Original subtitles

[intro music]

[train horns and whistles]

Being a former railroad yard.

The big roundhouse,

and all the people that worked here.

You know that there had

to be some type of tragedy

that happened here.

[sound of steaming train]

And with all the people,

I mean, that's a lot of energy

to be stored in this place.

- Oh!

- Dusting rods?

The history is back in the day,

they used to use...

Wow, it's really going crazy.

[Laughter]

-Yeah.

They used to use sticks

with a fork

to find water

and

energy,

because water is energy.

Uhm, I think that's kind of basically

how these were

formed.

Sorry,

it just keeps going around and around.

[mysterious sound plays]

- We hear the same

kind of thing where we hear doors

open and closing,

noises.

- I heard that I was like, wait a minute.

- Something to that effect

and we go

to check it out for ourselves,

walk around,

doors are shut,

still locked,

nobody else around.

[mysterious sound continues]

Nobody,

coming or leaving.

[mysterious sound continues]

- It's just kind of scary

watching that stuff happen.

- It's happened a lot.

- I've definitely felt energy

out here every time I'm here.

Uhmm,

there's power in the rails,

that's for sure.

[mysterious sound plays]

[continuous beeping plays]

- A lot of lingering memories.

[sound of steaming train]

[moving train sound]

- And all the trains

that go through the toll gate,

Well they got to pay the man some money.

But of course,

if you got certain things on board,

You 're okay?

You don't have to pay the man, nothing.

[sound of steaming train]

♫ Down the Rock Island Line

she's a mighty good road

Rock Island Line

it's the road to ride.

Rock Island Line

it's a mighty good road.

Well, if you want to ride it

you got to ride it like you find it.

Get your ticket at the station

for the Rock Island Line.

I may be right.

I may be wrong.

You know you're gonna miss me

when I'm gone.

Oh, the Rock Island Line

she's a mighty good road.

Rock Island Line

it's the road to ride.

Hey, the Rock Island Line,

it's a mighty good road.

If you want to ride it,

you got to ride it

like you finally get your ticket

at the station

for the Rock Island Line.

Hallelujah,

I'm safe from sin

The good Lord's

coming for to see me again.

[sound of steaming train]

- Tickets!

Let me have your tickets!

[dreamy sound]

Maddox Randall Hacke

[moving train sound]

Yeah,

I just started my internship here

not too long ago,

about two months ago.

And so,

this is my first big project.

[sound of steaming train]

I got to do for the railroad.

All aboard!

The way I see it is

I think the energies are trying

to tell a story.

And there's so much

that haven't been uncovered yet.

It's very possible

that with the team out here.

We can can really share more history.

I, could be wrong

but I thought I heard voices.

[mysterious sound]

- Trisha Rivers.

I do a lot. [Laughing]

A representative for the Society Inclusive Committee,

but I also work at

Great Plains Action Society.

I do a lot of social justice

fighting, really.

[sound of steaming train]

This is my first time.

Tonight's the first time

that I've been out here.

And I'm so honored to be here.

[flute playing]

We have critics that,

you know, don't really

think that this is real or,

you know, that spirits,

anything like that is real.

And it's really nice to have the scientific

proof to say, yes,

this is actually real.

And it validates

what indigenous nations

have been saying,

that there is this other,

you know, realm,

if you will, that it validates

everything that we

were taught, you know

on a spiritual level.

[crowd noise sound]

- So I'm hoping you find his energy.

[dreamy sound]

That's my dad,

Lawrence Obermeyer Sr.

[background music playing]

Oh, I miss him a lot.

[moving train sound]

I think of everything

that, how far what we have come.

Since we laid out the plans

for the museum.

[background music playing]

- Yes,

I have sometimes felt like

my dad has left some stuff

out here.

[mysterious sound]

You know?

- They do, They do.

They mix all the time.

[background noise]

There's so many instances

of history being able to be told

from the paranormal.

You can't have one without the other, really.

- There's something there.

I'm here with my sister too as well.

Umm, I did feel something.

