Changes

As the Comet pulled away from Winston, the conductor, after giving the lantern signal to proceed, jumped from the Comet and was never mentioned again in the narrative. He and the fireman would be the sole survivors.

As the Comet pulled away from Winston, the conductor, after giving the lantern signal to proceed, jumped from the Comet and was never mentioned again in the narrative. He and the fireman would be the sole survivors.

Not long after the Comet entered the tunnel, the fumes began to build. The engineer opened this throttles wide in a desperate attempt to outrace the fumes. Then a passenger, who was never identified, pulled the emergency-brake cord, and the Comet stopped. The sudden stop apparently broke a key connection, because the engineer was unable to restart the engine. The fumes overcame him, and he collapsed. The fireman jumped from the train and ran all the rest of the length of the tunnel. He barely came within sight of the western portal when an explosion knocked him unconscious, though he would survive to tell his story.

Not long after the Comet entered the tunnel, the fumes began to build. The engineer opened this throttles wide in a desperate attempt to outrace the fumes. But the Comet was trying to climb an upgrade, and was simply too heavy for the old coal-burner. The engineer had barely managed to make a speed of forty miles per hour, when a passenger, who was never identified, pulled the emergency-brake cord, and the Comet stopped. The sudden stop apparently broke a key connection, because the engineer was unable to restart the engine. Screams broke out from the cars, and several passengers broke windows in a vain effort to get air. The fumes overcame him, and he collapsed. The fireman jumped from the train and ran all the rest of the length of the tunnel. He barely came within sight of the western portal when an explosion knocked him unconscious, though he would survive to tell his story.

While the Comet was stopped, and after all the passengers had been asphyxiated, the Army freight special, laden with ammunition, entered the tunnel. As any engineer knows when discussing such a situation, {{cquote|If you see it, it's gone, and you're just helping with the cleanup.}} The Army special crashed into the rear of the stalled Comet, and its cargo exploded.

The Comet had stopped just beyond a sharp curve. All the passengers died of asphyxiation before the Army freight special, laden with ammunition, entered the tunnel. The Army Special had orders to proceed ''regardless of signals,'' because the signal system was known to be unreliable. So whether the signals were red or green, made no difference.

 

As any engineer knows when discussing such a situation, {{cquote|If you see it, it's gone, and you're just helping with the cleanup.}} That is true even in the best of conditions. What made a crash inevitable was the unreliable signal system, the orders to ignore the signals, and the position of the Comet beyond a sharp curve.

 

The Army special, moving at eighty miles per hour, crashed into the rear of the stalled Comet. Its cargo exploded.

The explosion sealed the Tunnel. It would not be rebuilt until after [[John Galt]]'s great [[strike]] was over.

The explosion sealed the Tunnel. It would not be rebuilt until after [[John Galt]]'s great [[strike]] was over.