Trope Talk: Train Fights!

Everyone pack your bags, do your hand-stretches and file this one under "trope talks that could easily be bingo cards"! Today let's talk about that oh-so-spectacular staple of setpieces, the marvelous Train Fight!
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[@birdbird5337]

Me, on the train, luggage stowed, settled down in the comfy-ish seat, connecting to the wifi: "Wonder what Red has posted, should be good train ride entertainment..."

[@crown4212]

It's like watching movie about something going wrong on a plane, while you're on a plane XD

[@figthegiant4065]

Red sees all and knows all.

[@gokbay3057]

@@crown4212 I know someone who watched a plane crash movie in a flight lol.

[@StealthMarmot_]

Well now you're destined to get into a fight. My advice is to wear goggles of some kind while outside the train.

[@lindseylindsey9200]

@@crown4212I’ve never seen it on a flight myself to confirm it, but this reminds me of how I’ve heard that with the movie Iron Man 3, flights showing it as in-flight entertainment tend to cut out the Air Force One rescue scene where Tony grabs all the people falling through the sky, it just cuts to him landing on the road afterwards congratulating himself

[@Monkebs45]

I like trains.

[@mariustan9275]

I LIKE TRAINS! (I love asdf)

[@zannrazor8569]

“Train noise”

[@SarahAbramova]

Same

[@good-sofa]

Oh no, you've doomed us all

[@merrittanimation7721]

I like singing

[@Metal_Maoist]

Fun fact about Eberron (that's where the example picture for fantasy trains was from for anyone wondering): The fantasy trains were written into that setting specifically to facilitate train fights

[@llewelynshingler2173]

Ah yes. The True Heart of D&D worldbuilding

[@Attaxalotl]

Epic

[@tomkerruish2982]

Did they add airships for fights on zeppelins?

[@maxmogavero952]

On the subject of claustrophobia, a realistic train car is only 10ft wide, so it's a hell of a challenge to make interesting map design on 1 inch grid battlemap.

[@llewelynshingler2173]

@@maxmogavero952 As of 5e 2014, the cars are 15 ft wide, allowing a little more leeway.

[@Nyhilist_]

Me fighting a rat in the NY subway: "Ah yes OSP taught me about this"

[@coolgreenbug7551]

Someone should make a short 30min action film about someone fighting a rat on the subway that hits every beat in this trope talk

[@negative6442]

@@coolgreenbug7551 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

[@ClaustroPasta]

@@coolgreenbug7551 fighting over a piece of bread leftover

[@VoidStaresback]

@@coolgreenbug7551 I would watch this

[@user-zk3dx9dd6p]

Shredder?

[@Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

You know you've made it as a mode of transportation and a trope when you've become a part of the modern parlance to describe other tropes: "This has gone off the rails." "Something's been sidetracked." "Some other third thing."

[@NovaSaber]

"This discussion has been derailed."

[@valdonchev7296]

"Lost my train of thought"

[@hiraunia]

"Railroading the plot"

[@cameronbreeze4029]

"End of the line" They just keep going

[@Delmworks]

…lost your train of thought

[@Kastrounaras]

Trains literally railroad the plot. They have one way to go, keep all plot elements tightly packed together and give enough freedom to the characters that other vehicles do not. Buses are too unstable, airplanes are too tight etc.

[@pRahvi0]

And good luck trying to stop a train (as demonstrated in some of the examples). It's a symbol of near-inevitability.

[@fiascothe63rd]

Fullmetal Alchemist has a surprisingly low number of train fights for the amount of time the cast spends on trains.

[@loadeddice4696]

Technically every time Ed and Roy are on the same train it's a train fight, but like a verbal one instead of rooftop deathmatch

[@KlaxontheImpailr]

Does this mean Thomas and Friends is the anti-FMA?

[@jasonreed7522]

I only one i can think of is that time they blew up a train, and thats less of a fight and more of just an assassination attempt. There have been some fights near trains, but those all had the train in question be stationary.

[@MooonlitSky]

@@jasonreed7522 You're forgetting the one in chapter 65 / episode 33, between Scar and Kimblee.

[@shadowstriker6506]

@@jasonreed7522there is the Kimbles fight but yeah FMA has some pretty plot-free train rides (baring the occasional exposition)

[@danidm5820]

So, now we know Red never watched Bullet Train, because it's an entire movie built entirely on the list of tropes she discussed, and would have fit perfectly as an example multiple times.

[@TheHibiscus]

FR, the entire video I was waiting for her to show a clip from Bullet Train.

[@grimmer-rd1mm]

Oh my goodness I was waiting toooo. Red def needs to watch it it's so good

[@AshleyoftheSwiftspear-pb8cs]

I was screaming at her to show a bullet train scene at least once. No avail

[@AhmedAli-hi4si]

It's one of my favorite movies and it's a shame it wasn't mentioned

[@JonaaBLKWL]

I was like "So when is Bullet Train coming up?" It's the quintessential example. Mystery, murder, fight scenes, dynamic cast and great choreography

[@Burred11]

One thing I will add about the "Why Trains" question: Trains is one of the only forms transportation that is both linear with a nearly set destination, and also entirely impersonal, IE it doesn't need someone to drive it. Take out the driver of a car: and the car will crash. Take out a planes pilot and the plane will crash, but take out a trains conductor and the train will still reach it's destination, unlike a ship, which will just float around without it's crew. Which again, proves that it's perfect for that multipurpose narrative structure, it will be tense and it will get you somewhere.

[@Elora445]

Generally, if you take out the conductor, then the train will stop. Dead man's grip.

[@pamspray5254]

@@Elora445 Depends on the train type. The high-speed light rails tend to, but many older trains do not. I'm speaking as a total pleb on this though.

[@AlejandroMonteagudo]

Emm... I don't know about america, but in europe every train has deadman switch, often a pedal, that has to be pressed abd released regularly or the train stops. Source: My dad drives them. But I agree with you that people accept the train to keep going way more easily than they accept a plane having some sort if cruise control. Edit: Even if you try to force the driver to keep going, the moment they go through a closed signal the train stops automatically

[@tess9063]

​@@Elora445 even still, doesn't matter too much if the Big Dangerous Overhang or whatever that usually goes with the conductor being out of commission is close enough. trains are heavy as hell, that means it takes miles for them to come to a halt without brakes, sometimes even with brakes.

[@Elora445]

@@tess9063 Yep, takes forever for them to stop. So if they have to stop very suddenly, they are out of luck. Even an emergency stop takes some time. Heavier vehicle equals a longer time to stop. Grew up as the daughter of a long haul truck driver, so very familiar with the concept.

[@theanimeunderworld8338]

If you're going to fight on top of a train, wear eye protection. My source, Sterling Archer

[@KingsOfWinter]

DO OR DO NOT BRING AN OCOLATE THE CHOICE IS YOURS!!!!!

[@Snowfoxkit]

Seared like tuna steaks!

[@alexjewett7455]

​@@KingsOfWinterwere you trying to say ocelot, or oscillator?

