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In the 1800s, construction crews cut through mountains, soared over rivers, twisted around bends, and drove straight into towns and cities to build railway lines that swept across the land like an iron and steel wildfire. On May 10, 1869, a seminal moment in railroad history, a golden spike was pounded into the final tie to officially commemorate the completion of the transcontinental railway.
Railways would connect states and nations, forever tying people and businesses together. Something else swept along with this marvel of construction and transportation, however, something that remains embedded in our collective psyche: railway spookiness!
Haunted railway lore runs the full line of weird paranormal activity, from spooky, but well-documented, levitating light—or orbs—phenomena to apparitions of people appearing in train engines and cars. It includes tales of the wandering souls of long-dead railway engineers and even accounts that trains, the machines themselves, have rolled down the tracks of mortality and into the spirit world.
This article will take us to some of these haunted railway destinations that are believed to be true. Jump aboard, have a read and make up your own mind.
Arriving at our first stop on the itinerary through the five weirdest tales in haunted rail history is the tale of one of the most famous railway ghost stories - The White Lady of Hackney Downs!
1. The White Lady of Hackney Downs
This story is about a ghost that is said to haunt the Hackney Downs Railway Station. The ghost is known as the White Lady, and she is said to be the spirit of a young woman who was killed at the station in the early 1900s.
There are many different versions of the White Lady's story, but one of the most common is that she was a young woman who was waiting for her lover to return from a war. When he finally returned, she was so overjoyed that she ran out to meet him and was hit by a train.
Another version of the story is that the White Lady was a young woman who was murdered by her lover at the station, he threw her in front of a moving train! Whatever the truth of her story may be, the White Lady is said to be a very malevolent spirit.
Witnesses have claimed to see the White Lady standing on the platform, or floating through the air. She is always dressed in a long white dress, and her face is said to be pale and gaunt. Some witnesses have also claimed to hear her crying or moaning.
The White Lady is said to be particularly dangerous to men, and she has been blamed for several accidents and deaths at the station. One story tells of a man who was pushed off the platform by the White Lady, and another story tells of a man who was so terrified of the White Lady that he had a heart attack and died.
The Ghost Train of Dudley
One of the most famous railway ghost stories in the United Kingdom is the Ghost Train of Dudley. The story goes that in the 1850s, a train derailed and plunged into a ravine, killing all 100 passengers on board. Since then, it is said that the ghost train reappears on the same stretch of track every year on the anniversary of the disaster.
Witnesses have described seeing a train emerge from the ravine, with its lights on and its whistle blowing. The train then disappears into the darkness, leaving a trail of smoke behind. Some people have even claimed to see the ghosts of the passengers on board.
The Train Graveyard
All change here, this is the end of the line and our last tale of The Train Graveyard.
In the early 20th century, there was a railway graveyard in the United Kingdom where old and decommissioned trains were sent to be scrapped. The graveyard was located in a remote area, and it was said to be haunted by the ghosts of the trains that had been abandoned there.
One night, a group of teenagers decided to explore the train graveyard. They had heard the rumours about the ghosts, but they didn't believe them.
The teenagers were walking through the graveyard when they saw a train moving towards them. The train was old and rusty, and it didn't have any lights on. The teenagers tried to run away, but the train was faster than them.
The train caught up to the teenagers and stopped in front of them. The doors of the train opened, and the teenagers saw the ghosts of the passengers who had died on the train many years ago.
The ghosts reached out for the teenagers, and they all disappeared into the train. The train then closed its doors and disappeared into the night.
These are just a few of the many supposedly true scary stories about railway trains right here in the United Kingdom. Whether or not you believe in paranormal activity, there is no denying that there is something eerie about some trains. They travel through the night, carrying unknown passengers to unknown destinations. Murderers, psychos, and in some cases, they may even be carrying the ghosts of the past. So, if you're travelling by train, at night, alone, be careful. You never know who... or what is lurking in the shadows!
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