A Guide to Haunted Railroad Tracks and Bridges in Indiana

Haunted railroads and train tracks are a dime a dozen in the Midwest. Indiana has a long history with the railroads so it isn't surprising that the state has so many haunted tracks to its name.

Blocher, Indiana has its own haunted railroad tracks. Legend claims that a young woman was on the tracks one night when she got stuck in the tracks and was hit by the oncoming train. Stories claim that if you go there at night you can hear the woman screaming and hear the train coming.

In Columbus it's a haunted railroad bridge not a section of the track. Local legend says that a young woman was ashamed when she found herself unmarried and pregnant. After the baby was born she threw herself off the bridge, with the baby in her arms. There are stories of people seeing the woman standing on the bridge or hearing the sounds of a baby crying from below. Another story claims a large black creature with glowing yellow eyes also stands near the bridge.

The haunted train trestle in Diamond, Indiana is better know as Hell's Gate. Supposedly a train crashed right at this spot years ago and the people who died still haunt the trestle. Visitors claim to hear people laughing and their laughter slowly turning to screams.

Frankfort, Indiana has several haunted spots and they all relate to railroads. One is the story of a railroad haunted by children and locals also refer to it as Sleepy Hollow. If you put your car in neutral and leave baby powder on your car, you'll feel your car being pushed and see handprints on the back. Another version claims that your car will turn itself back on. There are also stories of a mysterious glowing white cross appearing in the area. Some claim a young boy was killed on the tracks.

The other story in Frankfort is the haunted train trestle. A woman was killed on the bridge in 1947. The woman learned her husband was cheating by catching him in bed with his mistress. She then walked right in front of an oncoming train. There are stories of people seeing the woman's ghost on the bridge and hearing the sounds of someone screaming.

Greencastle is the site of Edgela where bums once traveled by train and would jump off as they neared town. Supposedly people see the ghosts of these bums near the tracks and those living close have sometimes encountered those ghosts.

The Hebron Train Depot is also haunted. Supposedly a man who worked there was accidentally killed when he was hit by a train. This ghost seems to be angry about his death since he makes his presence known by tossing items through the air and breaking different things in the building. Every business to go in since the depot went under has encountered this behavior.

Huntington, Indiana has the haunted tracks on Polk Road though this story is a little more extreme than others. Apparently the ghost of the tracks is a woman who died there years ago. Now she approaches those stopped in the middle of the tracks and pushes their car away. Then she possesses one of the passengers and shows them how she died. Afterwards people climb out of their car and see blood everywhere. Obviously I've never encountered anyone who's experienced this for themselves!

The haunted railroad tracks in Oakville were used until the Civil War and built by slaves smuggled into the area. Many people have claimed to see the ghost of slaves still working on the tracks late at night, even though the tracks themselves are now long gone.

You can also see the haunted tracks in Seymour, Indiana. There are stories of suicides and a train full of people dying there over the years. People claim that their phones and radios go haywire in the area and that they feel a dark, uncomfortable feeling like someone is watching them and trying to make them leave.

South Bend has the story of Dreamworld near North Michigan Street. When the tracks were still in use, a woman was hit by a train while out walking her dog. People claim to see the woman walking along the long gone tracks or hearing her yelling for her dog. I've been out there before and never heard or seen anything.

The train tracks in South Whitley are haunted by several little girls. People see the girls on the tracks though some reports claim there's only one girl and she's walking around with her stuffed animal. Southport has the ghost of a woman who watched her child get hit by a train. People report hearing her screaming or seeing her standing near the train tracks.

There's also the story of the haunted New Market Trestle in Sugar Creek. The site once saw a horrific train accident and people now claim to hear the sounds of the train crashing into the water as well as seeing ghosts near the water.

The Tunnelton Train Tunnel is equally haunted. The ghost here was one of the construction workers who helped build the railroad tracks. Somehow he accidentally fell and was decapitated so he keeps coming back to find his missing head.

Lastly is the haunted section of train tracks in Walkerton, Indiana. A man was working on the tracks when he was hit and killed. Now he keeps wandering around the tracks, still wearing the clothing he wore on the day he died. The tracks are also haunted by the ghost of a girl who committed suicide there.

The only way you'll discover if any of these places are actually haunted is to visit them and see for yourself.

Sources:

http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/haunted/hauntedplacesofindiana.htm

http://theshadowlands.net/places/indiana.htm