Customer Reviews

Ghost Train: American Railroad Ghost Legends

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is evident with this particular book, that long and hard hours were spent to detail a topic that few really believe is true. The author works to bring fact (old rail lines, old rail towns) and fiction (headless lampmen, ghost passengers) together into a form of entertainment suitable for reading. Any person who spent even the slightest time as a child walking along a rail line, or as a ticket holding guest will enjoy the mixture of realism and folklore. If you don't care too much for the ghost part of it, fine ... the historical documentation is rich. And if you want to hear about campfire 'lore, Mr. Reevy supplies not only the stories, but sometimes the people who tell them.

This book is wonderful. There are photos of locations, sometimes even of the person who is said to haunt the train or structure. Lots of fascinating stories from all over the US arranged by categories. Stories are extensively researched and well written.

Nothing sounds more lonesome, more haunting, than a train whistle heard from far away--it lingers in the mind, taking on substance in the imagination. It implies dramatic partings, joyous reunions, devastating wars and illnesses, mysterious journeys of all kinds. No wonder so much emotion has always been attached to train journeys. Now, those of us who love trains--and enjoy a little shiver running up our spines--have a wonderful treat in store: Ghost Train! Tony Reevy's evocative writing and careful research bring to life the legends of yesteryear in this well-researched an entertaining book. Great photos and maps are an added bonus. So buy your ticket and hop on board the Ghost Train! -- Lee Smith, author of Oral History and Fair and Tender Ladies

An interesting book with many stories about specific railroad hauntings. This book is also divides the stories into categories and gives examples of each type. Fun and interesting reading for all ages, great photos and lovely cover.

Railroad ghosts show up all across America probably because of the strong attachment railroad men felt toward their trains. Add in a bunch of sudden and often gruesome deaths and you have the perfect recipe for a haunting. These railroading ghosts show up in numerous ghost books but this is the first treatment I have ever run across that deals solely with this subject and it is a subject ripe for exploration.

Tony Reevy has obviously done a lot of research in coming up with eighty plus paranormal stories that involve trains. There are haunted tunnels, depots, locomotives, and rail cars and of course ghost trains that roar along their old routes, routes that haven't been run in years and years. Most frequently spotted however are the ghost lights that often move slowly along the track and are usually associated with a specter who is hunting his long lost head. The author seems to have left no stone unturned in looking for these stories and the variety of stories presented is very impressive.

There are two very troubling things about this book however. First of all it is obvious that the author does not take his subject all that seriously and skeptics just do not write good ghost books. The needed passion for the subject is just simply missing when the author is simply relating old tales and makes no effort to talk to recent eyewitnesses to the activity described. The other area where I found this book to be lacking was its depth or rather its lack thereof. Many of the stories related only take up a paragraph or two and hardly any of the stories rate a full two pages. With a little legwork I'm sure that Mr. Reevy could have found numerous old railroaders who would have been glad to relate their personal experiences which would have added greatly to the depth and credibility of this book.

On the positive side there are numerous excellent photos although sometimes the photos have little in common with the stories that they represent. The writing style is pretty good and while there are some well worn stories in this book there are also many stories that I don't imagine have ever appeared in print. I even ran across a tunnel that I have visited but I never knew that it was supposed to be haunted until I read this book.

Overall this is only a fair book as far as the ghost stories go and although no aficionado of ghost stories will want to pass this work up, they shouldn't expect much in the way of details. Train buffs on the other hand will I think find this to be an excellent collection of railroad lore. I grew up in a railroad town and I must admit that the train lover in me found this book to be very appealing.

Railroad ghost stories abound in this wonderfully written and illustrated book. Anthony Reevy has assembled ghost legends from all locales of America and wrapped them into a frightening tome that is sure to run a shiver or two up and down your spine.

Researching ghost stories is probably not an easy thing. Primary sources (those who have encountered the ghosts) are scarce, can be difficult to find, and may be reluctant to talk. Media attention to sightings is generally scant, and the ghosts themselves are often fickle in appearance and silent on self-explanation. When the research is done, the stories still have to be presented, around a campfire if possible, in a tone that does justice to their mysterious content. It is not every man (woman) who can tell a story skillfully. Even so, Mr. Reevy could have done better. He presents his ghosts with an almost breezy, though largely understandable prose that is entirely at odds with his subject matter, and rarely even approaches the evocative work of Edgar Allen Poe or H. P. Lovecraft (see "Glowing Eyes on the Track" for a possible exception.) Another failure is a lack of depth. Mr. Reevy has done a fair bit of research for this book, which is unfortunate because it rarely shows. Over eighty ghosts are presented in this heavily illustrated 162pp book. Do the math, and that comes to less than 2pp of text per ghost. If Mr. Reevy had concentrated his research efforts on only six or twelve ghosts, and had found a talented writer to present them, this could have been a four or five star book. As it is, I got more of a chill watching Ghostbusters on broadcast TV.