catchphrase / said by James and Jimmie
All aboard the murder train
What does "All aboard the murder train" mean on Small Town Murder?
The opening catchphrase of Small Town Murder Express, the shorter Friday show: James usually calls everyone aboard an imaginary murder train and says it is pulling out of the station, after Jimmie's 'choo choo'. It works as the show's cue that the case is about to start.
- Kind
- catchphrase
- Usually said by
- James and Jimmie
- First heard
- Episode 279, 30 April 2022
The story behind the phrase
Where did "All aboard the murder train" come from?
It first appears in episode 279, at the top of a Small Town Murder Express episode. After "yay indeed", Jimmie runs "choo choo, choo fucking choo" into "all aboard the murder train, everybody", and James answers "we are leaving the station right here".
The Express is the show's shorter version, which James describes as "all of the crazy in a smaller package". The train gives that format its own greeting, and the "choo choo" is a sound effect tacked on to the usual "yay indeed".
How is "All aboard the murder train" used now?
James quickly takes the line over, adding "pulling away from the station" and sometimes "chugging along", and it works as the signal that the case is about to start. It is still used at the start of Express episodes in 2026.
When was "All aboard the murder train" first said?
It was first heard in episode 279, "Bumbling In Blood", on 30 April 2022, at about 0:00:26.
"Chu-chu, all aboard the murder train, everybody."
Jimmie says it first, riding the end of his own 'chu chu ... chu fucking choo': 'chu chu all aboard the murder train everybody', and James answers 'we are leaving the station right here'. The wording is new but the train call-and-response is already in place, so it lands as a running bit rather than a stray joke.
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