Having laid out its premise in the series opener, which establishes Homer Bedloe (Charles Lane) as the "villain" from the C & FW Railroad determined to terminate operation of the Hooterville Cannonball, "Quick, Hide the Railroad" settles in for some sitcom subterfuge to foil Homer's ability to contact C & FW headquarters and initiate those termination proceedings as "Petticoat Junction" creator Paul Henning and co-writer Mark Tuttle's agile script blends broad slapstick with Kate's sly plan to dissuade Homer from said proceedings.
While Homer remains fast asleep at the Shady Rest Hotel, Kate bundles the traveling salesmen, also staying overnight, onto the Cannonball so Charley and Floyd can whisk them away to Pixley, which is where Homer expected to travel so he could call in his order to nix the train's operation. (The hotel's only telephone isn't connected--its only purpose is to "give the place some class," according to Uncle Joe.) Then Kate orchestrates a luxurious breakfast in bed for Homer--there's that homespun wisdom again: the way to man's heart is through his stomach--which city slicker Homer sees right through, although he's still stuck in the boonies unable to carry out his plan. What follows is a number of sight-gags illustrating Homer's attempts to carry out his orders from headquarters to quash the wayward railroad line, including his frantic pumping of a handcar up and down the tracks when he finds himself chased by the train.
"Quick, Hide the Railroad" also introduces what would become a regular feature in the series, a spotlight on a musical number as Kate's three daughters, Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and Betty Jo, serenade Homer with an ode to "The Hooterville Cannonball." Enlisting Frank Cady's Sam Drucker for her final ploy, Bea Benaderet delivers a good head of steam to keep "Petticoat Junction" chugging along--even if a patronizing Uncle Joe insists that it's a man's work to do so.