Ghostly Transport

Ghostly Transport : is a phenomenon that challenges the commonly held view that ghosts are spirits of the dead. There are a wide variety of reports about phantom vehicles or ghostly forms of transport some forms reported more often than others.

Out of all of the reports of ghostly transport, ghostly cars are possibly one of the rarest forms of phantom vehicle. One of the theories behind this, is that the car is a relatively recent invention which has left little time for the phenomenon to become established. It would seem that many reports of phantom cars appear, sadly, to be linked to tragic road accidents. However, the predecessors to cars, namely horses and carriages, do tend to be much more frequently reported, probably due to them being around much longer.

Apparently, phantom trains account for one of the more common forms of ghostly vehicle. They are said to appear, usually at the site of a rail disaster. One example of this was the Tay Rail Bridge disaster in Scotland in 1879. Here a bridge collapsed in a bad storm, leaving the oncoming train to plunge into a river below. Unfortunately, there were no survivors, and since the bridge was repaired, there have several reports of a phantom train disappearing near the middle of the reparations. As with all forms of phantom transport there does not always have to have been a tragic accident beforehand, for example Abraham Lincoln's funeral train. This phantom funeral train is said to pass along the original route taken by Lincoln's funeral train. Witnesses have reported it passing along, complete with a skeletal band on one of the wagons, playing an unidentified tune.

There are even reports of ghostly planes that appear to be apparitions of military planes from the world war. Sightings of such phenomenon appear to be more common over Britain, France and Germany. This could be linked to the number of craft lost during the last world war. It would appear that there isn't anything specific that triggers the materialisation of these ghostly planes, although it is suggested that violent storms may invoke a few.

Ships are a much older from of transport than cars and planes and as a result reports of ghostly ships abound. One example is an 18th century ship called 'The Flying Dutchman'. In this tale the captain of the ship, Henrik van der Decken is alleged to have sworn in a fit of rage; that he would round the Cape of Good Hope even if it meant sailing for all eternity and straight into the wind. He even suggested that God himself could not stop him. Legend now has it that the ghostly ship appears during stormy weather off the Cape of Good Hope, at Africa's southern tip during stormy weather. On board is van Decken, who because of his evil nature and taunting of God is condemned to sail forever into the wind. Mariners fear the sighting of 'The flying Dutchman' because it is said to be a bad omen, and any sailor that spots it, will be thus doomed to join van Decken and his ghostly crew in their special form of damnation.

For more information see also: ghosts.

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