Minecart

Minecarts, also called as Railcarts and Trucks (トロッコ), are useful or harmful obstacles in Sonic the Hedgehog series. First appearing in 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the minecarts are the same as what they originally appeared in the real world, and can serve as both assists or obstacles to the player.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2
The minecarts first appeared in the in 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, where Sonic eventually is able to ride through the Under Ground Zone.

Sonic and the Black Knight
In Sonic and the Black Knight, minecarts are shown to look almost identical as to the real world counterparts. They appear in the Molten Mine stage, typically only on a grinding segment of the stage.

In this game, minecarts are obstacles that will be heading towards the player while grinding on rails. Only jumping or moving to a nearby rail will the minecart be avoided. If not avoided, the player will either fall off the rail and/or lose a live or stop grinding if hit.

Sonic Lost World
Minecarts reappear in the Silent Forest zone from the upcoming video game, Sonic Lost World. Like the Sonic and the Black Knight counterpart, they appear on grinding segments, but minecarts have more of a simpler tone to it instead of the real world-esque version from Sonic and the Black Knight.