Original subtitles

Central Control, Los Angeles. Can I help you?

Yes, okay.

508 is 20 minutes late from San Diego.

508 is twenty minutes late coming out of San Diego.

You'll have to clear that freight out of C-12 and let it by.

How's the job going, Debbie?

Hmm? Oh, nothing to it after the first couple of weeks.

That is, unless one of your machines breaks down.

Computers don't break down. They just temporarily malfunction.

Glad to have you with us, Mr. Mitchell. I'm Dr. Roy Snyder.

I was told six people, Dr. Snyder. I see seven.

Oh, that's Victor Prescott,

one of our computer technicians.

He stayed on to check on a fault prediction.

Fault prediction?

Nothing serious. Everything's fixed now.

Thanks for staying on, Victor.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Six people. For this whole section, huh?

This computer's fantastic.

It's programmed to do a thousand items in a split second.

It really does all the work.

We just program, monitor, and provide a backup system if it's ever needed.

What's its name?

Whose?

Well, you kind of people usually give names

to your computers and gadgets, don't you?

What kind are "our people"?

Eggheads. Now, don't take offense.

I guess it just means that you're smarter than the rest of us.

You know, I've always heard that to, uh, err is human

but to really foul things up,

you need a computer.

Fellow eggheads, as you've been briefed,

the wife of the Vice President of the United States,

is scheduled to be on board Southbound Three out of San Francisco

for Los Angeles today.

Now, this is Al Mitchell of,

uh, believe it or not, the Secret Service.

And he's here to make sure we're all friends of democracy.

I have a list of all personnel cleared to be at Central Control at this time.

All right, over there on the desk, yeah?

Your name?Debbie Fox.

I have a Debbie Meyers.

That's her maiden name.

Your name?

If you'll just indicate the general area

in which you'd prefer me to remain,

I'll attempt to distract you from your work as little as possible.

Would the parking lot be too far?

We don't usually have anyone here the whole time on these occasions.

I'm aware of that, Dr. Snyder, but I prefer to anticipate,

not to be anticipated.

I feel like I'm back in the '30s.

Nobody takes trains anymore.

They do now.

That's only because there's a strike. Tate.

Uh-oh.

Go ahead, lady.You need to see our tickets?

No, right over there for tickets.

I just got the tickets out of the...

Here's the tickets, sir.

It's quite all right. Right over there for the tickets. Thank you.

Need some identification, please.

Mr. Douglas,

please meet your party at the railroad baggage claim.

Thank you, sir.

Paging Mr. Robert Florio. Mr. Robert Florio,

please come to the white courtesy telephone...

Paging Debra Armstrong, Debra Armstrong.

Please come to the white courtesy telephone.

Trans-Allied Coastliner nonstop to San Francisco, now boarding Gate G.

All ticketed passengers for the Trans-Allied Coastliner, please proceed to Gate G.

Guess what? I love you.

Yeah, I... Me, too. So do I.

You love you, too? I always suspected it.

Come on, you know what I mean.

Hey, I love you. You know that.

You sound like you're calling from a phone booth.

Oh, Inspector Clouseau, I am calling from a phone booth.

You sound funny, baby, are you alone?

Of course I am!

What are you doing in a phone booth this early in the morning?

I miss you so damn much, I decided to hell with it,

I'm going to come up and see you.

Honey, that would've been a great idea,

but the airlines are on strike.

Oh, isn't that too bad.

I guess I'll just have to suffer the deprivations of our forebears,

the pre-Boeing generation.

I'm taking the train up.

You know, we're... drifting apart, you know?

Let's not lose each other.

Look, baby, I want to see you too, you know that.

But you know how single-minded I get at this point in negotiations.

It's just not a good time.

Well, that seems to be most of the time lately, doesn't it?

Can't we just drop it? I'm not in the mood for an argument.

Paula?

Paula?

No, operator. I guess we got cut off.

Trans-Allied Coastliner nonstop to San Francisco,

now in final boarding stages, at Gate G.

All aboard, please.

Oh!

Excuse me. It's all my fault.

It's all right, but that...

Here we go, what, what... I'm really terribly sorry.

What train are you headed for?

I was going to San Francisco but I've changed my mind.

We better run, then...Oh, no.

We're gonna miss it. Grab my bag, will you, please?

No, I've changed my...You know what I've just done?

I'm not going to San Francisco.

Have you got everything there?

Can I have my bag back?

You know, you better hurry.

Coming through, please. Excuse me, we've got a train to make.

Can I have my bag?

Excuse me. Come on, quickly, quickly, gotta make our train.

Excuse me, coming through...I'm not going on the train.

Come on!

How you doin'? Do me a favor.

Keep an eye on that, will ya?Fine. What?

I forgot my lunch, but I'll be back in a minute.

Keep an eye on it. Somebody might take it. I'll be back!

Hey, where's the other engineer?

Davy, there you are! Half the station's been looking for you!

Come on, we have to board.But Mom...

Davy, get on board right now.

Just wanted to say hi.

Mr. Talmadge?Ah, Mr. Simpson.

How are you?Nice to see you. How are you?

Lobby's right this way.Okay.

Tell me, does the Vice President's wife have any special likes or dislikes?

You know, anything we can especially do for her?

Well, uh... They've been married 24 years today.

