The Case of the Missing Train Car

Warren's prize model train engine, the Silver Streak, has vanished from Whit's End - right before the state fair chooses the best child-built model for a special display. Suspicion falls fast on Michelle, the foster kid fresh out of juvenile detention who was last one alone with it, and Officer Harley hauls her in for questioning. Whit warns everyone not to judge her by her past, and sure enough, a new clue points to Connie's spring cleaning... it seems the engine went out with the trash. Warren apologizes and offers to help ready Michelle's caboose for the fair. But then Michelle mentions the broken train wheels - wheels nobody ever told her about. Caught, she confesses she hid the engine to win the fair spot herself, then coldly refuses every apology and kindness and asks to be taken back to detention. Whit can't undo her choice, but he finds one act of love still open to him: he can pray for her.

Found on The Officer Harley Collection Album OH · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0015 My Brother's Keeper Fed up with his pesky six-year-old brother, Phillip asks Whit for help getting rid of Dean - and learns to be careful what you wish for.

0016 No Stupid Questions A curious ten-year-old girl with endless questions and nowhere to go after school finds a welcome at Whit's End - and crosses paths with a bitter man who wants to be left alone.

1 of 2 0017 A Member of the Family When his pampered nine-year-old grandson arrives in Odyssey for the summer, Whit discovers that love sometimes means holding the leash tight.

2 of 2 0018 A Member of the Family When Whit's estranged daughter arrives furious over how he disciplined her son, a family crisis forces three generations to confront the hurts they've never spoken aloud.

0019 Recollections When Connie wonders why Whit is away from the shop, Tom Riley shares the bittersweet story of the remarkable woman behind Whit's End and the fight to save an old building the whole town had forgotten.

0020 Mike Makes Right When mild-mannered Mike Caldwell stands up to the schoolyard bully on behalf of a helpless classmate, he learns that doing the right thing can cost more than he bargained for.

0021 The Case of the Missing Train Car When a prize-worthy model train engine vanishes from Whit's End just before a state-fair competition, suspicion falls on a foster child whose troubled past makes her an easy target.

0022 A Simple Addition When a new baby arrives, a little boy waiting on a promised pair of boots wonders whether there's still room for him in his parents' hearts.

0023 The Quality of Mercy When a small-town farmer catches a boy stealing apples and lets him off easy, he soon discovers that mercy is a lesson some people have to learn the hard way.

0024 Gotcha! Whit's End's resident prankster learns the hard way that being the best practical joker in Odyssey just makes you the biggest target.

1 of 2 0025 Harley Takes the Case When a boy vanishes on his way to softball practice, a small-town officer must decide whether he's chasing a kidnapper or a kid who doesn't want to be found.

2 of 2 0026 Harley Takes the Case When a small-town search for a missing boy spirals toward panic, one overlooked officer's quiet hunch leads him somewhere no one else thought to look - and into far more danger than he bargained for.

0027 A Change of Hart When relentless bullying makes a lonely boy beg his family to move away, he gets a fresh start at a new school and the chance to reinvent himself as somebody cool.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 4 more roles

4 supporting roles

Michelle Terry Stacy Alcorn Thief (a) Phil Lollar Harvey (c) Bob Luttrell Warren Summers Michael Parisi

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Phil Lollar Writer · Director · Producer Bob Luttrell Sound Designer · Producer Steve Harris Producer Chuck Bolte Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

Michelle Terry and Warren Summers proudly display the model train cars they have built at Whit’s End. Michelle has made a blue caboose, while Warren has constructed a highly detailed working engine called the Silver Streak. The state fair has asked Whit to select the best child-built model for a special display, and these are the only two strong enough to be considered.

Michelle has recently left a juvenile detention center and is living with Tom and Agnes Riley as their foster child. Her past makes some people uneasy, but Whit believes she deserves trust and a fresh start. When Warren must leave for a dentist appointment, Michelle offers to put the Silver Streak away for him. Connie comes upstairs soon afterward to perform a thorough spring cleaning.

The next day, Warren discovers that his engine is missing. Officer Harley questions everyone who was near the train room. Whit and Tom both left before Michelle, giving her a brief period alone. Harley also reveals that she had been sent to detention for shoplifting. Although Whit warns against judging her by her past, the missing engine, her opportunity, and her possible competition for the state-fair display make her the leading suspect.

Michelle says she placed the engine on a crowded shelf before helping Connie retrieve cleaning supplies. Tom then admits that he told Michelle about the state-fair offer after Whit and Warren went downstairs. With motive added to the circumstantial evidence, Harley takes Michelle to the police station for questioning. Warren presses charges and assumes that her previous wrongdoing proves her guilt.

Whit reminds Warren that circumstantial evidence can make an innocent person appear guilty. Their accusation could send Michelle back to detention for something she did not do. Warren admits that his attitude has not been fair or loving and says that he only wants the mess cleaned up. His choice of words gives Whit a new possibility to investigate.

Connie confirms that she cleaned every shelf in the train room and carried two loads of rubbish to the dumpster. She knows nothing about model trains and might have discarded the Silver Streak by mistake. The garbage truck pulls away before they can search it, but Whit finds a set of train wheels beside the dumpster. Warren identifies them as part of his engine, apparently proving that Connie threw it away and clearing Michelle.

Everyone apologizes to Michelle, and Warren offers to help prepare her caboose for the fair. Then Michelle refers to the train wheels even though neither Harley nor Tom has told her about them. Confronted with knowledge only the culprit should possess, she confesses.

Michelle had hidden the Silver Streak in her knapsack because she wanted her caboose chosen. When the engine’s wheels broke, she planted them beside the dumpster so everyone would blame Connie’s cleaning. Michelle feels no remorse and rejects the kindness Tom, Agnes, and Whit have shown her. She tells Harley to take her back where she believes she belongs.

Whit tells Michelle that he forgives her, but she dismisses his words and leaves. Connie concludes that some people do not want help, while Whit wonders whether they simply do not know how to receive it. Though his trust has been betrayed and he cannot undo Michelle’s choice, he realizes that one act of love remains open to him: he can pray for her.