Penkridge Railway Station

Penkridge Railway Station was built in 1837 to satisfy the need of locals to travel to Wolverhampton (and beyond to Birmingham) and Stafford, as Penkridge lies roughly between the two. In an era that had little regard to health and Safety, the station and the railway lines, as well as the platform have numerous stories of paranormal activity, many involving visions of workers connected with tragedies at the station. The station is today unmanned adding to the eery feelings felt by many using the station. Staff members and passengers occasionally report seeing fleeting, shadowy, figures, especially at night. These figures vanish when looked at directly. Some speculate these apparitions may be workers connected with the station, or rail travellers who have been somehow 'trapped' in a replaying loop, anchored to the station for reasons unknown. One specific story is of a railway worker who died in an accident on or near the tracks in the late 19th or early 20th century. This figure appears on foggy or misty nights, and has sometimes been seen floating along the tracks or standing on the station's platform. Although the descriptions vary, he is often described wearing a flat cap and 'older-style' railway worker clothing. Some witnesses claim to have seen him appear briefly before vanishing, as if retracing his steps from the night he died. Several people have reported hearing the distant sounds of a train whistle, the rumble of a train when no trains are due or visible on the tracks, or even footsteps These sounds are especially common during foggy, misty or quiet hours at the station, heightening the eerie atmosphere. Some locals believe these noises are residual energy from the station's busy early days, or perhaps from trains long gone. The Staffordshire Advertiser dated 24 August 1929 ran a story of an accident at Penkridge Station: TRAIN MISHAP AT PENKRIDGE Train Services Delayed Train services between Stafford and Wolverhampton Wednesday afternoon were considerably delayed after a mishap at Penkridge station. Shortly before two o'clock the engine of a goods train was engaged in shunting operations at the station when it left the rails and fouled both sets of metals. Trains in both directions had to be diverted via Cannock and Walsall. The breakdown gang was summoned, and after about three hours it was possible to open a single line, and shortly afterwards normal working was resumed. One worker was injured.