Well, that helps.Yeah.

Go right over here.Yeah.

What about privacy?

Ah, no, no, no, we'll take care of that.

The seats we have are just fine.

Well, if there's anything else, be sure to let us know.

Watch, it's slippery.

Now the engineer can isolate himself totally,

from the rest of this train with this safety door.

John, would you close this for me please? Thank you.

That's terrorist proof, hijacker proof,

there's no way anyone could get to the engineer through that.

Very good.

John, you can open it, please. Thank you.

How you doin', John?

Sandy, fine! Just fine.

John Marsh, Don Talmadge.

Hello, Don. Thank you.John. Nice to meet you.

Uh, Don's one of the Secret Service men

assigned to the Vice President's wife

on your trip to Los Angeles.

I met Bill Calvin last year. Got to know him back then.

President had rented the whole train for his campaign.

We must've stopped in every dink town between here and Los Angeles.

Bill's assigned permanently to the White House now. I'll say hello to him for you.

Please, do that.By the way, Don,

John's been completely briefed in all security procedures, so there's no problem there.

Well, you saw how the door closed. This is the control.

Here is my radio.

That's tuned to a frequency with the chief dispatcher in Los Angeles.

That's where we got the computer, the board, all of that.

Then, right here, this little microphone,

that lets me talk to the conductor.

Well, very good then.

John, nice to meet you.My pleasure. Thank you.

Talk to you later.

Thanks, John.

See you, Sandy. Right.

Acknowledged, Foxtrot. Let me know when she's all tucked in and secure.

Well, everything clear in San Francisco.

There should be no hold ups from their end.

Southbound Express from Seattle, Tacoma,

Portland and Eureka now arriving at track number two.

Passengers may be met at the Arrivals section adjacent.

Excuse me, do you mind? I'm running late.

Ticket to Los Angeles, please.

It leaves in five minutes. Can you hurry?

Thank you.

All aboard to Los Angeles on Platform 9, please.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it.

I'mó What?

Hold it right there. Just one minute, okay?

If I voted for her husband, can I get on the train?

All right. Go ahead.Forget it.

Acknowledged, out.

The Vice President's wife is now aboard Southbound Three.

Does that mean we have your permission to start on schedule?

Show me which route they'll take.

Just keep your eye on that blinking amber light.

That's the train.

There she goes. Right on schedule.

Northbound 12 now leaving Los Angeles, Dr. Snyder.

Excuse me. Coming through. Sorry. Pardon me.

Could I get in first, please?

Pardon me

Oh! I'm sorry.

Oh, excuse me, sir. Have you met this young lady over here?

She wants you. She really wants you. Come, let me show you.

Eh, the two of you've met?

Lovely young man. You two should meet and get to know each other.

Thank you... Thank you.Come on.

Come on, sit over here. Over here, it's really good.

Very nice... Happy, huh?

Sit down.

All right.

Tickets?

Excuse me. Did you see anybody board the train who looks like this?

No, sir. I'll keep a lookout.

Thank you.

Tickets, please.

How are you, sir?Fine.

Can I get you anything?

Yeah. Let me have a...

Give me a shot of vodka with a water back.

Mmm-hmm.

Mitchell, I bet you practice that in front of the mirror.

Don't mind Wyatt Earp here.

It's a bomb.

Not funny.

You mean to tell me that you eat and drink in here while you're on duty?

Mr. Mitchell, just so you understand how things work in this place,

and just for the record, I'm in charge here.

Not today you aren't.

Let's not put it to a test.

Now, if you intend to stay here,

I suggest you sit down, relax, and have some pizza.

Thank you, Doctor, that won't be necessary.

Incredible! Our machines don't eat either.

Now, who has it without anchovies?

Listen, they didn't have lemonade, so I got you orange juice.

Can you make some ice tea?Yeah.

Say, am I wrong?

Those two trains are traveling on the same track, aren't they?

Well, right or wrong?

Northbound 12 out of L.A.

Southbound Three out of S.F.

Right here, Southbound Three switches onto this track,

parallel to the Northbound L.A. track.

That's cutting it pretty close, isn't it?

Not really. This board isn't drawn to scale.

The computer compensates by adjusting the speed the lights move.

Actually, they will meet about here.

There's a 90-minute safety margin.

So if you forget to pull the switch,

the engineer still has time to hit the brakes.

Nobody pulls switches anymore, I thought I told you.

Yeah, that's right, you did. Yeah, the, uh, computer does it.

What happens if that miracle machine of yours blows a fuse?

Then, there are block towers all along the line.

Two men in each making sure everything is where it ought to be.

Machine checks man, man checks machine.

You know something, Mitchell,

the most dangerous thing about riding a train these days

is the drive to the station.

And delivering pizza in here, of course.

Mom? Mom.

Oh, have a mint, Davy.

No, no, Mom, it's not...

Take the whole pack, okay?

I'll tell you my name if you'll tell me yours.

All right, I'll tell you mine.

Stuart Peters,

known as Stu,

or Pete, or...

Whatever.

Paula Harvey, known as Paula,

or Harvey or... Or whatever.

Put it there, Paula.

It was a different engineer.

I saw a different guy up there!

You probably saw one of the workmen up there.

But I'll check it out in a minute. Okay? You go take a seat.

