Setting the internet’s gears turning this week (Sept 17) is news of a mysterious disappearance, the vanishing of an entire 47 car freight train in Canada. Leaving Thunder Bay the 7.05pm to Winnipeg train along with a conductor and two drivers in the caboose simply disappeared sometime during its overnight journey.

According to reports frustrated search and rescue teams have scoured the line for the past three days and turned up nothing. At this point in time all that can be assumed is that someone has stolen a 47 car train, a freight train nearly a quarter of a mile long and weighing 10’s of thousands of tons.

Canadian National Railway representative Burton Lansdown went on air with CBC Radio to let Canadians know that they are doing their best to uncover the mystery and find the missing train.

Foul play is obviously afoot, but what kind for nefarious activity explains this mystery? Burton mentions in the interview that the mind goes to strange places, especially when answers cannot be found with obvious explanation. Alien abduction or some kind of Die Hard style heist? Here at Highpants we think the most radical explanation is that Project Serpo (alien bases and Non-Terestrial Army) is fortifying its base on Mars. The train itself would be a valuable resource for such a distant base.

Wacky explanations aside what really happened to the 7.05 to Winnipeg?

It turns out the entire story was a bit of creative satire by CBC Radio, it may even be misconstrued as a little bit of a dig at CN and the Canadian rail system in general. The original article aired on CBC Radio’s ‘This is That’, a show who’s byline reads ‘a current affairs program that doesn’t just talk about the issues, it fabricates them.’ The fact that the satire was missed by most either means there was too much truth in the tale or we are taking the world far too seriously. Or is there a third option, is a cover-up afoot?

Reference: CBC Radio – Original Article
Reference: Lead Stories – Satire Alert