My reading... 15:47 Oct 23, 2014
Although it is rather oddly expressed, it seems as if the character is perhaps not familiar with riding in a car, but is more used to catching trains. In which case, the relatively smooth and quiet setting of a car in motion would be in stark contrast to the very obvious effort being made when a locomotive starts off. This is almost a case of metonymy — the thrusting 'pistons' (technically inaccurate, as Didier says, but that's the way a lay person would describe tem in EN) are just one part representing the whole powerful locomotive.
I think this can only be confirmed by knowing quite a bit more about the character involved. |