All aboard the haunted express! In this spine-chilling episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy dives into the eerie world of haunted railways — from Sweden’s ghostly Silverpilen subway to Ohio’s Moonville Tunnel, India’s cursed Begunkodor Station, Kentucky’s phantom L&N line, and the eternal funeral train of Abraham Lincoln.
Hear true eyewitness accounts, historical tragedies, and the mysterious legends of trains that never stopped running… even after death. Blending folklore, humor, and history, this episode proves some timetables are written in ectoplasm.
Like and Subscribe:
Apple
Spotify
IHeart
Audible
This episode of The Strange History Podcast is brought to you by Spreaker — the podcast platform so powerful, even ghosts can’t stop streaming. Seriously, our analytics show 12% of our audience is from “The Beyond.” “Join us… forever…” With Spreaker, you can record, edit, and publish faster than you can say “is that EVP or just bad Wi-Fi?” Whether you’re a living creator or a deceased conductor still riding the rails, Spreaker makes sure your voice echoes across every major platform — and possibly your listeners’ basements. Spreaker: where your podcast never dies — it just gets better CPM rates. Spreaker — because eternity deserves good monetization.
Hear true eyewitness accounts, historical tragedies, and the mysterious legends of trains that never stopped running… even after death. Blending folklore, humor, and history, this episode proves some timetables are written in ectoplasm.
Like and Subscribe:
Apple
Spotify
IHeart
Audible
This episode of The Strange History Podcast is brought to you by Spreaker — the podcast platform so powerful, even ghosts can’t stop streaming. Seriously, our analytics show 12% of our audience is from “The Beyond.” “Join us… forever…” With Spreaker, you can record, edit, and publish faster than you can say “is that EVP or just bad Wi-Fi?” Whether you’re a living creator or a deceased conductor still riding the rails, Spreaker makes sure your voice echoes across every major platform — and possibly your listeners’ basements. Spreaker: where your podcast never dies — it just gets better CPM rates. Spreaker — because eternity deserves good monetization.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, dear listeners, and welcome aboard Spooky October. Please mind
the gap between this world and the next. I'm your host, Amy,
and tonight we're hopping on a train that doesn't believe
in arrival times or mortal limits. We're talking haunted railways,
locomotives that keep rolling long after their engineers have clocked out. Permanently.
(00:21):
Grab your lanterns, your courage, and possibly some sage, because
this episode is going off the rails.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
The Silver Train of Stockholm, Sweden.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Stockholm's metro system, known for its art covered tunnels and
spotless design, hides a darker story. Late night commuters in
the nineteen seventies began reporting a mysterious train unlike any other,
metallic silent, unnumbered and completely unstaffed. It gleamed silver instead
of the usual green or red, and its lights flickered
(00:53):
with a strange hum. Witnesses called it Silver Peelean, the
silver Arrow. Some said it stopped for no Others swore
they saw passengers inside, pale faced, unmoving, as though they'd
been writing for decades. The legend grew from truth. Stockholm
did have a few unpainted aluminum prototype trains in the
(01:13):
nineteen sixties. One of them, Train C five number one
three zero zero, was occasionally used for testing. Because it
lacked normal markings and interior ads, it gave off an eerie,
sterile vibe. Over time, tales of a ghost metro spread,
and one urban myth claimed it carried lost souls to Kimling,
(01:36):
a station, an abandoned, unfinished stop where only the dead
get off. Sweden is known for punctuality and minimalism, but
apparently not ghost control. A Stockholm transit worker once told
Doggin's Nihater newspaper he entered an empty silver Peelan train
parked for maintenance, only to hear faint, murmuring voices in
(01:58):
the cars, though the doors were locked and power was off.
He left immediately, and so would I.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
This haunting ride is brought to you by Phantom Pass.
Tap once for the afterlife, tap twice if you regret.
