Synopsis
How do you solve a mystery when everyone is a suspect? It’s 1893, and some of the world’s brightest minds are traveling by train to the World’s Fair in Chicago. But after a dastardly crime puts the fate of the Fair in peril, only you can piece together the clues and collar the criminal. All aboard for a whodunit that will keep you guessing until the last twist of the tracks!
For walkthroughs on Mystery Train Island, scroll down.
Common Room: Reverie Lounge
Preceded by: Shrink Ray Island
Succeeded by: Game Show Island
Resources on this page: Island Extras | Synopsis from Poptropica | Video Walkthrough | Written Walkthrough | Album Photos | Trivia
Island Extras: Map | Official Tour | Videos | D.C. Diner MiniQuest Guide
Video Walkthrough
For a written walkthrough with pictures, scroll down on this page!
Written Walkthrough
Walkthrough written by Super Thunder & Brave Tomato
Special thanks to: Slanted Fish, Rainbow Dash, & Poptropica Buddies
Go to Mystery Train if you’re not already there. Then, walk over to the guy pushing hard on something. Can you believe it? It’s Thomas Edison! Talk to him. He wants you to help him with his ramp. So… do it! This is the order to make the ramp work (smallest to tallest, left to right):
And… Yay! For being so nice and helping him, you get a Train Ticket! All aboard!
So, get on the train, and you’ll get to talk to and meet lots of people, many of which are famous! However, be sure to speak to this guy. It’s George Ferris, inventor of the Ferris wheel.
Oh no! The wheel isn’t working! He’ll give you a Telegram message.
Now go left to meet more people. Be sure to talk to everyone! Enter Susan B. Anthony’s cabin, and she will give you a Women’s Suffrage Pamphlet.
Keep going left, and pick up the Pencil on the table in VIP Car 2.
Also, enter Mademoiselle Moreau’s cabin and she will give you a Le Monde newspaper.
Finally, go meet Mr. Edison. He got his machine ready, and wants to test it out! And then… It’s working! But disaster strikes. Because just as he leaves to get the reporter… The train curves, and goes into a tunnel. And momentarily, the light is gone! And when th light is back, the machine is stolen. Then Mr. Edison comes back…
And so… you’re on the case. Talk to the New York Times reporter. Apparently Twain has a secret compartment. Go over to Twain’s cabin, and when you talk to Mark Twain, he gets… quite suspicious when you mention the secret compartment.
So tap around the walls, to find the different sounding wall. It’s the one that’s third from the left on the second row, and when you click it, it’ll go “THUMP!”
It turns out it was just a manuscript of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that Twain was working on. Oops. But then, suddenly, the train stops.
Once you get out, talk to the reporter. He says that he heard someone running outside of Edison’s door! He might have left a clue…
Go ask more people around. Again, talk to everyone – you can start from the right, all the way, and work your way to the back of the train. Susan B. Anthony says that Tesla has been locked in his cabin the whole time.
Gustave Eiffel said that he heard a cabin door open and close when the train went into the tunnel that could’ve been Tesla’s, and Erik Weisz doesn’t think disappearing is too difficult.
Well, remember what the NY Times reporter said about hearing someone outside Edison’s door? Sure enough, when you go check, you’ll have a new clue: the floor is covered with prune juice!
After discovering the prune juice, you can start the questioning all over again. Not much information is revealed, except Edison says the prune trail seemed to lead to the coal car. Le Monde Reporter (whom I call Frenchy) says a similar thing. Now go to the dining car further left.
When you talk to the Porter, he/she (the porter is supposed to look just like you) throws the order sheet away, saying that orders are confidential, and then he/she will walk away. So open up the Porter’s Notepad that gets left behind, and using the Pencil, check for an imprint.
Apparently, Tesla ordered the prune juice. But he won’t talk to you. So go take a look at his luggage.
There are coal smudges on his trunk, and when you lean down, you get attacked by a pair of scissors. If they really wanted to get rid of you, they would have attacked with something more, uh, powerful. But this is Poptropica!
Anyway, you get the Scissors, and now you start asking again.
