Abraham Lincoln's Ghost Train....!!!!!

One of the most persistent legends surrounding the death of President Abraham Lincoln is the annual appearance of Lincoln's "Ghost Train."

The train is seen all along the route that the slain President’s body took on its way from Washington, D.C. to Springfield Illinois. Although some parts of the story differ from place to place, the consistencies between the sightings are remarkable. Original Route of Lincoln’s Funeral Train

According to historian R.J. Norton, on the website "Abraham Lincoln's Assassination," Lincoln’s funeral coach left on April 21, 1865 from the Baltimore and Ohio Depot in Washington D.C. It would run from there through to Springfield, Illinois, stopping at most major cities and many smaller ones so citizens could pay their last respects. At each stop, the President lay in state while thousands of mourners filed past the coffin.

There were so many people who wanted to view the great American leader that several additional stops had to be added along the way. By May 2, the body had become so badly discolored that the crowds were becoming upset at the sight. On May 3, President Lincoln arrived in Springfield for the final time.

First Sightings of the Ghost Train: Even before the first anniversary of Lincoln’s death, the first reports of the Ghost Train began to trickle into the public's collective conscience. These stories seem to have originated in the Hudson River Valley. Every year since, at the end of April during the anniversary of the first funeral trip, people all along the trains’ original route report seeing an odd sight: an eerie spectral train passing silently along the tracks.

Description of Lincoln’s Spectral Train: While descriptions vary, there are striking similarities in the story told. The train is easily identified by a bluish light that seems to emanate from it. Those waiting by the tracks report that the train makes no noise at all, although some witnesses have reported hearing an old-fashioned train whistle. Witnesses describe the train as containing a skeleton band, all in blue Union uniforms, who are playing music that no one can hear. On the second car of the train is the President’s coffin, draped in a flag and surrounded by black crepe. A skeletal honor guard dressed in both Union and Confederate uniforms, stands at attention around the coffin.

As the train passes, the air beside the tracks becomes still and warm, no matter how cool it might have been just moments before. Clocks stop for six minutes as the train passes, and all other trains run six minutes slow for the rest of the night. Crossing gates are reported to malfunction, going up and down of their own accord, as if an invisible train was passing through.

Encounters with Other Haunted Trains: According to the Spectral Review, while passing along busy tracks, the Ghost Train will occasionally encounter a real train. The real train disappears as it runs through the Ghost Train and for that period of time, the real train is said to be silent as well. Abraham Lincoln’s ghost is said to appear at a number of other locations, including the White House and at President Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, one of many haunted places in Illinois.