It works in all Underworld stations except Kimling.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Moonville Tunnel, Ohio, USA.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Tucked deep in the Zeleski State Forest, lies the Moonville Tunnel,
one of Ohio's eeriest relics of the nineteenth century railboom.
The town of Moonville, once a mining community, disappeared in
the early nineteen hundreds, leaving behind little more than gravestones,
and this two hundred and fifty foot stone tunnel carved
(02:40):
through the Appalachian Hills. In eighteen eighty, a brakeman was
killed while walking the line through the tunnel, struck by
an oncoming train as he tried to signal another. Ever since,
hikers and ghost hunters have reported a lantern wielding figure
who appears in the dark, waving frantically before vanishing into things.
(03:01):
In nineteen eighty nine, a local resident named Mary Fouch
reported seeing a man holding a dim lantern in the tunnel.
He was there for a second, she said, then gone,
I ran so fast, I probably broke a track record.
Others have photographed strange mists and lights inside with no
logical explanation. Paranormal groups like Haunted Ohio have recorded electronic
(03:26):
voice phenomena EVPs near the tunnel, one of which allegedly
whispered watched for the train. I'd argue that's excellent advice,
Ghost or.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Not sponsored by Brakeman's Blend coffee, The only bruce strong
enough to keep you awake through the graveyard shift or
the graveyard.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
The L and N Ghost Train Kentucky, USA.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was one of the South's
most vital lines, but it's also the source of one
of America's most chilling phantom train tales. Locals in ether
Kentucky claim a full locomotive glowing faintly white thunders passed
at midnight. The first report dates back to the nineteen twenties,
when residents heard a train barreling down the tracks on
(04:12):
a line that had been dismantled years before. In nineteen
thirty two, a newspaper in Bowling Green reported that multiple witnesses,
including a sheriff's deputy, saw a lighted engine pass through
town without a sound. No steam, no smoke, no crew,
the article read, and it vanished before our eyes. Some
(04:35):
historians believe the haunting traces back to a fatal derailment
in nineteen oh five near the same stretch of track,
where an engineer named William H. Floyd was killed instantly
when his engine overturned. Locals say his spirit still drives
the route he never finished. Now that's workplace dedication. He's
been on call for over a century.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Tonight's spectral segment is sponsored by Ghost Line insurance. Accidents
happen even after death. Protect your phantom fleet with us today.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
The Gunkodor station, West Bengal, India.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
In nineteen sixty seven, a railway worker at Begunkodor station
in Perulia District reported seeing a woman in a white
sari near the tracks. Days later, the station master and
his family were found dead in their quarters. The cause
officially a heart attack, but villagers claimed it was fright.
(05:31):
Terrified railway staff abandoned the station, refusing to work night shifts.
Trains were rerouted. For forty two years, Bagunkodor became India's
most infamous ghost station. In two thousand and nine, the
station reopened after local politician Mamata Banerjee challenged the superstition.
A reporter from the Telegraph India rode the night train
(05:54):
and found the place silent and overgrown. Locals told him
they still heard a woman's voice called from the platform.
We don't go there after dark, said one porter. She
asks for a ticket, No one dares to give it.
If a ghost wants to buy a ticket, I say
sell it. That's good revenue.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Begunkador's spooky tale is sponsored by Spectral Sorry dry cleaners.
When you've been haunting since the nineteen sixties. A little
starch goes a long way.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
The Gurden Light, Arkansas, USA.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Near the small town of Gurdon, a mysterious blue, white
light floats above the old railroad bed. The legend dates
back to the nineteen thirties, when a railroad worker named
Will McLain was allegedly murdered by a co worker during
an argument over a lantern. Locals say his restless spirit
still searches for his missing head, carrying his spectral light.
(06:50):
The NBC show Unsolved Mysteries filmed the phenomenon in nineteen
ninety four. Crews saw the light appear and hover eight
to ten feet above the track. Scientists suggested pizzo electric
effects from quartz crystals, but couldn't reproduce the light elsewhere.
