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February 2 through February 8, 2026

This week starts under a glowing Leo Moon, where we shine no matter what we’re doing! Increased energy and determination will move us forward with ease! Uranus will turn direct on Tuesday after months of backward movement, reigniting our creative sides for the next six months. A Virgo Moon hangs overhead on Tuesday and Wednesday, making these days ideal for detailed work, organizational activities, and planning for the future. A Libra Moon will take us through Thursday and Friday with more balance and gratitude, making the end of the work week flow smoothly. Mercury moves into Pisces on Saturday, and combined with this weekend’s Scorpio Moon, turns our attention to more spiritual activities and inner contemplation. To make the most of this combination, set aside physical pursuits and simply practice the art of “being”!

The Top 5 Weirdest Haunted Railroad Stories, by Matthew L. Swayne

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

In the 1800s, construction crews cut through mountains, soared over rivers, twisted around bends, and drove straight into towns and cities to build railroad lines that swept across the land like an iron and steel wildfire. On May 10, 1869, a seminal moment in railroad history, a golden spike was pounded into the final tie to officially commemorate the completion of the transcontinental railroad.

Railroads would connect states and nations, forever tying people and business together. Something else swept along with this marvel of construction and transportation, however, something that remains embedded in our collective psyche: railroad ghosts.

Haunted railroad lore runs the full line of weird paranormal activity, from spooky, but well-documented, levitating light—or orbs—phenomena to apparitions of people appearing in train engines and cars. It includes tales of the wandering souls of long-dead railroad engineers and even accounts that trains, the machines themselves, have rolled down the tracks of mortality and into the spirit world.

This article will take us to some of these haunted railroad destinations. Arriving at our first stop on the itinerary through the five weirdest tales in haunted rail history is the tale of an assassinated president destined to live among the immortals—and his funeral train that took him there.

1. Abraham Lincoln's Funeral Train
On a particularly melancholy morning of April 19, 1865, Abraham Lincoln's funeral train drifted out of a Washington, DC depot to visit hundreds of thousands of grief-stricken citizens in four hundred communities, who had lined up to pay tribute to the assassinated Great Emancipator. Legend has it, though, that just because you were born more than a century too late for the spectacle of Abraham Lincoln's funeral train, you aren't too late for its specter. The ghost of this funeral train is said to retrace its route annually, on the anniversary of its inaugural trip. Some say that if you're out along the rail lines that were once part of the funeral train's itinerary, which meandered through several mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states, you might see a black steam engine with fire belching from its smokestack glide eerily down the line. In case there is any doubt that what you are witnessing is an actual supernatural sight and not being fooled by some type of historical reenactment, witnesses say if you look through the window you can see that the president's coffin is laid out and an ever-vigilant group of Union soldiers—which some describe as ghosts and others as skeletons—keep watch over the coffin.

2. The Dangers of Working Overtime at a Railroad Museum
The staff and volunteers at the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona, Pennsylvania are a lot like the people who the facility memorializes: the hard-working, loyal people who helped turned the small city of Altoona into a world-famous railroad hub. And one hard-working finance director at the museum found out just how loyal railroad spirits can be. I mean, they just don't want to leave. According to a now-legendary Altoona ghost story told by multiple sources, the director walked from his office to the building's elevator after a long day of hard work. The director, who said he was usually the last one in the office, waited until the elevator door eventually swung open, and in he walked. But, shockingly, the director found that he wasn't alone on the elevator; a man stood on the other side of the elevator with his back to him. The unexpected guest casually looked over his shoulder at the dismayed finance director. Then, the man's body started to shimmy electrically—and, eventually, completely disappeared.

Later, the director noticed a railroad worker in a picture on display in the museum who looked similar—one might say hauntingly similar—to the man who shared his elevator ride into haunted railroad weirdness. He assumed this was the ghost of the man that he bumped into on his elevator ride into spooky railroad history.

3. Stamp of Spooky Approval
Not many paranormal phenomena earn a royal stamp of approval, but an elite group of spooky happenings in the Great White North—or, better, the Great Fright North—were immortalized as Canadian postage stamps. Among them, the St. Louis Ghost Train stamp became highly sought-after when the post released the stamp to the public in 2014.

The stamp celebrates a ghostly railroad tale that's been creeping out of the small, quaint village of St. Louis, Saskatchewan for decades. Witness say that eerie lights often dance along a stretch of railroad tracks outside of town. Some say that there is a white light and a red light; they believe that the white light represents the headlamp of a train, while the red light looks like a light that used to flash from the back of a caboose. Believers say that the lights are either from a ghost train that was part of a deadly train robbery, or the ghost of a conductor who died in a horrible work accident along that section of track. Debunkers have other reasons for the phenomenon; mainly, they say that the phenomenon is nothing more than a combination of automobile headlights and over-active imaginations.

But, the sightings continue, and continue to be vexing and spooky enough to be immortalized in stamp collections across Canada—and stamped in the time-space continuum that surrounds the village of St. Louis, Saskatchewan.

4. Ghost Trains: Nonfiction, Fiction, or Science Fiction?
Philip K. Dick, one of the world's most famous and talented science fiction authors, had some unorthodox views about reality. In his nearly half-million word Exegesis, the writer conjectures that reality is everything from a computer simulation to a vast gnostic revelation. Dick had no trouble believing in another piece of weird phenomenon: ghost trains. According to several sources, including Anne Dick, his former wife who was living with him in Point Reyes Station at the time, Dick claimed to hear the phantom cry of a train as he tried to sleep. The trouble was that there were no trains around.

