Railroad Forums
Ghost Railroads of NJ
- Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey
Moderator: David
by njt4172
Dave,
Well, my personel experiences aren't too interesting, however my old computer teacher from high school had one pretty crazy experience with the hookerman after CNJ ran its last train over the line in 1976.
The story goes as follows...Around the late 1890's an old freight train was passing over the High Bridge Branch in and around the vicinity of Bartley/Middle Valley, NJ. While the train was in the process of switching cars, the conductor/brakeman got his arm chopped off by the knuckle couplers between the caboose and the box cars...After this happened, the railroader died from a loss of blood while he was trying to look for his arm. Ever since that incident railroaders and hikers have seen glowing lights hovering about 20 feet above the ROW off Three Bridges Road in Bartley, NJ....It is described as a white, red or blue light that seems to reappear and disappear in no set pattern..The CNJ employee timetables even had a bulletin order in the 1920's and 1930's to not stop for any strange lantern signals....
The story that was told by my computer teacher goes as follows...One day back in the summer of 1977 my old teacher went to hang out on the High Bridge Branch with his girlfriend. They hung out near the old Middle valley trestle which lies between Naughright Road and Three Bridges road. He had told his girlfriend that the tracks were abandoned and that there had not been a train over the line in over a year. After about an hour or so of waiting they both heard what sounded like a steam whistle. About 10 seconds later they saw the hookerman lights rapidly approach them! It lasted for about 20 seconds and then the lights just vanished into thin air!! He told me that he got so scared that night he pissed his pants! He still could not figure out what that was to this day!
There have been so many sightings throughout the years that even a special ghost team from Rutgers set their equipment up along the ROW. Unfortunately, the tracks were torn up by Conrail in 1980, but the hookerman lights have still been sighted frequently since then. I am also sure that several CNJ engineers that passed through there must have had some experiences with the hookerman lights... A good book to get that has a story on this is called "Weird NJ" Anyone interested can pick it up at Borders or a Barnes and Nobles bookstore for $20.00.
Steve
Well, my personel experiences aren't too interesting, however my old computer teacher from high school had one pretty crazy experience with the hookerman after CNJ ran its last train over the line in 1976.
The story goes as follows...Around the late 1890's an old freight train was passing over the High Bridge Branch in and around the vicinity of Bartley/Middle Valley, NJ. While the train was in the process of switching cars, the conductor/brakeman got his arm chopped off by the knuckle couplers between the caboose and the box cars...After this happened, the railroader died from a loss of blood while he was trying to look for his arm. Ever since that incident railroaders and hikers have seen glowing lights hovering about 20 feet above the ROW off Three Bridges Road in Bartley, NJ....It is described as a white, red or blue light that seems to reappear and disappear in no set pattern..The CNJ employee timetables even had a bulletin order in the 1920's and 1930's to not stop for any strange lantern signals....
The story that was told by my computer teacher goes as follows...One day back in the summer of 1977 my old teacher went to hang out on the High Bridge Branch with his girlfriend. They hung out near the old Middle valley trestle which lies between Naughright Road and Three Bridges road. He had told his girlfriend that the tracks were abandoned and that there had not been a train over the line in over a year. After about an hour or so of waiting they both heard what sounded like a steam whistle. About 10 seconds later they saw the hookerman lights rapidly approach them! It lasted for about 20 seconds and then the lights just vanished into thin air!! He told me that he got so scared that night he pissed his pants! He still could not figure out what that was to this day!
There have been so many sightings throughout the years that even a special ghost team from Rutgers set their equipment up along the ROW. Unfortunately, the tracks were torn up by Conrail in 1980, but the hookerman lights have still been sighted frequently since then. I am also sure that several CNJ engineers that passed through there must have had some experiences with the hookerman lights... A good book to get that has a story on this is called "Weird NJ" Anyone interested can pick it up at Borders or a Barnes and Nobles bookstore for $20.00.
Steve
by CarterB
Urban legends are great!
How about the 'sightings' of 'sunken locos' lost freight cars, abandoned cars in use for chicken coops, or diners, etc.
How about the 'sightings' of 'sunken locos' lost freight cars, abandoned cars in use for chicken coops, or diners, etc.
by CarterB
A little known and short lived RR was the Lodi Branch RR, which I believe was one of the earliest abandonments (before 1900) in NJ.
Much of the ROW can still be seen from where it cut off the now Pascack Valley line through a cut just West of Rte 17 in Hasbrouck Heights NJ on its way to Lodi.
Much of the ROW can still be seen from where it cut off the now Pascack Valley line through a cut just West of Rte 17 in Hasbrouck Heights NJ on its way to Lodi.
by njt4172
Carter & David
There is another little ghost story about a woman in a white dress that is seldom seen alogn the Gladstone Branch between Millington and Bernardsville....Apparently this grown girl was seen off track in somebody's driveway off of Spencer Road....My friend lives in Basking Ridge and he saw her twirling around on his way home at 12:30 AM last month....When he told me the story I bugged out! If you do go on Spencer Road to look for this ghost I REPEAT stay off of peoples property!! If you are lucky enough you will see the ghostly woman early SaturdaY MORNING between 12 and 1 am....I am still in the process of submitting this story to Weird NJ...But beware, I wouldn't get out of your car if u do see her! She appears to be headless!!!
