Ever heard tales of UFOs from pilots or sailors? That’s pretty common. But what about UFOs buzzing speeding trains? It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, but there are many real reports! These strange encounters along lonely railroad tracks span decades, from the early days of UFO sightings to modern times. Get ready to explore ten of the most puzzling and downright weird UFO incidents involving trains.
10The 1702 Incident: UFO Drags Train Along Tracks in the Soviet Union
One of the most stunning train-related UFO stories happened on February 17, 1985, in Soviet Karelia (now the Republic of Karelia). As a train traveled from Petrozavodsk to Suoyarvi, the crew spotted a strange, ball-shaped object hovering over the trees. It seemed to be following them.
Suddenly, this glowing orb zoomed towards the train, stopping about 100 feet away. It then moved in front of the engine. The driver, Sergy Orlov, hit the brakes and cut the engine, but the train didn’t slow down. Instead, it felt like something was pulling it along the tracks! The object guided the train towards Novye Peski Station. Just when a crash seemed certain, the orb circled the station house and then positioned itself in front of the train again.
After dragging the train for several more minutes, the object vanished. The train then slowed to a stop. When Orlov got out to check for damage, a beam of light from above pinned him against the train. He managed to get back into the cabin. The object later returned, dragging the train once more before disappearing for good. This title’s “1702” seems to be a quirky naming choice, as the event clearly took place in 1985.
9UFO Crashes Into a Train in Kentucky
Near Paintsville, Kentucky, on January 14, 2002, a freight train didn’t just see a UFO; it reportedly collided with one. Though some question the story’s truth, it’s a wild tale. The train driver noticed odd lights in the distance. Soon after, the train’s electronics went haywire, and it began to slow down.
The driver then saw that the lights were actually silver, disc-shaped objects, seemingly scanning the river below. As the train rounded a bend, one of these discs headed straight for it, crashing into the front carriage. The object then simply rose into the air and vanished, leaving the train heavily damaged.
What’s even weirder is that when the damaged train reached Paintsville, a mysterious team of engineers and workers was already waiting. A man named Ferguson_interrogated the crew for hours, telling them the incident was a “national security matter” and they should keep quiet. The damaged train cars were reportedly taken away by this strange unit.
8The Monon Railroad Incident
An early case of a UFO encounter with a speeding train took place around 3 a.m. on October 3, 1958, on Indiana’s Monon Railroad. The crew of Freight Train 91, heading to Indianapolis, witnessed several strange objects flying above them. The train was nearly half a mile long, with two of its five crew members at the rear.
While the drivers up front saw the lights first, Ed Robinson and Paul Sosbey at the back got a clearer view when the UFOs circled the train and approached from behind. Robinson grabbed his flashlight and tried signaling the objects. They didn’t respond directly, but when he shone the light right at one, it deliberately moved out of the beam. This happened multiple times before the glowing objects zipped away. They had shadowed the locomotive for over an hour.
7The 1977 Fostoria C&O Railroad Sighting
On the evening of October 21, 1977, Howard Albert was in his train’s cabin on a private line at the C&O distribution warehouse in Fostoria, Ohio. While waiting to be guided into the warehouse, he saw what he first thought was a “shooting star.” But then it curved downward, and he knew it was something else.
The object came down to the ground and slowly moved towards his train. It stopped about 200 feet away, hovering roughly 15 feet up. Amazed, Howard radioed his conductor, Donald, exclaiming, “Come up to the engine…we got a UFO here!” Howard described it as disc-shaped, like a “birthday cake,” with “glowing banks of vertical tubes” rotating counter-clockwise. He estimated it was 50 feet high and 90 feet wide, and completely silent.
After a few moments, Howard flashed the train’s headlight at it. To his surprise, the object glowed brightly in response for the same duration. By then, Donald had arrived and also saw the strange craft. Both men later said that although they felt the craft was friendly, they had a strange “knowing” not to get any closer. After about 20 minutes, the object spun faster, rose into the air, and vanished, looking like a “yellowish star.”
6Black Triangular Object Photographed in Plymouth, New Hampshire
A curious incident occurred on the afternoon of October 25, 2003, near Plymouth, New Hampshire. A woman identified only as “Joy P.” claimed on the radio show Coast to Coast that she photographed a bizarre triangular craft while on a moving train. What made it unusual was that it happened in broad daylight.
Joy said she was trying to take pictures of red deer in the forests along the tracks. It was only when she reviewed her photos later that day that she noticed the black, triangular craft hovering over the treetops in one of the images. Because the object appeared in only one photo, it was considered unlikely to be a reflection. Her camera had also been cleaned just hours before the journey. It seems no other passengers reported seeing anything strange, and Joy herself didn’t see it at the time. This has led some researchers to wonder if the object was simply invisible to the naked eye.
