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Fright Train
Out in the darkness a mournful whistle howls, the ground shakes, and steam hisses as the Fright Train rumbles into the station. From the Victorian Age to contemporary times, fear rides the rails in these tales set on and around trains of all kinds. Climb aboard and let 13 of today's best and two classic horror writers take you on night journeys to destinations unknown.
There is something inherently creepy about trains. Don't think so? Anyone who has ever been awakened late at night by a distant train whistle knows there is no lonelier sound. It is a mournful howl from a soulless traveler on a night journey to destinations unknown. Writers have long known the macabre romance of trains. Charles Dickens' story The Signalman is considered a classic of horror. Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, wrote of The Hellbound Train in the fifties. Manly Wade Wellman wrote about The Little Black Train , which comes for a sinner's soul. Clive Barker took us for a ride on The Midnight Meat Train . This anthology came about because co-editor Tony Tremblay and I were having a social-media discussion of horror stories involving trains. We said we'd enjoy writing that kind of story, and writer/publisher John McIlveen joined in and said he would publish such a book if we could get enough stories. The following summer at the North Eastern Writer's Conference, aka Camp Necon, we firmed up the plans, and Scott Goudsward joined as third co-editor. We decided to call ourselves The Switch House Gang, after the small buildings where manual track switches were housed. Those switches were used to direct trains to different sets of tracks, sending them to varying locations. That's what we hope to do with this book. Send readers on many dark and dangerous journeys. We wanted a wide range of stories, and we got them. They vary from Victorian-era ghost stories to contemporary chillers to dark fantasy. Some are just plain creepy. One or two are humorous. Many are terrifying. None are boring. Anyway, the conductor keeps glancing at his watch. Your seat is waiting. Don't worry about the shadows in the car or the strange-looking passengers. You don't need a ticket. Just a willingness to travel to places unknown.
Featuring stories
Amanda Dewees Christopher Golden Scott Goudsward Bracken MacLeod Elizabeth Massie James A Moore Lee Murray Errick Nunnally Stephen Mark Rainey Charles R Rutledge Jeff Strand Tony Tremblay Mercedes M Yardley And Classic Stories Charles Dickens Arthur Conan Doyle
There is something inherently creepy about trains. Don't think so? Anyone who has ever been awakened late at night by a distant train whistle knows there is no lonelier sound. It is a mournful howl from a soulless traveler on a night journey to destinations unknown. Writers have long known the macabre romance of trains. Charles Dickens' story The Signalman is considered a classic of horror. Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, wrote of The Hellbound Train in the fifties. Manly Wade Wellman wrote about The Little Black Train , which comes for a sinner's soul. Clive Barker took us for a ride on The Midnight Meat Train . This anthology came about because co-editor Tony Tremblay and I were having a social-media discussion of horror stories involving trains. We said we'd enjoy writing that kind of story, and writer/publisher John McIlveen joined in and said he would publish such a book if we could get enough stories. The following summer at the North Eastern Writer's Conference, aka Camp Necon, we firmed up the plans, and Scott Goudsward joined as third co-editor. We decided to call ourselves The Switch House Gang, after the small buildings where manual track switches were housed. Those switches were used to direct trains to different sets of tracks, sending them to varying locations. That's what we hope to do with this book. Send readers on many dark and dangerous journeys. We wanted a wide range of stories, and we got them. They vary from Victorian-era ghost stories to contemporary chillers to dark fantasy. Some are just plain creepy. One or two are humorous. Many are terrifying. None are boring. Anyway, the conductor keeps glancing at his watch. Your seat is waiting. Don't worry about the shadows in the car or the strange-looking passengers. You don't need a ticket. Just a willingness to travel to places unknown.
Featuring stories
Amanda Dewees Christopher Golden Scott Goudsward Bracken MacLeod Elizabeth Massie James A Moore Lee Murray Errick Nunnally Stephen Mark Rainey Charles R Rutledge Jeff Strand Tony Tremblay Mercedes M Yardley And Classic Stories Charles Dickens Arthur Conan Doyle
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
270 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
8 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 9, 2021
FRIGHT TRAIN features stories centered around trains. I thought perhaps the theme might get dull, but these authors built all kinds of narratives around these engineering behemoths and this volume ended up being a lot of fun!
I can't get into all the stories here but I will mention a few.
Mercedes Yardley's story THE RHYTHM OF GRIEF was so poignant and not what I expected at all. I've been a fan of her writing for a while now, so I'm not sure why I was so surprised. Just...heartbreaking and beautiful.
