Pulling out from the shelter, the mountain altitude and the weight of the train brings a monotonous sound, the sound of the steel wheels bumping each joint of the rails, creating a hypnotic effect. The passengers are unable to see the mountain beauty. The wine and the hypnotic sound have several passengers napping, and the horror cascading through the mountain meadow goes unnoticed. Suddenly, the avalanche comes crashing through the windows. Breaking glass flies through the compartments in the middle coach cars. The train is lifted off the tracks and thrown sideways as if it were a toy. The train suddenly stops in its tracks.Motionless, the train sits victimized by Mother Nature, unable to move. The bright sunlight is clouded by a cloud, a cloud not of vapor but of snow and ice. Tons of frozen ice has covered the entire train in an instant. Buried beneath one of Mother Natures tools of torture, entombed, the passengers and crew are rendered helpless and at her mercy. Perched one thousand feet above Donner Lake, pushed to the edge, and hanging partially rolled over to one side, the train and her passengers are truly helpless.