[@Tacom4ster]

Im kinda disappointed Red didn't used Archer clips

[@AndrewGeierMelons]

"Pamphlets about Canada's safe gun control laws?" 🇨🇦🇨🇦 Hits better as a Canadian. 🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@Banter07]

NEW TROPE TALK, time to learn how I fucked up that one train fight I wrote

[@SaneAcorn2389]

I know right

[@sunan2335]

Literally me whenever Red releases a new trope talk video XD

[@mistereiswolf70]

A trope talk about boats would be cool but I dont know if boats have really some tropes. I know she said boats tend to be to big to brin charakters really close together but I just want red to talk about high sea stuff.

[@justinanderson267]

Probably not enough kickflips

[@TomTriyingtothink]

So having watched it did you mess up the train ?

[@Double_D__]

I think trains are so ripe with Trope potential because they are arguably the first vehicle humanity ever built that really moved under its own power, as they were made before steamboats, and we wouldn't create the combustion engine for cars decades after. Trains are big, lumbering steel behemoths that scratch the same brain itch as *_dragons,_* and they've been with us since the dawn of the 1800's.

[@sabertoothkim]

From a completely different perspective, trains also carry a lot of cultural weight around the world because they require a ton of infrastructure and manpower to maintain, and they just started getting popular with European people right around the point in history where European empires directly controlled more territory around the world than they ever had before. So naturally, there are just all kinds of people everywhere who have long and colorful histories tied specifically to laying down rails, building trains, supporting trains, investing in trains, etc. Whenever we see a train, we tend to be very culturally wired to see them as a BIG DEAL, even if they're not necessarily a big deal to us personally!

[@losj3020]

adding to the behemoth point: trains just have such a strong visual and they look so damn cool and that alone justify their existence in many different genre. You have the base but you can add/subtract anything from that and it'd still a) look like a train and b) look awesome. It's precisely like dragons. No matter how much you stylize trains, people can still recognize them. You can have trains in fantasy setting made of the remains of an ancient monster or a light-speed monorail in a distant future and people will still see them as trains

[@UndeadGhostGirl]

Fun fact; decoupling the cars requires older models of trains, as modern trains are designed so that if *any* car disconnects mid-transit, *every* car's emergency brakes will automatically engage. If you want to have the decoupling trope in a newer train, you have to have someone or something compromise that safety feature in some way *first.*

[@WasatchWind]

Yeah, and many modern train sets often are designed to never be decoupled. I think that realistic car decoupling in a train fight could be cool, where a character has to carefully reach down at speed to pull the cut lever.

[@bluelfsuma]

What if you (with magic or something) saw through the connection? Would they still stop, because sensors or something? I know jack-all about trains.

[@UndeadGhostGirl]

@@bluelfsuma Yes. Based off of my "research" (google) the brake line is a single piece running back to front. If it is severed *anywhere,* the entire train loses it's brakes. That's why each car has it's *own* emergency brake that automatically engage if an electronic device (that I know nothing about) senses that the main brake has failed. Separating the cars cuts the main brake, and therefore, all cars stop.

[@WasatchWind]

@@bluelfsuma Yeah I'd imagine so. A lot of safety devices are in the off state only if they have a constant electric flow - Like for example, modern roller coaster restraints are by default in the closed position, and it takes energy to keep them open.

[@bluelfsuma]

Ah, okay, thank you both for your answers. 👍

[@michaelcherry8952]

I think "Train To Busan" is a perfect example of how narrow and claustrophobic a train battle can be. Especially when zombies are involved!

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Two of my favorite train fights: The train fight in a kind of B, B- movie, The Hunted - 1995. (Christopher Lambert, samurai, ninjas...) The train fight in episode 13 of Violet Evergarden.

[@misteraskman3668]

One of my favorite zombie movies. I was amazed at how much they could manage to do.

[@cinnakincat4260]

yessss, that's specifically part of why I *love* that movie

[@MrBelles104]

Same with Snowpiercer, where the battle is between a poverty class as they make their way to the front of the train.

[@mollywantshugs5944]

My favorite example of the train fight is “Baccanno”. The bulk of that show was jumping between 3ish storylines with a huge cast, and one of those storylines is entirely on a train as a cult, a gang of violent mobsters, and a possibly-supernatural monster from an urban legend are all fighting on the train simultaneously. This literally goes on for most of the show’s run as the situation keeps taking twists and turns and the various characters and their motivations become fleshed out. Baccanno is extremely chaotic but a lot of fun

[@jensenb6]

Yes! I kept hoping and expecting to see mention of baccano

[@DarthRayj]

YES Baccano! was such a fantastic show! A convoluted tangle of plotlines that all converge during this one singular train ride. One of my favorite anime ever :3

[@nyanard]

I came here expecting someone mentioning Baccano on the comments

[@NutzAl825]

That seems cool. I’ll have to remember that.

[@LuckyLiegeLady246]

I’m pretty sure at one point Lad Russo does the same “spinning back onto the train” thing at 9:02 during his fight with Claire!

[@BladeLigerV]

Casual reminder that the ocean and pirate based anime One Piece has a series of episodes that are train fights and a train chase. On the open ocean. And it's a GREAT TIME!!

[@ancillea3998]

came here to find this!

[@diddyknux]

There was also Franky trying to literally fight a train! But that didn't turn out too well...

[@pinkbuninja6536]

This is why One Piece is a masterpiece of media

[@grizzlyowlbear3538]

There are not one, but TWO trains in the ocean.

[@hughmongus6959]

One piece sympathizer detected

[@kanvaros4451]

Everything is better on a train ! Add train and it’s intensely and instantly better ! Heist--> TRAIN HEIST murder mystery--> MURDER MYSTERY ON A TRAIN ! Prison escape --> PRISON ESCAPE ON A TRAIN ! Big dumb kiss --> BIG DUMB KISS ON A TRAIN THE BBEP ARRIVAL -> BBEP ARRIVAL ON A TRAIN !!! Huge big final fight on top of a high building --> BIG FIGHT ON TOP OF A MOVING TRAIN ! Close call escape to live to fight another day --> CLOSE CALL ESCAPE TO LIVE TO FIVHT ANOTHER DAY ON A TRAIN I rest my case. Pro train

[@a.morphous66]

Hold on, I don't think I've seen that last one before. Got any trainbound prison escape recommendations?

[@Plaugus_Screenz]

Even horror (look up Lovetown Cutsceen Library of Ruinia and watch it)

[@justinanderson267]

What about Snakes on a Plane? I don't think Snakes on a Plane would be very good on a train. Hell, it wasn't even good in the theaters xD

[@FranciscoAreasGuimaraes]

Hear, hear. Everything is better on a train

[@Plaugus_Screenz]

@@justinanderson267 Snakes in train

[@robertprueter3292]

Red's obvious bias towards trains is objectively correct

[@aceofspades0359]

"You've fought on top of a train?" "...You haven't?"