THE HABIT OF LONG YEARS by Charles Rutledge. I flat out ADORED this tale. I love when vampires show up where they're least expected. On steamboats in the Mississippi, (George R.R. Martin's FEVRE DREAM), and here, on trains. Bravo, Mr. Rutledge! This was a blast!
PEPERE'S HALLOWEEN TRAIN is another poignant tale-this one about a veteran, that is at least, how it started out. Tony Tremblay never lets me down.
I'm not sure what this says about me but Jeff Strand's contribution might be my favorite in the volume. DEVIL-POWERED DEATH TRAIN OF DOOM had me laughing my butt off. First I was confused, but I was glad I rolled with it. Sometimes I think that Jeff Strand is criminally underrated. He can bring the laughs to even the worst of situations. In the horror genre that's rare.
Elizabeth Massie is an author I want to read more of. I read SINEATER back in 2013 and loved it, and have been meaning to get deeper into her work ever since. (So many books, so little time!) Anyway, the aptly titled TUNNEL VISION was delightfully twisted and satisfying.
For me, the closest competition to the Jeff Strand story is Errick Nunnally's LUST FOR LIFE. Starting out with an adulterer going on a train trip as a gift from his new mistress, and ending up with him...well, I don't want to spoil it. This was a rip-roaring gore fest and I loved every minute of it. Again, I'm not sure what it says about me but I may have laughed quite a bit throughout before I sobered up at the end. I need to read more of this guy's work, STAT!
Lastly, a previously unknown-to-me author, Amanda DeWees, enters with her tale A TRAVELER BETWEEN ETERNITIES. It was just...sad. Sad and beautiful and more sad. Well done!
There are also two classic tales-one from Dickens and the other from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. (I liked Dickens' story best.)
Overall, this selection of train stories surprised and pleased me with the variety presented. It's almost Halloween, my horror people, why not catch the FRIGHT TRAIN to terror town?!
Highly recommended!
*A thank you goes out to author and friend Tony Tremblay, who offered me a paperback copy in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
I can't get into all the stories here but I will mention a few.
Mercedes Yardley's story THE RHYTHM OF GRIEF was so poignant and not what I expected at all. I've been a fan of her writing for a while now, so I'm not sure why I was so surprised. Just...heartbreaking and beautiful.
THE HABIT OF LONG YEARS by Charles Rutledge. I flat out ADORED this tale. I love when vampires show up where they're least expected. On steamboats in the Mississippi, (George R.R. Martin's FEVRE DREAM), and here, on trains. Bravo, Mr. Rutledge! This was a blast!
PEPERE'S HALLOWEEN TRAIN is another poignant tale-this one about a veteran, that is at least, how it started out. Tony Tremblay never lets me down.
I'm not sure what this says about me but Jeff Strand's contribution might be my favorite in the volume. DEVIL-POWERED DEATH TRAIN OF DOOM had me laughing my butt off. First I was confused, but I was glad I rolled with it. Sometimes I think that Jeff Strand is criminally underrated. He can bring the laughs to even the worst of situations. In the horror genre that's rare.
Elizabeth Massie is an author I want to read more of. I read SINEATER back in 2013 and loved it, and have been meaning to get deeper into her work ever since. (So many books, so little time!) Anyway, the aptly titled TUNNEL VISION was delightfully twisted and satisfying.
For me, the closest competition to the Jeff Strand story is Errick Nunnally's LUST FOR LIFE. Starting out with an adulterer going on a train trip as a gift from his new mistress, and ending up with him...well, I don't want to spoil it. This was a rip-roaring gore fest and I loved every minute of it. Again, I'm not sure what it says about me but I may have laughed quite a bit throughout before I sobered up at the end. I need to read more of this guy's work, STAT!
Lastly, a previously unknown-to-me author, Amanda DeWees, enters with her tale A TRAVELER BETWEEN ETERNITIES. It was just...sad. Sad and beautiful and more sad. Well done!
There are also two classic tales-one from Dickens and the other from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. (I liked Dickens' story best.)
Overall, this selection of train stories surprised and pleased me with the variety presented. It's almost Halloween, my horror people, why not catch the FRIGHT TRAIN to terror town?!
Highly recommended!
