# Ghost Trains



## caravanman (Jul 2, 2012)

Hi, not sure if you can get bbc website links in the US?

Story on Ghost Trains!

Ed.


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## leemell (Jul 2, 2012)

caravanman said:


> Hi, not sure if you can get bbc website links in the US?
> 
> Story on Ghost Trains!
> 
> Ed.



No problem seeing this. Nice story. Anything like this for Amtrak?


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## Bill Haithcoat (Jul 6, 2012)

There is a "real life" tradition of a ghost train somewhere in the Carolinas, whether on ex Seaboard track or ex Atlantic Coast Line, I do not know.

I assume the people who have "seen" this train were not confusing it with today's Auto Train or the Fast Mail of preAmtrak years.

This reminds me of my one trip from Atlanta to Augusta on Georgia Railroad's famed mixed train. Keep in mind there was no light, running water, anything in the lone coach. keep in mind that a freight train (which is exactly what that was)gives off no light whatsoever except from the engine and the caboose.

That means as those completely black freight cars (looking like hearses or coffins going around the corners) against a black sky and an inside of a completely black coach with me being the only passenger; made it feel like I was on a "Ghost Train to Hell". Note most of the ten hour trip was in daylight but it was night time when we got there.


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## jamesontheroad (Jul 6, 2012)

leemell said:


> No problem seeing this. Nice story. Anything like this for Amtrak?


Given how thinly spread Amtrak service is, I seriously doubt it. Perhaps on the NEC?

Parliamentary Trains (as they are more commonly known) exist because of the quirks of the British parliamentary procedures involved in permanently suspending passenger rail service. In short, it's extremely expensive and time consuming for a passenger rail operating company to completely cease all service over a given route or to a particular station. It's much cheaper to simply wind down service to such a point that almost no-one either does or realistically can use it.

The Office of Rail Regulation report annually on passenger numbers through every UK station, based on the number of presumed "entrances" and "exits" that have been registered by tickets sales. These obviously don't include Rover tickets or fare evaders  According to the latest statistics, the ten least used stations in the UK were as follows - with their total recorded number of passengers in *the entire operating year* 2010-2011.

Tees-Side Airport 18 (two trains per week)

Dorking West 22 (one train every two hours)

Coombe 38 (two trains a day, Mon-Sat)

Denton 52 (one train per week)

Breich 68 (three trains per day, Mon-Sat)

Reddish South 68 (one train per week)

Barry Links 74 (...)

Sampford Courtenay 76 (...)

Elton & Orston 84 (two trains per day)

Sugar Loaf 84 (eight trains per day)

That list has, naturally, become something of a daydream for me. If I could get a few friends together for some day trips, we could seriously influence next year's passenger statistics :lol:


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## trainman74 (Jul 7, 2012)

Looked up some of these stations on Wikipedia...



jamesbrownontheroad said:


> Dorking West 22 (one train every two hours)



...and I think I see part of the problem with this one...



> Access is from Station Road (to the south) through the industrial estate car parks, *down an unlit unsignposted footpath.*


No one can find it!


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