Dozens of witnesses over decades describe it the same way, flickering, color, shifting,
(07:13):
and moving with intelligence. I'm not saying it's a ghost,
but it's definitely not swamp gas doing choreography.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Brought to you by railbright the only flashlight with a
ghost repellent guarantee. Because when you're alone in the Arkansas woods,
you don't want your batteries or your bravery dying.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
The phantom funeral train of Abraham Lincoln.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
When President Abraham Lincoln's body was carried from Washington, d c.
To his hometown in Springfield, Illinois, in April eighteen sixty five,
thousands lined the rails in mourning, but witnesses since then
claimed the train still runs its route each April, right
on time. Called the Lincoln Ghost Train, it's said to
(07:57):
glide through Albany, Buffalo, and Springfield on moonlit nights. The
engine is jet black, draped in crape and flowers, with
an honor guard of spectral soldiers saluting silently. A nineteen
twenties New York rail worker named Frank Geiger swore he
saw it. It made no noise, but the air grew
(08:17):
cold as it passed. The lights of my lantern went out.
When I ReLit it, the tracks were frozen with frost.
Newspapers in the late eighteen hundreds also recorded similar reports
from night watchmen in upstate New York. Even in death,
Honest Day runs on time. Imagine haunting Amtrak today. The
(08:37):
delays alone would kill him all over again.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
This segment is sponsored by honest Abe's After Life travel agency,
where every route is direct, dignified and slightly depressing.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Blackpool's Cloggy Ghost Train, England.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
At Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The ghost Train ride opened in
nineteen thirty, the world's first to use that name, but
in the nineteen forties a worker nicknamed Cloggy maintained the
ride until his death. Ever since, employees swear the attractions
truly haunted. They hear his distinctive wooden clogs echoing down
(09:13):
empty corridors, tools move on their own, lights flicker right
before breakdowns. A security guard in the nineteen nineties told
Lancashire Live that he locked up the ride one night,
only to hear laughter inside when he opened the doors.
No one there, but the ride had powered itself on.
Investigators with Most Haunted filmed there in two thousand and
(09:36):
four and claimed to record footsteps and a voice saying
still working. So to be clear, it's a haunted ride,
haunted by its haunted maintenance man. That's basically the British
version of overtime.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
This ghastly segment brought to you by Cloggy's industrial footwear
for ghosts who refused to rest and mortals who just
loved the sound of a good creek.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
So, dear passengers, we've reached our final stop, from Sweden's
Ghost Metro to Kentucky's Phantom Freight. One thing's clear when
it comes to trains. The schedule may end, but the
stories keep rolling until next time. Keep your lanterns lit,
your tickets handy, and remember, if you hear a train
(10:21):
coming down an abandoned line, don't wait to wave run.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
This episode was powered by speaker Express, the podcast platform
that guarantees your voice will haunt the Internet forever. Upload
your next episode before midnight if you dare
Hello, dear listeners, and welcome aboard Spooky October. Please mind
the gap between this world and the next. I'm your host, Amy,
and tonight we're hopping on a train that doesn't believe
in arrival times or mortal limits. We're talking haunted railways,
locomotives that keep rolling long after their engineers have clocked out. Permanently.
