The Ghost Tracks of San Antonio

I think it’s about time for a ghost story from my hometown of San Antonio. San Antonio is one of the oldest, most historic cities in the country. The city was founded in 1691 by the Spanish and has seen its share of battles and important events in history. All this also makes San Antonio one of the most haunted cities in the country as well. One cannot travel far without hearing about a haunted place, whether it’s the Alamo with the spirits of the defenders that died there and the Menger Hotel next door with its own resident ghosts or the spirit of Native Americans that appear walking along roads, you’re sure to find a good ghost story there.

One of the most often told stories that I heard growing up was that of the haunted railroad crossing. It’s almost a rite of passage in San Antonio for you to visit the haunted railroad crossing and experience it for yourself. This is one of those stories in which the details vary depending on who tells it, but the main points remain the same. Now, I could find the exact place in my sleep as many times as I went growing up and as many times as I took people to experience it. So, without further ado, let’s get on with the story.

The events of this story take place in the 1930s. The decade may change to the 40s or 50s, but we will stick with the 30s. A bus full of children was making its way through a neighborhood on the Southside of town. As they crossed the railroad, the bus stalled. A speeding freight train was unable to stop and it crashed into the bus, killing most of the children. Because of the circumstances in which they perished, the spirits of the children knew no rest. Any car that stalled on the tracks from that day forward was mysteriously moved off the tracks, as if pushed by tiny hands. The ghost children would make sure that no one else would ever suffer their fate. If you visit the railroad crossing today and park your car near the tracks, place it in neutral and turn off the engine, your car will also be pushed across the tracks. Several people have reported that mysterious tiny handprints appeared on their trunk, bumper and doors after their car had been pushed. Some have even dusted their cars with baby powder in order to get a better look at the tiny handprints. A drive through the subdivision that was built there reveals streets with names like Shane Road, Cindy Sue Way, Nancy Carole Way and Laura Lee way. These are the names of some of the children killed that day. I have an uncle who is a major skeptic; he’s an atheist in fact and doesn’t believe in anything. One night his buddies got him drunk and offered to take him home. They decided to make an unannounced stop at the ghost tracks just so my uncle could experience it for himself. He was not happy about that but he had no choice. As the car began to move, he became agitated and said that he refused to believe this because it HAD to be some kind of setup. He opened the car’s door and stuck his foot on the ground in an effort to try to stop the car’s movement. What happened next was so frightening that it sobered him up. He claimed that unseen hands grabbed his leg, pushed him back in the car and shut the door. That was over 20 years ago and he’s never been back since.

I have been to those tracks so many times, that eventually I began getting out of the car and walking behind it as it was pushed across the tracks. I have seen the handprints on the car and have watched as cars seem to be pushed uphill and across the tracks. I’ve heard the skeptics’ arguments and have read investigations that attempt to debunk the story. Still, it makes for a great story and a fun experience. Plus, someone once told me the following: if enough people visit a location and expect ghosts to be present, eventually ghosts WILL be drawn to the area. Whether or not the bus accident happened at that location, enough people have been there expecting something to happen. The railroad crossing has now taken its own energy and haunting.

By the way, if you are ever in San Antonio and want to visit the haunted tracks I will tell you where to go. The tracks are located on the South part of town in the vicinity of the San Antonio Missions, specifically near Mission Espada. Find Villamain Road and follow it. Eventually the railroad tracks will run parallel to the road and the road will turn into Shane Road. There is a baseball field there and on any given night you may see a line of cars waiting to be pushed across by the ghost children. There you go, happy haunting!