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Haunted Rails: Tales of Ghost Trains, Phantom Conductors, and Other Railroad Spirits
50 chilling true stories of haunted trains and ghostly workers from the steam locomotive era to the modern day Discover dozens of hauntings on railroads in 19 US states as well as in Canada and the UK, including the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Atlantic Coast Line, Nickel Plate Road, Pennsylvania Railroad, and many more. Haunted Rails tells the tale of a possessed caboose on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and a Civil War–era rebel ghost train; museum hauntings at the Georgia State Railroad Museum in Savannah and the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona, Pennsylvania; apparitions at Vancouver's Canadian Pacific Waterfront Station and Nashville's Union Station; and the haunted presidential trains of Abraham Lincoln and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Filled with ghost trains, spectral switchmen, and frightening facts, Haunted Rails is a spine-tingling ride to the other side that you don't want to miss. All aboard!
216 pages, Paperback
Published September 8, 2019
12 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 23, 2020
There will always be skeptics who are not believers in the paranormal.
I found the book to be a quick read keeping my attention firmly planted throughout the book as I read it.
The described hauntings take place on tracks,trains,railroad buildings,museums, etc.
The hauntings include not only sightings of apparitions but old time music and other sounds as well.
I have had paranormal experiences since I was a child so I was thrilled to be able to have a chance to read and review this book.
The hauntings described take place in a variety of places including Pennsylvania where I live that has the famous Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, PA which is said to be very haunted.
I found the descriptions to be informative detail wise and I may be doing some research on the sites I've read about on my own now.
The book was well written and the accounts from actual witnesses was right up my alley to read.
Published September 8th 2019 by Llewellyn Publications.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
I found the book to be a quick read keeping my attention firmly planted throughout the book as I read it.
The described hauntings take place on tracks,trains,railroad buildings,museums, etc.
The hauntings include not only sightings of apparitions but old time music and other sounds as well.
I have had paranormal experiences since I was a child so I was thrilled to be able to have a chance to read and review this book.
The hauntings described take place in a variety of places including Pennsylvania where I live that has the famous Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, PA which is said to be very haunted.
I found the descriptions to be informative detail wise and I may be doing some research on the sites I've read about on my own now.
The book was well written and the accounts from actual witnesses was right up my alley to read.
Published September 8th 2019 by Llewellyn Publications.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
August 19, 2019
I love ghost stories, the more chilling the better. This one just missed the mark with me.
Of course stories are a bit of fiction mixed with history. Some of the stories were well researched and debunked or investigated as well as could be. This is just a good little book to read to be entertained and hear stories of others experiences be they true or not.
I was given an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.
Of course stories are a bit of fiction mixed with history. Some of the stories were well researched and debunked or investigated as well as could be. This is just a good little book to read to be entertained and hear stories of others experiences be they true or not.
I was given an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.
September 24, 2019
Matthew L. Swayne’s Haunted Rails is an interesting book filled with fascinating stories of haunted railroads and ghostly spirits. I like this well-researched read but I wish there were much more pictures and that the writing was livelier.
I hadn’t read much about haunted trains before and I had no idea there was such a fascinating and spooky world out there! This book features many interesting stories about haunted railroads, trains, railroad museums, and ghostly train workers and spirits. Most of the stories come from the U.S. but there are a handful of tales from Canada and Europe. I really would have liked more stories from around the world but I do like that this book doesn’t only focus on North America.
The ghost stories are brief and easy-to-read. I loved reading about Abraham Lincoln’s ghost train in Illinois, Scotland’s spooky demon train, and Sweden’s disappearing Silver Bullet train. I especially like that the book includes stories about haunted railroad museums because this is a phenomenon I didn’t know actually existed! I also especially love the history that I learned about all the places featured in the book.
Swayne does not attempt to prove nor debunk these ghost stories. Instead, there is a nice balance between the sceptics and believers. Swayne includes information about people’s attempts at debunking these ghost tales as well as eyewitness reports of the paranormal events and lots of fascinating ghostlore. I really appreciate that there is a notes and sources section so you can read up on the particular ghost tale that you just can’t stop thinking about!
However, the book definitely needs more pictures to nicely enhance the stories. It is a little boring to continuously read blocks of tales which is only broken up with a handful of small and not very memorable photos. Moreover, while Swayne’s writing is easily understandable, it is a little dry and this makes the book drag at times.
Haunted Rails is a great and interesting read for paranormal and railroad enthusiasts. Although I wish there were more pictures and more interesting writing to liven up the tales, I enjoyed this book. I look forward to more of Swayne’s work!
Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for this book in exchange for an honest review.
🚂 🚂 🚂 ½ steam locomotives out of 5!
