History Main / Trainstopping

** In the rebooted ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' #1, the first issue of [[ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsActionComics Grant Morrison's run]], Lex Luthor causes a Metropolis bullet train to go out of control. Superman is able to stop it, but being as this is set in his early days, when he was weaker and [[InASingleBound couldn't even fly yet]], [[spoiler:stopping the train almost kills him, allowing Lex and the military to capture him]]. (Added StealthPun: Superman has to be faster ''and'' more powerful than a speeding bullet locomotive!)

In addition, it allows the hero to showcase his SuperStrength or NighInvulnerability, and to save the lives of innocent people. It's also a good method of comparing heroes' relative power levels or gimmicks/gadgets. {{Superman}} just holds the train until it stops, while ComicBook/SpiderMan has to use webs attached to lampposts. So, stopping the train is almost like a graduation for a super hero. A bit like TheWorfEffect, except Worf is a train. You're a nobody unless you can stop a large moving vehicle.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Mr Incredible stops a train from riding over an exploded railtrack, although several people [[HilaritySues sue him]] for the resulting injuries. Still, Mr. Incredible visibly cringes in preparation of the incoming slam; it won't kill him, but it is still going to ''hurt''.
* The imagination portion of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' plays with this: Woody fails to save a RunawayTrain filled with orphan trolls before it falls over a destroyed bridge... cue the BigDamnHeroes moment for Buzz Lightyear as he catches the train in midair and saves the day.

* ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'': The fight between Ultron, Cap, Wanda and Pietro in Seoul sees Ultron purposely sabotage the brakes as a distraction while he escape. The train subsequently plows through a bumping block as it runs out of track and careens several blocks. Wanda uses her magic to bring the train to a stop while Pietro runs ahead and clears the train's path of pedestrians.
* In ''Film/SpiderMan2'', Octavius does this by disabling an 'L' train's brakes, and leaves Spidey to stop it. Peter jumps to the front of the train, and gives it three tries: First, he tries brute force via putting his foot down on the tracks to generate friction. This doesn't work, and hurts, and ruins a good number of ties. Then he tries firing weblines on either side. The train quickly breaks out when they stretch too far. Then he fires a dozen weblines on each side, to spread out the force, which eventually does stop the train, but only after nearly pulling Spidey apart, and the first car is left hanging precariously off the structure.

* Subverted in ''Film/BatmanBegins''. Batman deliberately intends to cause the train (built by his dad, no less) to crash. He doesn't take Ra's al-Ghul in the train with him when he leaves, letting the subsequent explosion kill Ra's.

* A stage in ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders: The 2nd Runner'' starts with a BattleshipRaid against a train. Then Jehuty has to stop the flaming wreck manually, because a high-speed train [[RealityEnsues keeps going at high speed]], even after getting destroyed.

* The action scene in Seoul from ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' have the titular villain purposely sabotaging the brakes of a bullet train, causing it to plow through the city streets, as a distraction. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, previously allies with Ultron, immediately pulled a HeelFaceTurn and assists in stopping the train, proving themselves to be on the same side as the Avengers at this point.
* In ''Film/SpiderMan2'', Octavius does this by disabling an 'R' train's brakes, and leaves Spidey to stop it. He jumps to the front of the train, and gives it three tries: First, he tries brute force via putting his foot down on the tracks to generate friction. This doesn't work, and hurts, and ruins a good number of ties. Then he tries firing weblines on either side. The train quickly breaks out when they stretch too far. Then he fires a dozen weblines on each side, to spread out the force, which eventually does stop the train, but only after nearly pulling Spidey apart, and the first car is left hanging precariously off the structure.

* Subverted in ''Film/BatmanBegins''. Batman deliberately intends to cause the train (built by his dad, no less) to crash. He doesn't take the enemy in the train with him when he leaves, apparently killing him.

* Multiple episodes of ''{{Franchise/Anpanman}}'' have had Anpanman and some of his other superhero friends save SL-Man, a living steam locomotive, this way.

* ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'':

** Subverted in ''[[Comicbook/{{Supergirl 2005}} Supergirl vol. 5]]'' #18. Kara stops a train but it breaks in half and derails upon crashing onto her indestructible body. Kara has a breakdown but she calms down -a bit- when she discovers that it was an illusion.

* There was an issue of ''Comicbook/XMen'' in the late '90s that paired up Gambit and Bishop, and involved them stopping a runaway train. It let the writer have fun with the combination of powers, where Gambit (an Energy Maker) pumped the engine full of kinetic energy, and Bishop (an Energy Taker) absorbed all of it into himself, before riding the rails to slow the train.

* ''Series/{{Supergirl 2015}}'':

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''

** In the opening title for the 1973-74 season, he's shown stopping a runaway train by grabbing the train's back end and pulling until the train stops. This may be a unique case, but it's a lot safer than the other method.