[crowd noise sound]

♫ Will you be ready?

Will you be ready?

One day it's going to happen

when you least expect it to.

A solid golden train

is going to come down after you.

[siren sound]

I'm Dave Lafleur. I'm the founder of Heron 911.

We're in Sioux City, Iowa.

- Sioux City, Iowa. - Yup.

- With all the people.

I mean, that's a lot of energy

to be stored in this place. So,

I've always wondered

what it would be like to come in and

check it out, investigate it.

And see what it was about.

- Some activity going on, so.

- Tracy, I met through

working at the Hard Rock.

- If we hear of activity going on,

we want to be there. [laughing]

- That's our main thing.

We want to get to some hot spots,

see if we can find some stuff.

[drum playing]

Just being here,

you kind of get that feeling that

there's a lot of history behind it,

And that history can turn out to be

paranormal, sometimes.

When we were here,

we got some good EVP's

in this section right here.

[low static sound]

- What was that?

[background noise]

- My wife, Kathy,

- What I heard about the train museum

is that they have workers

that were still here, working.

The people that work here

and volunteer here.

Always have, just.

The people that used to work here with them.

- I do.

I do.

This is a unique job.

A lot of different perks to it.

And, it's tough to

keep things going all time,

but it's well worth it in the end.

I was just kind of walking over and then,

As soon as I kind of entered the space, the area,

just to kind of see what was going on,

asking if it was okay.

[beeping sound]

It kind of hit me like two or three times,

spread apart, where

[beeping sound]

kind of a wave, something came over me.

[transition sound]

[background music]

Not really sure what it was.

But I had goosebumps on my arm.

[background music continues]

Definitely felt the presence of something.

[background music]

- I got it last high school.

- This is my son, Derek.

So Derrick LaFleur.

Just not using derogatory stuff,

[background noise]

disrespecting.

You don't want to force the ghosts

to, like, do things that they don't want to.

[background music]

- My sister, Rose.

- A calming feeling,

but yet you feel like

different presences.

[background music]

- Were you the engineer or just the conductor?

[thud]

- What was that?

Personal experience is mainly.

A lot of growing up,

feeling kind of off.

Knowing something else was there,

but couldn't explain why or what. - Mm-hmm.

- As I grew up, it just grew into a fascination

of wanting to know more. So,

[background music]

We used to work in the jail together.

[music]

We worked in the jail together. [laughing]

I was a nurse. I'm still a nurse, but

she worked in the office.

We worked in the medical clinic in the jail.

- So, I worked out in booking.

So when the inmates got booked in,

I would do their HMP and mental health.

Too long her and I

[goofy music]

- Too long.

-A couple years now?

- Yeah, its couple of years.

[background music playing]

- Move it there?

[background music continues]

- And I got two ex-jailers here.

So I got to be. [laughing]

- They're not jailers.

[background music continues]

- And so I was... - And the paranormal,

- Yeah.

- Umm, I had experiences

when I was growing up.

The unknown,

does it truly exist?

[background noise]

There's. There's more than one culture

for sure.

[all aboard]

- To me on a cultural level,

spirits are everywhere.

[Onions from Texas, meat from Sioux City.]

- There's death and there's also life

and they coexist with each other.

- Well we hope to accomplish

picking something up in here.

With all the history that we have

around us right now,

and you can see this locomotive standing behind me.

[background noise]

- Well, I wanted to come out and just

investigate on my own.

And uh offer up a prayer and yeah.

[ominous sound]

[cow mooing]

[ominous sound]

- This is... will always be indigenous lands.

Before it was, you know, the railroad

or anything else, that indigenous inhabitants

stewarded the land

and took care of the land.

And we understood

that there was a relationship

between Mother Earth and ourselves

and that it wasn't pure ownership.

And so,

being an indigenous woman today,

that means that, that's what I'm

also supposed to be stewarding

and, and projecting.

[ominous sound]

It lets me know

[running horses sound]

that we're still here

and we're going to continue

to still be here.

[background music]

When I walked in, like I got this old

feeling or, you know,

it just felt like it was busy,

just busy.

[machine noise]

- I think, that they hear and see.

- What?

- We're hoping that

we can really pick something up

because just standing here right now, I can,

you can feel the vibe.

It's going to be exciting.

- Very strange.

[transition sound]

- Him and I, just talking together.

And I was telling him

about how you feel a presence

out here of the former railroad workers.

[background music playing]

It serve a positive feeling that you get,

so it's like they're wanting to tell the story.

[background music]

- I've been working on the railroad

All the live-long day.

- I've been working on the railroad,

- Just to pass the time away. [laughing]

- Can't you hear the whistle blowing,

- My name's Ray Vulcan.

I run the model railroad building.

[toy train noise]

I'm the old-gauge guy,

so I run the whole old gauge.

[background music continues]

- Space age.

[background music continues]

[background music]

- I've been many times in the railroad

built marrow railroad building.

Which used to be the

[background music continues]

break room and a lunch room.

There's many nights

I've been sitting in the back room.

I got a little office in the back

where I fix trains and stuff.

All of a sudden the doors are locked.

I know the doors are locked.

All of a sudden you hear door,

like doors are opening,

slamming shut.

[thud]

Uh, Don't really hear voices,

but you get up and

check your doors and see it,

and they're all locked. So,

I've seen that a lot.

[ominous sound]

I believe in, there's ghosts.

But I believe there's spirits running around.

[toy train noise]

Uh, I don't really talk too much about it,

[toy train noise]

except people ask me about it, So,

- This building was built on top

of where they, you said was their,

- Their change out room, where they would...

- Changeout room where,

- ...get dressed and stuff.

- What's room?

[ominous sound]

- Over 500 people have worked here at one time, so.

You have all those energies that, come and go

throughout the building.

[moving train sound]

- Where do you think of the

paranormal team being here?

[ominous sound]

- I don't know, it's different.

[laughing]

- Are you open to them doing

a small investigation in here?

- I don't care.

[background music]

Well, I'll do my thing.

[background music]

[beeping sound]

- Get set up by that door.

[background music]

- So just go ahead, start.

There's anybody here

in the...

[ringing sound]

[ominous sound]

- My name is Dave. We've got Tracy, Kathy,

Rose, and Derek here.

Is there anybody hanging out with Ray?

[groaning]

- I heard what sound

like a rim pod going off up there.

That's why I walked off the track.

[background noise]

There's nothing up there.

- Mm-mmm,

- There's no equipment up there.

- No, it's all back here. -hmm.

- It sounded like the rim pod.

- There's something going off over there,

but we don't have anything else.

[groaning]

- Oh, - What was that?

- Just good energy, like,

left over from the workers.

[background music playing]

- I felt like they were

continuously working there.

[background music continues]

- I put an EMF meter over there,

basically, just detects electromagnetic field.

I was careful when I put that in there.

I was real careful. Is that okay?

[ominous sound]

So what do you think of these trains?

Do you like them?

[ominous sound continues]

- And I'll move back for you

if you don't want to be too close.

[ominous sound]

- Pretty cool.

- When you feel it,

you can tell something's going on.

When you're, when you're talking

with the dead or trying

to communicate with them

[thud]

- Holy shit. [laugh]

[ominous sound]

- I'm in Santa Fe, Northwestern,

Great Norman Railway,

any of these mean anything to you?

[ominous sound]

- Now that is something.

- So it's a cat toy, it's a cat ball.

So it goes off by motion.

Out of equipment, it's pretty reliable.

- And cheap.

- Yeah.

- What do you think of the work for he's doing over here?

[ominous sound]

- Yes, one of the things

that we could not explain.

[ominous sound]

- And you do hear the door slam,

open up, or you don't hear

it really open up,

but you hear them slamming.

Oh, I just get up and check it out.

And then when I check it out, then I'm wondering

what's going on in here.

[ominous sound]

- I think they like me.

- Who knows? Who was?

- Because I'm a mild railroader.

I like trains.

