Along the Parkes to Narromine line (NSW) in the days of steam up to the 1950s, there was a lot of unfenced track. Living in this area, was a big old red bull who was well known to the locomotive crews.
This red bull had developed a habit, when hearing the sound of the train, of climbing the embankment of the railway line and stand on the track. The train driver would blow the whistle, but finally pull the train to a stop.
The crew would then alight from the engine, pick up bits of coal and stones, and throw them at the bull. If the bull was close enough, the driver would also release steam through the front cylinder cocks so that a rush of hot steam poured over the animal. Nothing worked.
After some time, having got tired of playing this game, the red bull would trot off back down the embankment until the next train came along.
Finally one of the drivers thought it was time to end this. As he saw the red bull trotting towards the train and standing on the track, the driver eased the engine right up to within a few inches of the animal. The driver then opened the front steam cylinder cock of the 32 Class locomotive and also the regulator! The steam blew, blinding the view of the animal.
Consequently, the engine butted the bull before the driver braked. The bull was forced up upon his haunches between the buffer and coupling, unable to move.
The scene was unimaginable. This huge red bull was sitting perfectly square on his backside like a lap dog begging. Its front legs were stuck around the buffers. Stuck! The driver and fireman cautiously walked from one side to the other with the bull following their movement with its enormous head, unable to move its body.
The crew got back into the cabin and ever so carefully eased back the engine. That huge red bull got released and tore down that embankment, never to be seen again by locomotive crews between Parkes and Narromine.
That red bull had a complete turn around.
That story reminded the Footplate Padre of the Biblical story about when Paul and Silas were imprisoned for preaching Jesus (Acts 15). In the evening, as Paul and Silas sang praises to the Lord, an earthquake caused the prison doors to spring open.
When the warden woke and saw the doors open, he assumed they had escaped. He was about to commit suicide because he felt so guilty at not 'doing his duty', when Paul called out that they were all here.
That prison warden had a complete turn around.
He warden was astounded and responded, "What must I do to be saved?" Verse 31: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved ….. and they spoke to him the word of the Lord … and rejoiced, believing in God …."
The warden became a committed follower of Jesus.