Hi all.  Thank you to all those who responded regarding my query as to
the opening theme.  B-flat it is by a unanimous vote.  Peter Neilson
suggested playing the octaves on the piano by hand -- indeed I had done
this and completely agree that the Minor key is right.

This is what really prompted my question as well as the actual discrepancy
-- it just did not sound right.  I had very deliberately not identified
the rolls in question for fear of upsetting folk in case I was on the
wrong lines (ooops!).

The B-flat one is Classics of Ragtime 114.  The other one is the 1995
Artcraft arranged version for a virtuoso performance.  Clearly I am not
enough of a connoisseur to appreciate the artistic benefits of a bland
A-scale opening for a piece describing an impending train crash.  

Oh well -- out with the old X-acto knife.

Thanks again folks.

Roger Waring

 [ That's the spirit, Roger!  When you have the confidence that something
 [ is wrong, fix it!   :)   -- Robbie