What would happen if a rat or mouse was found on board a train?

[Dougal2345]

Personally I’ve never seen a rat juice itself, badgers, cats and foxes yes, but not rats.

Perhaps they rarely leave any evidence because as soon as it happens, all their friends enjoy a cooked meal...

 

[bastien]

What would happen here on RF though?

[Redacted] would post a long, fragrantly-worded rhetorical question implying a rat was seen, possibly on a train.

[Redacted] would add that rats in Germany get around much quicker thanks to the clockface timetable on the RatBahn.

[Redacted] would rush to measure and weigh the rat, thus proving it falls dissapointingly short of the previous generation of rat.

[Redacted] would point out that rats are just imported rubbish.

[Redacted] would post some sarcastic whimsy and get their account suspended.

 

[richard1976]

Could always take the train to Huddersfield and let Felix (the station cat) deal with the problem

 

[Panupreset]

Once on departing one end of a branch line conductor called me up and said just as doors had closed a handsome ginger cat had jumped onboard. Conductor picked him up and put him in the back cab and the moggy was conveyed back to his home station on the return trip.

 

[duffield]

I used to watch pigeons walking round and under 3rd rail. never saw one zapped, and never saw a zapped one. But birds do get zapped when they sit on the overhead under bridges, then panic when a train comes and earth the 25KV to the bridge.

As per the classic 'exploding pigeon' incident in the Paddington 24/7 TV programme, all lines out of Paddington closed after said pigeon's sad demise managed to bring down a large chunk of concrete from an overbridge.

 

[jamesst]

I've even had it once when prepping a train in a station siding early one morning finding a person fast asleep In one of the coaches! Apparently he'd somehow got on during the night!

 

[matacaster]

Should said rat get on a East Midlands train with Weekend First to take advantage of the free biscuits and tea, it would probably still be very hungry and somewhat disappointed at lack of choice with only one sort of biscuit.

 

[reddragon]

Some pigeons are known to commute regularly by Underground!

Yes often seen that, less so these days as trains are busier

 

[scrapy]

Pigeons/seagulls are far more of a problem than rats or mice. Trains with end doors and separate vestibules are much easier to get them out of.

 

[Andrew1395]

I remember taking a pest control contractor around Euston Station so they could prepare a quote (nearly thirty years ago). Each place we want he found another creature to quote extermination and prevention services for. Pharoahs ants, two types of cockroaches (the German were the most prevalent). Mice were not that evident, but were often seen. It was the rat droppings in the ICOBS prepare area behind platforms 4-1 that created the biggest upset. The ICOBS manager almost pleaded that surely it was a mouse dropping. The expert basically described that for a mouse to have produced a stool that size if would disembowel itself. Rats and mice are common around railway lines. They certainly did get into empty stock, but in my experience rarely as there were easier pickings in buildings and railway infrastructure.

 

[aye2beeviasea]

What would happen here on RF though?

[Redacted] would post a long, fragrantly-worded rhetorical question implying a rat was seen, possibly on a train.

[Redacted] would add that rats in Germany get around much quicker thanks to the clockface timetable on the RatBahn.

[Redacted] would rush to measure and weigh the rat, thus proving it falls dissapointingly short of the previous generation of rat.

[Redacted] would point out that rats are just imported rubbish.

[Redacted] would post some sarcastic whimsy and get their account suspended.

Also [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] would post that it's basically all the passengers' fault.

 

[Myb]

One evening on a TGV Duplex I saw a small mice. The passengers on the seats across me went to le bar, and here I saw her. Each time I moved ever so slightly on my seat she hid under the seat, only to reappear a few moments later.

 

[175mph]

One evening on a TGV Duplex I saw a small mice. The passengers on the seats across me went to le bar, and here I saw her. Each time I moved ever so slightly on my seat she hid under the seat, only to reappear a few moments later.

Did you report it?

 

[Myb]

Did you report it?

No I didn't.

 

[175mph]

No I didn't.

I must admit though I found it looked cute, although if I had seen it myself in person I'd have been creeped out by it.

 

[Polarbear]

There was a time when rats on trains used to be commonplace http://www.class25.info/

 

[6Gman]

What would happen here on RF though?

[Redacted] would post a long, fragrantly-worded rhetorical question implying a rat was seen, possibly on a train.

[Redacted] would add that rats in Germany get around much quicker thanks to the clockface timetable on the RatBahn.

[Redacted] would rush to measure and weigh the rat, thus proving it falls dissapointingly short of the previous generation of rat.