[@valdonchev7296]

Don't forget the sibling trope of Minecart Fights! Basically, you get to take a train, make it into a roller coaster, and put it in an especially dangerous or cool environment. Plus, with minecarts you're more likely to have multiple minecarts riding in parallel within fighting distance, or hop-over-before-yours-crashes distance. I'm a huge fan of the Animation vs. Minecraft episode "Cave Spider Roller Coaster".

[@zidaryn]

That's reminding me of Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom and the mine cart fight from there.

[@negative6442]

Comes right back around to doing that with trains as well. The train fight in the Lone Ranger (2013) movie is the only memorable part about it, and for good reason.

[@lavengale]

don't forget the minecart vs boulder/dynamite escape scenes! 😄

[@sabikikasuko6636]

Also the cart scene in the Phineas and Ferb movie!

[@thepronoob4039]

This reminds me of that time in Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds where instead of card games on Motorcycles, they did card games on mine carts. God I love Crash Town arc

[@MeliesCinemagician]

Another cool train fight trope: LITERAL train fight, i.e., fighting a train. Kind of like the train heist, except instead of breaking into the train to get the McGuffin before the bad guys can get it somewhere, you decide to just take out the entire train. Usually, this involves driving alongside the train on some other vehicle - car, motorcycle, horse, airplane, whatever - while a whole bunch of bad guys on all the different train cars are attacking you. Maybe they even have heavy artillery on the train that they turn on you. And when you finally DO take out the train, it's a HUGE spectacle.

[@awlomthesheepermen]

Like a stop the train scene? Where you put a branch or something in the front? Or when you get on and fill the boiler with something? Or what about 2 trains crashing together

[@MeliesCinemagician]

@@awlomthesheepermen Absolutely. War movies and stuff are especially full of this trope.

[@thehittite6982]

Or if you're in Final Fantasy VI, you just pick up the whole train and suplex it.

[@skelebrowhovian6817]

STBlackST Red Team's Euro Trip Part 1

[@tj-co9go]

Something even better would be: a train is here an enemy that has a personality (due to antropomorphism ) or an automated defend system you must fight against. Imagine Thomas the Tank Engine but fighting with guns or something. And you must defeat the train in single combat. Or imagine several trains fighting each other. Now that is a train fight I want, but I have never seen it done in any fiction.

[@Random_Gamer-sh6pf]

If we're talking about the 'comparison with other vehicles', I think a big part is also that trains have tracks. Unlike cars or trucks or planes or whatever, they can only move in this _one_ way. It makes it easier to justify ambushes, is the entire reason of the 'tying someone to the train tracks' thing, makes it a sort of 'neutral' vehicle (unlike other vehicles, it's not really 'driven' by someone, who can be on the heroes' or villains' side), can quite easily continue without anyone in the front cart, etc.

[@Brass319]

trains also run on tight schedules, making them great for including in elaborate plans

[@cptnraptor]

They're also relatively autonomous, even in the olden days, this means that unless the plot justifies it, the mode of transportation slash danger-enhancement works without input from either the pro or antagonist(s), aiding the plot point of "we need to stop it" or "we need to keep it going"

[@Blizzic]

Trains are so rad. Not only are they the best form of fictional transportation, they’re the best form of real life transportation too!

[@sabertoothkim]

I mean, they serve particular needs that are only good in certain contexts, but those kinds of contexts are AWFULLY common in our society right now. So like, it's a subjective judgement, but yeah.

[@MatthewTheWanderer]

I hate trains! They are loud and obnoxious and uncomfortable to ride in. One of the worst forms of transportation, even in fiction.

[@marvincantu5636]

@@MatthewTheWanderergrow up.

[@MatthewTheWanderer]

@@marvincantu5636 WTF!? What an idiotic and extremely inappropriate thing to say!

[@SynchronizorVideos]

For cargo transportation over land, they're unbeatable. A single freight train can do the work of hundreds of large on-highway trucks, while being much better in terms of fuel, cost, pollution, and accidents per ton of cargo delivered. The United States and Canada especially depend heavily on rail cargo due to our large populations and massive land area.

[@CalliopePony]

I love the shade thrown at the Kenneth Branagh version of Murder on the Orient Express. Nobody ever read about Hercule Poirot and thought he needed to spend more time sprinting.

[@calebpeters3378]

One notable exception to this is FMA: Brotherhood. The only common mode of transport in that universe is trains, so the story constantly being derailed(haha) whenever the characters go on a train would just drag the story down.

[@christiancasaverdepertica1802]

We still do get a bit of train stuff, though, with the plot against the Fuhrer

[@pikminman13]

the train episode in 03 was really good though, shame brotherhood had to cut it.

[@Doug_Edwards99]

Brotherhood did have the brief fight between Scar and Kimblee, which was on a train. But yeah, the early manga chapter where the Elric brothers stopped some criminals was cut entirely in Brotherhood. Also technically Fullmetal Alchemist does have cars too.

[@ailingstar8856]

And even then, it happens in the other versions of FMA, and very early on at that, like they're getting it out of the way early to get it out of their system.

[@Eliphaser]

I mean, brotherhood doesn't bother with it much because it's basically written in a way like "yeah you definitely have seen the 2003 anime so we're skipping the first half of the show because it'd be redundant" this absolutely happens in 2003, in the early episodes (and so also in the manga, in the part that brotherhood skips), and serves as the first encounter with Maes Hughes (also one of my favourite episodes in all FMA; 2003 haters are just misguided) as well as the brotherhood spinoff/side-movie, "the sacred star of milos", where there's an entire train fight before they arrive at Table City however it's definitely not as common as peaceful train travel is, for sure

[@MrTheholycole]

Another thing Trains have going for them is that they are modular. A train can be as big or small as the story demands. Need a big fight sequence, you better bet that theres dozens of cars filled with baddies. Need a good 1v1, suddenly the only car that matters is the one you're in/on, it could be disconnected and work just fine whether the caboose or the engine

[@hazey_dazey]

Castle in the Sky has a very small train fight because the tracks were built to transport mining cars. It's like a combo between a train fight and a roller coaster fight

[@Wendy_O._Koopa]

Then there's the train in My Little Pony (actually this happens in a lot of media) in wide shots it very clearly has 4 cars, that's it. When running across the top or something? Suddenly there's like infinite cars. Granted, there is magic in that series, so there _could_ be a spell on it like Dad's "infinite staircase" spell that actually just loops you through the same spot indefinitely, but I think it was just an animation mistake. And by mistake, I mean someone said "Just do it, I bet no one will even notice," which was the mistake, _ha gotcha!_

[@SwissCheeseMann]

Plus all the different types of train cars (passenger, freight, or even a special military/vip car) can all be plausibly mixed and matched to some extent. A car or ship has one purpose, it's either moving people or moving a lot of things. A cruise ship and a cargo ship are going to stick to just their main purpose unless the cruise ship is smuggling something small. But the same train carrying passengers through the old west can realistically be carrying a car full of livestock or a bank vault if you need it to.

