And so it was arranged that the team would investigate for the evening, and hopefully come up with some answers for some of the activity that had taken place over the years. Including clocks that would lose time on a certain wall, a box of files that had launched itself for a shelf, and a ghostly presence that could be felt (and sometimes seen from a window!) – around the yard and staff rooms.

Our hosts for the night, two of the senior railway staff – Di and Derek – both with spooky stories to share and full of useful knowledge of the railway and its history. Roger Millward a personal friend, and Fire man for the railway was also on hand during the night.

The team consisted of the usual motley crew – Myself, Jan, Steve, John, Karin, Marie with guests Paul Morgan & Suzanne. A quick reccie of the area, resulted in a whole host of possible active locations to focus on.

Starting with the old ticket office, we went through the usual process of tooling up for the night, K2’s, EM Pods, Mel Meters.. you name it – we had it with us. Four of the team turned on their k2’s which suddenly flashed into life, a pattern emerged – maybe a stray wifi signal was the cause!?

Jan asked out for any possible spirits to move away from her k2.. which it did, causing the lights on her k2 to stop flashing – and yet everyone else’s was still pulsing away. ‘If you’re here infront of me, light the lights please!’ – it did..

‘Ok lets all change places’, and yet still the spirit was reacting to Jan’s voice – turning off and on the lights at her command. All of a sudden the patterns stopped, all k2’s went quiet… Could it be that the spirit was using the extra boost of energy in the air to effect Jan’s k2?

There’s the energy of a young girl here’ he says. Over the course of the next few minutes a whole torrent of information is revealed. She’s a very pretty young lady, in her early 20’s, from the Victorian period. ‘Shes on her way to visit her intended in Brighton, she’s very excited! 

Derek, who is listening from the platform informs us that its correct – this carriage was from the mainland route that went to Brighton. Wow! – we have a hit.. Paul informs us that the spirit girl was impressed too, and is tickling the top of his head! – for me, its small discoveries like this that makes it all worthwhile.

We can hear noises coming from the train depo, maybe its time for us to join the rest of the team. I can see Janis up in the cab of a loco! Turns out that she’s been having a bit of a problem with an angry spirit who really doesn’t want her in the yard. ‘He’s in my face, very very angry – just keeps saying to me that I’ve no right to be here!’, she says.

Luckily for Jan, the train drivers have joined us – they want to know more about this angry spirit, and have ‘invited’ her into the cab of one of the locomotives. As you can guess, that really didn’t help her relationship with the spirit!

He’s definitely a railway man, although he refuses to give me his name’. Jan lurches forward, if it wasnt for the railing on the door and a helpful driver, the spirit would have successfully flung her from the cab. ‘This is his train’, she replies. ‘He’s worked on others, but this is his main one.

‘How do you feel on each side of the cab?’ asks Alan Brindley (driver), Jan moves back and forth across the cab – half expecting to be launched into the air at any moment. ‘The lefthand side feels worse than the right, I’m not suppose to be up here – but he’s told me as I already am up here, I’m to stay over this side’.

It turns out that in a steam locomotive, there are 2 roles – the Driver and the Fire Man, and this spirit did not want her on the drivers side. ‘He’s told me that its not kept as clean as when he had it!, but he’s very proud of you all for the work your doing and keeping the railway running’, says Jan.

The drivers decide that Jan should try the cab’s of the other engines, to see if she can pickup any additional information – When on one of the engines, Alan (a driver) – asks Jan what side feels less comfortable. ‘On this loco, I feel I should be stood on the other side for some reason’, this was later confirmed by the drivers as this engine and had had its controls reversed around.

‘Is there anything more you can give us?’ asks Alan, ‘Nope afraid not, he really doesn’t want to talk to me anymore’ says Jan. ‘Although he has told me to tell you this.. He will do something to the old bugger tonight to prove himself to you!'

We are later told by the railway staff that Alan – who was for the night staying over in the staff quarters – awoke at 4 o’clock with leg cramps, something he doesn’t usually suffer with. After jumping out of bed and walking it off, he returned to find a selection of loco-related equipment placed neatly upon his bed! – if only we had left a static camera fixed up in the room for the night!

‘Would you like to see the Royal Carriage?’ asks Guardsman Ian Pidgley – you bet! We leave Jan in the capable hands of the drivers and march off down the tracks, to a siding that houses these remarkable historic carriages.

Watching Paul M try to scramble up a good 4 foot into the carriage gave us all a bit of laugh, but finally here we were – inside the Royal Carriage. Reputed to be the carriage that carried Queen Victoria, and more recently our own Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to the railway a few years ago. Try as we might we could not pickup on any ‘royal’ activity.

We would like to thank the Management and Railway Staff for their support and kindness in making this
investigation such an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

www.iwsteamrailway.co.uk