Built in 1891, the Buffalo Express is a luxury steam locomotive that makes five stops between New York City and Cleveland, Ohio. It's 1934, and the next voyage of the train will roll out from New York City with a fully booked First-Class carriage. The train staff has ensured the food is fresh, the ice cubes are perfect squares, and every nook and cranny is free of dust. With so many VIPs onboard, everything must be in perfect order. You will be on the locomotive for the journey to Cleveland. This is where your story begins.
Need some fashionable glad rags for the train?
Whereas the crew of the Buffalo Express believe
the journey from New York to Cleveland will be without
peril, it will be best if each passenger is aware that
there is a serial killer on the loose, The Ripper, who has murdered seven people from New Orleans to Buffalo, New York. His last four victims were claimed in Buffalo last Halloween. He has chosen to strike on Halloween for the last four years but profilers have said that he could strike at any time. Click here for more details.
Sketch of The Ripper - last seen in New Orleans leaving the scene of the crime. Click for more details.
Buffalo Express
Crew of the First-Class Carriage:
JO SPADE
Train Conductor
Originally hailing from New Orleans, Jo Spade is the train conductor-in-chief on the Buffalo Express – a passenger train from New York City to Cleveland. The steam locomotive has a tight-knit crew. Jo is tasked with keeping the train on schedule, managing the team, and first-class passenger welfare. Jo is impulsive and thoughtful and asks questions that reveal a seemingly innocent curiosity. Jo has worked for the Buffalo Express for ten years.
Costume suggestions: 1930’s inspired train conductor uniform.
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RUTH CAVETTI
Director, First-Class Carriage
The Cavetti family have all worked for the railroad for many years. This is Ruth's first journey on the train, and she has ensured everyone that first-class passengers will want nothing and have nothing but glowing feedback regarding their experiences.
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First Class Passenger Reservations:
JEAN HASTINGS
Pinkertoon Detective
Jean Hasting speaks seven languages and has mastered various fields of study, such as archaeology, criminology, and psychology. With an extraordinary talent for logic and deduction, it isn't easy to get anything by Jean's keen eye. Jean wears bright and flashy clothes and is good-natured.
Jean is one of the most requested Pinkertoons. If Jean is assigned a case, it's always solved most expeditiously.
Costume suggestions: Sherlock Holmes-inspired detective costume. Magnifying glass is an optional fun prop.
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EMERY BLACKETT
News Reporter
The Blackett Family owns the newspaper The Buffalo Daily in Buffalo, New York. Emery grew up in Buffalo and is married with two children. A friend and ally to most – Emery has made an occasional foe on behalf of unfavorable newspaper articles reporting the brutal truth about people. Emery and the rest of the family will stop at nothing to get the scoop, so mind your P’s and Q’s around this gossipmonger if you need your skeletons to stay in their closet. Because of Emery's job, they know most of the rich, famous, and well-connected. A notorious workaholic, you should be cautious, as Emery is always working on a story. Your job is to ensure it's not about you.
Costume suggestions: Wear a vintage newsie costume or a vintage suit or conservative dress. As optional props, bring a notepad and fountain pen.
DR. HUBBARD
Medical Examiner
Dr. Hubbard is the absent-minded coroner of New York City. Traveling to Cleveland for a medical conference, this doctor is easily distracted and has difficulty staying on topic. With their head in the clouds, Dr. Hubbard easily slips into many cat naps throughout the day.
Dr. Hubbard is world-renowned for their forensic science contributions and well-respected in the medical community. Many outside the medical field believe the doc is a bit of a mad scientist, as they mumble aloud and appear a bit disheveled.
Costume suggestions: mad scientist/doctor costume.
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CAROL GRIERSON
Stockbroker
Carol Grierson is a compassionate stockbroker from New York City. Always there for a friend, Carol is a great listener. This stockbroker is a mood chameleon who will assume any room's spirit from foul to jovial. Impulsive and easily bored with trivial tasks, Carol has switched careers over ten times. Carol defends that the history of job-jumping is due to a lack of opportunities for promotions. Carol has significant ambition and needs to see fast results.