[@Ace_DM_2520]

Another useful trope with trains is the idea of a chase. Because trains are so fast and they often go non-stop between point A and point B, if Character A was chasing Character B and Character B got on the train just as it was leaving whilst character A was left behind, Character B now has a massive headstart and it also allows for them to have a break from the chase

[@spilleraaron4748]

“Self taught? And not half bad. Ah I see, you deny your weapon its purpose…”

[@dusty0896]

"Now I see. You deny your weapon its purpose."

[@kingturboturtlednoc5722]

"It yearns to bathe in the blood of your enemies, but you hold it back!"

[@valdonchev7296]

"My friend just gave one to me. And then... KZbin videos."

[@dusty0896]

​@@kingturboturtlednoc5722"No...My sword is a tool of justice."

[@ultraeevee1239]

*arm gets cut off in the coolest way possible*

[@carriethejoyful]

“Woman as temptress: canceled” has got to be my new favorite sketch gag

[@Stratelier]

To be replaced by gender-unspecified "Agent of Temptation".

[@daviddaugherty2816]

Hell, the whole point of that bit in the Hero's Journey(tm) is that _something_ was luring the hero away from the journey, not necessarily even a love interest. Campbell just called it that because drama. And let's be real, dude was a hack.

[@uncroppedsoop]

​@@Stratelier that goes significantly harder tbh

[@renaissanceweeb]

The Train was actually a pretty culturally significant invention at its dawn, it immediately captured people's awes and fears. We're still kind of dealing with the residual cultural impact of the fact that people were genuinely shocked by the invention of trains in a way that they just weren't by ships or carriages. "Trains are Cool" is actually the answer to why they won the lotto here. Because even in 1800 everyone was weirdly culturally obsessed with trains.

[@a.morphous66]

Glad to have my childhood obsession with that one episode of The Clone Wars with Ventress and the bounty hunters stopping a train heist academically validated

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

Aw yeah Highslinger

[@janmelantu7490]

That episode may be the most underrated TCW episode. The choreography, cinematography, characters, writing, themes, all rule.

[@big__shell]

which season was that in? one of the later ones, i think. for some reason, i can't remember much of the episode, but i remember enjoying it. it wasn't that long ago that i first watched it. before that, i remember in the malevolence arc of the first season of the show that there was an episode with a train fight. i always thought it was so cool that the malevolence had trains in it. maybe it's just nostalgia, but i loved those episodes. i still do!

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

That one slapped tbf

[@sadnessofwildgoats]

wait, 2003 or 2008? not too familiar with either

[@IONATVS]

Some additional reasons trains are an ideal form of transit for this kind of thing 1. The fixed route rails provide make it more plausible than most forms of transit for the vehicle to spend a significant amount of time with NOBODY driving it while still moving normally. Most others you need an autopilot of some kind to get away with that sort of thing. 2. Timing. They were the premiere form of transit in the US from the beginning of the Movie industry thru the Golden Age of Hollywood, Golden Age of Comics, AND in one of Hollywood’s favorite historical-fiction settings, the Wild West. 3. Climbing on the outside of trains was a real thing people used to do as part of their JOBS. Freight train cars are covered in ladders and catwalks precisely to let brakemen climb on the outside of a train, move from car to car, and one-by-one turn on the mechanical brakes on each car. Usually at stops, but sometimes IN MOTION. Unsurprisingly, doing so in motion was INCREDIBLY dangerous and eventually banned when air brakes made doing so unnecessary, but it made it easy to imagine doing so for choreography in an emergency. 4. Train fights and heists had HISTORICAL PRECEDENT from the Wild West and Civil War-The first Medals of Honor were given out to Union soldiers who snuck behind enemy lines, cut a bunch of telegraph lines stole a train and then were pursued across a huge swath of the South by another train. Wild West trains frequently transported literal GOLD BARs from coast to coast, so were a huge target.

[@Elora445]

My husband drive freight trains. They still climb/travel on the outside of the train. Stand on a small step of some trains. Terrifying, but lead to very few accidents, actually.

[@Blockzord]

What may also help is not just the specific tropes associated with trains, but the variety of domestic environments for a scene that can be on a train; A train can be as many or as few cars as your story really needs, and can have so many staples considering it's meant to be a living environment. Need the protagonists to sleep for midnight shenanigans? Sleeper Cars! Need some specific prop or McGuffin? Apparently there's one in storage! Need to communicate between cars? Use an intercom system! You need an absence of those things? Just conveniently don't have them by letting the train be meant for a specific purpose! Narrative tourism at it's finest.

[@progrockngamer1761]

Oh, you're talking about fights ON trains. I thought you were going to talk about fighting the actual train...like in Final Fantasy VI where Sabin can suplex a train...something I wish was a trope. 😂

[@Zurkon128]

I was literally thinking the exact same thing. XD

[@williamchamberlain2263]

a train fight training fight? Or training to fight trains - a train-fighting training fight?

[@catbrained42]

I think there is an arc in Demon Slayer where they literally fight a train.

[@I5g58]

To be fair, fighting trains could be considered a sub trope of fighting on trains

[@Tuaron]

I would also accept ***X-Men '97 spoilers*** Magneto whipping a giant Sentinel with a train.

[@itchy0618]

I can feel Sophia chanting: “TRAIN HEIST! TRAIN HEIST! TRAIN HEIST! TRAIN HEIST!”

[@quinn0517]

Had the same thought 😂

[@cameronweaver2]

I was looking for this comment lol

[@핑엘리]

Don't forget to check for prisoners! You might find the only authority figure you've ever respected in your life-

[@owenwilliams4039]

@@핑엘리 I have also just watch that episode.

[@TheKarishi]

The Eberron "train fight vs pterodactyl-riding halfling barbarians" was one in our campaign's "Transportation is Not Safe" trilogy, teaming up with the battle on an airship where someone attempted to take out the elemental powering the whole thing (in some ways similar to a warp core breach) and a boat ride across open water where we got attacked by ghost pirates. There was no winning.

[@gabrielrussell5531]

Archer's handling of being on top of the train is one of my favorite train-fights ever.

[@muffinzetta3670]

Well I mean you’re still on the train

[@Tacom4ster]

Disappointed Red didn't add clips of that

[@AdamYoung-o8z]

Do you have a helicopter??

[@ChevaliersEmeraude]

@@Tacom4ster I don't know if she ever watched it? I dunno, seems like the show is known, but not at the top of many people's list. But the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the title of this video is the Archer episode about it, so I think if she was familiar with the show she'd have added some scenes of it! :)

[@legomaniac213]

"Aahh! The dust!! It's like being shot in the eyes by a glitter gun!!"

[@TetsuShima]

Imagine a movie in which a group of 19th century cowboys end up in the present day and decide to fight above a modern train. They truly would get a violent end, but not the one they expect 😅

[@dewmilk7266]

Wait explain

[@greenmushroom2126]

Ah, Electricity cabels, I believe

[@evilbarrels2506]

@@dewmilk7266 probably some mixture of electric cables, the rounded and smooth aerodynamic exterior, and the extreme speeds some can travel at.

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

these violent delights have violent ends

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

fun fact: when the Hitachi Azuma trains were introduced in the UK, they had to be swiftly de-introduced and modified to rearrange the bundles of cables between carriages. as supplied, there were three or four bundles of cables, one above the other, forming an inviting ladder for drunk and/or suicidal passengers with a taste for 25kV electricity

[@Julia_and_the_City]

I think the best answer to "why trains" is actually this: the characteristics of a train is that it has a long braking period and the driver may not be aware of everything that is happening in the back because a train is so long. This means that the action doesn't stop when the driver slams the brakes, unlike what would have been the case in the bus chase example were it not for convoluted reasons of the brakes being out and the bus sliding down a slope. Trains just keep going, you can't "just" stop them!

[@mallk238]

I think a major reason why trains are so significant to modern culture is because they’ve been around for so long. Trains used to be the main way a normal person could travel great distances. They covered all the basic needs one would have since they were easy to just get on, stow the luggage, and if you were fancy go into your cabin and sleep/go to the bathroom/eat food from the dinner car. Even in modern day, trains are one if the most sensible forms of shipment and things like subways are extremely common. Modern techbros will try to make better versions of transport and just wind up inventing trains again. They’re just so simple in concept and so historically significant. Of course we would find a million ways to relate to trains.

[@valutaatoaofunknownelement197]

Simply summaried: You don't need to train too hard to get the trains chuffing into transport.

[@lavengale]

have you heard of that one time techbros created a powerful ai, fed it lots of data on various modes of transport, and then asked it the question they made it for: "How do we solve highway congestion?" "Trains" "Wait, what? No!" "Trains" And when the techbros tried to remove that option, the ai kept reinventing trains

[@Duiker36]

@@lavengale See, the implausible part of this story is "techbros created a powerful ai".

[@lavengale]

@@Duiker36 it was probably more akin to ChatGPT

[@themockingdragon135]

This makes me think about how before there were trains, there were canals. And they really weren't all that different practically speaking, railway was just faster and easier to maintain.

[@williamlarry1317]

One thing to also to note is that trains can also carry very very VERY dangerous materials. I work with trains and the cars that we normally move is filled with all type of stuff that can burn you, poison you, blow you up, or all three

[@rabbitknight87]

Writers, Bottoms and Transit Enthusiasts, united by their love of High Speed Rail.

[@RedYellowBird6889]

Haha.. OK, here's a like for that joke of yours.

[@TheRealEvilkitten3]

hey, three for three!

[@theorixlux]

Counterpoint, ATLA has a train scene with no fights AND interesting plot on the way through Ba Sing Se. And since everyone knows ATLA is perfect, my counterpoint is foolproof.

[@KuraiLunae]

Your counterpoint is indeed foolproof. Unfortunately, a single (admittedly perfect) exception only proves the rule, rather than negates it.

[@theorixlux]

Darned. Foiled by exceptions again

[@KuraiLunae]

@@theorixlux Happens to the best of us. Except me, because I prove the rule.

[@d.b.4671]

Would "The Drill" qualify as a train fight?

[@KuraiLunae]

@@d.b.4671 It's a bit of a stretch, but maybe? It's more of a modified arena fight, though, with alternate win conditions.

[@nirast2561]

Optimus: "Autobots, prepare yourselves for a train fight!" Bumblebee: "Oooh, we're fighting on a train?" Optimus: "... Not 'on'." Side-note: Another reason I think trains work so well is because they're kinda automated. During the Shang-Chi bus fight, Awkafina's character was still steering the thing so it doesn't run into a wall. Take out the pilots, and a plane might go down (probably not? don't know enough about planes). But a train? It will just keep chugging on, pun intended.

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

*Astrotrain, in J51 mode, slams into Bumblebee*

[@megarockman]

Nowadays, planes can fly themselves quite well due to computerization if the environment isn't too wacky -- most of a pilot's job is monitoring everything and being ready to take control if something happens that the computers can't handle. But this is a new development which hasn't really made its way into fiction (probably because it removes a lot of tried-and-tested sources of tension and conflict).

[@bluesbest1]

There's a reason why "But Thou Must" plot points are referred to as "Railroading", after all. It can only follow this extremely specific path, and it will _always_ follow that exact path, no matter what happens to its contents. And if it does get derailed, it basically becomes a permanent fixture of the environment unless you can somehow move a hundred tons of steel.

[@nirast2561]

@@megarockman Hence why I said "Probably not", I know there's a degree of automation with planes, just not sure how much. In a story, though? Pilot knocked out -> plane perpendicular to the planet's surface.

[@PhoenixClank]

@@nirast2561 specify "perpendicular". Pitch or roll? (I'm being a dick on purpose, but could you imagine a scene where the plane continues perfectly along its path but sideways until the hero is done fighting and yanks the controls to get it upright just before landing? That'd be lit!)

[@flooff1411]

Unironicly trains being the specific trope magnet is because trains are just the most convenient mode of transportation ever. All hail trains

[@Molikai]

THey are basically the best form of public transport, esp. when you realise - subways? Trains that go underground. Trams? Trains that move inside the city on the roads.

[@split776]

I'd like to also point out that trains are varied in speed (obviously depending on the historical context/worldbuilding) - like, nowadays in our world you have the bullet train which is THE speedy boi, and less than a century ago there was this train running through north Israel which was nicknamed by the locals "the flower train" because you could hop off, walk to pick a flower from the nearby edge-of-the-forest, and walk back to hop on the train. It's the whole range from "extremely in a hurry" to "stop and smell the flowers" and also thank you Red for the excuse to bring my favourite historical train

[@orianefaton1885]

I am sorry, Israel had what ?

[@Bluecho4]

As demonstrated above, different locations might have vastly different train speeds. Japan and to a lesser extent China have LOTS of high speed rail. Whereas the United States has basically none of that, because of Reasons.

[@Cooky_McGee]

Trains are such a staple of action that I'm starting to fear how often I've daydreamed of completely unrealistic scenarios involving trains

[@WasatchWind]

The kind of scary thing is in railroad history how many crazy things have happened with trains - Like the trope of characters stealing a train or otherwise having a reason for another train chasing them is directly inspired by the real life Great Locomotive Chase.

[@genesisera8364]

The commentary about the size of the environment trains get that hits that sweet spot reminds me of Necromunda: Hired Gun, where one chapter of the game is basically an extended train fight, but because it’s Warhammer 40K the train in question is SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET HIGH and SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER That sheer difference in the amount of space you have to transverse changes a lot of the dynamics of the train fight.

[@Ixarus6713]

Trains specifically are used because they allow interactions between locations, move slow enough to allow dangerous fights with reasonable believability (while remaining dangerous enough to take out individuals the plot deems need to be removed). Like you said, goldilocks zone.