5The 1957 Whitley Strieber Account: Abducted by Aliens on a Train Journey
Author Whitley Strieber, famous for his book Communion detailing his own abduction experiences, claims his encounters with otherworldly beings began in childhood. One particularly strange incident happened sometime in 1957 during a train trip from Wisconsin to Texas with his sister and father.
In a truly bewildering event, without understanding how, all three of them suddenly found themselves transported from the speeding train to some kind of strange vehicle. Strieber and his sister could hear their father screaming in terror from somewhere nearby. Years later, through hypnotic regression, Strieber came to believe this was an alien abduction. The regression also suggested he, and possibly other family members, had been abducted multiple times since he was young. Interestingly, Strieber also had vague memories of soldiers in uniform being present during this train-related encounter.
4UFO Photographed from a Train in Germany
On the afternoon of March 8, 1964, Harry Hauxler was on a train passing through Oberwesel, Germany. He suddenly spotted a disc-shaped object ascending into the sunlit sky. Luckily, he had his camera with him and managed to snap a picture.
The object in the photo appears dark grey or black, shaped somewhat like a spinning top, with what looks like a “dark vortex” underneath it. Many skeptics argue the image shows nothing more than a road sign or lamppost, blurred due to the train’s speed and brief exposure. However, Hauxler maintained that he saw the craft rise with his own eyes at that moment, unlike other cases where objects are only noticed later in photos. The picture quickly became public and is still considered one of the more intriguing UFO photographs.
3UFO Witnessed from on Board an L&N Train near Mount Vernon
Just before 7 a.m. on October 20, 1973, near Mount Vernon, Indiana—a hotspot for UFO sightings at the time—a conductor and another crew member on an L&N train saw a very bright light approaching them from the north. They realized the light was some kind of craft, unlike anything they’d ever seen. As they watched, it seemed to pulsate, shifting from intensely bright to much dimmer. After several moments, the glowing object changed direction and moved away from the locomotive.
The conductor reported the sighting to the crew at the back of the train. A few moments later, the rear crew radioed back that an unknown object was now at the back of the train and appeared to be following them. This mysterious vehicle tailed the train for a considerable distance before eventually speeding off as quickly as it had arrived. According to UFO researcher Francis Ridge, the U.S. Air Force later confiscated the train to “study it,” though their findings remain unknown.
2Senator Richard Russell Sees Disc-Shaped Object While Traveling Through the Soviet Union
On October 4, 1955, while on a train journey in the Transcaucasia region of the Soviet Union, U.S. Senator Richard Russell from Georgia witnessed something extraordinary. Looking out his window, he saw a disc-shaped object. He claimed that as it rose into the air, he could see “a flame shot” from its underside.
Amazed, he watched the disc speed across the tracks in front of the train. Senator Russell then stood up and told his companions what he’d seen. As the group stared out the window, they saw another disc-shaped object approaching the train from the same direction as the first one. Just then, a Soviet conductor came over, pulled the curtains shut, and ordered them not to look out the window. They complied.
Upon arriving in Prague, they reported the sighting to the United States embassy. News of the incident soon reached reporters back in the U.S. However, when a journalist from the Los Angeles Examiner asked Senator Russell about it, he replied that the agencies he reported it to “are of the opinion that it is not wise to publicize this matter at this time.” The incident was finally declassified in 1985, adding another layer of intrigue to this high-profile sighting.
1Train Passenger Sees Six Disc-Shaped Objects over the Arizona Desert
More recently, in the summer of 2017, a passenger traveling by train through Apache County, Arizona, had a startling experience. Unable to sleep, she was looking out the window when she noticed “six hovering, two-story objects beaming light to the ground” below. According to her report submitted to the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), she first saw a bright light that grew more intense as the train got closer.
She soon realized there were multiple objects, all disc-shaped, and estimated they were about 100 feet from the moving train. The witness managed to take several pictures of these objects, three of which were included in her MUFON report. Her son, who filed the report on her behalf, stated that his mother was “not one to exaggerate or seek attention” and that her claims should be taken seriously. Opinions on what she might have seen varied widely, from otherworldly vehicles to simple Chinese lanterns. The sighting officially remains unexplained.
From incidents of trains being mysteriously pulled along tracks to strange crashes and compelling photographs, these ten UFO encounters along railway lines are truly baffling. They make us wonder about what else might be out there, perhaps watching us from above or even alongside our speeding trains. Whether these accounts involve advanced technology, unusual natural phenomena, or something else entirely, they add a creepy and fascinating chapter to the ongoing mystery of UFOs.
What do you think about these railroad UFO encounters? Have you ever seen anything unexplainable near train tracks? Share your thoughts and stories in the comments below!
