Many beliefs have sprung up around railroads over the past two centuries. Here are some superstitions railroaders have held over the years. as well as a few of the railroad's more strange (but purportedly true) stories from American folklore and beyond.

ACCIDENTS

• If a locomotive was involved in any fatal accident of its crew of passengers, it was considered a "hoodoo locomotive." Engines would be renumbered to "lift the curse."
• Railroaders believe accidents come in sets of three.
• The month of September is believed to be jinxed for railroaders.

ANIMALS

• A white cat near the track is a bad sign; a black cat looking at the train as it passes is even worse.
• You will have a safe journey if you see two chickens fighting as you are leaving.

CABOOSE

• Sweeping out a caboose after dark brings bad luck.

FUNERALS

• It is customary to place a floral wreath shaped like a half wheel on a trainman's grave. This custom began in 1887 when conductor John Simpkins was pulled from a wreck still clutching a broken brake wheel. His grip was so tight it was buried with him.
• If you count the cars of a passenger train, you will hear news of a death.

HEXES

• To ward off unwelcome advances from a suitor, tie one of his socks to a freight train.
• If you want to get rid of your boyfriend, put one of his socks on the tracks. When a train runs over the sock, he will leave the same way the train went.

LOCOMOTIVES

• It was believed that turning a locomotive into the sun would bring bad luck.
• Stepping off the engine from the left side meant a crewmen would be injured during that day. It is unlucky to step into a locomotive with your left foot first.
• On a roundhouse turntable, locomotives are only turned to the right; turning one to the left is bad luck.
• Leaving either the locomotive or caboose coupler open meant bad luck for the trip. Others believe that leaving the front engine coupler open will "catch" good fortune.

LUCK

• Railroaders often carry good luck charms in their pockets to bring good luck on the trip.
• Beginning a trip on a Friday is bad luck; beginning on Friday the 13th is extremely bad luck.
• Taking a new engine out of the shop or starting a new route on a Friday is bad luck.
• Striking your foot with the switch frog while switching track is bad luck.
• Stepping on a rail will bring bad luck for the journey.
• Stumbling over a rail will bring misfortune; to avoid bad luck, go back and step again safely.
• Cross-eyed men (or women, in the case of passengers) bring bad luck.
• Counting the cars of a freight train as it passes will bring you good luck.

NUMBERS

• A locomotive numbered 9 or 13 is bad luck. Number 13 locomotives on the Cairo & St. Louis, Iowa Central, Kansas Pacific, Cairo & Vincennes, and St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern Railroads all were believed to be cursed (along with the No. 113 on the Illinois Central).
• Engines numbered 666 were a bad omen; the locomotive was doomed to bring death or grief to the crew. Engines with numbers adding up to nine are also said to be "hoodoo engines."
• Railroad accidents were believed to happen in threes.

PASSENGERS

• Sitting backward on a train is considered unlucky.
• If you receive the wrong ticket at a station, it means your train will have an accident.
• Knock on wood to avoid bad luck if you say the name of your destination out loud.
• Breathing the air in a railroad tunnel cures whooping cough.
• Leaving the window shade up on an evening train is bad luck; the passenger could become "moonstruck."
• It's unlucky to sleep in an upper berth in a sleeping car.

WEATHER

• White smoke pouring out of a locomotive is a sign of fair weather to come.
• A clear, sharp train whistle signifies good weather; a flat, hoarse whistle means rain.

WISHES

• If you make a wish and walk on a rail for the length of 16 ties without falling off, your wish will come true.
• If a girl walks the length of seven rails without falling off or speaking, she will marry the first man she meets afterward.
• When crossing a railroad bridge, if you make a wish and remain silent until you reach the other end of the bridge, your wish will come true.

Sources:
Carroll, William. Superstitions: 10,000 You Really Need. San Marcos[CA]: Coda, 1998.
Erbsen, Wayne. Railroad Fever: Songs, Jokes, and Train Lore. Asheville: Native Ground, 2001.
Hubbard, Freeman H. "Superstitions." Railroad Man's Magazine. April 1949. Popular Publications.

Casey's Cursed Locomotive

The locomotive driven by Casey Jones on the night of his fatal crash on April 30, 1900, was believed to have been cursed. The Illinois Central No. 382 was rebuilt and returned to service but suffered a string of accidents killing at least 6 workers and injuring many others. It was renumbered 212, 2012, and finally 5012, but the curse held strong. In one ironic wreck, the engine overturned next to Memphis Coffin Works. The locomotive was finally scrapped in 1935; on the way to the yard, it jumped the rails and cost the life of one final victim. Today, a different locomotive has been renumbered the 382 and placed at the Casey Jones Home & Railroad Museum to commemorate the disaster.

Hoodoo on the D&RGW

Perhaps the most unlucky engine in history was the Denver, Rio Grande & Western No. 107 (identical to the No. 108 shown above) built in 1881. Legend says that it only operated for 20 months and, during that time, took the lives of nine engineers. The railroad workers threatened a strike and refused to use the hoodoo engine; the company finally acknowledged the justice of their complaint and decided it would be best to cut the locomotive up for scrap. According to D&RGW records, the engine lasted much longer than 20 months. In fact, the No. 107 was used for 17 years. It was sent to the Burnham Shops in Denver, Colorado, where it was scrapped on August 31, 1898.

The Real John Henry

If you ask the people living near Talcott, West Virginia, they will tell you that the legend of John Henry (the "Steel Drivin' Man") is true. They say he died matching his might against a steam-powered machine at Great Bend Tunnel (where his ghost is said to haunt). Even though many men from the area have told stories of working side by side with John, one historian has a different theory. In his book, Steel Driving Man: John Henry: The Untold Story of an American Legend, author Scott Reynolds Nelson believes we've been looking in the wrong place based o one line from the famous song: "They took John Henry to the White House; And they buried him in the sand." His research uncovered a Civil War veteran named John William Henry who was arrested and sent to Richmond Penitentiary in Virginia where a small "white house" (or prison building) stood beside the railroad tracks. The Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Railroad used prison laborers to build Lewis Tunnel for the C&O where records indicate this John Henry lost his life. With "John Henry" being such a common name, we may never know the full story, but could the Richmond story be the true origins of the famous legend?

Lincoln's Funeral Train

In April 1865, a special railroad car for President Abraham Lincoln was completed; unfortunately, the only time he would travel in the car would be for his own funeral. On April 21, the train carrying the assassinated president's body left Washington, D.C. on a long journey as the nation mourned the loss of its beloved leader. Lincoln was laid to rest in Springfield, Illinois, on May 3, but the memory of Lincoln's funeral train lived on in more ways than one. For decades, on the anniversary of the railroad funeral procession, folks living near the route in New York, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois told stories of seeing a grim site along the tracks. A spectral locomotive would move silently along the tracks carrying a crew of skeletons. If another train passed along the rails at the same time, its noise was smothered by the deathly silence. On some occasions, witnesses reported hearing a funeral dirge played by a band of skeletal musicians. It soon became a yearly event to sit beside the tracks and wait for the train to pass. Even today, people gather along the route in late April hoping to catch a glimpse of the apparition.