French Bulldog Reggie Wrecks Van, Topples 1872 Signal Box in Knaresborough

French Bulldog Reggie gnawed through a handbrake cable, launching a work van down Kirkgate and smashing straight through Knaresborough’s 1872 signal box. Trending queries like “Can dogs cause train accidents?” and “What happens if a dog drives a vehicle?” now headline Yorkshire. “I’m just thankful no-one was injured and also that Reggie was not hurt,” said the anonymous owner after police confirmed the only serious casualty was a Grade II-listed signal box.
The van’s canine-powered descent past Knaresborough Station forced National Rail to run a reduced service until 14:00, with commuters searching phrases like “train delays Yorkshire today” and “level crossing accidents UK.” As North Yorkshire Police launch inquiries, one witness recalled the van missing his house “by mere inches”—a morning where Victorian infrastructure proved no match for French bulldog dental ambition.
The 1872 signal box, attached to a terraced house and one of few like it in Britain, survived nearly 150 years only to be upended by a work van piloted—indirectly—by Reggie’s teeth.