[@Le_Codex]

I like how the last part is basically "Turns out, having such a convenient mode of transport for both people and goods is a perk that also applies to fictional universes" Trains *are* very nice

[@TheMadRatKing]

I never realized how many tropes and narrative concepts trains do so well until I started writing my own train scene and I had this moment of epiphany like "...Oh. No wonder these are so frequent. this is awesome". truly peak performance of writing

[@justanotherchannelonyoutub126]

What’s the one thing you need to choreograph a good train fight? A well trained eye!

[@viniciusfornagieropereira9717]

“All we had to do, was follow the damn train, CJ!”

[@JorgeLopez-qj8pu]

🎹Here we go again🚲🎼Making my way down Town

[@michaelpietri9471]

All Back to the Future climaxes are framed and treated like action flicks despite obviously being known as sci-fi comedy, and yet i'll never forget that Back to the Future 3 train sequence. That scene is pure action

[@mariustan9275]

Red better bring up the infamous Perry-the-Platypus-can't-fight-due-to-societal-convention part of Phineas and Ferb.

[@miguelcapetillo7160]

"You are trapped by SOCIETal convention" *JOKER violin theme plays*

[@3393matthew]

And then there's Bullet Train that's just All Train Tropes lol

[@angeldoyle859]

Glad someone else brought it up, this video has made me wanna rewatch it so bad

[@fairyflight8436]

It really is the jackpot of train tropes.

[@SpiderLingual]

Exactly what I was thinking of!

[@FranciscoAreasGuimaraes]

There's one scene where they complain about the quiet room, so I think Red has seen it

[@Texan.Insomniac]

You can tell red hasnt seen Bullet Train yet because there is not a simgle mention of it

[@thinwhitemook8314]

One of my favorite types of trains is the ghost/demon train, which allows you to combine all your favorite train tropes with all your favorite supernatural tropes and even allows for train fights where the protagonists must literally fight the train.

[@TheSpearkan]

I would have to disagree that the purpose for focusing on a character mid-train journey can only be if something eventful and/or disruptive will happen. Train trips are a great way to get characters to interact socially during transit: they aren't proccupied trying to drive the vehicle like cars, they are roomier than planes and more dynamic than ships (mostly). They're a great environment for characters to unwind and discuss story or character moments while doing a wide choice of other things: eating a full course meal, spending the night in a sleeper car, going to the toilet, even going to the bar as some modern trains can have that option! And this can actually enhance the train fight trope as the tone can go 180 from relaxed to extremely perilous at the drop of a hat.

[@Stratelier]

But the key word in your first line is that word, "eventful". Taking time to slow down the story and allow the audience to relax (between surrounding moments of tension) *IS* "eventful" in and of itself. But if a character takes a train and _literally nothing_ eventful happens during the ride, anything that logically transpired meanwhile will be left on the cutting-room floor.

[@Neuvost]

There was a scene like this in Casino Royale, right? When Bond first meets Eva Green's character? It probably could'a been rewritten to be on a private plane, but the train was a great setting. It showed off a different flavor of opulence.

[@Paigecobbler]

Trope suggestion: getting hit on the head as an automatic time-skip. In reality, if you’re getting hit hard enough to be unconscious for many minutes and/or hours, you’re going to have a mad concussion when you wake up. But not our protagonists! They can get his multiple times and be totally fine, if a little confused. (See: Tintin, Eragon, Sherlock, and so many more)

[@zerogravityzerochill]

I'm pretty sure she already touched on that a bit in "Character Development Comas".

[@stm7810]

I love how Archer is aware of this. You were unconscious for 20 whole minutes, you might have a concussion.

[@valdonchev7296]

As @kenedyg.4509 said, also touched on in Amnesia about how amnesia in stories is often very "clean", completely unlike real life.

[@alisaurus4224]

Knight & Day was SO BAD for this. Two hours of Tom Cruise & Cameron Diaz knocking or drugging each other to unconsciousness as a form of flirting

[@IanMRountree]

Dungeon Crawler Carl uses this to amazing effect. Then again, DCC is basically twenty million tropes in a trenchcoat, and it's rollicking fun! And devastating at the same time.

[@Vinemaple]

I think another reason trains win is that the technology is the right age. Trains became ubiquitous in the US during a time that included both the rise of vaudeville and the peak of the Wild West traveling show. And the advent of moving pictures. And they were, for many decades, the most _familiar_ form pf public and long-distance transport. So, putting your fight or drama on a train was sure to up the "wow factor" of your property tremendously, and at the same time, make it highly relatable. Therefore, today we have a whole library of mature train-based tropes and subtropes, bolstered by the "Goldilocks zone" Red defines in the video, whereas other modes of transport generally don't have that level of familiarity or time-tested tropes. Aircraft and spacecraft are too new, cars get skunked by being too ubiquitous as well as everything Red says (while at the same time having their own car-_chase_ tropes), and watercraft have undergone far too many changes for any trope to be relevant for more than about 10 years. That said, of COURSE you can create a powerful and entertaining encounter scene or entire drama on another modern type of transport. It'll just be a bit of a challenge to apply train tropes to it. But people manage it all the time.

[@a.morphous66]

Funny how Red put this out maybe two weeks after I started my current story project, which is wholly about a train that gets into lots of fights. The surveilance state is real but exclusively used by KZbinrs to make topical video essays.

[@justinanderson267]

Maybe you were both subliminally effected by the same outside influence.

[@chechico]

@@justinanderson267 asdf posted a new movie not too long ago… maybe is the i like trains kid working trough them both

[@MadSwedishGamer]

This trope is usually better in historical settings (or stylised fantasy/sci-fi ones) simply because steam locomotives look so much cooler than modern trains.

[@schw4rztee502]

Modern trains tend to have more obstacles above and besides the train though.

[@orianefaton1885]

In the case of steam locomotive, there may even be the effect of the steam that may hinder the sight of the character or may, in a magical setting be used by a character with water power. Like, "oh you wanna pick a fight with the water user on a train because they won't have access to a lot of water, unless they wanna endanger all the train passagers (by using the cooling water) ?" Only for the water mage to climb on top of the train and use the steam which is water, even if gazeous form and use it. And, the baddies realizing that nope, it still was not a safe place to pick a fight with them.

[@artofthepossible7329]

Controlling H2O is OP and no one say otherwise.

[@WasatchWind]

​@@orianefaton1885I want to see a magic fight where they drain the tender of water and didn't realize they'd inadvertently cause a boiler explosion

[@WasatchWind]

They also have a bit more feeling of danger and movement accompanying them - steam locomotives are constantly spouting exhaust that makes the motion feel faster, and they're also more rough than modern trains/modern tracks. Ride a real steam train and all the cars are bucking around the whole time.

[@mannofdober873]

"Boy, heroes sure are busy." Having recently watched the Incredibles, that tickled me more than it should have.

[@ilshail153]

Wow, most trope talks are well written and composed, but this one's really taken it above and beyond. Seriously, the train of thought for this trope talk is remarkably well-constructed!

