In Eastern Europe and Russia, one of the most mysterious phenomena is the enigma of the “Gogol Ghost Train”. Numerous reports suggest that scientists from Moscow State University have conducted investigations and research on the “ghost train phenomenon.” However, due to a desire to keep these perplexing occurrences from the public, this incident remains shrouded in mystery.
In January 2009, in Ukraine, several individuals claimed: “I saw a train rushing towards me, but in the blink of an eye, it vanished without a trace. Where did it go?” Immediately, this phenomenon captivated fans of mysteries related to “ghost trains” worldwide. In fact, as early as 1933, the ghost train had become a perplexing case, and since 1951, the “ghost train” has appeared multiple times across the Eurasian continent, defying conventional laws of physics.
The Disappearance of the Gogol Ghost Train
Russian writer Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol.
The incident of the missing train is linked to the disappearance of the skull of the famous Russian writer Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol—often referred to as the “Charles Dickens of Russia,” who died in 1852.
In 1931, Gogol’s grave was moved to Danilov Cemetery in Moscow, which later became a juvenile prison. However, when his body was exhumed, it was discovered that his skull had “vanished without a trace.”
After several challenging searches, Gogol’s relative, naval officer Janowski, found the missing skull and took it back to Italy, where he was stationed. Shortly thereafter, Janowski asked an Italian officer to personally deliver the skull to a Russian lawyer.
In the spring of 1933, the Italian officer took possession of Gogol’s skull and began a long journey, with his brother and a few friends boarding the train, setting off in high spirits.
As the train entered a long tunnel, the officer’s brother wanted to play a prank on his friends and secretly took Gogol’s skull out of its box. Just before the train entered the tunnel, passengers on the train suddenly panicked inexplicably, and the young student jumped off the train before it completely vanished.
Out of 106 passengers, only two survived by jumping off the train. (Illustrative image).
Later, he recounted to reporters that a strange white fog had engulfed the ill-fated train, describing the indescribable fear and panic of the passengers at that moment. He admitted to being the one who had stolen the box containing his brother’s skull. Among the 106 passengers on this train, only two survived by jumping off before it inexplicably disappeared.
The local authorities conducted a thorough inspection of the tunnel, but surprisingly found no traces left by the train, and the entrance to the tunnel was subsequently blocked. During World War II, a bomb destroyed this tunnel, and after an investigation, it was confirmed that the train had vanished in 1933.
In reality, this was a train with only three carriages, rented by a tourist from a company in Italy, and to this day, the model of this train is preserved in the railway museum in Milan. Investigators wanted to use the model train to understand the cause of the train’s mysterious disappearance, but ultimately, this investigation yielded no results.
The Appearance of the Ghost Train
The ghost train has appeared multiple times at this junction. (Illustrative image).
In 1991, the “Gogol Ghost Train” reappeared in Poltava, attracting media attention, with both Ukrainian newspapers publishing information about the incident. A railway worker at a switching station confirmed that the day the train appeared was September 25, 1991.
On that day, a scientist from the Kiev Academy of Sciences specializing in supernatural phenomena stood ready near the junction by the tracks, waiting for the ghost train’s appearance.
When it emerged once again from thin air, he jumped onto the last carriage under the watchful eyes of several witnesses, but the train quickly vanished, and the scientist hoping to unravel the mystery of this ghost train disappeared along with it, without a trace since.
According to media reports, after the scientist’s disappearance, the ghost train has appeared multiple times at this junction, yet no one dared to board it again.
There were also numerous reports of the ghost train’s appearance on the Crimean Peninsula in 1955, where the train passed over an old embankment, despite the fact that the tracks there had long been dismantled.
The Ghost Train’s Last Appearance
On January 17, 2009, police officer Schuster in Poltava, Ukraine, was chasing a stolen vehicle when he reached the railway junction. Schuster’s car suddenly malfunctioned and had to stop. As he exited the vehicle to pursue the thief on foot, a train whistle suddenly sounded, and a train appeared on the tracks less than ten meters from the thief’s car, barreling towards the vehicle stuck on the tracks.
Both Schuster and the car thief were stunned: Where did this train come from? It was a very short train with only three carriages, its design was quite old, and steam-powered trains like this had been retired long ago. Yet this train continued to move forward and crashed into the car, throwing it off the tracks. Seizing the opportunity, the car thief climbed into the second carriage of the train.
As Schuster chased after them, the car thief waved triumphantly at him. At that moment, a middle-aged woman suddenly appeared at the window of the third carriage, wearing a floral dress, gazing vacantly out the window.
However, just as Schuster ran back to board the train, a piercing scream made him shudder: “Don’t board anymore!” When he turned around, he saw an elderly railway worker with a worried expression.
The old railway worker, named Bolt, said in horror: “You are very lucky! If you board that train, you will never be able to get off. It is the ‘Gogol Ghost Train’!”
The ghost train’s sudden appearance and disappearance remains a mystery to this day. (Illustrative image).
Those working in the railway industry in Russia often refer to ghost trains as URO, which means “Unidentified Object on the Railway.” According to rumors, URO has appeared several times in the Moscow area, typically during the years 1975, 1981, 1986, 1992, and 2009.
Professor Ivan Patser from Moscow University, a physicist and mathematician, leads a team of scientists interested in the ghost train phenomenon, including railway experts, philosophers, and scientists from various fields. They have conducted numerous investigations and field studies at railway crossings in areas where ghost trains have been reported.
Ivan Patser believes that the intertwined Eurasian railway network is the largest global project constructed by humanity on Earth, and this vast railway network may have affected the flow of time. Patser suggests that any significant changes in space can cause instantaneous anomalous phenomena, as time and space have inseparable electromagnetic characteristics.
Patser’s theory posits that time is also conserved and that the passage of time does not simply vanish. Regarding the “ghost train,” there are two unresolved mysteries: why does the train continue to move forward without stopping, and why does no one disembark?
There have been numerous supernatural events concerning the “ghost train,” and countless witnesses to this mysterious phenomenon. It has sparked great interest among the public, and scientists have attempted to explain this mystery with various hypotheses; however, the ghost train’s sudden appearance and disappearance remain a mystery to this day.