Years before, the railroad had ceased functioning in that area. However, Dick's account did match up with a local ghost story that told of an angry engineer who haunted the old railroad line that once criss-crossed through Point Reyes Station. It is said the engineer once drove his train through the night trying to find the man who wronged his daughter. The wail of his whistle woke the sleepy community. Townsfolk said that the train's whistle still pierces the night during the engineer's vengeful run. Many witnesses have stepped forward to say that they have heard and seen the ghost train and, it just so happens, we might count one of the world's most lauded science fiction writers as one of these lucky, or—depending on either your lack of sleep, or fear of the unknown—unlucky witnesses.

5. Murder, the Spirits Wrote
Skeptics charge that railroad ghost stories are just that—stories, spooky tales that, while may impart some cultural or historic wisdom, aren't really true. But, these doubters may have some trouble explaining the next story that takes place in Duffy's Cut, a section of railroad near Malvern, Pennsylvania. Since the late nineteenth century, dozens of people have claimed to see weird, floating orbs dancing around a trench near the railroad tracks. There were so many reports of what people said were the ghosts of Irish railroad workers that the railroad company began to collect and archive the stories. Two men, who had heard the stories from their grandfather who worked for the railroad company, decided to investigate whether there was any truth to these legends. With help from university-trained scientists, these amateur anthropologists dug roughly where the ghost sightings occurred and found remains from what seemed to be a mass grave. More startling, the men found evidence that it wasn't a disease that killed the workers and their families, but, apparently, gun shot wounds.

Thanks for sharing this ride through the five weirdest railroad stories with me. Feel free to share your own haunted railroad stories with me, too!

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2019. All rights reserved.

Years ago, I met a man who was born 1/11/68. (I am a Leo born 8/2/66.) I felt an immediate connection to this man, like we had known each other in a past life or something. Eventually, he married someone else. Now, years later, I've met another man born 1/11/69. Again I felt a strong bond like I knew this person, but it seems like he is scared or has other issues. I am completely up front about telling him that I think I love him, though I'm nervous this is scaring him away. In any case, I have been really struck by the fact that I felt such a strong connection to both men given that they share the same birthday. Your thoughts?

Mare

Astrea:

Oh, the lure of Capricorns: they're always the cutest, smartest and most charming fellers where Fire Signs are concerned. I have never been as head over heels for any other sign. My very first boyfriend was 1/16, and the guy after him was 1/17! Then I married a 1/16, so I TRULY understand your confusion. Coincidence? No way! Conscious choice, maybe - certainly part of your brain is at work here.

Even though most astrologers shy away from praising a Leo/Capricorn match, it doesn't put your fire out! You're attracted not because of the birthday but because of the deep, strong feelings that Capricorns project even though they very rarely speak them.

Part of the Capricorn appeal is a tendency to be the strong silent type, so expecting any Capricorn man to bubble over putting emotions into words is unrealistic. By the same token, telling a Capricorn man your feelings before he is ready to accept his own feelings is always risky, so you're correct in thinking that telling him you're in love may scare him away.

I am the last person to make light of something that seems like such a coincidence as two people having the same date of birth. I take this to mean that the Universe is definitely trying to tell you something.

I am a firm believer in the saying right sign, wrong person. Having experiences with the same sign over and over only to have them end might discourage anyone - except a Leo!

Since you've done this in the past, you can see how similar those two men are and also see their differences. No matter what happened in the past relationship, this person is different enough in his personal chart to be a completely unique personality.

Certainly the year they were born makes a vast difference. Lots of big planets were at play with Capricorn in different ways during those two years. You can quickly find the differences in their astrological profiles online, and a good astrologer can interpret the nuances to further illuminate the unique traits of these individuals.

Remember, you'll need the location and exact time of their births to get the most accurate information. Then have your astrologer compare your chart with each of theirs. The results will amaze you and help guide you in making wise future choices.

*****

Susyn:

Strange as it may sound, it's not uncommon to be attracted to people who have the same birthday or sun sign. I've experienced that myself. For years I was drawn to Libras, three of whom had the exact same birthday!

This phenomenon can happen for many reasons. If you have your astrological natal chart read, these karmic attractions can be identified and explained.

It's possible that you had past lives with one or both of these men, which would explain the immediate connection you felt, but it's more likely that they simply match your astrological preferences.

If you do a little research, you may find you have always been attracted to Capricorns. There are clear patterns and cycles regarding the people we draw into our lives, so certain signs of the zodiac may play a dominant role in our lives time and time again.

Astrology aside, you could indeed be pushing these romantic potentials away by coming on too strong. Though our society encourages us to be open and honest, which is a good thing, we have also fallen into a pattern of sharing too much, too soon. This can be overwhelming and actually push a partner away instead of drawing them closer.

You state that this man has fears and issues, but I've never met a Capricorn man who would let that stop him from following his heart.

As a Leo, you're used to taking charge and directing the flow of things in your life, but when it comes to romance, a softer touch and more mysterious stance would work wonders in drawing this Capricorn closer. If you can stand still and let him take the lead, he should grow more eager to move forward.

Whatever relationship struggles you may find yourself in, keep in mind that the quickest way to change what others are doing is by changing what you are doing. Leo women are usually more compatible with the signs of Aquarius, Sagittarius and Libra, so breaking out of your Capricorn rut might help you find the true love you are looking for.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.