Costume suggestions: 1930’s inspired conservative business/travel attire.
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RUBE BENCOLIN
Art Dealer
Rube is an art dealer from Syracuse known for an unhealthy obsession with social and physical appearances. Incredibly passionate about grooming and fashion, Rube spends hours peering in the mirror daily. Rube bends over backward for strangers in hopes of finding the cause of so much as a subtle grimace. Some say Rube is a bit paranoid. If Rube believes that you are cross, they will do anything possible to lighten the mood - and ensure that your mindset isn't because of Rube.
Costume suggestions: 1930s-inspired trendy attire – you are cutting edge and fashionable.
PAT BRAMBILLA
Chicago Mob
An Italian-born, ruthless gangster, Pat Brambilla is the notorious Underboss of the Chicago Mob. Pat will tell it like it is and isn’t known to sugarcoat things. If you double-cross the mob in any way, shape, or form, Pat will see to it that you are swimming with the fish. However, Pat’s hands stay clean, as the criminal faction has many button men to do their dirty work.
Pat has recently been traveling to New York City, but nobody outside of the mob knows why. It also isn't normal for a mobster to travel alone by train.
Costume suggestions: mobster/gun moll costume.
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MARION MCQUEEN
Kit Barcroft’s Bodyguard
Marion McQueen was recently hired to be Kit Barcroft’s bodyguard for the journey from New York City to Cleveland on the Buffalo Express. Marion is a former soldier in the United States Army who worked as a detective with the Pinkertoon Agency before freelancing as a bodyguard. Marion is a serious person who hardly cracks a smile.
Rumor has it that Marion was some top-secret operative or survivalist while serving in the military.
Costume suggestions:1930’s suit. Optional to have a toy revolver.
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KIT BARCROFT
Private Detective
Kit Barcroft is a tough and devious private investigator-for-hire. Kit is no-nonsense and will go to great lengths to solve any case. Kit can look after themselves in any setting and is capable of getting the best of any person they interact with – no matter who they are. The Pinkertoon Detective Agency has tried to recruit Kit on many occasions, but Kit prefers to work alone. Or could it be because Kit is hiding a nefarious past?
Costume suggestions: Sherlock Holmes-inspired costume.
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BERNIE EDWARDS
Kit Barcroft’s Assistant
Morally upright on the surface, Bernie is famous for spewing tales about how everything in society should be. Bernie took the job as Kit Barcroft’s assistant a few months ago by claiming to be a financial analyst. However, Kit has openly doubted Bernie’s integrity lately. Nobody knows this finance guru’s true identity.
Bernie contends that people like to start trouble and gossip because they have nothing better to do.
Costume suggestions: 1930’s inspired conservative business/travel attire.
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FRANKIE OLSEN
Murder Mystery Author
Frankie Olsen is the stoic, somber murder mystery author who has published over twenty novels. Frankie ducks from the public’s eye but maintains a mysterious relationship with Jo Spade. As a façade that many have detected - the two pretend to be strangers. They aren’t fooling many people.
Frankie published a novella this year that has garnered much attention - especially among the members of a particular support group in New York City.
Costume suggestions: 1930s-inspired business/travel attire with a Gothic twist – so wear black.​
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BELLAMY ELLIOTT
Fire Chief
A widower with two children cared for by a live-in nanny, Bellamy Elliot is the dedicated fire chief of New York City. Chief Elliott is traveling on the Buffalo Express to attend a conference in Cleveland, Ohio. This firefighter is focused on the importance of integrity and empathy in all aspects of social order – at work, home, and play.
Bellamy would never lie and often says there is no room in their heart for people who can't be upfront and honest.
Costume suggestions: vintage firefighter costume.