The Coal Man says this:
But for now, skip asking everyone. Just go straight to the Porter. And the Porter confirms that, yes, the Coal Man did get something to drink.
Now go to the luggage cart, and Frenchy will be right there. Talk to her. She says the key might be in his cabin, the key to Tesla’s trunk. But you can’t get in, so she tells you to go dress up as the Porter. So, go to the Porter’s closet, get the Porter’s Outfit, and put it on. Now go to Tesla’s room.
Once inside, he says he wants a prune juice refill. So walk to his drawers, and pick up the prune juice. Refill, refill. Then he’s got to go to the bathroom. And you’ve got to find the key!
The location of the key varies. But first, you have to click everything else. The key will be in the place you click at the last moment, just before Tesla re-enters his room. And then, when you’ve got the Luggage Key and Tesla comes back, you can leave.
Go to his trunk, and use the key. The device is in there! Frenchy will call the guards, and Tesla gets dragged away… and you go tell Edison.
But.. oh no! Edison plays the device, and Tesla was on the other side of the train when this thievery happened! You’ve caught the wrong person! *GASP* You’ll get the Grainy Picture.
After Tesla had been arrested, Edison says that the device was rolling and it might’ve shown an image of the real thief. However, the only person that ended up there was Tesla, just chilling in a train window… on the other side of the train. Which means…
You have to go talk to Tesla. But you can’t go through the coal car because a guard is blocking the way. Instead, you have to go ON TOP of the train! But how? Ok, go to the luggage car, climb up the luggage and go up through the trapdoor.
Go up. Now you’re on the top of the train. Duck whenever the red on the right side of the screen is more up, which means a tunnel is about to pass by. And jump when the red is further down, which means a sack is about to get in your way. Make your way to the right until you see a hatch. That’s the coal car, which Tesla is in, all chained up.
Talk to him for a while. He’ll say that he had left behind something important in his cabin. And then he’ll ask for something to write with. Click use on the pencil, and he’ll draw a Sketch of Tesla’s Cabin like it was before he got captured.
Exit the coal room to the right. The guard will ask what you did, and you’ll lie saying that nothing’s up. Go to Tesla’s cabin and notice that the briefcase by Tesla’s bed is open. Click on Tesla’s sketch and once the screen opens up, click use. Click on the pencil and finally click on the briefcase to make a circle around it.
Go back to Tesla the way you did before. Talk to him, telling him that the briefcase is open and all. He’ll start to worry, because something important is inside. And he has no idea how the case was unlocked.
Um… Tesla… Poptropicans don’t really have necks.
Moving on… exit the coal car and go into Erik Weisz’s room in VIP Car 1. Ask about the briefcase, and he’ll start acting weird. You’ll get a clue about his odd behavior.
Go to the New York Times reporter (he’s near Mark Twain’s room in VIP Car 2) and ask about Erik Weisz’s odd behavior. He’ll show you a New York Times Article with a guy who looks familiar: Erik Weisz = Harry Houdini!
Go back into Houdini’s room and move to the right to the right to pick up the Lock Pick Bag. You’ll confront Weisz for being Houdini and he’ll escape through the hatch in his room.
Follow him! Which means… more top of the train traveling. Making sure to avoid the obstacles, go to the left until you see an opening on the red cart.
(this is where he fell through)
Once you land on that cart, you’ll automatically go through the cart into the junk room. You’ll hear a “blub blub” coming from inside those weird curtains. Use the scissors to reveal Houdini trapped in a water tank. But this is no trick: He can’t get out!
Now, you need to pick those locks, fast. Line up the things using the appropriate shaped pick and line up the line to where the color of the lock thing changes. The first one is easy because the locks are in order, but the others are all mixed up. Take your time to get it right, while still going quick.
Once you get Houdini out of there, you’ll accuse Houdini of being a thief. However, he’ll reveal that he’s trying to solve the mystery, just like you are.
Finally, he’ll say to talk with Tesla AGAIN and find out what he is hiding. He’ll disappear (literally) and you need to go on the roof. Again. Go all the way to the luggage room or Houdini’s room (either way it’s fine, but it’s quite a distance from here) and jump up to the hatch.
