"We could hear all the sirens and you could smell the smoke as the train went past the site, " he said in a submission to CNN's iReport.

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The danger was compounded by an overhead power cable, which broke loose and fell on the roof of the rear car, causing further arcing and a large amount of smoke inside the train.

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And the lights went off and smoke started filling the train car.

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He reeked of smoke and sour sweat from the train.

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Prosecuting, Martin Yale said Ashcroft told police he travelled around Britain by train, setting fires in buildings which had smoke detectors so the alarm would be raised quickly.

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The train station where Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotton) arrives in a swirl of sinister smoke still stands on Railroad Sq downtown.

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Finally, our train heaves out of the station and past the creeks of Mombasa Island, belching out plumes of thick smoke as we swoop around shanty towns where corrugated iron roofs glisten in the rain, and ditches where frogs croak in the darkness.

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