I hadn’t read much about haunted trains before and I had no idea there was such a fascinating and spooky world out there! This book features many interesting stories about haunted railroads, trains, railroad museums, and ghostly train workers and spirits. Most of the stories come from the U.S. but there are a handful of tales from Canada and Europe. I really would have liked more stories from around the world but I do like that this book doesn’t only focus on North America.
The ghost stories are brief and easy-to-read. I loved reading about Abraham Lincoln’s ghost train in Illinois, Scotland’s spooky demon train, and Sweden’s disappearing Silver Bullet train. I especially like that the book includes stories about haunted railroad museums because this is a phenomenon I didn’t know actually existed! I also especially love the history that I learned about all the places featured in the book.
Swayne does not attempt to prove nor debunk these ghost stories. Instead, there is a nice balance between the sceptics and believers. Swayne includes information about people’s attempts at debunking these ghost tales as well as eyewitness reports of the paranormal events and lots of fascinating ghostlore. I really appreciate that there is a notes and sources section so you can read up on the particular ghost tale that you just can’t stop thinking about!
However, the book definitely needs more pictures to nicely enhance the stories. It is a little boring to continuously read blocks of tales which is only broken up with a handful of small and not very memorable photos. Moreover, while Swayne’s writing is easily understandable, it is a little dry and this makes the book drag at times.
Haunted Rails is a great and interesting read for paranormal and railroad enthusiasts. Although I wish there were more pictures and more interesting writing to liven up the tales, I enjoyed this book. I look forward to more of Swayne’s work!
Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for this book in exchange for an honest review.
🚂 🚂 🚂 ½ steam locomotives out of 5!
July 3, 2019
This book covers many of the more famous ghost related stories involving trains ( The Lincoln Funeral train as an example). I had read about many of these before in other railroad books, but this is the first one that I have read that was totally devoted to the subject. It is a quick read due to the content and length of the book.
I recommend this book for those who are interested in ghosts and/or trains.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.
I recommend this book for those who are interested in ghosts and/or trains.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.
July 30, 2019
I guess the word for me would be obsessed, definitely obsessed. I love ghost stories and I always have, I think it's something that runs through my family this curiosity. There's never been doubt that they exist, we don't have the skeptics around us, the scoffing of the disbelievers. It's always just the nodding and the question: What did you see? or Who did you see?
So of course I devour ghost stories, fiction and non fiction and my book shelf is packed with ghost encounter novels. I was so happy when I saw this on Netgalley and immediately requested it. I wasn't disappointed at all. Trains have always held interest to me. I live in the suburbs of Philly and whenever I want to go into Philly, I hop on the train which is right around the corner for me. Sadly, I heard a lot of news about the deaths regarding the railway and with sudden deaths come ghosts and with ghosts comes hauntings. Swayne does a great job in exploring the ghosts of the rails in all sorts of ways. The engineers, passengers, workers. It's a fascinating novel and it's up to you to believe or disbelieve.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
So of course I devour ghost stories, fiction and non fiction and my book shelf is packed with ghost encounter novels. I was so happy when I saw this on Netgalley and immediately requested it. I wasn't disappointed at all. Trains have always held interest to me. I live in the suburbs of Philly and whenever I want to go into Philly, I hop on the train which is right around the corner for me. Sadly, I heard a lot of news about the deaths regarding the railway and with sudden deaths come ghosts and with ghosts comes hauntings. Swayne does a great job in exploring the ghosts of the rails in all sorts of ways. The engineers, passengers, workers. It's a fascinating novel and it's up to you to believe or disbelieve.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
i-quit
June 30, 2019The digital galley is very difficult to read, as there are parts of words missing. I’ve noticed this lately with Llewelyn books and while in previous cases it’s only been two combinations of letters missing, this one has many more, so I’ll not be continuing.
March 20, 2020
It was interesting as far as it went, but it seemed to me it left a lot of interesting details out.
July 3, 2019
Haunted Rails is a collection of (supposed) real life hauntings associated with trains, railways, and railroad museums. It's a book of quick hitters, with the majority of the reports clocking in at a few pages which makes it easy for compulsive, pick up and play reading. As with a lot of purported hauntings, the evidence is often light and based on hearsay for these stories, but the majority of them are entertaining to read about nonetheless, especially honest Abe's haunted funeral train which is said to still roam the tracks.
The author makes a good point when he says that ghost stories are often good history even if they are hard to believe. These stories are work best when taken as examples of cultural folklore, with tales blossoming along rail lines as they were erected and became the dominant mode of transportation. They are snapshots of an evolving history, from the Civil War to the Tube in London.
**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd..**
The author makes a good point when he says that ghost stories are often good history even if they are hard to believe. These stories are work best when taken as examples of cultural folklore, with tales blossoming along rail lines as they were erected and became the dominant mode of transportation. They are snapshots of an evolving history, from the Civil War to the Tube in London.