Go back to the coal room, via the train top, and talk to Tesla. He won’t talk until you free him. Use the lock picks again and he’ll tell you what was inside the briefcase: the transformer designed to power the ferris wheel. He’ll give you a Transformer Sketch. Go back to VIP Car 2 and talk to Mark Twain in his cabin. He’ll say this:
Ok, now go to the left until you reach the Pinkerton car. You have to be swift to avoid the traps. Jump up the boxes and jump over the first gap and fall down the second gap. Move quickly to the left and exit the Pinkerton car.
You’ll end up in the last boxcar where ANOTHER famous passenger is. And who is it?
Grover Cleveland… that guy who became president twice, right? Pick the second dialogue option, and Cleveland will help you piece the clues together. When he pauses, here’s the order in which to click the pictures: prune juice, coal marks, luggage key, briefcase, transformer.
Once the long conversation is over, go and get to that luggage room. Fortunately, the Pinkerton guard has moved the traps out of the way for you, so you can navigate easily. Keep going until you reach the luggage room. Use the key once again and click on the white cover on the case.
So… it’s either “Frenchy” or Gustav Eiffel. Talk to Eiffel, and he’ll say that he’s French, but there’s a lady’s handkerchief in there, so it’s… *dun dun dunnn* “Frenchy”. After the talk, you will arrive at the fair. Now to get off and stop her from destroying the transformer.
So… she’s only doing this for her country’s reputation? Oh wow. She will run off and you got to go after her. Once you reach the first area, you’ll see her cry to the guards and do a pity cry emote to get them to go after you. WHAT A DRAMA QUEEN!
The guards will chase after you now. Quickly go up to the podiums and wait for the first lion to be fed. Once it’s chewing, jump on its nose. Do the same with the rest of them. You’ll land on a platform. Quickly jump onto the bouncy window awnings and avoid the flames and sharp swords being thrown around. You’ll come across a sleeping Poptropican using a snake flute, and a snake going up and down. Jump up on the snake’s cap, then go left.
You’ll accidentally interrupt a dancing show, and you’ll experience one of many Poptropica firsts… these girls twirl!
Once you get on the ledge, you’ll see Frenchy at it again… she’ll pity-cry to the guards, and she’ll even throw in the laughing emote as well.
Now, get on the totem poles. Jump from totem pole to totem pole, trying not to fall to the ground. Once you get to the fourth one, the guards will shake one of the totem poles and knock them over, causing a domino effect. Go left – now!
(notice that the weather is starting to look iffy… are we at another Poptropican first here?)
You’ll see Frenchy jump up the Ferris wheel. Follow her by climbing ropes and jumping up platforms. And it’s raining. Great. Umbrella anyone? Anyone? No? Just get back on topic? We don’t care for these Poptropica firsts? Ok.
(Hey, watch the lightning! I’m having a confrontation here!)
Once you get up to platform #13, Frenchy will push a crate to push your platform down a notch.
Jump up the roof of the platform… and swing a rope thing across. 
Yet ANOTHER Poptropican first!
You’ll land on the other side. Climb up more ropes and jump on more ferris wheel cars. Once you reach the roof of a damaged cart, Frenchy will throw Tesla’s transformer.
Quickly jump on the rope and swing. You’ll grab the Transformer and land on the other side once again. Jump up some more carts and corner Frenchy. She’ll be startled by a lightning flash and fall… into a water tank?
Talk to George Ferris and give him the transformer. Finally, talk to Grover Cleveland and he’ll reward you with the Island Medallion and credits to spend in the Store.
Congratulations, you’ve completed Mystery Train Island! Case closed. 😀
Looking for more walkthroughs? Check out our Island Help page! 🙂
Album Photos
These pictures are collected in your Poptropica photo album in the profile section. Click to enlarge.
Trivia
- Mystery Train Island is Poptropica’s 21st island. It was set to release at 4:21pm on October 7, 2011, in honor of two things: Poptropica’s 4th birthday and 21st island. The login page featured a train chugging across the screen upon launch.
- The John Bull locomotive (the eponymous train of this island adventure, which is named on the Train Ticket) is on its way to the Chicago World’s Fair (Columbian Exposition) of 1893, which is historically accurate.
- Common room: Reverie Lounge
- The famous Van Gogh painting Starry Night is seen in Eric Weisz’s cabin, hanging above his bed.
- The train’s freight car contains elements from many different islands, as explained in the Poptropica Creators’ Blog. For example, you can see masks from Nabooti and totems from Reality TV Island.
- Mark Twain in this island is working on his manuscript for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which in real life was first published 1884. However, the year of this island is 1893, so the book should have already been published.
- The coal smudges made by the French Le Monde reporter shows five fingers, although Poptropicans generally don’t have any fingers.
- Many of the characters you meet are famous historical figures, including Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, and Susan B. Anthony.
- Le Monde is a real French newspaper that still exists today.
- Mark Twain’s cabin in VIP Car 2 contains a framed picture with three portraits labeled Susy, Clara, and Jean – the names of his three daughters.
- Nikola Tesla’s cabin in VIP Car 1 contains a Tesla coil – his own invention.
- The thief’s luggage contains a book titled Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme by French playwright Molière.
- There was a preview game called D.C. Diner available since August 11, 2011. It’s similar to the popular game Diner Dash, and while it is no longer available, you can read about it here. Every time you served a VIP on D.C. Diner, a prize would be added to your items: Edison Light Bulb, Mark Twain Haircut, Magician’s Hat, Eiffel Tower Hat, Tesla Coil. The latter three prizes were only available to members.
🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺 
Omg this island is the best. im like writing notes and such and being on dectivety (sp?) also I might just write a story detaling the whole island and maybe posting it on here. Probably wont be for a while though.
Anyone struggling to get across the totem poles? u can’t even see where they r?!
all good just realised u can climb up the totem poles lol
you don”t need to go p the train after letting Houdini out of the tub thing he fell into.You can just go to the right.
Sorry I mean UP the train.( not p the train in my comment I wrote before)
OMG without you i couldny have done this
It’s sad the Porter sleeps in the Janitors closet
I know right!!
its funny how my lil sis figured out who it was before I went on this help blog!!! This guide is awesome!!! 🙂
Isn’t there any way to get out of Mystery Train island when you’ve arrived at the fair?
Yes. Shrink shot game
i found it in the bird cage
thanks for the walkthrough! i liked the part where the poptropicans were twirling!:D:)
yes, I loved it too! Shame we couldn’t save that look to closet though…
POPTROPICA HELP BLOG YOU RULE! *do a front flip and fall off the stage* OW! BUT YOU STILL RULE!
haha i know
It helped a lot
this helped me soooooooooooo much! I am so thankful!
I can’t get the prune juice as a clue
please help
You have to ask the reporter guy something. can’t remember thb
trusty fang what is you’re real username please reply!!
This Website Helps My Sister And I Alot!
I was SOOO UNLUCKY
I finished almost all islands on my old account but I forgot my password and I also didn’t type the password on my password records my bad
P.S Slanted Fish could you make me an authoress I am a fan of yours please I always want to start blogging at Poptropica I am a blogger but the game I blog is closing in just 3 days 😦 It’s Space Heroes Universe please I want to reset my blogging career
Slanted Fish: See the first Q&A on our FAQ page. 😛
thanx for the walkthrough! 🙂
wow 😛 that’s alot of things to do.
thanks sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much it was fun 😀 😛
How do you get out of mystery train island after you get to the fair? there’s no way on the train and there’s no blimp! Oh, no!
There is an easy way. Play the shrink shot game and then quit, then you will be back on the map!
did u just answer ur own question? xD
hi poptropicans
Oh ya in one of the last cars there’s the green car machine looking thing from time tangles island.
i have a glitch after i talked to grover cleveland he said to open the luggage but the key is not in my inventory
That happened to me too and I have no idea what to do.
I think it was so rude when she threw away the sheet
Where About Is Mr.Eiffel?
I think they should make Mystery Train one of those new color-y sound islands next.
This is my second fave after time tangled
YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!! and thanks……. its my second time to play it tho
this is my favorite island
mine too
How do I get that mermaid hair from the pictures in Pinkerton´s trap wagon? I want it so bad.
For me, the key was in one of Tesla’s drawers.
same here
What if I can’t see Frenchy in the luggage cart after I asked the porter about the coal miner getting a snack?
*dreamy sigh* I LOVE HISTORY!!! Sorry for the all-caps, but I just love history… and getting to meet Susan B. Anthony?
same
hey guys friend me my name is fast horse on poptropica!!!
I’m having trouble catching the transformer when you confront ‘Frenchy’
I’m overviewing the whole thing before I work on the island. Different-colored font, clues, sounds a whole lot like a Phoenix Wright game. (Speaking of which, I’m playing PW:AA:T&T (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations) currently. Good thing I’m playing this island, I need to step my justice-seeking game up!)
A game I could recommend would be Professor Layton. There is a crossover game between Phoenix Wright and the Professor Layton series. The Professor Layton series is like a visual novel similar to Phoenix Wright but it involves puzzles and lots of it (Quite a brain teaser). You don’t quite use evidences or laws since the character aren’t lawyers or officers. One of their games has a train as one of their settings for the story.
Yeah, I’ve heard of it before. Both series are awesome.
Thomas Ed is telling me to walk around and when i talked to that gut he did not do anything!!!!!!!!!!! help plz
just walk around and talk to everyone. Go into rooms, the next train cars, Etc.
this did not work for me do not trust!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bassicly whever i click on somone all that comes up is the clues they do not speak ?? what do i do? 😦
u need to click on the clues
I’m so close to beating this island Omg YAY
uhhh…. i didnt get the machine in the luggage and now i dont know what to do
I found a really funny glitch! Go into the room that says WC on top of it, open the toilet door, and jump on top of the toilet, then close the toilet doors. Your poptropican will randomly fall out of the sky!
my computer some times glitches
I think it is confusing
Frenchy’s things arent in the trunk when I open it. I followed all the steps.
click on the white coverige
This is a long island…
whats up the guy I help doesn’t finish his machine ever guys that’s not a LOL its a BAB ( ball and by ) Help me guys Yo!
how many island are there
Poptropica won’t let me grab the porter’s outfit! What do i do?
Nevermind
I’m chasing after the journalist once the train has stopped and when I restarted the part where the guards are chasing me I can’t do it. When the area loads I have already been caught and it tells me to try again. Help?!
Sounds like an unfortunate glitch – try playing on a different browser, or contact Poptropica support so they can fix it!
I can’t click on the prune juice HELP ME
soo after you talk to porter about coal guy “frenchie” isnt in the luggage place soo like what do i do
A glitch happened to me where even though i collected everything but thomas still hadent finished the device. The possible reason is that I completed it 7 times
edison wont get the machine ready
PEOPLE I HAVE A PROBLEMO HERE SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE
NEVERMIND FALSE ALARM PROBLEMO
I luv this island to death however Frenchy doesn’t appear in the luggage cart but I did everything right. HELP
I just finished the island AGAIN (love it to death),and I found out there are two instances where you cannot and can lose.
1.The first is when Tesla uses the bathroom. I actually stayed waiting for him to come back,but it turns out he’ll wait indefinitely outside his room till you pick a random spot,where the key will now be.
2.The second is in the confrontation with the culprit on the wheel. They throw down the transformer,and you’re supposed to do a Tarzan and swing fast enough to catch it. However,if you’re too slow,it WILL fall to the ground and break.
Interestingly enough,on my second try at the latter,I actually forgot to click on the rope and fell down. I sighed in despair,yet again,knowing that I had to replay the segment again-
UNTIL I REALISED THAT I ACTUALLY FELL RIGHT INTO THE TRANSFORMER AND CAUGHT IT
Then I landed on the ground,unscathed because I’m a Poptropican. Then I climbed up ALL THE WAY BACK,where the culprit was still waiting for me. Then the scripted sequence occurred,yadda yadda yadda. But that glorious moment when I caught the transformer while falling down to my inevitable survival was worth everything.
