The steel rails that carry diesel locomotives between cities, towns, and factories around the world are just a shadow of what once was a world dominated by railroads. The Industrial Revolution brought with it the steam-powered engine and ushered in the Golden Age of Railroads within a century of the first locomotives slowly creeping along wooden rails. By the late 1800s, networks of track connected nearly every populated area, carrying goods and passengers to their destinations. Landscapes echoed with the mournful cry of the steam whistle as trains chugged by both day and night.

Most of the steam locomotives, interurbans, and streetcars have all disappeared: sold for scrap metal or left to rust. We're left with ghostly ribbons of gravel grades where tracks once ran, skeletal bridges slowly reclaimed by nature, soulless abandoned stations and structures, and creepy dark tunnels through the hills and mountains. But in a few locations, these forgotten pieces of the past still haunt our imaginations. . . and nightmares.

Ghost trains and spectral victims from countless accidents can be found in both major cities and remote woodlands. Each holds within it a forgotten story from our past; railroad phantoms help keep the memories of rail travel and history alive. On these pages, I have compiled just a few of the countless haunting tales from our railroad heritage, each one researched to shed light on the true stories behind the myths.