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| - When Dan arrives at the station, Stacy asks him a favor to empty all of the wastebaskets, and quips that they can't have Shining Time Station looking messy. Dan is more than happy to help his aunt and stops by Mr. Conductor's signal house to inform that he's picking up the trash. Dan is amazed by the number of garbage bags Mr. Conductor brings out after several trips, and asks how everything could fit in this small house. Mr. Conductor replies that he's very organized, and disappears. Schemer enters carrying a large cardboard box with Kara and Becky in tow. He tells everyone to gather around for Schemer special deluxe one-day only event. Schemer opens the box and announces that he's giving away "Lollapalooza Pops" and hands two of them to the girls, keeping one for himself. When asked why he's giving them away, Schemer reveals that someone is paying him to give out free samples. The begging unwrapping the large item, first taking off the tin foil which Schemer explains keeps the "artificial natural" flavor in. The next layer of wrapping is wax paper needed to keep the germs out. Another layer made of cardboard is intended to help the pop keep its natural shape. Next, a layer of plastic to keep the sun's dangerous ultraviolet rays out. As the package becomes smaller, they're surprised to find a layer of hospital gauze to keep the bugs out. Once completely unwrapped, the large confection turns out to be nothing more than a tiny lollipop. The lollipop is eaten in one bite which doesn't give them much time to savor it, but Schemer still remarks how good it tastes. The girls complain about all of the waste that the excessive packaging created, and Becky wonders how they'll be able to get rid of it. Schemer stops Dan as he walks by the arcade, but he doesn't have room in his wastebasket to hold any more trash. He reveals that there's plenty more garbage out back at the station as Schemer scatters the wrapping around the arcade. As passengers arrive, Stacy greets reporter Ted Typo and shows her his Indian Valley Gazette headline that the garbage dump is closing. Stacy exclaims that it's terrible, which Ted misinterpret as a comment about his writing. Stacy clarifies that she's referring to the dump closure and wonders where they're supposed to put all of their garbage. Ted then hands her a big stack of newspapers to hand out to the passengers, despite Stacy's concerns that they don't have any place to throw them out after reading. Ted is momentarily offended at the suggestion and insists that people would cherish the newspapers as he hands a copy to a passing passenger. Inside the jukebox, Rex and Tex debate what to do with their garbage now that the dump is closed. They decide to cram it into a box, cover it with a gift wrapping and give it to Tito as a birthday gift. Tito is touched by the gesture and says that they shouldn't have. The brothers reply that they know, and then make a hasty retreat before Tito opens his gift! Back in the station, Mr. Conductor appears on the ticket counter to inform Stacy that a train is slowly pulling in on track four. Stacy is puzzled, as track four hasn't been used in years, and confirms that they aren't any trains scheduled to be on it. Since Billy is away, Stacy asks Mr. Conductor to keep an eye on things as she goes to find the engineer. Meanwhile, Ted Typo is leaning against the workshop door daydreaming when Dan nudges him out of the way when he opens the door to come out. Ted is looking for a big story and Dan persuades him that he has one. As Ted pulls out his notepad, Dan tells him that most of the garbage in the bag he's holding came from the signal house in the mural. Ted sarcastically guesses that a little man lives in the signal house which Dan affirms. Dan then realizes that Ted doesn't believe him as he tells the lad to run along before little men start sitting on his hat. Just as he utters those words, Mr. Conductor materializes on Typo's hat and waves to Dan! A stranger enters the station examining an old map. Stacy and Dan meet at the station entrance, where she reveals that she couldn't find the train's engineer. She then asks Dan where he put all of the trash he collected, and is told that he dumped in one of the trains cars outside marked 'garbage'. Stacy suddenly notices the man and asks if it's his train outside. The man, in a Scottish brogue, affirms that it is, and after Stacy identifies herself as the stationmaster, introduces himself as Rusty Rob McRail, Chief Engineer of the R&O freight line. Stacy asks if it would be alright to put the station's trash on his train. He agrees as everyone else has been asking to do that. Stacy rushes over to ask Becky to gather up all of the empty paint cans in the workshop and to throw them on the train outside. Schemer asks if he'd be able to throw the arcade's trash into Rusty's train. Rusty gives him permission to do so, and then decides to lay his map on the ticket counter for a better view. Dan asks Rusty what he's doing, and is informed that he's reading a map. He asks Dan if anyone has ever show him how to read one. Dan looks at the map and turns it around making Rusty realize that he was reading it upside down! Rusty compliments Dan's skills and asks how he would like to be an engineer on his train. He puts his oversized hat on Dan's head, but now the lad can't see, which Rusty admits would hold him back. Schemer, Stacy and Becky return to thank Rusty and ask if they can do anything for him in return. Rusty doesn't want anything except for clear directions to the Indian Valley garbage dump. Stacy breaks the news that the dump is closed. Rusty sighs with disappointment but becomes irrational when Kara comes in to remark that the train smells bad. Rusty retorts so would she if she were filled with garbage and sat in the sun for thirty days. When asked by Stacy and the kids if he's really been on the move that long, Rusty confirms that he started out with a train of trash, junk and worse - half-eaten egg-salad sandwiches, the mention of which makes the gang recoil in disgust. He was turned away from his town dump and told to take his garbage somewhere else, but every dump he stopped at, from Lucy's Leap to Farmers Dell and Loon Key, was closed. Everyone tells him that it's terrible and they think he should move onto another dump.
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