Train Drivers' Darkest Hour: 10 UFO Encounters That Paralyzed the Rails - #4 Will Chill Your Bones

Most know of UFO sightings from planes or ships, yet encounters involving locomotive trains are less recognized. Recorded across decades, here are ten intriguing railroad UFO cases.

10. The 1702 Incident: UFO Drags Train Along Tracks in the Soviet Union

On the evening of February 17, 1985, a train on the Oktyabrskaya Railway in Soviet Karelia encountered a strange glowing orb. This object followed the train, then rushed toward it and positioned itself just 100 feet ahead. Despite the driver braking and shutting off the engine, the train failed to slow down and instead seemed to be dragged along the track by the orb.

The orb dragged the train past Novye Peski Station, narrowly avoiding a collision. After disappearing briefly, the train finally slowed. When driver Sergy Orlov exited, a beam of light pinned him against the train before he escaped back inside. The orb returned once more to drag the train a final time before vanishing for good.

9. UFO Crashes Into a Train in Kentucky

Early on January 14, 2002, near Paintsville, Kentucky, a freight train driver observed strange silver disc-shaped lights scanning a river. Suddenly, one of the objects hurtled toward the train, striking the front carriage before swiftly ascending out of sight, causing substantial damage.

After arriving in Paintsville, the crew was met by a mysterious team of engineers and a man named Ferguson. He interviewed them for hours, declared the incident a "national security matter," and instructed them to remain silent. The damaged train cars were then taken into custody by this unusual unit.

8. The Monon Railroad Incident

On October 3, 1958, around 3 am, a Monon Railroad freight train in Indiana was followed by unidentified flying objects for over an hour. Two crew members at the rear, Ed Robinson and Paul Sosbey, observed the objects closely as they circled the train and approached from behind.

Robinson attempted communication by flashing his flashlight at the UFOs. Though they did not respond directly, they repeatedly moved to avoid the beam whenever it was aimed at them. This interaction appeared to cause the glowing objects to swiftly depart and vanish into the distance.

7. The 1977 Fostoria C&O Railroad Sighting

6. Black Triangular Object Photographed in Plymouth, New Hampshire

In an October 2003 broadcast of Coast to Coast, "Joy P." claimed to have photographed a strange triangular craft. The incident occurred on the afternoon of October 25th, 2003, from a moving train near Plymouth, New Hampshire. Joy stated she was attempting to photograph red deer in the adjacent forests when she later discovered the image of a black triangular object hovering above the treetops in one of her pictures.

The object appeared in only a single photo, making a window reflection unlikely. Furthermore, her camera had been recently cleaned and checked for the trip. Notably, no other passengers reported an unusual sighting, and Joy herself did not see the craft at the time. This has led some researchers to speculate the object was not visible to the naked human eye.

5. The 1957 Whitley Strieber Account: Abducted by Aliens on a Train Journey

Author Whitley Strieber, known for his 1980s book "Communion" detailing his alien abduction experiences, claims his encounters began in childhood. A key incident occurred in 1957 during a train trip with his family, when they inexplicably found themselves transported from the train into a strange vehicle, hearing their father scream nearby.

Through later hypnotic regression, this was confirmed as an alien abduction. The experience suggested Strieber and his family had been abducted repeatedly. Notably, Strieber also recalled the vague presence of uniformed soldiers during the encounter.

4. UFO Photographed from a Train in Germany

As Harry Hauxler passed through the German town of Oberwesel on a train on the afternoon of March 8, 1964, he suddenly noticed a disc ascending into the sunlit sky. Realizing he had his camera with him, he pointed it toward the strange object and took a picture. The object appeared to be a dark grey or black color and was a similar shape to a spinning top with a “dark vortex” underneath it.

Many skeptics who have viewed the picture have claimed the object is nothing more than a road sign or lamppost that has been produced by brief exposure because of the speed of the moving train. However, those who believe that Hauxler managed to capture something truly strange argue that, unlike other cases where the object was not seen until later, Hauxler claims to have seen the apparent craft rise with his own eyes at the time. The picture (above) was soon released to the public.

3. UFO Witnessed from on Board an L&N Train near Mount Vernon

At just before 7 am on October 20, 1973, a conductor and another crew member on an L&N train witnessed a very bright light heading toward them from the north as they passed near Mount Vernon, Indiana. They noticed that the light appeared to be some kind of craft. As they continued to watch it, they noted how it seemed to pulsate, going from blindingly bright to much dimmer. After several moments, the glowing object changed direction and headed away from the locomotive.

The conductor reported the sighting to the crew at the back of the train. Several moments later, they responded that there was now an unknown object at the back of the train, and it appeared to be following them. The unknown vehicle would follow the train for a considerable distance before eventually moving off as quickly as it had arrived. According to the research and investigative work of Francis Ridge, the U.S. Air Force eventually confiscated the train in order to “study it.” 

2. Senator Richard Russell Sees Disc-Shaped Object While Traveling Through the Soviet Union

On October 4, 1955, U.S. Senator Richard Russell was on a train in Soviet Transcaucasia when he observed a disc-shaped object from his window. He reported seeing a flame shoot from its underside as it ascended and darted across the tracks ahead. After alerting his companions, the group witnessed a second similar object approaching. Their observation was abruptly cut short when a Soviet conductor closed the curtains and ordered them not to look outside.

The group later reported the sighting to the U.S. embassy in Prague. While the story reached American reporters, Russell himself, when questioned, stated that authorities advised against publicizing the event. The incident remained shrouded in official discretion until it was finally declassified in 1985.

1. Train Passenger Sees Six Disc-Shaped Objects over the Arizona Desert

In the summer of 2017, a train passenger in Arizona reported seeing six disc-shaped objects hovering near Apache County, emitting light toward the ground. Unable to sleep, she observed a bright light that intensified as the train approached, eventually identifying multiple two-story structures roughly 100 feet away. She captured several photographs, three of which were included in a report filed with MUFON.

Her son, who submitted the report, emphasized that she was not prone to exaggeration or attention-seeking. Interpretations of the sighting varied widely, from extraterrestrial vehicles to simple Chinese lanterns, yet the incident remains officially unexplained.