Okay.

Smoke?

No, thank you, I don't smoke.

Oh, what a coincidence. Neither do I.

Then why did you offer me a cigarette?

I didn't. I asked you if you smoked.

Oh, well, l do. I mean, I did, I quit.

l wasn't offering you a cigarette,

I was asking if you had one.

Do you? Cigarette.

I think I heard you say you don't smoke.

Well, I can't if I don't have a cigarette. Now I do.

Is that, uh, Ms Harvey?

Miss? Hmm?

Mrs.?

You know, what I'm asking...

Is there a Mr. Harvey?

Oh. Touchy subject, huh?

It's not a touchy subject, it's...it's a, a tender subject.

Well, in that case, let's have a drink in the club car.

I shall behave myself at all times.

Pick up the first check.

You being the lady you are, naturally, you'll pick up the second.

Come on.

Your lunch?

Thank you, sir.

Oh. Excuse me, please. I don't believe I have your tickets, folks.

Uh, Paula, give him your ticket.

My ticket.

Thanks, honey. We usually fly,

but with the air controller's strike,

we thought we'd give this a try.

I'm glad you could ride with us.

Hope you have a nice trip.

Thank you.Thank you.

Ticket please.

May I help you, sir?

What would you like to drink?

Same thing I always drink when we fly together.

Dry martini.

Bloody Mary.

Pina colada.

How are you today?Fine, thank you.

Can I get you anything?Yes, a Harvey Wallbanger, please.

Sure thing.

You know, when I decided to take the train up to San Francisco,

I had some sort of a fantasy about, oh, eight blissful hours of solitude,

time to think, time to read, and time to...

Be alone.

And time to be alone. Yeah, you know.

So would you mind telling me

what part I'm playing in this little drama of yours?

What drama?

It's too bad. I was hoping you'd clarify that.

Thanks for the drink.Don't go.

If I don't go, will you talk?

What do you want to know?

I want to know why those policemen are looking for you!

They're the private kind.

They're harmless.

They've been hassling me, following me, it's terrible.

Well, I'd say it's not exactly terrible, it's embarrassing.

Why?

Why?

It's more like irritating.

Irritating.

Actually, the word is "alimony." And divorce. Don't forget divorce.

Alimony and divorce.

And divorce. And war.

The leading causes of human misery ever devised by man.

I was going to leave town for a couple of days, and she...

She had her lawyers put those bloodhounds on me,

as if I was gonna skip out on my solemn legal obligations.

Which, of course, you'd never do.

Not me.

You're not gonna turn me in now, are you?

For alimony? No.

Not unless you owed it to me.

Is that gardenia I smell?

That's gardenia.That's nice.

That's the switch point.

Southbound Three switches over to this track here.

Snyder!

Were you putting me on a while ago?

I want to know what's going on.

What are you talking about?

What is going on?

There must be a fault on the board.

The computer wouldn't let that happen.

First of all, it's the computer that governs the actual switching...

And it monitors itself.

It would've sent out an alarm five minutes ago.

Plus activating red stop lights all along the line.

And you can see the train is still moving.

Yeah, straight for that northbound train.

Get me the engineer on Southbound Three.

Southbound Three, this is the Chief Dispatcher, come in.

Southbound Three, please respond to the Chief Dispatcher, over.

Southbound Three, this is Chief Dispatcher,

do you read me?

Southbound Three, I read you clear.

You've got a clear run ahead.

No delays, dry tracks all the way.

Central. Put me through to the Chief Dispatcher in Los Angeles. Quick!

Chief Dispatcher, this is Jersey Eight, come in please.

What's going on, Jersey Eight?

There's something wrong.

Southbound Three just passed me on the wrong track.

I can't control the switches.

What about your OR?

The OR, the signal light, the switches, nothing works!

Must be in your computer. There isn't anything I can do!

Now we can't get through to the engineer of the northbound train.

What do you mean, you can't get through?

All communications are routed through the computer.

And it's all gone wacko, right?

The whole flaky system. You can't control the train.

You can't even communicate with it.

And you can't even locate the damn train!

We know exactly where the train is!

Once we locate the problem with the computer,

we'll be able to talk with the engineer.

You said this system couldn't fail, Snyder.

Now that's not a load of dishwashers on that train,

that's the Vice President's wife!

Look, if you want to help,

get on that phone of yours and tell your men what's happening out there...

My unit can't be patched into my agents on the train.

They only have short range field communication among themselves.

Doctor,

that was L.A. Union Station.

They just found the engineer

that was supposed to be on Northbound 12.

He was attacked and left unconscious.

Well, then who...

Northbound 12, Northbound 12, come in, this is the Chief Dispatcher.

Come in and identify yourself, over!

I guess you're beginning to get the picture.

What do you want to know, Mr. Chief Dispatcher?

What's going on? Who are you?

This is Victor Prescott.

And what's going on is I'm running the show right now.

You know the great thing about computers,

they do exactly what you tell them to do.

And I've reprogrammed yours so neatly

that it'll take you guys days to untie the knots.

I have the only radio access to Marsh in the cab of Southbound Three.

There's nothing you can do about it, so just sit back and wait!

I'll call you when I'm ready to talk.

Vic... Prescott, why are you doing this?

