What is A train delayed by a snowstorm?

A train delayed by a snowstorm factors into the stories “The Little Dustman” and “Lab Coats”. In “The Little Dustman”, the delayed train holds up the Narrator from getting to his stepmother’s funeral in a timely fashion. In “Lab Coats”, a doctor, stuck on the train, uses it as a reason for not ending his marriage for his mistress, or for visiting his mistress the very same night. The mistress ends up killing the doctor in revenge, believing the train story to be made up.