Tesla was repulsed by the headline and started to look away when a street train came from behind on the avenue, startling the seething crowd as steam erupted from its undercarriage.
The spreading white mist flew out in all directions as the train came to a stop with a resounding hiss. It was relatively short as it consisted of only a locomotive and two cars.
The first appeared to be some sort of passenger transport, while the second was apparently a heavily armored cargo car. From its appearance, it belonged to the French Army. It was equipped with a gun turret that sat on the roof of the cargo car, near its center. Several soldiers jumped off the covered deck on the rear, taking up positions near the train’s entrances. Even the locomotive looked as if it had been designed for war.
Another turret consisting of two Gatling guns sat above the engineer’s cockpit, and its engine was protected by think sheets of dirty steel that ran down towards the front at a sharp angle where the word ‘Dauntless’ was painted in black. It functioned like rail train, except that it was equipped with tires and could be driven while their rail counterparts relied on the railroad tracks for guidance.
(From Book 1, Chapter 7)