Ghost Train: American Railroad Ghost Legends

Rating:
Summary: excellent book about railroad ghost legends
Review: An interesting book with many stories about specific railroad hauntings. This book is also divides the stories into categories and gives examples of each type. Fun and interesting reading for all ages, great photos and lovely cover.

Rating:
Summary: excellent book about railroad ghost legends
Review: An interesting book with many stories about specific railroad hauntings. This book is also divides the stories into categories and gives examples of each type. Fun and interesting reading for all ages, great photos and lovely cover.

Rating:
Summary: (+)
Review: It is evident with this particular book, that long and hard hours were spent to detail a topic that few really believe is true. The author works to bring fact (old rail lines, old rail towns) and fiction (headless lampmen, ghost passengers) together into a form of entertainment suitable for reading. Any person who spent even the slightest time as a child walking along a rail line, or as a ticket holding guest will enjoy the mixture of realism and folklore. If you don't care too much for the ghost part of it, fine ... the historical documentation is rich. And if you want to hear about campfire 'lore, Mr. Reevy supplies not only the stories, but sometimes the people who tell them.

Rating:
Summary: Great ghost stories with photos and pictures
Review: Nothing sounds more lonesome, more haunting, than a train whistle heard from far away--it lingers in the mind, taking on substance in the imagination. It implies dramatic partings, joyous reunions, devastating wars and illnesses, mysterious journeys of all kinds. No wonder so much emotion has always been attached to train journeys. Now, those of us who love trains--and enjoy a little shiver running up our spines--have a wonderful treat in store: Ghost Train! Tony Reevy's evocative writing and careful research bring to life the legends of yesteryear in this well-researched an entertaining book. Great photos and maps are an added bonus. So buy your ticket and hop on board the Ghost Train! -- Lee Smith, author of Oral History and Fair and Tender Ladies

Rating:
Summary: Brings to Life Legends of Yesteryear
Review: Nothing sounds more lonesome, more haunting, than a train whistle heard from far away--it lingers in the mind, taking on substance in the imagination. It implies dramatic partings, joyous reunions, devastating wars and illnesses, mysterious journeys of all kinds. No wonder so much emotion has always been attached to train journeys. Now, those of us who love trains--and enjoy a little shiver running up our spines--have a wonderful treat in store: Ghost Train! Tony Reevy's evocative writing and careful research bring to life the legends of yesteryear in this well-researched an entertaining book. Great photos and maps are an added bonus. So buy your ticket and hop on board the Ghost Train! -- Lee Smith, author of Oral History and Fair and Tender Ladies

Rating:
Summary: Broad, but Shallow.
Review: Researching ghost stories is probably not an easy thing. Primary sources (those who have encountered the ghosts) are scarce, can be difficult to find, and may be reluctant to talk. Media attention to sightings is generally scant, and the ghosts themselves are often fickle in appearance and silent on self-explanation. When the research is done, the stories still have to be presented, around a campfire if possible, in a tone that does justice to their mysterious content. It is not every man (woman) who can tell a story skillfully. Even so, Mr. Reevy could have done better. He presents his ghosts with an almost breezy, though largely understandable prose that is entirely at odds with his subject matter, and rarely even approaches the evocative work of Edgar Allen Poe or H. P. Lovecraft (see "Glowing Eyes on the Track" for a possible exception.) Another failure is a lack of depth. Mr. Reevy has done a fair bit of research for this book, which is unfortunate because it rarely shows. Over eighty ghosts are presented in this heavily illustrated 162pp book. Do the math, and that comes to less than 2pp of text per ghost. If Mr. Reevy had concentrated his research efforts on only six or twelve ghosts, and had found a talented writer to present them, this could have been a four or five star book. As it is, I got more of a chill watching Ghostbusters on broadcast TV.

Rating:
Summary: Great ghost stories with photos and pictures
Review: This book is wonderful. There are photos of locations, sometimes even of the person who is said to haunt the train or structure. Lots of fascinating stories from all over the US arranged by categories. Stories are extensively researched and well written.