- “Train of Thought. Right on schedule.”
- ―Joy upon seeing the train arriving at headquarters
The Train of Thought is a train that appears in the 2015 Disney/Pixar film Inside Out. It is a train that travels all over the mind of Riley Andersen. It appears to be a freight train consisting of a flat train car and several covered "boxcar" styled freight cars pulled by what seems to be an electric locomotive.
Background[]
It is a fantasy train pulled by an electric locomotive that runs on tracks and is powered by overhead wires which form in front of it and disappear behind it. It goes all around Riley's mind in a more or less unpredictable way and delivers supplies, like daydreams, facts, and opinions, as well as memories. It is one of the only ways to get to Headquarters. The train only runs when Riley's awake. Its driver and conductor go on break when Riley sleeps.
Official Description[]
- The Train of Thought is an all-terrain choo-choo with a self-generating track that delivers daydreams, ideas, and other thoughts to Headquarters. It's also used to transfer memories to different regions of Riley's mind. But take note: When Riley sleeps, so do the operators.
Role in the film[]
The Train of Thought is first seen arriving a Headquarters on Riley's first day of school. After Joy and Sadness get lost in Riley's mind, they meet Bing Bong, who advises them to take the Train of Thought to get back to Headquarters. From then on, their journey concentrates on catching the train and then getting it to go, which turns out to be harder than they expected. However, just when they finally get onboard to Headquarters, Anger unintentionally caused the destruction of Honesty Island, which destroys the supports holding up the track, causing it to be derailed and destroyed in the Memory Dump, thus literally losing the train. But not before the engineer, conductor, Joy, Sadness, and Bing Bong get out.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- "Train of thought" refers to a series of ideas someone has before coming to a conclusion.
- The locomotive seems to be based on multiple Swiss electric locomotives. The driving wheels and configuration match an E-Loc Ee 3/3, while the nose shape and pilot bogie appear to be based on the Ce 6/8 "Crocodile" locomotive.
- In a deleted scene, it is revealed that there were originally going to be multiple trains of thought rather than just one, and that they were going to be powered by steam.