Steve
There is another little ghost story about a woman in a white dress that is seldom seen alogn the Gladstone Branch between Millington and Bernardsville....Apparently this grown girl was seen off track in somebody's driveway off of Spencer Road....My friend lives in Basking Ridge and he saw her twirling around on his way home at 12:30 AM last month....When he told me the story I bugged out! If you do go on Spencer Road to look for this ghost I REPEAT stay off of peoples property!! If you are lucky enough you will see the ghostly woman early SaturdaY MORNING between 12 and 1 am....I am still in the process of submitting this story to Weird NJ...But beware, I wouldn't get out of your car if u do see her! She appears to be headless!!!
Steve
by nick11a
njt4172 wrote:Carter & DavidDo you think she likes railfanning?
There is another little ghost story about a woman in a white dress that is seldom seen alogn the Gladstone Branch between Millington and Bernardsville....Apparently this grown girl was seen off track in somebody's driveway off of Spencer Road....My friend lives in Basking Ridge and he saw her twirling around on his way home at 12:30 AM last month....When he told me the story I bugged out! If you do go on Spencer Road to look for this ghost I REPEAT stay off of peoples property!! If you are lucky enough you will see the ghostly woman early SaturdaY MORNING between 12 and 1 am....I am still in the process of submitting this story to Weird NJ...But beware, I wouldn't get out of your car if u do see her! She appears to be headless!!!
Steve
~Nick O.: Moderator: NJT Rail
Moderator of the "widely popular" NJT Rail Forum! What once was first is now seventh!
Moderator of the "widely popular" NJT Rail Forum! What once was first is now seventh!
by CarterB
Interestingly enough, another ghost story in the same area only a mile or so apart!!
"Yagoo's Road in
Millington NJ. Yagoo's road (The street sign reads Oakes Road) runs along
the Lackawanna Railroad ROW. Now local legend says that this area was once
the route of the underground railroad ad one of its passengers are still
traveling. Its reported that Erie Lackawanna engineers report seeing a seven
foot tall black man dressed in a long robe walking the tracks, locals and
hikers report seeing the man standing on the DL&W/EL/NJT bridge that spans
the deep gorge in the area. He carries a staff and his eyes are described as
being red where the white should be with yellow irises. (hmmm shades of the
Hookerman!) The name "Yagoo" for this apparition came out of seance that
was held locally.
What's interesting is that the locals tie orange ribbons along Oakes
"Yagoo" road near the tracks wherever the ghost appears, If you venture out
this way look for the pudding stone monument, Also notice that most homes
have large pudding stone's in front of them. Actually called blood stone
it's said it wards off evil. "
"Yagoo's Road in
Millington NJ. Yagoo's road (The street sign reads Oakes Road) runs along
the Lackawanna Railroad ROW. Now local legend says that this area was once
the route of the underground railroad ad one of its passengers are still
traveling. Its reported that Erie Lackawanna engineers report seeing a seven
foot tall black man dressed in a long robe walking the tracks, locals and
hikers report seeing the man standing on the DL&W/EL/NJT bridge that spans
the deep gorge in the area. He carries a staff and his eyes are described as
being red where the white should be with yellow irises. (hmmm shades of the
Hookerman!) The name "Yagoo" for this apparition came out of seance that
was held locally.
What's interesting is that the locals tie orange ribbons along Oakes
"Yagoo" road near the tracks wherever the ghost appears, If you venture out
this way look for the pudding stone monument, Also notice that most homes
have large pudding stone's in front of them. Actually called blood stone
it's said it wards off evil. "
by Urban D Kaye
My grandfather told a story that used to scare me and my li'l cousin crazy when we were kids. My grandparents owned a small trailer home and addition along the PRR/L&HR Bel-Del line at Hutchinson, just south of Belvidere NJ. And when my grandfather got a few beers in him, he'd tell the story of "Raw Heads & Bloody Bones." Seems that Hutchinson was once a stop (tho never a popular one) on the Pennsy. And one night the crew of a northbound train feels what they believe to be something dragging beneath one of the cars. So they stop the train at Hutchinson and the fireman climbs down with a lantern to survey the problem. He walks the train, checking under each car for trouble, while the engineer waits in the cab. About halfway along the consist, the fireman sees something he can't quite make out, hanging beneath one of the cars, so he sticks his head under the car for a better view. At this same moment, the engine suddenly lurches backward (no 3-point protection), separating the fireman from his head, which bounces down the embankment. When the conductor comes up from the caboose, he finds the fireman's headless body beside the tracks. Despite a thorough daylight search the following day, the head is never found. So on some lonely moonlit nights, the body of the fireman is rumored to walk from house to house in search of his missing head.
Wooooooooooo ... not so scary now, huh?
But us kids slept with one eye open after that one.
Wooooooooooo ... not so scary now, huh?
But us kids slept with one eye open after that one.