Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

Post History

60%
+1 −0
Q&A How do I subvert the tropes of a train heist?

Don't touch the train itself This might not be what you're looking for, but something to consider anyway. Remember that a train isn't an autonomous vehicle controlled by the driver alone. So hav...

posted 5y ago by Toby Speight‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T11:59:39Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/45476
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Toby Speight‭ · 2019-12-08T11:59:39Z (almost 5 years ago)
## Don't touch the train itself

This might not be what you're looking for, but something to consider anyway.

Remember that a train isn't an autonomous vehicle controlled by the driver alone. So have the action take place in a signal box and/or signalling control centre. The MC can fight for control of signalling and switching; this fight could be physical, psychological or even cybercriminal, depending on the story setting.

For an example of this approach (though planned, heist-style, rather than haphazard as your MC seems to be), I recommend viewing [_The Train_ (1964)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Train_(1965_film)). The early parts involve taking control of the train via its control structure, and it later switches to the conventional form of the trope, with fighting on and around the vehicle itself.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-05-27T18:46:41Z (over 5 years ago)
Original score: 3