In England, two police officers were reportedly startled by the spectral sound of a ‘ghost train’ that ran along an abandoned railway line.
Joe Stafford and Whitney Holmes-Small, two police constables stationed at Swadlincote Police Station, were startled as an immense rumble shook the area just as they prepared to set out on patrol.
As the mysterious event unfolded in the police station’s courtyard, they heard a train’s enigmatic horn echoing through the air.
As the leaves of the nearby trees rustled in response to an approaching locomotive, they heard its horn blow – even though there were no train tracks for miles around.
After coming to the conclusion that they were hearing a train, the two looked into local history and found out that while there used to be an old railway line behind the police station in town many years ago, it had since been removed.
A spokesman for the Swadlincote Police Safer Neighbourhood Team said: “PCs Joe Stafford and Whitney Holmes-Small were getting ready to go out in the yard at the police station when they suddenly heard a loud rumble. Looking at one another, they realized the sound was getting closer and were shocked when the leaves started to blow, and the air around them moved.
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“They both realized that the sound of a long-lost train passing was obvious, and were slightly bewildered to hear the pip of the horn as the noise of the locomotive rolled off into the distance. Putting on their best detective hats, they decided to start making some inquiries and were shocked and bemused by what they found.
“It turns out that a railway did indeed used to run at the back of the police station, with the old Swadlincote Railway Station existing where the fire station [also in Civic Way] now sits, subtle clues as to the area’s past left in plain sight.”
The officers discovered that the Midland Road Bridge used to be the crossing over the tracks, with the tunnel long since blocked up, and Lower Midland Road was the walkway down to the platforms. The roads were named after Midland Railway, which operated the line.
The police spokesman said: “We would love to hear if anyone else has had any spooky experiences of this phantom train, or know more about the long lost station, and would welcome pictures or stories from those who may have been alive when it was regularly used!”
They jokingly added: “The sergeant did test both for drunk/drug driving and they passed.”
Passenger trains stopped running through Swadlincote more than 70 years ago in 1947.