: Re: How do I subvert the tropes of a train heist? What are the recognizable tropes to a "train heist", or more broadly the action sequences where a protagonist boards a moving train in order to

@Courtney562

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You didn't say whether the train itself has to be a train. That is, maybe one or more of the following design points of a "train" could be subverted:

The heroine has to perform the heist on a specific train (thanks @Amadeus for highlighting this one!). If that train goes by un-heisted, the heist has failed. ...Or has it?
Trains move on fixed courses and schedules. Our heroine knows exactly where the train is going to be, and when; and where it's going after that; and exactly how much time she has to perform each stage of the heist. ...Or does she?
Trains are fragile. If the train is derailed, everyone on board stands a good chance of dying. (This is why historically "train derailment" is up there with "treason" as a capital crime.) Even going around a curve too fast might be enough to wreck the train. The heroine must take precautions to make sure the train remains controlled at all times. ...Or must she?
Trains are deadly juggernauts. Vice versa, if a train hits someone on the tracks, it'll kill them. For both this reason and the preceding one, the engineer will be on the lookout for people or obstacles ahead, and if there's someone on the tracks or trying to flag down the train, the engineer will stop the train. ...Or will he?
Trains are long. The heroine might be messing around in the baggage car for several minutes before anyone notices. For either the heroine or her antagonist to get from the front of the train to the back of the train will also take several minutes. ...Or will it?
Similar to the above: trains are linear. If you're trying to get from the caboose to the engine, and I'm in the middle, you have to go through me. ...Or do you?

Linearity is already popularly subverted via the "heroine runs along the roof of the train" trope. I've never seen "heroine crawls along the bottom of the train" (probably for good reason) or "heroine moves sideways onto a train passing parallel to this one and then moves back." I've also never seen "train is really a big circle with no start or end so there are two ways to get anywhere" or "train is really two-dimensional" (cars spammed out either horizontally or vertically, take your pick).

Trains are easy to navigate. Because they're linear, there's only two exits from each car, and it's never unclear which is the "forward" exit and which is the "rear" exit. ...Or is it?

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