* ''Discworld/RaisingSteam'': Constable Bluejohn, a troll even bigger than Detritus, stops a runaway train he's on (while going up a mountain, the locomotive is separated from the train) by reaching out a hand and grabbing the cliffside.

** In "Identity Crisis", Bizarro attempts to stop a bridge from "collapsing". Unfortunately it's ''opening'' to let a boat through.

* Horribly deconstructed in ''ComicBook/TheBoys'' using a plane. A corporate band of superheroes are sent to rescue the last 9/11 plane (in this verse, the CIA's warnings were heeded, and the other three planes were shot down by the Air Force). It starts to go downhill when they can't hear each other over the wind, then they open the door and a kid gets sucked out. Then the super who was supposed to pilot the plane falls out. It ends with the supers cutting their way out through the ''passengers'' in their desperation to get out (when asked why he doesn't hold up the plane, the Homelander replies that there's nothing for him to push against). The only positive aspect of the entire thing is that the plane crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge instead of the WTC.

* In three "[[LetsPlay/AchievementHunterGrandTheftAutoSeries Things to do in Grand Theft Auto V]]", the Creator/AchievementHunter team attempts to do this with the train the drives around in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV''. They tried with buses, a tunnel filled with dump trucks and an entire conga line of dump trucks. None of them stop it. Years later, they added in the Mobile Command Centers. Still didn't work!

Used more in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, when trains were a popular means of transportation in the US (where most {{Superhero}} stories come from), but still alive today. One could put on a [[WildMassGuessing tinfoil hat]] to mention that, if not for the supers, there would be a lot of train crashes, and it seems the train regulation committee [[NoOSHACompliance forgot OSHA Compliance]] when they noticed [[HoldingOutForAHero some dude in a cape]] always appeared to save the passengers. It doesn't necessarily need to be a train; a [[ComingInHot crashing airplane]] or [[ReentryScare re-entering spacecraft]] works just as well.

In addition, it allows the hero to showcase his SuperStrength or NighInvulnerability, and to save the lives of innocent people. It's also a good method of comparing heroes' relative power levels or gimmicks/gadgets. {{Superman}} just holds the train until it stops, while SpiderMan has to use webs attached to lampposts. So, stopping the train is almost like a graduation for a super hero. A bit like TheWorfEffect, except Worf is a train. You're a nobody unless you can stop a large moving vehicle.

* In ''Film/SpiderMan2'', Octavius does this by disabling an 'L' train's brakes, and leaves Spidey to stop it. He jumps to the front of the train, and gives it three tries: First, he tries brute force via putting his foot down on the tracks to generate friction. This doesn't work, and hurts, and ruins a good number of ties. Then he tries firing weblines on either side. The train quickly breaks out when they stretch too far. Then he fires a dozen weblines on each side, to spread out the force, which eventually does stop the train, but only after nearly pulling Spidey apart, and the first car is left hanging precariously off the structure.

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]

* ComicBook/WonderWoman in ''More Fun Comics'' #1.

* The WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons cartoon "Billion Dollar Limited" has Superman inverting it, doing everything he can to ''keep'' the train going, including saving it from falling into a canyon when the bridge is dynamited by the bad guys. It's on Website/YouTube [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f44K6VYU67g here]]: the scene starts around 6:00. He eventually ends up ''pulling'' the train himself all the way to it's destination.

** In ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'', Colossus is ordered to do this by Wraith, even though Colossus isn't even sure he'll survive it.

* In ''Series/LoisAndClark,'' Superman has to do this. However, this is in the 90s, in the scheme of things not terribly long ComicBook/PostCrisis, so he has great difficulty doing it (when his PowerCreepPowerSeep is at its ''most'' ridonkulous, the man who can move planets with his bare hands doesn't worry too much about trains. But this Supes ain't that Supes.) Naturally, in the end he ''does'' prove to be "more powerful than a locomotive." The fact that it's hard for him averts the usual problem of horizontal NotTheFallThatKillsYou: the train ''definitely'' slows down gradually instead of being stopped instantly (which would rightfully result in as much passenger squishification as being stopped with equal suddenness by a crash.)

* ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'': Nate Heywood AKA Steel, gets to do this at the climax of the Season 2 episode [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/LegendsOfTomorrowS2E6OutlawCountry ''Outlaw Country'']], preventing it from reaching the pass and exploding the load of [[{{Unobtanium}} dwarfstar ore]] it's carrying. He's visibly excited after he succeeds.

* Near the end of the GSC arc of ''Manga/PokemonSpecial'', [[spoiler:Red makes his BigDamnHeroes return by calling out Snorlax]] to forcibly slow the runaway Magnet Train down to a stop before it crashes into a deadend.