[@mariaindiasalvatierra2687]

I see what you did there

[@DulceDraws]

yeah she kept the entire discussion on track

[@Lechgang]

I had a dream last night that I was watching a new episode of Trope Talk. Weirdly enough, it was about stakes, like- stakes in a fight, giving the heroes stakes so that the conflict feels more meaningful. But then Red went into a tangent about their favorite type of steak, and how many of fictions most iconic battles could've been resolved over a plate of good steak. Weirdly enough, none of it felt out of character.

[@Moonstar79]

The train trope in film specifically can probably be traced back to "The Great Train Robbery," which was the first narrative film ever and was, naturally, about trains. Then Buster Keaton popped in around the 1920s and did a bunch of slapstick comedy on trains, so those two tones-- the comedic and the tense-- helped set the stage for our modern train heist and train fight respectively.

[@DarthRayj]

I'm glad someone mentioned this :3

[@onlyindeathdoesdutyend.8333]

I don't think red has seen the two shows with the best train scenes, otherwise she definitely would have shown them. Out of the multiple episodes on trains in both those shows, the Felix fight from Baccano and the Neopolitan fight from RWBY are especially brilliant.

[@JenamDrag0n]

I know she definitely hasn't seen RWBY. She's mentioned before that she tried watching it once and got bored with it very quickly.

[@TheRealEvilkitten3]

@@JenamDrag0n baccano! is a thousand times better than rwby imo. even if you only watch the anime, it's really good

[@greasedweasel8087]

There’s two types of comments on this video: 1. Insightful or additional commentary expanding your points 2. “WHERE IS BULLET TRAIN?”

[@QuintonMurdock]

2:51 YES. YEEEEEESSS.

[@Krissyhowler]

There's a truly unique train-related sequence in the climax of Back to the Future 3. The protagonists hold up the train, firmly but politely remove the engineer and disconnect the passenger cars, then push the engine to go as fast as it possibly can, pushing it far beyond its operational speed and pressure. Which is further complicated by having to travel back and forth along the exterior of the engine to make sure the heroes (plus the surprise wrinkle of the primary love interest) are not onboard the train when it inevitably plunges into a ravine. The drama is not brought by gunplay or fisticuffs, but by the simple facts of IT'S A TRAIN approaching 88mph, clambering over its exterior is difficult even when you are not wearing heels and crinoline skirts, and the train threatens to explode at any moment.

[@Stratelier]

Indeed, it's the combination of otherwise stock elements that made it unique.

[@WasatchWind]

This is the kind of train action scene I want more of. They think surprisingly realistically about it, that they have their little mcguffin that makes the fire hotter, and so the train keeps speeding up and getting more and more out of control as it slowly blows apart.. The scene is also helped by using a real historic steam locomotive, Sierra No. 3.

[@JarieSuicune]

Have you seen Unstoppable? You should watch it. Train is awesome/scary and I love it. And it's based on a true story, which is rare for me to be able to enjoy (I tend to get emotional/angry with many of the situations of terrible treatments/situations shown in True Stories).

[@intergalactic92]

"Is this a hold up?" *looks at one another* "it’s a science experiment."

[@Krissyhowler]

@@JarieSuicune No, I've just seen bits and pieces of it but good reference!

[@silverstar4505]

Trains once again prove they're objectively the best transport

[@dodonixx953]

Yes!

[@Bluecho4]

Yes

[@orionpisces5875]

Yes!

[@grahamgoldberg6908]

The first ever dnd session I ran took place inside a train and can confirm it is an ideal environment for storytelling.

[@zodayn]

I also love how every cabin on a train is like its own themed mini scene. The diner, the storage, the cabins, the luxery suite, the engine. You can do a lot of set dressing really close to eachother

[@justinn8541akaDrPokemon]

"You know we'd end up here eventually." Dr. Doofenshmirtz Season 4 Episode 6 Sidetracked.

[@crisx3358]

'Baccano. Train fights the anime.' My brain this entire episode haha

[@TheRealEvilkitten3]

EXACTLY

[@DoctorWilsonVer1]

Having recently done the Excess Express chapter of Paper Mario TTYD, I realized not even Mario is immune from having to fight on top of a train.

[@phictionofgrandeur2387]

I love that fight

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

Chapter 6 is just a Hitchcock movie

[@nimishmalik884]

To quote golden words: "Train good, car bad"

[@kamikage9420]

Another fan of "Well There's Your Problem"?

[@nimishmalik884]

@@kamikage9420 Indeed

[@KenjiShiratsuki]

There's also so many types of trains. Coach class only, sleeper cars, luxury trains like the Oriental Express, cargo train, mass transit city-based or intercity trains, and even a SPACE TRAIN in Honkai Star Rail, which DOES get invaded a couple times...

[@eeveestar6826]

They made this an entire battle facility in Pokémon. And the internet turned the conductors into Tumblr Sexymen

[@BJGvideos]

And then, seeing their popularity, the company tossed one of them back in time and gave him amnesia but he still speaks in train metaphors for the whole game. Trains existed in that era but wouldn't come to Hokkaido for a while, so imagine when they start planning a railway and Ingo just "!!!!!!"

[@quintonclothier6171]

A personal favorite train fight of mine is the Sea Train arc of One Piece. Without spoiling much, it splits up the group, and puts them in two trains. One train has the heroes and their allies, and the other has the other heroes, their enemies, and the person they’re trying to rescue. This is a heist, due to the aforementioned hostage, the heroes’ train is referred to as a runaway train, there are detached cars, one of the heroes has a fight on top of the train, and there’s good ol’ nose noodles McGee. He’s not a trope. And that’s a good thing.

[@JohnZ117]

Mine is from "Broken Arrow." On the train, nuclear bomb, the rogue military team hoping to get rich with it, and a park ranger trying her damnedest to stop them. Getting on the train, non-rogue military guy and ex-bestie of the leader of the r.m. team. Whole movie is almost pure action movie directed by one of the best, John Woo, and the train fight that happened was the best way to end it.

[@marcustulliuscicero5443]

The only problem with the sea train arc is that it introduces a new character that for some reason is never referred to again after the conclusion of the saga :(

[@quintonclothier6171]

@@marcustulliuscicero5443 He went back to his home, within our hearts.

[@nathanjwieler]

Bullet Train is just this trope for 2 hours and it’s fantastic because everyone loves this trope.

[@spyro2002]

Something else I enjoy about trains is that they are a perfect blend between stationary and moving. They are technically moving but they follow a specific path and can't get out of line (or it will be really bad if they do) so it can function as a "base of operations" that you have to go away from and come back to while still allowing the plot to move to different locations without needing to establish a new base of operations every time. This isn't really related to the fighting aspect but it's still an aspect that makes them very fun to me.

[@esobelisk3110]

as a person who rides trains semi-frequently, i actually laughed at “somebody from the real world might think of trains as a reliable, fast, and comfortable mode of transportation.” i mean, *somebody* might, but i sure haven’t met them!

