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President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865. Shortly after his death, a train with the president's body departed from Washington, D.C., so that people from all over the country could mourn his death.
The reports vary, with some people claiming to see a light, others saying they can see the coffin inside the train, and some even said that their watches stopped while the train passed by.
Sources: (Grunge) (Mysteries of Canada) (American Folklore) (Midnight Trains) (Atlas Obscura) (Ghosts of Albany) (NCpedia)
See also: The most haunted hotels around the world
Numerous sightings of the train have been reported over the years, especially on or around the anniversary of Lincoln's death.
The story goes that a train was about to collide with another one, when it suddenly vanished just before the crash. Bob Twohey, the train engineer, believed it to be a premonition of his death, so he refused to drive the same train on the same route.
Then, just before midnight, the sound of a train could be heard approaching. There were no scheduled trains. The stationmaster pulled the man away from the tracks, but while the train could be heard and the wind felt, it could not be seen. The old man then vanished.
The story of the phantom train of Medicine Hat, in Alberta, Canada, goes back to 1908.
The other explanation for the mysterious light is that it's the lamp of a Confederate train, which was carrying wounded soldiers when it was ambushed by Union soldiers.
On July 8, 1908, J. Nicholson, a new engineer, took over the route, and saw an incoming train on the exact same spot. Except this time, it wasn't a ghost train—it was a passenger train driven by Bob Twohey. Both engineers, Twohey and Nicholson, died on impact.
The eerie station has been closed since 1966, but trains still pass through one of the eight stations on Madrid Metro's first line. The station was used as a shelter during the Spanish Civil War. In 2008 it was turned into a museum.
In Madrid, Spain, there is an old Metro station that is reportedly haunted. We're talking about Chamberí station.
It is said that on the anniversary of the disaster, a ghost train can be seen floating, and that the screaming of the victims can be heard.
The first Tay Rail Bridge crossed the Firth of Tay in Scotland and connected Dundee and Wormit in Fife.
The Cohoke Light is a phenomenon reported in King William County in Virginia. A light is said to appear at the railroad crossing on Mt. Olive Cohoke Road.
On December 28, 1879, a violent storm made the bridge collapse just as a passenger train passed over it. There were no known survivors, and many bodies were never found.
It is estimated that around 22 people died in the horrific accident. At least 15 of them died in a fire that broke out following the collision.
For years, locals have reported seeing the light of the ghost train as well as hearing the sounds of the accident.
He then woke up in a sheriff's office in an unknown town. The man asked the sheriff if the train had left him there, but the sheriff assured him that no trains passed through the area, and that he had found him lying a few miles out of town.
The Republic ghost train is also based on a real-life tragedy. In 1887, a passenger train carrying 65 people collided with a stalled freight train near Republic, Seneca County, in Ohio.
The shadow train rushed through the desert with no track towards him. The train stopped and the conductor and a passenger carried him onboard. The man passed out again.
The sounds of the tragic accident have been reported throughout the years, including the moaning of the wounded passengers.
Legend has it that an old prospector got lost in the desert flats without water and passed out from the heat. The man then woke up to the sound of a steam train.
And if that wasn't enough, in 2010, 119 years later, on the exact same day of the accident, a person was killed by a train on the bridge.
The ghost train of Iredell County in North Carolina has a real tragedy to back it up. On August 27, 1891, a railway accident on the Bostian Bridge killed 23 people.
Silverpilen (or "The Silver Arrow" in English) is the nickname of a Stockholm Metro train. It's the most popular ghost train in Sweden, and one of the most famous in the world.
The Silverpilen was one of the aluminum trains tested in Stockholm in the 1960s. The train would end up in Kymlinge station, which was supposedly haunted; a place where dead passengers would be picked up and dropped off.
The train was decommissioned in the 1990s, but some cars are still in use. Sightings of a ghostly silver train are still reported to this day. Legend has it that if you get on the Silverpilen, it will never stop.
The St. Louis ghost train, also known as the St. Louis Light, is a paranormal phenomenon reported near St. Louis, Saskatchewan, in Canada.
Both a white and a red light have been reported moving along the railroad track. Legend has it that a conductor was decapitated by a passing train there in the 1920s.
Madrid Metro line is haunted with many other ghosts. The Tirso de Molina station is also said to be haunted, as it was built over an old monastery. The bones of the monks are said to be buried under the platforms. As for ghost trains, there is one reportedly running in the city's line 5.
One story says that the light is the lantern of a decapitated railway worker, who's looking for his head.
A stationmaster was trying to calm down an old vagabond in a train station in Newark, New Jersey, who said that the Express train to hell was coming for him because he killed a man.
Ghost trains may sound like something out of horror movies, but the truth is that there are many reports of sightings. Some of these are urban legends, but many are based on real-life events, several of which are quite tragic.
From moving lights to the screams of wounded victims, in this gallery we delve into the world of ghost trains and bring you the scariest stories. Click on if you dare!
Unexplained train sightings from around the world
The Lincoln funeral train, for instance, has been sighted numerous times
LIFESTYLE Folktales
Ghost trains may sound like something out of horror movies, but the truth is that there are many reports of sightings. Some of these are urban legends, but many are based on real-life events, several of which are quite tragic.
From moving lights to the screams of wounded victims, in this gallery we delve into the world of ghost trains and bring you the scariest stories. Click on if you dare!