Okay, spell it out for me.

You heard what we heard.

Oh, I know what I heard.

Just want to be sure I understand it.

Okay. Give me a minute, will you?

I'll give you a minute. How many do you want?

How many more minutes do we have

before those two trains smash into each other?

About 90.

Well, then, do something!

If what we heard is true, 90 minutes isn't enough.

Not half enough.

What are you saying to me, Snyder?

What he's saying is, it's going to take about four hours

just to get into that board.

Well, then, why don't we just pull the plug

on the whole lousy system and work it by hand?

There's no plug to pull. It has its own built in power source.

Then put a bullet through the damn thing!

Mitchell, will you shut up! You're helping nobody!

All right, that makes two of us, Doctor!

Listen, those aren't the only two trains controlled from here.

This whole sector's wired into it.

And if we cut that computer out without warning,

there'll be so much collision and chaos,

those two trains will only be a hundredth part of it!

So what are we going to do?

Well, come on, come on.

Not a half hour ago you were boasting to me, the machine checks man,

man checks machine. Let's see it.

Oh, for...

Patch me into the White House. Priority.

What makes you so sure that he's on this train?

He phoned his partner in San Francisco, told him to meet the Northbound Three.

Trouble was, there was a roomful of cops there when he called.

Well, I've seen everyone on this train, Sergeant. I haven't seen him.

Okay.

Keep an eye out for him, will you?

I'll keep looking.

How often have you heard a private detective

referred to as "Sergeant"?

Those men are policemen and they're looking for you.

Oh. Well, it couldn't have been a very good story

because I didn't tell you the whole story. I left out a...

A few things.Like what?

Aw, you don't want to hear it, it's a soap opera.

Yeah, l want to hear it.

You do?I do.

Well...

I went to my house to get some of my things, you know,

and, uh...

My ex-wife was there.

She's going out with a... a new boyfriend,

and, well, we got into an argument, she and I, and...

He jumped in and I...

I clobbered him.

He was out!

Unconscious.

I got scared, I thought maybe I'd killed him.

The ambulance came, the paramedics patched him up,

he was okay in 15 minutes.

And he, uh,

swore out a warrant for assault and battery.

Well, you know, I'm no hero.

I stopped thinking that way years ago.

So, I, uh...

jumped on the first train out of town.

Well, but how come you have all that money in your briefcase?

I mean, where did that come...

Money?

That money!

Oh.

Look...

I can't tell you the truth right now.

But I will sometime.

What makes you think there's gonna be a sometime, huh?

Where you going?

Stretch my legs and get some air.

And, honey, I'm gonna need some cigarettes.

Davy! Where're you going?

To get a drink of water.

Young man, don't you leave this car now.

We're going awful fast, Ellis. What's up?

I'll run the train.

Who are you, and where's Ellis?

You take care of the passengers.

What's going on up there?

Hello!

Hi, buddy.

Seal the exits, nobody in or out.

Let's go. Spread out, spread out!

C 7-1-7-0-8-7-4-0-3-2, C 7-1-7-7-4-4...

The situation is totally out of control here! There's nothing they can do!

The situation is not out of control!

Mitchell, why don't you just shut up and stick to what you know?

You've got two trains headed for each other,

on the same track, and "nothing is out of control"?

You told me this thing was idiot proof.

It is idiot proof, but Prescott's no idiot.

He hasn't just punched in a new program we can weed out and change.

He scrambled the whole thing. We don't know what he's done.

Well, then I'll find somebody who can unscramble it.

Nobody touches this installation unless I say so.

Snyder,

nobody does anything from here on in without my say so.

And that includes you.

Unless you want to be carried out of here right now.

Red alert. All outlets, technical sector.

They're waiting for you on the 14th floor. Let's go!

Technical section... Yeah.You've been briefed? Okay.

Now, this is Snyder. He'll give you all the cooperation you need. Go.

Glad to have you with us. All fault simulations are negative.

The identification set routines are normal, and the data bus is clear.

Good luck.

Would you like some coffee?

Yeah, maybe we better have coffee all around.

No time for coffee!

Give us a couple of screwdrivers. Doubles, okay?

All righty. Doubles.

Hi.Hi.

My name's Matt. What's yours?Charlene.

Charlene. Nice to meet you, Charlene.

Nice to meet you.

You going to L.A.?Yeah.

Me, too. Where you from?

Oxnard.

Oxnard? Mmm. That's a coincidence.

That's where I get all my fresh fish.

Fresh fish?

Oh, yeah. Aren't you into Japanese food?

No, I've never tried it.

Oh, come on, you've got to be putting me on.

Oh, there's an art to serving fresh fish. Sure.

You know, fish isn't like beef.

No?Oh, yeah. It's much more delicate,

and you have to be very careful when you cut it that you don't bruise it.

First of all, they take a very sharp knife,

and make a nice smooth cut through it,

cut it off in bite size pieces and you take your chopsticks,

and dip it in this incredible sauce...

McElroy.

This is the Chief Dispatcher in Los Angeles.

Now listen, and don't ask questions.

We've lost contact with your engineer.

Call him on your intercom and stop the train!

Stop the train!

Think I see what he's done here.

What?

Well, I think I can manage to get those signals back in operation.

Red on the Southbound track.

That ought to stop them.

