took passengers to steamship connections to Balti-more or Cape May, N.J.

Chartered in 1897, Queen Anne's Railroad operated independently until 1904, when it was sold to a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

The Queen Anne's name was resurrected in 1991 when a group of local investors decided to begin the only dinner and entertainment train of its kind on the East Coast.

Today, the top investor is a Colorado businessman who owns three such trains in the United States.

"He has a passion for trains," LaMere said. "This is one of his toys."

A 1958 diesel engine is used to pull the three dining cars, a kitchen car and generator car. All of the cars were built the 1940s and have decor reflecting that time period.

The train travels on the old Junction and Breakwater Line, which was built in 1869.

Mugsey bursts into the dining car and loudly announces that Ruddy has been found dead in a bath tub filled with gin. Slowly, he works his way through the train, accepting $50 bills and offering up information about the crime. Baby Face, meanwhile, hurls a slew of accusations at Al and Velma sits quietly at a table in the rear of the car.

In addition to murder mystery trains, Queen Anne's also runs special holiday trains on New Year's Eve, Easter, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Halloween. A "Lunch with Santa" train is scheduled for December and Queen Anne's sends a passenger train to the Return Day celebration in Georgetown every two years.

Every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon throughout July, August and early September, Queen Anne's offers special one-hour excursion trains.

More than 7,000 people rode the train last year and demand was so great in April that two trains were run on one Saturday night.

Later this month, Queen Anne's will host a wedding ceremony and reception, complete with murder mystery.

Businesses can also charter lunch and dinner trains for a minimum of 40 people.

"We get a lot of charters," LaMere said.

Queen Anne's draws passengers from Northern Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland and many choose to spend the weekend in the Lewes/ Rehoboth area.

"People are starting to really know about it and think about it and they're having a good time," LaMere said. "It's a different type of entertainment for people. People can go out to dinner all the time, this just gives them something to add to it."

Future service could include a longer route to Georgetown, passenger service from the Cape May/Lewes Ferry or expanded lunch train business.

"We're really looking forward to this season. If the demand is there, we'll add more trains," LaMere said.

As the train returns to the station, the mystery is finally resolved.

Although Ruddy was the "snitch", Al was not the killer. Nor was Mugsey, Baby Face or Pinkey. When Velma reveals she wasn't the culprit, it leaves only Philadelphia Mary, whose motives were many.

It seems Ruddy's secret love for Pinkey, his failure to live up his responsibilities with Velma and his relapse into alcoholism caused her to club him over the head with a bottle. The blow knocked him unconscious and caused him to drown in a tub of gin.

Mary confesses her crime over a microphone and everyone goes home smiling.

Queen Anne's Railroad

WHAT: Royal Zephyr Dinner Train features a 1958 diesel locomotive and three dining cars built in the 1940s with decor reflecting that time period.
WHERE: Train leaves from depot at 730 Kings Highway in Lewes.
WHEN: Murder mystery trains every Saturday from April through November at 6 p.m.; one-hour excursion trains Wednesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. throughout July, August and early September; lunch trains by charter only; special holiday trains.
COST: $54.95 per person includes dinner and murder mystery.
IF YOU GO: Reservations for dinner trains are required and should be made at least two weeks in advance. For information, call 644-1720 or (888) 456-8668.

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