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What Was On The Railroad Tracks?

 

I've posted this story once before on another website, so those of you familiar with ghost story websites might recognize this one.

This happened to my husband back in 2007 on Halloween night of all days. My husband called me to tell me as soon as it happened and it's been boggling his mind ever since.

He works for the railroad and one night while on the train going south he and his engineer passed through a small county (between San Antonio and Laredo), something he's done for 5 years when something caught their attention.

Up ahead on the tracks my husband saw someone lying on the tracks, which is pretty typical (suicides, drunks, etc) and he told the engineer to slam on the brakes. The engineer saw the guy too and so he pulled the emergency brakes but of course, it takes about a mile for a train going 70mph to slow down.

What they both saw was an older man with a beard who was lying on his side facing the train. When the man saw the train as it got close he put up both his hands in a defensive manner and he had a frightened look on his face. Well, before they knew it they slammed into the guy and the train finally stopped.

My husband and the engineer were shaken up and my husband called his manager to tell them what happened; he told them to call the local authorities, and state troopers, etc. Well, everyone showed up and when they looked under the train nothing. There was nothing at all.

My husband and the engineer were embarrassed because everyone was there to investigate and there was nothing under the train. They swore that they ran over the guy because they heard the thumping sounds as the train kept going. They walked back to the point of impact and there was nothing. No blood, no clothes, shoes, etc. They called in the K9s and he couldn't pick up a scent. If they had hit someone and he ran off, there would have been blood or something or I'm sure he wouldn't have gone far anyway. The local cops were like, "oh, a while back a bunch of kids were throwing mannequins off this bridge so it was probably a mannequin." But it was impossible because of what they saw.

So, who knows what happened that night. My husband isn't much of a believer and he isn't frightened by anything like this or ghost stories, but it makes you wonder.

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The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, texicana76, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

FART-EXTERMINATOR (24 posts)
-2
4 years ago (2020-07-08)
Residual-Hauntings?; mmmm, interesting, perhaps this phenomena explains the phantom farts I keep hearing in my bathroom; every time I hear a phantom fart I go in my bathroom and there's no one there 😳😳😳
Lakota73 (5 stories) (108 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-09-28)
I know my comment is a bit late in comparison to the story posted, but I absolutely love this story. Very chilling!

Great narration.

Lakota73 😊
jazzeyjay (3 stories) (215 posts)
+1
14 years ago (2009-11-27)
texicana76: Thank you for sharing your story. I am just running across it and it sure makes you wonder. The police can hang it up on their mannequin theory, there would have been traces of a mannequin everywhere and a mannequin wouldn't have moved and covered it's eyes and looked frightened as you described. Your husband and his co-worker saw a residual haunting. The atmosphere and energy was just right that night. This accident probably happened many years ago and would be worth researching. A residual is a haunting that replays itself over and over, just like a video tape of your favorite movie and there is a certain scene that you love, so you keep playing that one scene over and over. That's what a residual is, and it is going to happen whether someone is there or not. This man died a horrible death. Part of your husband has to believe now! How else can this be explained? He know's he and his co-worker weren't sleep behind the wheel. They saw what they saw!
ChrisB (6 stories) (1515 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2009-02-09)
WOW what an amazing story! I love reading stories about railroads. Probably because I wanted to work there when I was a kid. I believe what your husband saw had to be a spirit. You can't say that they imagined this because they both saw it. And since they have been in these situations before they can't guess wrong. Thabks again for sharring this with us. I hope to hear from you soon and take care
texicana76 (1 stories) (6 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2009-01-15)
Hey dreamergal, yes, there's a little section of railroad tracks in the rural part of san Antonio that's said to be haunted. When you look at the road, it looks uphill. You drive up, put the car in neutral and your car moves UP over the road, over the tracks and you coast to the other side. It's weird.

Despite all the claims that children died in a bus accident on that track after being hit by a train, there's really no truth to that. Supposedly if you sprinkle baby powder on the back end of your car you can see children's handprints on it helping you get your car across. It's just a legend that people like to pass along. On Halloween night people drive and wait forever to go over those "haunted tracks".
texicana76 (1 stories) (6 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2009-01-15)
Hey guys, just got a chance to get to the site.
I don't know if the engineer told anyone else, but my husband only told a couple of his friends from work so it's hard to tell you if anyone else has seen anything on this particular track.

It's funny, sometimes you think that if something "scary" happens you'd run out and tell everyone, but even I myself have not told anyone in person. LIke people say, it can sound a little silly especially to those who are quick to diss it.

I guess it was a recreation and it was just at the right time and the right place. I mean, there was no way it could've been a mannequin!
dreamergal72 (6 stories) (793 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2009-01-14)
Hmm TrainTrack which remind me of children You live in texas about children been kill by train in the 1930-1940.
Kecoughtan (1 stories) (211 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2009-01-14)
Thanks for sharing your husband's encounter, texicana76. My brother once was a conductor so I know how gravely railroaders take a person on the tracks and I believe they are not inclinded to imagine these scenarios. The fact that they both witnessed the same thing, heard the thumping, and failed to find any physical evidence of a victim (or mannequin) makes me believe their account. This could have been a residual haunting. Did your husband and the engineer ask other crew memebers who make the run to Laredo to see if anyone else has seen anything in that area? I would love to know if there is documentary evidence of a drunk being struck and killed on that section of track. Thanks.
Perd (28 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2009-01-13)
A residual haunting is a sort of playback of a past event. The apparitions involved are not spirits, but they are "recordings" of the event. It will not always happen at the same time on the same day, but more when the "timing" is right. As in weather temperature, air pressure, lighting.

Certain building materials, such as slate, stone, iron, e.g. Train tracks can hold energy. When a traumatic event or times of extreme emotions occur, the materials almost record the event. We all know everything is made up of energy and cannot be destroyed. The materials store the energy in the events only to play it back later.

You cannot interrupt the residual haunting, nor can you change it, you can only sit back and watch. So your husband and his co-worker should stop being baffled 😁 They got to witness a wonderful paranormal phenomena!
DeviousAngel (11 stories) (1910 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2009-01-13)
That would definitely shake me up. I've heard of other stories involving trains and the way that spirits interact with them. I'm not sure what to think of it, but I think it's possible that it was an intelligent haunting and that a spirit stopped at the wrong place and the wrong time!

Blessings,
DA
Canyouseeme (1 stories) (14 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2009-01-13)
This is one of the most interesting storys I have read on here.

My knowledge isn't big in terms of ghosts/demons etc.

But from what I gather this entity seams to be re-creatin how he died... But why only 5 years after he started going through that town unless someone died there recently.

This seams like an accident and the entity could be trying to contact your husband for whatever reason.

Id say to your husband to keep an eye out every time hes going through that town entitys usually are bound to something and can't pass on for whatever reason.

Hope it goes well texicana76

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