Train Brakeman Still Looking

Around ten years ago, I resided at Fayetteville North Carolina; which is approximately fifteen to twenty miles from the town of Vander N.C. This story actually begins around nineteen seventy eight, or around about this time.

At the time I was around twenty three years old, and as of course most young boys of my age; I were curious of everything, either natural and/or unnatural. I had heard about the Vander light and was somewhat curious about the matter. Some of my friends had told me about this light and some of the characteristics of this event.

They had explained that on a back road, (off of the main road leading south of Fayetteville) that on a gloomy night, with very few to no stars in the sky; a bad accident had occurred quite a few years ago, in which a man was travelling in the rear of a train-car (cabose); when he noticed another train approaching behind the train he was flagging for.

He began to swing the lantern from side to side, to warn the approaching engineer of the situation. It has been said that the approaching engineer was busy and didn't see the lead train. As to the story that I had been told, after the accident the only part of the flagman's body that was not found was his head!

I had to see this for myself and as soon as the time came where there was a dark and gloomy night we went to see about what was the truth or otherwise. Well much to my astonishment, we could only park beside the main road and walk down the track (being especially cautious of oncoming trains). About one quarter of the way down the tracks, we came close to a Y in the tracks; where there had to have been a split to the right in the tracks.

About two hundred feet from this split, in the tracks, I began to notice a faint glowing light going from side to side; back and forth. I was not alone, but trying not to be scared, continued on (my friends did not) much to my dismay. It seemed that the closer that I got the faster the light seemed to move towards me.

At around twenty five feet or so, the swinging light disappeared. This was truly spooky, I have to admit; but when I turned around to return to the road, the same swinging light was exactly the same distance as it was previously.

Now I am starting to get a little worried. In the same matter as of to the speed approach, as when I had first come up to the light, the light did the same. It didn't take me long to reach the car, as you would guess.

I returned to this area once more in about five years or so at which time my exact memory was not completely positive as to the exact site, in Vander. Local directions were not completely reliable, so I began to ride around until I found the exact place. This time I was on a dirt-bike, for a quick getaway; if need be.

When I approached the Y in the tracks, there was no sign of this light. But when I went to turn around, and after I was actually facing the opposite direction I could see the same lights, but this time they were only in my mirrors. In fact each and every time I would turn around, they were there. Then I was truly scared, so I backed up the dirt-bike and gunned it and actually jumped both sets of the Y split.

I know that this is most definitely not some kind of a prank or anything else of the same. In fact as it goes I would be willing to submit to a polygraph test as to what I really saw. It only occurs on a dark and gloomy night and that's the only time, for some unforseen reason. Who knows, maybe the conditions of a dark and gloomy night are the same as when the accident happened.

AI don't really know, nor do I now care. But I know what I saw and I think that my friends saw the same thing, that's what scared them so. Sure I'd go back, but only to prove what I'm saying can be witnessed by anyone with the same wish to know the truth!