In the 2018 interview for the Wall Street Journal Warren Buffet said:

“(…) you can imagine the American economy is an economic train moving down a track that has no ending (…) occasionally that train is going to get derailed”.

Another “train” related metaphor came to my mind:

“The train is going to a bright future. It is driven by Lenin. Suddenly – stop, further there is no track. Lenin called for extra work on Saturdays, the rails were laid and the train went on. Now Stalin led the way. Again the road ran out. Stalin ordered the execution of half the conductors and passengers, and forced the rest to lay new tracks. The train moved on. Stalin was replaced by Khrushchev, and when the rails ran out, he ordered those on which the train had already traveled to be dismantled and laid before the steam locomotive. Khrushchev was replaced by Brezhnev. When the track ran out again, Brezhnev decides to cover the windows and rock the cars in such a way that passengers think the train is moving on.”

Sources:

„Warren Buffett Explains the 2008 Financial Crisis” https://youtu.be/k2VSSNECLTQ

exc. Jurij Boriew „Staliniada” [in:] Ryszard Kapuściński “Imperium” (translated with DeepL)