Railway Forum - Chicken Stops Train (2004)

I Thought this was Funny.

What a poultry excuse…Passengers forced to flee 125mph train after crash with chicken.

Rail passengers are used to all kinds of excuses for late trains from leaves on the line to the wrong kind of snow. But none could have expected their train to be delayed..by a chicken. Astonished travellers on the London Paddington to Swansea express were told the bird was crossing the track when it was hit by the train and dragged beneath the carriages. However, its body ruptured one of the train’s fuel pipes, causing diesel to spray over the undercarriage. Passengers were forced to disembark at Swindon for 40 minutes while railway engineers and firemen made repairs and safety checks. One of the passengers hit by the delay on Wednesday, architect Robert Guy,49, said: “The train manager announced that we had hit a chicken on the line. Everyone was quite amused. I have had dozens of excuses for delays and cancellations but this takes the biscuit. People in the carriages were making jokes like ‘Why did the chicken cross the railway line?’ and the tracks being all ‘fowled up’”. But Mr Guy, travelling first-class, praised train operator First Great Western for getting the train back on track as quickly as possible. “If the train hits something you have to deal with it,” he said “The bird broke the fuel line so they had to make sure there was no fire risk. I thought they dealt with it quite well and managed not to ruffle too many feathers. The train manager was good and we all had a good laugh on the way home” Last night Rail Passengers Council spokeswoman Alison Kerry said it sounded like a ludicrous excuse but wouldn’t have been so funny for those delayed. “We have heard all sorts of excuses over the years but this is a new one to me. You would think that a train is more robust and could withstand a collision with a chicken.” First Great Western yesterday confirmed there had been a delay on the three hour London to South Wales service but refused to be drawn on details about the chicken. A spokesman said “A train hit something on the track which caused some damage to the underside of the train, hence the delay. And a dead chicken was found on the line. It’s not usual to have livestock on the line but it’s not unheard of either.” Network Rail, responsible for keeping the line running, last night could not shed any light on how the bird came to be on the track. A spokeswoman said “It happened in the countryside, but I don’t know how the chicken could have got on the track.”

Now I’ve heard of cooking breakfast on the shovel of a steam locomotive but a chicken soaked in diesel? I suppose it could be Coq Au Guard’s Van. Just time for a barbecue at a red signal while waiting for the signalman to “pullet” off.. go on, add your own jokes. You know you want to!