MovieChat Forums > The Cassandra Crossing (1977) Discussion > Oxygen (spoilers)

Oxygen (spoilers)

posted 17 years ago by BrockLong
6 replies | jump to latest

When Burt Lancaster and the Doctor believe that the bridge has collapsed, she notes that there may have been survivors. Lancaster replies that this is unlikely as the high level of oxygen would have caused an explosion, killing most of the passengers. As the train was filled with pumped-in, high levels of oxygen, why wouldn't the explosion of the propane tank have been greater, destroying the entire train, with such high oxygen levels? I'd didn't really think about this until Lancaster mentioned it and then thought that this was a huge problem with the plot, one pointed out by later dialogue. Did I miss something that would account for the minor explosion that was shown?

[–] paulcoxwell 17 years ago

The question I would have about this is WHY would the level of oxygen in the train be any higher than normal?

Has anyone ever heard of any normal train which is pressurized and enriched with oxygen?

[–] nickwarrenauthor 17 years ago

And in any case, the Swiss Federal Railways dining car had a pantograph on top to be powered by the overhead wires - why the propane tanks for an ELECTRICALLY POWERED carriage . . . and what the hell is an ELECTRONIC COUPLING DEVICE??!!

Still a great movie - producers never do get trains right!!!! Except the original TAKING OF PELHAM 123. That was spot on. Deadman's feature as well!!

[–] flyer333555 17 years ago

They were on a dining car that had both propane and electricity for cooking. In case the train used a diesel locomotive in parts of countries where there was no pantograph available...

[–] flyer333555 17 years ago

Found the following in a google search, with the title of "Method of controlling electric vehicles:"

"Abstract of GB979482 979,482. Control of several D.C. motors. HAGGLUND & SONER A.B. Nov. 7, 1961, No. 39766/61. Heading H2J. [Also in Division G3] An electric tram is driven by motors 1-4 fed from a supply line L through a circuit including an overload current breaker M, a differential relay D, a switch V for changing the motors from driving to braking, a control resistance W and a coil 10 of an electromechanical brake P which is disengaged by the energization of the coil when the motors are driving the wheels...."

Complete definition is in the website http://www.wikipatents.com/gb/979482.html. Guess is that cable that connects and transmits power/braking info to all cars. Thus if cut or destroyed, brakes are applied after the cut...

[–] richard.fuller1 16 years ago

I'm not sure what you are asking.

Are you asking why the scenario Burt Lanchaster speculated about didn't take place? Why didn't the increased oxygen within the cars obliterate those that fell into the river?

Or for that matter, why the Lee Strasberg explosion didn't set the whole thing off?

Im no science whiz, but I will deduce in both situations (the Strasberg explosion and the river explosion) the reason why things weren't more destroyed had something to do with once the damaged cars were opened, the flames didn't further ignite the interior oxygen of the cars.

I'm speculating.

I think the situation was a bit ventilated when Strasberg was there, or am I thinking of after the explosion? I think I am.

Perhaps ol' Burt was wrong then?

The oxygen was capable of destroying the disease, but not of being ignited like so much gas fumes, as he believed.

[–] 807 16 years ago

Supposedly the oxygen concentration inside the cars wasn't much higher than in ordinary air - if there was high concentration of oxygen, any form of electrical discharge (unavoidable on a moving train) could cause disastrous explosion.
Col. Mackenzie probably referred to oxygen bottles (they had to supply oxygen somehow), which certainly would explode violently in event of crash.
I wonder if the dining car was actually oxygenated, since the whole oxygenating stuff was probably meant to help the sick people - and they were not expected to enter the dining car since the train reached its destination.

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