(00:21):
Grab your lanterns, your courage, and possibly some sage, because
this episode is going off the rails.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
The Silver Train of Stockholm, Sweden.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Stockholm's metro system, known for its art covered tunnels and
spotless design, hides a darker story. Late night commuters in
the nineteen seventies began reporting a mysterious train unlike any other,
metallic silent, unnumbered and completely unstaffed. It gleamed silver instead
of the usual green or red, and its lights flickered
(00:53):
with a strange hum. Witnesses called it Silver Peelean, the
silver Arrow. Some said it stopped for no Others swore
they saw passengers inside, pale faced, unmoving, as though they'd
been writing for decades. The legend grew from truth. Stockholm
did have a few unpainted aluminum prototype trains in the
(01:13):
nineteen sixties. One of them, Train C five number one
three zero zero, was occasionally used for testing. Because it
lacked normal markings and interior ads, it gave off an eerie,
sterile vibe. Over time, tales of a ghost metro spread,
and one urban myth claimed it carried lost souls to Kimling,
(01:36):
a station, an abandoned, unfinished stop where only the dead
get off. Sweden is known for punctuality and minimalism, but
apparently not ghost control. A Stockholm transit worker once told
Doggin's Nihater newspaper he entered an empty silver Peelan train
parked for maintenance, only to hear faint, murmuring voices in
(01:58):
the cars, though the doors were locked and power was off.
He left immediately, and so would I.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
This haunting ride is brought to you by Phantom Pass.
Tap once for the afterlife, tap twice if you regret.
It works in all Underworld stations except Kimling.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Moonville Tunnel, Ohio, USA.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Tucked deep in the Zeleski State Forest, lies the Moonville Tunnel,
one of Ohio's eeriest relics of the nineteenth century railboom.
The town of Moonville, once a mining community, disappeared in
the early nineteen hundreds, leaving behind little more than gravestones,
and this two hundred and fifty foot stone tunnel carved
(02:40):
through the Appalachian Hills. In eighteen eighty, a brakeman was
killed while walking the line through the tunnel, struck by
an oncoming train as he tried to signal another. Ever since,
hikers and ghost hunters have reported a lantern wielding figure
who appears in the dark, waving frantically before vanishing into things.
(03:01):
In nineteen eighty nine, a local resident named Mary Fouch
reported seeing a man holding a dim lantern in the tunnel.
He was there for a second, she said, then gone,
I ran so fast, I probably broke a track record.
Others have photographed strange mists and lights inside with no
logical explanation. Paranormal groups like Haunted Ohio have recorded electronic
(03:26):
voice phenomena EVPs near the tunnel, one of which allegedly
whispered watched for the train. I'd argue that's excellent advice,
Ghost or.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Not sponsored by Brakeman's Blend coffee, The only bruce strong
enough to keep you awake through the graveyard shift or
the graveyard.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
The L and N Ghost Train Kentucky, USA.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was one of the South's
most vital lines, but it's also the source of one
of America's most chilling phantom train tales. Locals in ether
Kentucky claim a full locomotive glowing faintly white thunders passed
at midnight. The first report dates back to the nineteen twenties,
when residents heard a train barreling down the tracks on
(04:12):
a line that had been dismantled years before. In nineteen
thirty two, a newspaper in Bowling Green reported that multiple witnesses,
including a sheriff's deputy, saw a lighted engine pass through
town without a sound. No steam, no smoke, no crew,
the article read, and it vanished before our eyes. Some
(04:35):
historians believe the haunting traces back to a fatal derailment
in nineteen oh five near the same stretch of track,
where an engineer named William H. Floyd was killed instantly
when his engine overturned. Locals say his spirit still drives
the route he never finished. Now that's workplace dedication. He's
been on call for over a century.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Tonight's spectral segment is sponsored by Ghost Line insurance. Accidents
happen even after death. Protect your phantom fleet with us today.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
The Gunkodor station, West Bengal, India.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
In nineteen sixty seven, a railway worker at Begunkodor station
in Perulia District reported seeing a woman in a white
sari near the tracks. Days later, the station master and
his family were found dead in their quarters. The cause
officially a heart attack, but villagers claimed it was fright.
(05:31):
Terrified railway staff abandoned the station, refusing to work night shifts.
Trains were rerouted. For forty two years, Bagunkodor became India's
most infamous ghost station. In two thousand and nine, the
station reopened after local politician Mamata Banerjee challenged the superstition.
A reporter from the Telegraph India rode the night train
(05:54):
and found the place silent and overgrown. Locals told him
they still heard a woman's voice called from the platform.
