Ghost Trains

[lea_hazel]

I'm not sure this is exactly the right forum, since I'm asking kind of a broad discussion question, although it does relate to something specific I wrote, sort of. I would have posted it in fantasy, but it's more of a horror thing if it belongs to any genre, which is a bit alarming when I consider that horror is about as far from my genre pool as possible.

What do you think about ghost trains? Have you ever read or heard a ghost train story? Do you think they're interesting, and if so, what's the most interesting thing about them? Or do you prefer some other ghost method of transportation, like ghost ships (cf. the Flying Dutchman -- warning, TV Tropes time-eating sand-pit link)?

I am not usually one for ghosts, barring The Sims 3. For some reason, though, the phrase "ghost train" got stuck in my head a while back and I want to write something about it. I just can't figure out if it should be a story or a poem, or, heavens forbid, a novel.

Comments

[bindingthreads]

There was a fantastic 'ghost train' story by Garth Nix. It can be found in his anthology 'Across the Wall.' It's a supernatural western about a mysterious baby abandoned at a train depot and her strange steamer truck that remains locked until her 18th birthday.

[bindingthreads]

Oh, and the movie 'Spirited Away' has some truly lovely depictions of spiritual/ghostly transport (including a ghost train), as well as being an all-around kick-ass movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccMvH9BSZxc