**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd..**
October 23, 2019
Princess Fuzzypants here: Anyone who has heard the lonesome wail of a train whistle must admit there is something spooky about it. It makes perfect sense that railways all over the world might harbour a spirit or two. There are hundreds of thousands of humans who have ridden the rails and whenever there has been any kind of accident or incident, it is often something big and horrible.
This is a great book for Halloween as it looks at a number of reported hauntings. It divides them into specific areas and attempts to separate the ones with witnesses or some sort of proof from the ones that are likely folklore. Either way, they are cracking good stories of high emotion and drama. It’s the kind of book you may not want to read late at night, all alone, in a darken house. And then again, it might be just the book to read then.
Four purrs and two paws up.
This is a great book for Halloween as it looks at a number of reported hauntings. It divides them into specific areas and attempts to separate the ones with witnesses or some sort of proof from the ones that are likely folklore. Either way, they are cracking good stories of high emotion and drama. It’s the kind of book you may not want to read late at night, all alone, in a darken house. And then again, it might be just the book to read then.
Four purrs and two paws up.
November 3, 2021
Spooky Railroads
This was an interesting book about haunted rail road legends, featuring tales from several countries. The author relates the legends, variations and some witness details if available, but leaves it up to the reader to decide. This book focuses on ghostlore. There are some great spooky legends listed within and many have been investigated by local paranormal research teams. He also noted if there is no evidence to support a particular version of a haunting. Haunted stations, cabooses, workers, trains and tunnels are highlighted. A fun read, great for learning about lore.
This was an interesting book about haunted rail road legends, featuring tales from several countries. The author relates the legends, variations and some witness details if available, but leaves it up to the reader to decide. This book focuses on ghostlore. There are some great spooky legends listed within and many have been investigated by local paranormal research teams. He also noted if there is no evidence to support a particular version of a haunting. Haunted stations, cabooses, workers, trains and tunnels are highlighted. A fun read, great for learning about lore.
August 30, 2020
This is a very well researched collection of regional legends about ghost trains; actual full-sized trains that appear on abandoned tracks, usually in places where a major accident happened sometime in history.
The stories are presented as locals might tell them and it's left to the reader to decide how much to believe. I thought it was very well done, leaving room for the academic to study where these tales come from without the burden of belief (or not) to interfere with what is basically local folklore.
Well-presented and a fascinating read.
The stories are presented as locals might tell them and it's left to the reader to decide how much to believe. I thought it was very well done, leaving room for the academic to study where these tales come from without the burden of belief (or not) to interfere with what is basically local folklore.
Well-presented and a fascinating read.
September 15, 2019
Haunted Rails was a fun read, especially if one is interested in rails and/or ghosts. The author has done a nice job in regards of various stories and themes, which made the book more fun. There's also the nice that he included both views of both skeptics and believers in regards of some elements to some of the stories.
June 14, 2022
Who doesn’t like a good ghost story. How about 50 stories? Haunted Rails covers 50 chilling true stories of haunted trains and workers from back when there were steam locomotives to today.
I really enjoyed reading all of these stories. A must-read!
I really enjoyed reading all of these stories. A must-read!
July 8, 2024
My husband and I read this together. The stories were very interesting and well researched. It kept our interest and made us wonder if the stories were just folklore or more. We will definitely read more what this author has to offer.
October 31, 2019
A fun, though brief, look at a scattering of haunted places and ghostly apparitions. A good read for someone who wants a spooky feeling.
May 13, 2020
An enchanting look at some of the ghost tales about railroads. I enjoyed it as a railroad enthusiast as well.
September 20, 2020
I found the whole thing a little boring. Paranormal stuff really isn't my jam, if you like it, you may enjoy this book more than I did.
February 19, 2022
A lovely collection of short stories of people's strange and haunting experiences related to the railway's. Mostly North American stories, but a few British tales too.
October 10, 2023
Not at all scary and a little boring.
September 25, 2019
I have always loved trains. I live very close to a track and a few people in my small town have been killed by trains. I enjoyed these stories. I thought there was a good variety of places included. This was a fun read.
*Thank you to Llewellyn Publishers, Matthew L. Swayne, and Netgalley, for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.
*Thank you to Llewellyn Publishers, Matthew L. Swayne, and Netgalley, for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.
May 31, 2019
Thankyou to NetGalley, Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd, Llewellyn Publications and the author Matthew L Swayne, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Haunted Rails in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I find ghosts and the paranormal to be an interesting subject, which is one of the reasons I jumped at the chance to review this book. I was hooked from start.
The book was well written and the accounts from actual witnesses were chilling.
Well worth a read.
I find ghosts and the paranormal to be an interesting subject, which is one of the reasons I jumped at the chance to review this book. I was hooked from start.
The book was well written and the accounts from actual witnesses were chilling.
Well worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews