Sub Base Mine Train (Nazi sub-base mine cars)

A linked set of small electric-powered mine cars operating in the Nazi sub-base docking bay. The train is used to transfer the Ark (and accompanying guards/personnel) from the docked submarine into a tunnel and onward toward surface ceremonial tents. Scenes associate the train with officers Shliemann and the Tall Captain, Belloq directing a parade, captive Marion following, and Indiana Jones covertly riding above on the periscope.

2 appearances

Purpose

Transports the Ark from the submarine through the mine toward a tunnel and ceremonial tents

Significance

Enables Belloq's spectacle of the Ark, heightens Nazi rivalries over its control, and thrusts Indy into a heart-pounding close call amid the transfer

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S1E1 · RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Belloq's Public Claim — The Ark Paraded to the Tents

The mine train is the base’s internal logistics system: it receives the Ark cart to pull the crate through rails leading into a tunnel cut in the rock, transforming a dock-side display into subterranean procession and concealment.

Before: Idle at the track’s edge, cars coupled and ready to take the cart.

After: Has departed, pulling the Ark cart into the tunnel toward the arranged tents.

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S1E1 · RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Whip on the Periscope — Indy's Silent Stowaway

Mine-train cars sit on rails leading from the dock into a tunnel; they form the route the Ark will take toward the tents and provide the procession's mechanical motion, drawing the unloading operation forward and serving as the immediate destination for the cart.

Before: Standing on the track near the dock, ready to convey the Ark into the tunnel.

After: Begin to carry the cart and Ark into the tunnel mouth, disappearing from immediate view.

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