Barrel Train

The Barrel Train is Diddy Kong's lightweight kart in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. It is unlocked by completing the Star Cup in 150cc. Its nitrous comes from the horn, which makes the sound of a train whistle when speed boosting. Like any steam engine, the Barrel Train's exhaust pipe is a smokestack. It resembles the train from Kalimari Desert as well as the K64 from Paper Mario.

The Barrel Train is the heaviest lightweight kart in the game; its weight is tied with the Red Fire and Heart Coach karts, which are middleweight. It is also the only lightweight kart that can push around the middleweight Green Fire and Bloom Coach karts. It is tied with the Bullet Blaster as the fastest light kart, however it also has the weakest acceleration of its weight class.

Being a lightweight kart, Donkey Kong (Diddy's default partner) can't ride on the Barrel Train. Therefore, Diddy needs to be paired with another lightweight to use this kart.

Although it has a four star speed stat, the Barrel Train is surprisingly faster than the other four star speed karts, including the Koopa King (which has a five star speed stat), and that's primarily due to the fact that its traction is very weak (the Barrel Train's speed hardly drops at all when hit by a Thunderbolt). Due to this fact, it is the fastest kart in the game. The Barrel Train also accelerates better than any other two star accelerator (the best two accelerator). It is a popular choice for getting good times in the Time Trials game mode.

This kart is also one of the four karts to have stats "out of the ordinary" for its weight class, with the others being the Green Fire, the Boo Pipes, and the Turbo Birdo.

The Barrel Train appears again in the Nintendo 3DS title Mario Kart 7. Here, its kart body appears as a retro, customizable kart body. The main difference is that it no longer has the green platform, and only contains 4 wheels, thus eliminating the second racer, and making the kart only for one racer. It offers a speed and weight boost, while hindering handling.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Stats

 * Speed: 4/5
 * Acceleration: 2/5
 * Weight: 3/5

Stat Boosts (Mario Kart 7)

 * Speed: +0.25
 * Acceleration: 0
 * Weight: +0.25
 * Handling: -0.5
 * Off Road: 0

Trivia

 * A train that resembles the Barrel Train can be seen buried in Gritzy Desert during the (past) events of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.
 * In Mario Party 8, Donkey Kong runs a train that is also known as the Barrel Train, but this Barrel Train is a full-size locomotive that runs on tracks.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Diddy's Barrel Train appears as a sticker that raises a player's leg attack by nineteen.