What’s Inside Lincoln’s Ghost Train?

Lincoln’s ghost train is a legend that claims that the funeral train that carried the assassinated president’s body from New York City to Springfield, Illinois in 1865 can still be seen on the Hudson River Railroad on certain nights. The train is said to be all black and to travel silently and slowly, accompanied by a mournful whistle. Some trackmen and laborers along the line have reported seeing the ghostly train over the years, especially around the anniversary of Lincoln’s death. 

The text below is the script for the video.

Hello, hello. And welcome. This video is about Abraham Lincoln's mystical phantom train.

According to the lore, Lincoln's train can still be seen or heard on certain nights, especially on the anniversary of his death. Fyi, he was assassinated on April 15, 1865.

Some people claim that they have seen the train at the station, and then vanish into thin air. Others say that they felt a cold breeze or a sense of sadness as the train passed by.

Here’s what we’re gonna do. We will hop on board Lincoln’s ghost train and explore what’s inside.

Come with me and let’s take a look.

The funeral train that took Lincoln’s body from Washington D.C. to his hometown of Springfield, Illinois made several stops along the way, including the state of New York. 

The train then went westward from New York to Illinois taking the route through Hudson Valley.

And It is in the Hudson Valley area where Lincoln’s ghost train is said to be seen. 

And according to the Hudson River Maritime Museum (HRMM for short), it is possible that because the train traveled in this area at night that it appears here more than the other routes.

Let me just comment on this image. We know that no one sleeps in a ghost train. But isn't it reassuring to know that there’s a dedicated attendant who keeps the sheets clean, just in case.

Also, in the HRMM article, there were witnesses who gave descriptions of the train as published in the Rockland County Journal, dated September 13, 1879.

In it, someone described the train

“as sounds hollow and awful. Its lights are yellow, pale and funeral. Its train hands and passengers are sepulchral figures”.

The article also went on to describe the train

“Those who have seen it say, though they felt that it was only a vision, that a man could walk through it if he dared, or throw a stone through it; yet it seems perfect in everything but substantialness.”

Just a comment on this section. Lincoln might be the only dead person in this train full undead. It is, after all, his funeral train.