[@yvainestelmack7196]

What do you mean? In my city you can always reliably find crack and meth addicts on the trains, and they are fast to make themselves comfortable.

[@P0nyl0ve]

Haha yes trains irl are also plot magnets!

[@MusicoftheDamned]

Same. Given reasons that Red brings up in later in the video, however, it's clear that majority of train-related stuff applies more to above ground and longer distance trains since in addition to being squallid and cramped hellholes, most subway-only trains don't have enough ceiling clearance for proper fight anyway.

[@sadnessofwildgoats]

​@@yvainestelmack7196"In **my** city"

[@sadnessofwildgoats]

"Reliable, fast, and comfortable mode of transportation 😂" Oh yeah, as opposed to cars, where even in the country most dedicated to subsidizing these tens of thousands of dollars death machines and their owners you will always be rolling a die to get stuck in traffic behind some deadly accident, and be forced to sit upright with perfect attention to the road for an hour even at the best case scenario. Yes, how awful it would be to have Europe's transportation systen

[@neroquin]

this is why i love baccano it's like half train fight. train fights are so cool, they're always awesome no matter what

[@BasedMexx]

The JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind Train Fight has gotta be my absolute favorite

[@LloydTheZephyrian]

I know there was a truck fight and some plane fights, but I don't think Jojo's ever had a train fight. EDIT: Nevermind, I was beeg dumdum. Had to wake up a little more.

[@meloneatingwolf1882]

@@LloydTheZephyrianI was quite fond of Steel Ball Run’s train fight.

[@chesqen]

It's funny how, on the other hand, the only method of transportation that actually goes well for the Crusaders in Part 3 is the train they take from Singapore to Calcutta.

[@LloydTheZephyrian]

@@meloneatingwolf1882 Haven't gotten to Part 7, admittedly.

[@meloneatingwolf1882]

@@LloydTheZephyrian you can find the colour version on a site called Mangadex. Perfectly safe. Besides it will probably be a while before the anime adaptation.

[@Firestorm6651]

I'd also like to say that trains' omnipresence also relates to the popularity of Westerns in Hollywood, which formed a big formative part of modern media. The Western train heist is its own trope, but I think it exposed a lot of people to the usefulness and versatility of trains, so that they would then incorporate it into their own writing. It's an example I think of how popular media does have a lasting impact beyond its initial context.

[@dakotahmays1437]

Hell one of the first ever films was The Great Train Robbery (1903)

[@BecCallow1471]

I've watched the film Bullet Train, and I feel like that film also has a really good point to make about trains, too: They allow for varied settings during a film while still keeping the story mostly isolated to a confined area. Beyond the scenes where the characters arrive at various stops along their route, the train that the film takes place in has almost every car be completely unique. Two that come to mind immediately are the childrens' car, focusing on a film-exclusive mascot character, and a concessions car with a full bar included.

[@amandathunderclaw8969]

Her restraint to not mention Rolling With Difficulty in every trope talk that references tropes found in it is frankly impressive

[@taylorh2570]

There is a running gag in logistics (shipping etc.) that if you try to make a new, better form of shipping you will arrive at the train. Like imagine that scene from The Good Place where Janet has the cactuses; if someone says they've invented a new, better form of shipping, it's a train. Apparently this extends to tropes

[@MattMcIrvin]

"techbros invented trains again" is becoming an urbanist/transit-fan KZbin trope.

[@alextownsend3808]

I never realized there were so many train-specific story tropes! They're definitely fun and useful in all kinds of settings. And just think, one of the oldest cinema tropes to portray someone as really evil is the mustache-twirling villain tying a woman to railroad tracks! We have been all about train stories at least as long as we've had movies. You could even make an argument to include "A Train Arrives at the Station" as a train-trope story!

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I always told have Anakin and Luke to be mindful of their TRAINing. I hope they realized that also encompassed being mindful of trains.

[@elpizo1789]

Shoutout to my favorite take on this trope in the Flying Pussyfoot arc of Baccano, which asks the question "how many crazies there can be on one train" and answers with "YES".

[@harryeast95]

There is also the train escape. There's two versions of that, the protagonists get on a train (typically, a freight carriage with optional fellow travellers) or they use a train as a barrier to obstruct their pursuer(s) (e.g. Enemy of the State, Logan). Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows uses trains both ways, i.e. there's a train fight and a train escape.

[@perphenanolastnamethopls3610]

I think the main point of interest for trains is cultural relevancy; not everyone can relate to a ride on a cruise, but almost everyone can *imagine* that a train ride isn't too different from a car ride. Just take a look at cultures like India where trains are extremely significant, or the United States where trains evoke an idea of a wild wild west. Also, as mentioned, airplanes are too risky to play outside of, and cars are too small for anything but clown combat. Also compared to busses, I think it's worth noting that busses exist in cities which have the added risk of sidewalks. Usually people aren't on train tracks, anything off the tracks may as well be a pitch black void of death and despair - which is precisely why a train going off the tracks almost universally ends badly - or is narrowly avoided ending badly.

[@ROFLtheWAFL]

I am now hooked on the idea of sinister sentient public transit that try to rope hapless heroes into danger

[@Tuaron]

Seems like something you'd get in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

[@zehern22]

Digimon Tamers: Run Away Locomon is basically that (kinda).

[@phastinemoon]

Infinity Train.

[@jacksonhoiland2664]

​@@Tuaron very similar to strength(the boat stand)

[@valutaatoaofunknownelement197]

​@@jacksonhoiland2664Maybe a good name for a train-based stand would be Frontier? Name referencing how trains helped push the boundaries of the world.

[@IsaandLea]

The Flying Pussyfoot is by far my favorite train fight bc 3 different groups set upon it with various intentions turning into a simultaneous train heist, hostage situation, and train hijacking which devolves into a four way fight between a small group of street punks (the thieves), a splinter group of the Chicago mob (hostage takers), terrorists (hijackers), and the conductor who is a freelance hatchet man for the mob

[@grfrjiglstan]

When you have a big hunk of metal moving really fast, it tends to spice things up in a hurry. Like the movie Unstoppable said, a train is basically a missile the size of the Chrysler building. The sky’s the limit for what you can do with that.

[@SkyEcho751]

Something you didn't point out was the railroad tracks. They are functionally on a fixed route, and the only way to change that is to include some kind track switch, and even then, they are still stuck to a fixed route, just a different one then before. So while the heroes know exactly where they are going, so do the villains, so in a way trains can be super detrimental as you become stuck in a singular 'fixed location', and the villains can try to capitalize on that fact. Or maybe it's the heroes capitalizing on that fact, for something like a train heist.

[@SamuelKissinger]

You know the fact that this trope happens also so often in videogames that it just shows how good of a plot point trains are for real. Also was going to give the example of Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door as one, they literally had a whole ambush and a murder mystery plot in the same part on the train!!

[@ayvenmoor2332]

13:38 Yet another massive W for trains, the worlds best mode of transit

[@Envy_May]

trains are the crabs of transport