This is Southbound Three calling Chief Dispatch. Come in, Chief.

This is Chief Dispatcher. What is it, Southbound Three?

My green straight away signal has just changed to red.

Now what the devil is going on?

Marsh, listen carefully.

We don't know what's going on yet,

but I just got an urgent message from security.

You may have a terrorist situation at your back.

We suspect an attempt by armed terrorists to abduct,

the wife of the Vice President of the United States.

Follow the manual under emergency procedures,

back of the book, appendix three.

This red signal means stop, man!

Don't worry about them.

The terrorists have jimmied the light controls.

There's no danger. Now read your instructions.

Everything all right?

Oh, uh...

Double check

that the emergency door behind you is locked.

Check, the door is locked!

It's been locked since San Francisco.

Man, I do not like this red signal!

I told you to ignore them.

A specially trained group of anti-terrorist forces,

will be waiting for you at the Los Angeles terminal.

The terrorists will do everything they can,

to make you stop that train before you get there.

It is absolutely vital that you keep that train rolling.

Repeat: Marsh, under no circumstances are you to stop that train,

until you reach Los Angeles.

I understand.

All right, Tom, what do you want?

John, now listen carefully.

The Chief Dispatcher just called me on the radio phone,

he says he can't get through to you.

He's ordering you to stop the train now.

Immediately!

Tommy, I've just been talking to the Chief Dispatcher.

I know the situation.

I know what's going on back there.

I know that you're being forced to say this.

Now, I wish I could help,

but I'm going to do what I've been doing for the last 30 years.

I'm going to follow orders.

I'm going to keep this thing rolling right into Los Angeles.

John, your orders are to stop the train now!

He hung up on me.

What?

He hung up. Excuse me.

Yeah.

Sir, sir, excuse me, just a minute, please. Stop, stop.

Look, I want you to keep quiet about this for a while, okay?

I don't want anyone to know about this yet.

John?

John!

Mr. McElroy, Mr. McElroy! Mr... Move.

John!

Chief Dispatch, this is Southbound Three, do you read me?

The terrorists are at the safety door right now, trying to break in.

Don't worry, they can't break through. You're doing fine.

John!

I don't want you to think I'm using you, but do you have a light?

Where did you get the money in that briefcase?

Paula.

No, don't think, just say it.

I'm a...

I can't think of a good word.

A thief.

Don't be harsh.

I deal in negotiable securities.

Stockbroker.

More like money.

That's what I said, a thief!

Not so loud.

I've done a lot of things in my life.

I sort of take advantage of opportunities, if you know what I mean.

Oh, I know what you mean. You're a con man.

Please. I just don't think it's morally right

to let suckers keep their money.

I have this friend in San Francisco.

Real nice guy, you'd like him.

Well, maybe you wouldn't like him, but I do.

He's an artist.

He's a real artist.

Why do I get the feeling you're not talking about a painter?

He makes plates.

Of money.

Counterfeit.

You couldn't tell the difference.

What're you doing?

Do you want to make a scene?

I was considering it.

I thought you'd promised you wouldn't say anything.

I lied!

Look, we don't hurt anybody but crooks.

You don't? Well, who do you think gets stuck with that bad money?

Shopkeepers! It's their loss.

Listen, you can't rationalize this, no matter what.

Paula, I need you with me.

I really need you with me.

Just stick with me a minute. Please!

Please.

Chief Dispatcher, are you listening?

Of course you are.

Get out your pencils, I'm going to give you guys a little help.

Forget Victor Prescott,

go to the company records and look up Jim Waterman.

You may get lucky.

Vic, what's this all about, why are you doing this?

Vic, we were friends.

I'll tell you this, I got a job with you

because your internal security is about as good as your safety precautions.

It was no problem at all.

I want you to know that.

Got that okay?

Any luck with that other engineer, what's his name?

Marsh?

The man who hijacked the train is Jim Waterman.

Waterman.

Should that name mean something?

Oh, it goes back six years,

before you took over the chairmanship of the company.

We had a derailment in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

Freighters tore loose from the rest of the train, jumped the track.

Plowed into a group of houses. Killed 37 people.

I remember that, of course.

Although the official inquiry totally cleared us,

there were still some who accused us publicly of criminal negligence.

In particular, one man.

Jim Waterman.

Well, he had a wife and kid.

We all felt sorry for him...

but I mean, the man was out of his head with grief.

But we couldn't let him go on saying what he was saying.

We took him to court, won the case.

Even paid for his expenses afterwards.

Anyhow, the last we heard of him,

he had a breakdown and was hospitalized.

It's a very tragic story.

So, what is he trying to do?

Pay us back by killing innocent people?

Okay, now you know who I am,

I guess you'd like to know what I want.

I want to be connected to the office of the chairman of this railroad.

I want to speak to him directly.

No, that's not possible.

In a little more than an hour, this train's going to collide with the Southbound Three.

You're wasting minutes.

We might as well. What have we got to lose?

Yes.WOMAN: Mr. Hill,

Central Control has Waterman on the line.

Put him right on, please.

Am I on? Hello.

Mr. Waterman, this is Estes Hill.

How can I help you?

I want you to know why I'm doing what I'm doing.

I think I know, Mr. Waterman.

Six years ago, Mr. Hill.