We don't go there after dark, said one porter. She
asks for a ticket, No one dares to give it.
If a ghost wants to buy a ticket, I say
sell it. That's good revenue.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Begunkador's spooky tale is sponsored by Spectral Sorry dry cleaners.
When you've been haunting since the nineteen sixties. A little
starch goes a long way.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
The Gurden Light, Arkansas, USA.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Near the small town of Gurdon, a mysterious blue, white
light floats above the old railroad bed. The legend dates
back to the nineteen thirties, when a railroad worker named
Will McLain was allegedly murdered by a co worker during
an argument over a lantern. Locals say his restless spirit
still searches for his missing head, carrying his spectral light.
(06:50):
The NBC show Unsolved Mysteries filmed the phenomenon in nineteen
ninety four. Crews saw the light appear and hover eight
to ten feet above the track. Scientists suggested pizzo electric
effects from quartz crystals, but couldn't reproduce the light elsewhere.
Dozens of witnesses over decades describe it the same way, flickering, color, shifting,
(07:13):
and moving with intelligence. I'm not saying it's a ghost,
but it's definitely not swamp gas doing choreography.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Brought to you by railbright the only flashlight with a
ghost repellent guarantee. Because when you're alone in the Arkansas woods,
you don't want your batteries or your bravery dying.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
The phantom funeral train of Abraham Lincoln.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
When President Abraham Lincoln's body was carried from Washington, d c.
To his hometown in Springfield, Illinois, in April eighteen sixty five,
thousands lined the rails in mourning, but witnesses since then
claimed the train still runs its route each April, right
on time. Called the Lincoln Ghost Train, it's said to
(07:57):
glide through Albany, Buffalo, and Springfield on moonlit nights. The
engine is jet black, draped in crape and flowers, with
an honor guard of spectral soldiers saluting silently. A nineteen
twenties New York rail worker named Frank Geiger swore he
saw it. It made no noise, but the air grew
(08:17):
cold as it passed. The lights of my lantern went out.
When I ReLit it, the tracks were frozen with frost.
Newspapers in the late eighteen hundreds also recorded similar reports
from night watchmen in upstate New York. Even in death,
Honest Day runs on time. Imagine haunting Amtrak today. The
(08:37):
delays alone would kill him all over again.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
This segment is sponsored by honest Abe's After Life travel agency,
where every route is direct, dignified and slightly depressing.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Blackpool's Cloggy Ghost Train, England.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
At Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The ghost Train ride opened in
nineteen thirty, the world's first to use that name, but
in the nineteen forties a worker nicknamed Cloggy maintained the
ride until his death. Ever since, employees swear the attractions
truly haunted. They hear his distinctive wooden clogs echoing down
(09:13):
empty corridors, tools move on their own, lights flicker right
before breakdowns. A security guard in the nineteen nineties told
Lancashire Live that he locked up the ride one night,
only to hear laughter inside when he opened the doors.
No one there, but the ride had powered itself on.
Investigators with Most Haunted filmed there in two thousand and
(09:36):
four and claimed to record footsteps and a voice saying
still working. So to be clear, it's a haunted ride,
haunted by its haunted maintenance man. That's basically the British
version of overtime.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
This ghastly segment brought to you by Cloggy's industrial footwear
for ghosts who refused to rest and mortals who just
loved the sound of a good creek.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
So, dear passengers, we've reached our final stop, from Sweden's
Ghost Metro to Kentucky's Phantom Freight. One thing's clear when
it comes to trains. The schedule may end, but the
stories keep rolling until next time. Keep your lanterns lit,
your tickets handy, and remember, if you hear a train
(10:21):
coming down an abandoned line, don't wait to wave run.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
This episode was powered by speaker Express, the podcast platform
that guarantees your voice will haunt the Internet forever. Upload
your next episode before midnight if you dare
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.