His death set in motion a train of events that led to the outbreak of war.

他的死引发了一系列的事件，从而导致了战争的爆发。

《牛津词典》

A train of events were caused by the traffic accident.

由于这起交通事故，一连串的事故发生了。

youdao

That telephone call set in train a whole series of events.

那个电话把一整套事项安排好了。

《牛津词典》

Fortunately, this naive view is wrong, as a train of events that started almost half a century ago showed.

ECONOMIST: Particle physics

Without realizing it, he says, humans set into motion a train of events we didn't realize we were in no position to control.

CNN: Gaia straits: Planetary doctor says condition terminal

So Mr. Romney is to blame because of decisions he didn't make at a business he didn't run that may or may not have set in train a series of random unconnected events many years apart that included Ilyona Soptic's illness.

WSJ: Review & Outlook: The Postmodern President