[Guest]

Just like my last riddle (though I didn't mention this) this riddle comes from a book by Paule Sloane. He's written many lateral thinking books, and most of the riddles I know come from those books. Here's to you, Paul.

There was a monorail train system for many years in Ireland on which loads had to be balanced on opposite sides of the car. A lady wanted to transport a piano on the train, so a local farmer lent a cow to balance it. However, the cow ultimately had to be returned. How did they solve the problem of getting the cow back?

The farmers in the receiving city owned many cows.

[Guest]

Have one cow on each end and the returning one in the middle? Then just send back the two extra cows, oe on each side.

[Guest]

1.send the cow back in the back of a lorry

2. cut the cow up into nice sized steaks and send back on the monorail or the above lorry.

3.cattleprod it hard enough so it lands on top of the train, then let it hang ten and surf the train back,

Edited July 7, 2008 by calis16

[Brandonb]

The farmers in the receiving city had the cow knocked up, then sent it back on the train later on with its grown calf (though no longer a calf) balancing it out.

Edited July 7, 2008 by Brandonb

[akaslickster]

make the cow walk all the way back so you'll have some nice lean beef to munch on.??

[Guest]

the lady offered to buy passage for the other farmers who balanced out the cow and then returned it to the owner

[Brandonb]

Another guess

The farmer who loaned the cow, bought a cow from a farmer in the receiving city. So there were two coming back that could balance the train.

[Guest]

They walked over, took the cow, walked back?

OR use a Cow-tapult and SHOOT it back

Edited July 7, 2008 by Presence

[Guest]

They bought another cow and send both home on the train.

[Guest]

Why can't you put the cow in the middle of the car?

Edited July 7, 2008 by Chaplam13

[Guest]

My Solution.

Seems simple though

Fill the other side of the wagon with stones weighing equal to the cow and send it back.

[Guest]

let the cow drive the train

[Guest]

Okay....it seems i might have left out a small bit of information.

Whatever was sent to balance the cow would also have to be returned.

And, due to all the creative answers, let us assume that cows is the only means of balance.

[Guest]

I think the cow is pregnant.

The piano weighs equal to tat of cow and calf.

While returning,the cow delivered the calf.

The calf weighs equal to the cow.

[Guest]

The farmers on the other side can lend two young calfs. they can be used together to balance the cow and on way back can balance each other.

[Guest]

Good job.