*A thank you goes out to author and friend Tony Tremblay, who offered me a paperback copy in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
August 17, 2021
Halloween arrived early this year with a spooky collection of tales based on the railways. Editors Charles R. Rutledge and Tony Tremblay came up with the concept of horror stories set around trains, and were rewarded with an assortment of stories ranging from Victorian-era ghostly yarns to contemporary thrillers, fantasy and science fiction, ranging from creepy and humorous to atmospheric and downright gory. Fright Train comprises a mixture of contemporary authors with classic writers and a plethora of suspenseful, horror and chilling stories set on or around train journeys. I particularly liked the concept of train travel, and picked up the collection curious to see how each writer interpreted the narrow theme. The anthology is a ticket in itself to travel to unknown lands with shady co-passengers in suspicious cabins. Switch House Gang has reserved a seat for the reader and the ride awaits!
The collection includes classics like Charles Dickens The Signalman and Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost Special which have spooked us for over a century. And there are also newer stories about ghost trains, train accidents, missing trains, invisible rails, piercing whistles, vampire and zombie passengers, peculiar drivers, specials that give a whole new meaning to 'special', and a host of wonderful short stories that keep you on edge as you ride along with the characters. Themes include broken marriages, dead children, grieving parents, retrospecting the past, seeing the future, predicting alternative realities, journeys to and from hell.
It's hard to pick a favorite because every story is outstanding in its own way. They're so different from each other, while simultaneously adhering to the narrow theme.
The collection includes classics like Charles Dickens The Signalman and Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost Special which have spooked us for over a century. And there are also newer stories about ghost trains, train accidents, missing trains, invisible rails, piercing whistles, vampire and zombie passengers, peculiar drivers, specials that give a whole new meaning to 'special', and a host of wonderful short stories that keep you on edge as you ride along with the characters. Themes include broken marriages, dead children, grieving parents, retrospecting the past, seeing the future, predicting alternative realities, journeys to and from hell.
It's hard to pick a favorite because every story is outstanding in its own way. They're so different from each other, while simultaneously adhering to the narrow theme.
February 24, 2025
I like trains well enough. I have an uncle and a friend who are both mad about them, and honestly, there are worse things to be obsessed with. There are some train trips around the world that would go on my bucket list, but none of them are featured here: as much as I like the idea of an anthology of train horror stories, I don't actually want to be trapped in a train car with vampires or ghosts or what have you.
I liked most of the fifteen stories here, though I think it's fair to say that none of them filled me with any great sense of surprise. I did think that the collection felt a little repetitive in places, but perhaps that's just a result of having such a narrow theme. That said, with the exception of the two older stories - from Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle respectively - they all zipped along at a nice pace, which I enjoy in an anthology. My favourites were "Weeping Waters" by Lee Murray (it's always nice to see a NZ-based story in collections like this!) and "All Aboard" by Christopher Golden, which were both more sad than horrifying, but then I like sad horror so that worked for me.
I liked most of the fifteen stories here, though I think it's fair to say that none of them filled me with any great sense of surprise. I did think that the collection felt a little repetitive in places, but perhaps that's just a result of having such a narrow theme. That said, with the exception of the two older stories - from Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle respectively - they all zipped along at a nice pace, which I enjoy in an anthology. My favourites were "Weeping Waters" by Lee Murray (it's always nice to see a NZ-based story in collections like this!) and "All Aboard" by Christopher Golden, which were both more sad than horrifying, but then I like sad horror so that worked for me.
December 28, 2021
From the Night Side of the Tracks
An excellent collection of nightmare fuel and sadly sweet ghost stories by a collection of horror fictions more unique voices. Christopher Golden, Bracken Macleod, Amanda DeWees, and Mercedes Yardley's works stand out from an overall excellent collection of stories, but all the entrants in this anthology have something to recommend them. This is an excellent journey along the haunted rails of the imagination and your conductor's know the route well. Enjoy.
An excellent collection of nightmare fuel and sadly sweet ghost stories by a collection of horror fictions more unique voices. Christopher Golden, Bracken Macleod, Amanda DeWees, and Mercedes Yardley's works stand out from an overall excellent collection of stories, but all the entrants in this anthology have something to recommend them. This is an excellent journey along the haunted rails of the imagination and your conductor's know the route well. Enjoy.
August 20, 2021
Great short stories for the upcoming spooky season. I enjoyed every story. Genuinely creepy!
November 23, 2021
A WONDERFUL trip into darkness and horror!
October 1, 2022
Great anthology for spooky season, or anytime! Though themed, the stories have plenty of variety to keep the reader returning for the next tale.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews