The story of the Pittsfield Ghost Train begins, in 1958, at a small diner in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The diner is directly beside the old disused railway tracks.
John Quirk, then proprietor of the diner, along with his lunch customers, watched a steam locomotive come barreling down the train tracks at a shocking speed, headed east. From his vantage point, Quirk could see the train in vivid detail, despite its extreme speed. He said the engine was pulling a baggage car and five or six coaches, and he could even see the coal in the tender.
When the strange train was reported to railroad officials, however, the residents were informed curtly that no train had passed by at that time. Furthermore, officials pointed out, no steam engine had operated on that line in many years.
About a month later, in early March, the mysterious locomotive came rocketing past the diner again, this time around 6:30 in the morning. It was witnessed employees and early-morning customers. The description matched the first sighting precisely: a steam locomotive hauling east at high speed, with a baggage car and half a dozen coaches trailing.
That was the last time anyone saw the mysterious train.
Eh, mildly amusing story. It was intriguing because I live in MA.