Mr. Waterman,

pardon me for interrupting.

I am well aware of your personal tragedy,

the loss you suffered.

Believe me, if there were anything we could do...

I want you and your railroad to confess the truth.

I want you to admit that you bribed the investigator

who cleared the railroad of negligence.

His name is Carlson.

But, Mr. Waterman, it simply...

I want you to admit that you bribed him.

That two years after he saved your hide,

you gave him a fat job with the company.

Mr. Waterman, I wasn't even in the company at that time.

And if I thought for one second...

You bribed him, admit it.

Is this true?

Does a man named Carlson now work for this company?

Uh-huh.

What does he need from us right now to stop that train?

We want you to stop the train, Mr. Waterman.

Stop it now before other people suffer the same sort of tragic loss that you did.

We want you to stop your train and the Southbound, too.

There are wives and children on those trains.

Not my wife and child, Mr. Hill.

If you care about those people,

if you want me to stop the train,

then you better make that statement

admitting that you rigged the investigation.

That's it.

Okay, Waterman.

I admit it.

Is that what you want to hear?

And you'll retract that statement as soon as I stop the train.

I want you to call a press conference and admit it in front of reporters.

I have a small TV set here with me in the cab.

I want to see you on it and Carlson, too.

Especially Carlson.

White House is on the line.

Look, I'll do everything I can.

I need time and you haven't given me much,

so I'm leaving the line now.

Goodbye, Mr. Waterman.

Mr. President.

Thank you.

We have just learned

that the engineer who hijacked the northbound train

is apparently a former employee of the Trans-Allied Railroad Company.

Both the FBI and railroad company authorities

are investigating the details of the situation.

We will bring that to you as soon as we have the information.

However, it has been confirmed

that the wife of the Vice President

is on the Los Angeles bound train,

along with several hundred other passengers.

All attempts by authorities to communicate with the engineer of that train

have been unsuccessful.

The engineer of the southbound train,

a loyal employee for over 30 years therefore

is unaware of the impending disaster.

Should an impact between the two trains occur,

authorities calculate it would be in the East Lyme area.

A team of Secret Service agents are desperately trying to avert

what threatens to be the worst disaster in railroad history.

♪ Happy anniversary to you

♪ Happy anniversary to you

♪ Happy anniversary, dear Amanda,

♪ Happy anniversary to you

How sweet. Oh, how sweet.

Oh, my God.

What's the matter?

I don't know yet. Let's have some cake.

I hate to break up your party, but if you'd all take your seats again. Thank you.

Sir, if you'll just join the other passengers up forward, I'd appreciate it.

Thank you.What's the problem?

It's security, sir. You can take your drink with you.

Mr. McElroy.Yes.

I want you to show me where the PA system is.

Thank you, ma'am.

May I have the attention of all the passengers please?

Your attention, please.

A very serious

situation has arisen on this train.

Mitchell?

Mr. Mitchell.

Dr. Snyder's right,

there's no way to break this thing on time.

Well, keep on it.

Yeah, I'll keep on it.

Don't expect anything.

Hold on. Okay,

I need some answers. Fast.

How thick is the glass in the engineer's cabin?

What are you thinking of doing?

Just answer the question.

I don't know how thick it is.

I do know it's bullet proof.

Suppose we could lower a man onto that train with cutting equipment.

How long would it take him to burn through that door, into Marsh's cab?

I couldn't say for sure.

For a man who's supposed to be the so-called genius of this plant,

there's suddenly a whole lot you don't seem to know!

Why don't you just stop it!

You know, everybody is getting sick and tired of listening to you around here.

Before you get too sentimental over your boss,

just remember, he's the guy who hired Prescott,

or Waterman, or whatever the hell his name is, right?

How fast is that train moving?

About 120.

Hundred and twenty miles an hour. Yeah.

I don't care about that.

Just get the nearest available chopper and crew in the air and get that train stopped.

Okay.

Somebody get me the conductor on Waterman's train.

Please?

Yes, sir, Mr. Mitchell. Yeah, I understand.

Okay.

Thank you.

Excuse me, sir. we're looking for this guy.

Looking for a man with a mustache and a briefcase, possibly...

I think it's time I found a small room to hide in.

May I take a look at it?

Sir, look, I need help.

Those two gentlemen down there, they're policeman.

Will you go and get them for me, please?

What, are you joking? I've got to find the men's room.

Look, we're having a problem. I'm trying to avoid a panic.

Will you please go do that for me?

Come on.

Your bag?Yeah.

Open it.Sure.

LeBoux.

Is that it?Could be.

Officer, I don't know what this is all about,

but the conductor back there is having a problem.

He's asking for help.What is it?

What is it?

All right, what's going on?

We've got to clear the forward coach and fast,

without starting a panic.

There's trouble up front, that's what I get from Central Control.

All right, everybody, please get to the back car.

No time to explain, police business.

Move it quickly. To the back car, there's no time to explain.

Police business.

Don't panic, just straight ahead.

LeBOUX: Come on, move it now!Move swiftly, please!

Step lively. Get your bags. No time. Wake up, wake up right away.

Just grab your bags and go. Right away. Come on, wake up!

I don't know, I don't know. Just keep... I don't know.

Rescue-copter 14 to Headquarters.

Okay, we're at 3000 feet.

I have Southbound train in view.

I'm dropping down to try and make contact.

Stop the train! Stop the train! Stop the train!

Chief Dispatch, this is Marsh, Southbound Three.

What is it, Marsh?

There's a helicopter chasing this train. What's going on?

Don't worry about it.

We sent it up there for support and observation.

You just keep the train rolling.

Stop the train!

Bartender, look, I want everything out of this bar that's not nailed down.

Bottles, glasses, everything. I don't care, throw it off the train if you have to.

All right, gentlemen, you guys get these cushions, as many as you can,

take them right here to the corner.

We'd better get down.

Yeah, let's do. Get on the floor.

Okay.Here.

Get down.No, no, you.

You! Well, you, too! What are you doing?

We have enough people here.

Please, everybody listen! Don't panic!

You'll be fine. Now just listen.

The people here, stay down. Keep down as well as you can.

Everybody back here, take the seats available.

If there are any kids back there, will the people...

Amanda, come on.Please, no...

Amanda, don't give me any problems, please. Let's go.

I just can't.

You can do it. Both of you sit down.

Come on.

Okay. Here you go. One behind your head. Lean back, lean back.

Okay, right there.

Okay, get all these ashtrays out of here! Anything you can move. Pick up everything.

Okay. Listen,

the computer's a loss.

Manual override can't be worked to divert anything onto existing track.

We've got 45 minutes left,

and I'm 45 minutes from quitting.

Now, right here,

where the two trains will collide,

is a big maintenance depot: men, tracks, cranes.

Now, what if we were to splice in a section of track right here,

that would carry Southbound Three

over onto the parallel line in time to miss the northbound?

Thirty yards of track.

Now, if it holds,

we have two trains

safely passing each other,

just like they do 1200 times a day hundred times a day

from San Diego to Bangor, Maine.

Thirty yards of track in 45 minutes, you're as crazy as Waterman is.

I'm not going to waste time arguing with you.

You mind if I use your phone?

Okay, lean on it, men. Just set that beam up.

You know where it goes, fellows, let's move it.

All right, let's pick up the background.

Keep it trim, keep it in.

All right, lean on it, men.

All right, let's dance! Let's dance!

Police and fire officials in East Lyme, California,

are bracing for the expected head-on collision

between the two Trans-Allied passenger trains

which are calculated to crash in the vicinity of the town.

The Governor in Sacramento,

has put the California National Guard on standby alert

in preparation for rushing more men and equipment to the crash site,

and has joined local officials in issuing an appeal to residents

to keep clear of the railroad track area.

Okay, folks, you have to step back a little, please.

Back. Okay.

Mr. Carlson,Step back.

You care to comment on the situation?

Get back.

Mr. Hill. Mr. Carlson.

Well, I know how I look, sir,

but with your driver at the door, and you yelling down the phone at me,

what was I supposed to do?

Well, that's all right.

I appreciate your cooperation, Carlson.

Here, sit down. Give us a moment, fellows.

Of course, I'm as...

sorry about this whole thing as you are.

Uh, now, wait a minute,

let's not start taking things for granted.

You wanted me here, I'm here.

I haven't agreed yet to go through with this charade.

What, go on national television and accuse myself of criminal conspiracy?

Look,

none of us has any choice in this matter.

This lunatic holds every life on both trains in his hands.

Unless you admit you took a bribe when you wrote that accident report,

they are all dead.

But it's a lie.

I didn't do it.

Right now, I don't care whether you did or not.

Right now, you work for this company!

And your next job is to face these cameras in here

and give the performance of your life!

Are you hearing me?

I'm calling my lawyer.

No time for that.

I've already had Hennessey draw up something for you to sign.

It says, in effect,

that you are making this statement under duress.

It covers you against libel for anything you might say.

Trust me, Johnny.

I don't like it.

I don't give a damn whether you like it or not.

There are too many lives at stake.

Now, you will sign that statement.

All right, I'll do it.

But it's under duress.

All right, we've got to go 20 feet on either side of that.

Okay, lean on it!

All right, you guys, that ought to do it.

Just move it down here now.

Give me that saw.

What do you think, Jeff?

I don't know. But you pay me a buck- fifty more an hour,

and I'll start thinking for you.

Now, you just keep them fellows dancing.

Pull them tracks down there.

There we go, fellows, let's get over there.

Bring them ties on over. Get them over.

All right, sir, Mr. Carlson, you're on.

Six years ago, there was a major railroad disaster in New England.

After about a week of investigation,

I was approached by a man who said...

who did represent the railroad company.

I didn't take money

but I did accept the promise of a job after a suitable interval.

This is the job I now hold.

I'll try and unhook the engine from the rest of the train.

When I finally prepared my report, there were several...

false statements.

The first of these

concerned the state of the track at the point of derailment.

I can't get it loose.

The lever underneath the engine.

Does it work the same way as the one underneath this one?

You've got it. There's one on both sides.

I can't go out there.

Hold on to me.

Paula, get back.

Secondly,

the freight cars were improperly loaded,

which in itself contributed to the derailment.

Is there anything else, sir?

Uh, no, sir. That's all, thank you.

I can't get it, it's stuck!

Get back inside, there's nothing you can do out there.

Get back. Let me go.

So, we've finally been candid.

You've heard the story from those involved.

The only word I can use for what transpired

is bribery.

Mr. Waterman,

I beg of you,

stop that train.

This press conference has been broadcast live

from Trans-Allied Headquarters in Los Angeles.

That's all I wanted.

Stuart!

Hey, and what about me?

Stuart!

Hello? What's happening, what's going on? Hello?

Hey! Hey, let me in!

Let me in!

News Helicopter Seven at KBEX,

proceeding to East Lyme, California, for on the spot coverage.

What do you think now?

I think we're going to make it.

Just a-dancing and a-prancing,

just a-grinning and a-picking.

Now this is what they've done, huh?

That's what they're doing.

Doing?They haven't done it, yet.

Well, Marsh will be coming at 100 miles an hour, when he hits this point.

Is this crossover going to be long enough, or strong enough?

I hope so.

Well, maybe when he sees those workmen,

he'll stop.

Slow down, maybe, but stop?

You and your damn computer.

Move that bench out of there!

There we go. Let's get over there.

Bring them ties on over. Get on over.

Go on now, move them out!

Move them back.

Train's coming! Train is coming! Move them out.

Move them back! Come on now, move them out.

All right, train's coming!

Go on, move out!

We need room. Alley-oop!

Oh.

We got six minutes to drive spikes, boys.

Six minutes of sweat, then it's easy time of the day, right, boss?

We pull this one off, everybody gets a week's paid vacation.

What do you say?All right!

All right, let's get these rods off of these ties.

Get the rods off of them ties!

We ought to be using twice the spikes.

She'll hold.

That train's moving too fast for that weld to hold.

This crossover's not long enough.

You don't need us no more, Captain.

Everybody clear the tracks. Get out of here.

Drop that torch and get out of here.

Get off the tracks, Jefferson.

I say she'll hold!

A $100 say she hold.

Let me hear you groan!

Groan!

Oh, my God!

Let me hear you pray!

Way to go! All right!

Oh, that's wonderful!

Great! We've still got one hell of a derailment coming up here.

And this time, there's nothing we can do about it.

But they're okay now, aren't they?

Oh, yeah, your job's over. You can go.

You put $100 in my palm,

then we can shake till Christmas.

Carry me until payday.

All right, we got open track.

Let's close it!

Mr. Mitchell, this is Rescue Copter 14 in East Lyme.

I have the engine in sight, bridge cables are apparently snapped, looks like a runaway.

We've got the suspect inside.

Now we've got some crazy idiot on top.

Well, just keep on trying.

And I want them both off that train.

That's right, both of them. All right now, do it.

Who's the other one?

I don't know.

Another guy in there. We got to get him out!

Get the other guy out!

Come on!

Hold on.

Give me your hand. I'll pull you up.

Hold on tight.

Come on, get your leg up.

Come on.

Hold on, hold on.

Hold them back.

Get back. All right, back! Back! Get back!

Bring it closer.

One at a time.

Bring it in closer.

Bring it over here.

Come on, bring it in here.

Hey! Watch that bridge. Hey!

Watch your head.

Get down!

We're running out of track.

There's a river coming up.

Jump!

Go for it!

All right, give me two inches of steel there, tap it down, too.

All right, if the engine's intact by the...

Come on, get it on there.

Go on, do it again!

Get out of here!

All right, get out of here!

Coming, Jefferson?

Go on, get some help!

Hang on!

No, I do not anticipate calling a formal press conference.

What I will do as chairman of this company

is to give you my personal guarantee that the whole issue of that accident

in New Hampshire will be thoroughly re-examined.

If it is found that any employees

of this company were involved in improprieties,

they will be dealt with in a court of law.

Listen to me, John, you keep a hold of yourself.

There's no way they can prove it. Never!

Hey, let me tell you something.

I go down, you're going with me.

How you doing?

Fine.

Well, they're towing us back to L.A. We should be in in about two hours.

Time for a drink?

VO and seven, please.

Bourbon and ginger.Yes, sir.

Stuart.

That's what you called him, Stuart.

Stuart Peters, that was his name.

Well, we thought you might like to know that he made it. He's okay.

What was it you had to arrest him for?

He ripped off some really heavy weight con men.

Sold them play money for real.

At least he told me the truth about something.

You realize he saved our lives?

How do you explain a guy like that?

You don't. You drink to him.

What's he like?

I don't know.

He had a nice smile.

To Peters.Peters.

Want to borrow my comb?

There may be some reporters waiting to see you.

Yeah.

And his honor the judge.

Right now you're looking pretty good.

You think so?

Sometimes you never know who you're gonna meet.

Back, please. Back.

Snyder...

I want you to know

that I don't know your first name.

Egghead.

You're okay.

Thank you. Thank you.

Well, can I ask you if I can help you?

Well, I guess we can help each other sometimes. Okay?

Officer.Yes, ma'am.

I'm looking for a man,

the man who saved everybody.

If they arrested him, where would they have taken him?

We can make a call and I can get a location on him.

Could we?Sure, come on.

Great. I...What did you say his name was?

Peter Stuart or Stuart Peters.

He gave people a bunch of different names.

Oh.

Because he was kind of a con man. He was...

He was a hero.

I'm glad you said that.

Let's make that call.