I love Mystery Train.
Thank you SO much for making these walkthroughs. They are truly amazing. I completed my 30th island because of the PHB. I’m a huge fan and I’d love to see more from you. Your walkthroughs aren’t just boring instructions. They’re funny too. Thanks so much again, ❤ ❤ ❤ !!! PLEASE ADD ME ON POPTROPICA : My user ish artsypie.
Thank you for the kind words! We have walkthroughs for every island on the PHB, which you can find on our Island Guides page. We also regularly have new blog posts on our front page, and you can browse the rest of our site for even more fun pages. Enjoy! 😀
Played this island a few days ago, after a million years of not playing Poptropica. It’s way more fun than I remember it! So good. Now, to complete more islands!
i need help! i talked 2 every1 on the train but he said 2 go chat with other people.
I ❤ this island so much! I've played it about 50 times! It is so well thought out and keeps you hanging till the very end! Definitely my favorite Poptropica island!
BTW, my Poptropica username is Peacehope71 (don’t judge, I made it when I was about six). Please add me as a friend!
Frenchy isn’t in the Cabin!
I tried looking for her after i spoke with the porter but she isn’t there… HEEEEEELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BTW my user is alexk8610
i don’t have the key anymore after i used it
The part where you’re in the red train cart with all of the junk, HOW DO I GET BACK ON THE ROOF!?!?!
I cant free Mr Houdini WAHHHHAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!
NVM I DID IT YAYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When i got to 13, the crate pushed itself while frenchy was on the grounD, GLITCHY
it doesn’t let me go through the trapdoor its like it is an invisible force blocking me from it.
smh the porter tryna snatch my hair colour
The reporter keeps mentioning mark twain, but it doesnt pop up!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jumping on the totem poles
UGH It’s impossible
i talked to everyone and edison still says go and meet everyone!!! plz help!!😭😭😭
how do i get the twain secret compartment clue? I asked the reporter 10 times already yet it won’t appear. help pls
You need to tap on the walls until you find the one that sounds different. See the guide for more details. 😉
Whoa this is amazing! I think there are literary and movie references 😉
I’m usually just wearing a shirt and a skirt, but today I need to glam up, luckily I have that old blue ballgown thing that will suit perfectly 🙂
Anybody having the glitch where Edison won’t let you test it out?
yes
I talk to everyone on the train, but when I go into Edison’s room, he still tells me to meet the guests!
edison doesnt seem to like my ramp
cos i have it all good and it wont do anything
make sure you put the piece of wood that’s on the floor on to the luggage
Okay so I’m at the part where I’m supposed to give Ferris Edison’s device but he isn’t there!!
Please help!
Wait nevermind I figured it out
Ok, so whenever I go to meet Susan B. Anthony, she’s not there! Is this a glitch or what?
The same thing happened 2 me, 2! The frick is up with poptropica? They really need to fix those bugs!
This is really hard for me.
i can get the telegram from the guy someone help
In the first part of the train, if you go into Eric Weinz’ room and pick up the lock pick, you skip half the island! He’ll walk in, you’ll confront him, and then the chase is enabled!
Help?
You could restart the island (through the map) or contact Poptropica support.
So I reported the bug while back. However to answer the question how to avoid this bug triggering you must not talk to anyone on the train except for Edison. Not complying to that will always result to the bug triggering. After you talk to Edison, you can continue the map normally and talk to the passenger. I hope this was very helpful and I’m sorry for my formatting.
This also resolves the issue of Edison not finishing setting up his camera.
If you still had trouble understanding what I instructed to avoid the bug:
After you load Edison’s luggage, you go to Edison’s room and talk to him before you talk to everyone else.
I went straight to his room and talked to him before anyone else on the train and still when I went to talk to the last person, he wasn’t there and only his lock pick bag was 😦
I got stuck at some point on this map trying to get credits and I restarted it and I got more stuck to where Anthony (lady who gives us a woman´s suffrage pamphlet) won´t even show up in her room! I´m guessing it´s another glitch (again). 😦