While not a direct reference, it might have been inspired by the works of Jacek Yerka. Several of his paintings depict animal—vehicle hybrids. The goldfish locomotive in Underwater Traction[www.wikiart.org] is perhaps the one most similar to the whale train.

One of the key features of surrealism is the use of visual and verbal puns, and "whale" here is a play on "rail" in "railroad" (in level 6 of Harbour Hazards the narrator inquires: "What are those whale road tracks?").

Incidentally, alarm clocks — another obstacle encountered in the game — are also a reoccurring motif in Jacek Yerka's art (for example, see Learning Walk[www.wikiart.org] or Timegrovel[www.wikiart.org]).