The best movies take you on a journey. Some explore the fate of a character, their inner conflict, the tension that leads to a point of crisis, then ultimately the resolution. Others take you on a journey of the mind, exploring ideas, concepts and offering up fresh perspectives. Some movies take you on a journey literally…a train journey.

Trains aren’t the most glamorous machines, nor the most luxurious mode of transport, and for the average commuter the drudgery of a train ride to work can at times be something of a nightmare. But for some reason there are a handful of train movies that captivate us, grab our imaginations and whisk us into a world of fast-paced, seat-of-the-pants style adventure or romance. If done well, a train movie can be claustrophobic, exhilarating and fun.

Who could forget the classic Murder on the Orient Express (1974)? Whilst a train is lodged in the snow, one passenger is brutally murdered and thus there emerge a plethora of potential suspects for our detective Poirot to investigate. But all is not as it seems and inevitably the plot thickens as ghosts from our protagonist’s past rear their ugly heads.

In the hilarious Some Like It Hot (1959) high-jinx are played out as two struggling male musicians on the run from the mob join an all-girl band by impersonating women. But how long can they keep up the pretence? Particularly when Marilyn Monroe is swishing around in all her old school glamour, kitten heels and red lipstick…

The quirky adventure that is The Darjeeling Limited (2007) takes us on a voyage across the exotic landscape of India in a typically overcrowded, rickety old wreck of a train, and this movie serves up some ticklish comedy mixed with some genuinely touching moments.

In the same year, the brilliant Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) saw Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck act out the infamous train robber’s few months before the repercussions of his skulduggery eventually caught up with the naughty scamp and resulted in disastrous consequences.

A movie with a runaway train as the central antagonist…who would have thought! But you’ll have to watch Unstoppable (2010) to find out if that menacing hunk of metal really does live up to its name, or if Denzel Washington manages to save the day once again.

If all the adrenaline pumping and high drama has got you a little nervous about your next train ride worry not, thankfully these stories exist purely in the realm of fiction. But just remember the next time you are taking a trip somewhere make sure you have your all-important train tickets handy otherwise you could get into a train adventure all of your own with the conductor.

Catherine Clay writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.