[Redacted] would point out that rats are just imported rubbish.

[Redacted] would post some sarcastic whimsy and get their account suspended.

[Redacted] would explain - at length - why rats on the Mid-Cheshire Line get a raw deal.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

How's this for a perfect thread coupling... and it's even on topic... sort of...!!

 

[L&Y Robert]

I was once travelling back to Newcastle on a Tyneside electric, via the 'Riverside loop'. It was not a busy train, and I was surprised when a woman sitting diagonally opposite abruptly got to her feet and moved to the far end of the carriage. A few minutes later I saw a mouse moving about the floor where she had been sitting. I watched it going to and fro until we finally arrived at Newcastle. As I moved along the platform there I encountered the driver coming the other way, and I told him his train had a mouse on board. "Eee well, that's champion!" he said.

 

[Howardh]

Could always take the train to Huddersfield and let Felix (the station cat) deal with the problem

I was alone in a carriage a fortnight ago - except there was another passenger, a pigeon! I took it's photo and must remember to post it some day.

Is Felix still around? Might be calling there this PM so would like a chat and a selfie with the railway's Most Important Feline.

 

[boxy321]

Also [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] and [Redacted] would post that it's basically all the passengers' fault.

Please move this post to the [redacted] section. I favourite word on here never used elsewhere.

 

[philjo]

There were a couple of wasps inside a GN 313 a few years ago. Fortunately they were mainly attracted to the bright yellow in the door areas so didn't spend too much time around the seated passengers. I think they had flown in while the train was at Stevenage - we got rid of them through the doors at Hatfield !

 

[Bungle158]

Given the Micky Mouse franchise holders who now dominate the industry l would imagine that the average rodent would have some sort of management pass.

 

[matacaster]

[Redacted] would explain - at length - why rats on the Mid-Cheshire Line get a raw deal.

[redacted] would suggest that 442's could be used to house said rats, particularly as other candidates, such as 142's were in poor condition.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I am told that on the Indian Railways - when passenger stock was outstabled as a result of post Monsoon flooding , careful checks were made before entering service for snakes.

There was an incident at Paddington - years ago- with an adder or similar in a toilet on an inwards 125 , possibly got in via the discharge toilet pipe, - that is what nightmares are made of.

 

[StoneRoad]

Sitting, minding my own business, on the T&W Metro a few years ago, when all hell seemed to break loose, with someone screaming and some running about.
Turns out that the young lady was phobic for bees / wasps and there was one trying to fly through the window. I put it outside with the paper & cup method at the next station. Took two more stations to get her calm ... she was also allergic to stings, so justifiably frightened.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Sitting, minding my own business, on the T&W Metro a few years ago, when all hell seemed to break loose, with someone screaming and some running about.
Turns out that the young lady was phobic for bees / wasps and there was one trying to fly through the window. I put it outside with the paper & cup method at the next station. Took two more stations to get her calm ... she was also allergic to stings, so justifiably frightened.

Fully understandable.

Found a cockroach on a NYC service bus one day , happily on the plastic seat. Told driver (bad move) - who took the bus out of service there and then empty to the depot in Harlem for deep cleaning and fumigation.

When we did "heavy cleans" on the (admittedly filthy 313's in 1996 on North London Railways) , apart from changing and washing all the removable seat covers and jet washing the floors / washing down the wall panels and ceilings etc, the sets were fumigated first.

Now London is not third world , but the muck that came out was astounding , and guess what , passengers and staff noticed the difference. ! - pleased to say we kept the fleet pretty good internally and externally for a while.

 

[175mph]

Fully understandable.

Found a cockroach on a NYC service bus one day , happily on the plastic seat. Told driver (bad move) - who took the bus out of service there and then empty to the depot in Harlem for deep cleaning and fumigation.

When we did "heavy cleans" on the (admittedly filthy 313's in 1996 on North London Railways) , apart from changing and washing all the removable seat covers and jet washing the floors / washing down the wall panels and ceilings etc, the sets were fumigated first.

Now London is not third world , but the muck that came out was astounding , and guess what , passengers and staff noticed the difference. ! - pleased to say we kept the fleet pretty good internally and externally for a while.

Do you know if any bus companies in the UK have a policy to put buses out of service if a passenger reports a sighting of a cockroach? Plus as well, when you did the deep cleans, was any mold ever found?

 

[S-Car-Go]

See it, scoop it, serve it.

Rat au train, cafard du jour, pigeon rôti.

Bon appetit!