- Me and my brother

We found two ladies on the little rock.

Sunday,

[ominous sound]

means, no clothes on.

- uh-uh

I think you're naughty.

- You're the naughty.

I just felt the husband

but if they didn't do that, they're lying.

[laughing]

- It's eerie.

- Feels like somebody's watching.

- Yeah.

[background music]

[toy train noise]

♫ I've been working on a railroad

All the live-long...

- I don't think I remember the lyrics very well.

- I don't remember it very well.

- But I do break machine

[background music]

- You just, you feel the energy when you're here.

My name is Tonya

and I've been a volunteer here for four years.

Then I'm also on the Board of Directors.

♫ Come all you rounders if you want to hear

A story about a brave engineer ♫

[sound of steaming train]

I've never experienced

as far as sounds or

you know, anything like that.

Whoever used to work here

uh was very proud of their work

and uhm is still passionate about that today

I think in the afterlife.

[background music]

[They are oiled while on the move.]

[on their way up the hub]

- What I feel now?

I feel the presence for sure.

[And coal to be blown automatically

[into the firebox]

- I think uh hard working, prideful

just very dedicated to their work kind of people.

[moving metal noise]

- I just hope that history explodes tonight. - Yeah.

- I hope it does.

- I'm so excited to see what you guys find.

[moving metal noise]

We've been here for a very long time

and it just gets better and better each year.

[ominous sound]

- We're unloading a 45 ton diesel

locomotive centre cab.

That sea of industries uh

donated to us today.

So, when was it built? 1940s.

- I don't know I'm excited for tonight.

Especially this building

- Oh, yeah, yeah.

- Where do you think the presence

is the strongest here?

- I would say probably the roundhouse

and maybe the machine shop as well.

- There's a a really different energy there.

I feel him all the time. He's like,

he's guiding me that this is what needs to be done.

- Hope they're wondering what we're doing

we're about to find out. right?

[laughter]

[background music]

[and there are heavy repairs]

[which are made in a great locomotive shop]

[background music continues]

- There's power in the rails, that's for sure.

[moving train sound]

♫ Coal, smoke, valve oil and steam

My heart is sad,

I'm living in dreams

I can't tell why I love the smell

Of coal, smoke, valve oil and steam

[Here's a ponderous fantasy of fire and steel]

[the mighty forge of a modern Vulcan]

[sad music playing]

- In the late 1800s and early 1900s

[at this railroad the boilers are 60 feet high]

[the heat meters registered 2,000 degrees

[generating steam with a pressure]

[of 300 pounds for the square inch]

- Workers became tradesman, craftsman.

They did define themselves by their work

just like we do today. We define ourselves

by our works.

[A symbol of that factor so vital in all mechanics]

[A mechanized army is as good]

[as its maintenance and so is a railroad.]

♫ I'll wait for you.

- I feel like I was being watched.

Those back windows on the car wall

it's like if somebody was up there watching you

like peering through the window

just kind of overseeing everything.

[goofy music]

It's not even heavy it's just like

you know something's there

but you're like, where are you?

Yeah.

Felt like somebody was staring there

like what you guys do?

-Yeah. [laughing]

[background music]

[alarm sound]

- Like a whistle? -Yeah

- I'm hearing a whole whistle.

Maddox, brought that up too

he's hearing a whistle.

[alarm sound]

- I think that most spirits will probably go here

Yeah, they used to work,

I think it's probably where the most

comfortable been.

[moving train sound]

So I think there's gonna be like

activity here, especially.

- You hear the whistle? - Perfect whistle.

- What do you think of all the women out here

doing photo shoots?

Anything to say about that?

[pause]

[whistle]

- What? - Yeah, like a blowy whistle. - Uh-huh.

- Yeah.

- In the back corner like a blowy whistle.

- The hell is that?

- You hear the whistle? - I heard the whistle.

- The whistle was pretty cool.

- Is that you whistling? - Is that your sign?

- It's like somebody was trying to whistle

trying to form the whistle

and they just couldn't get it out

- Can you do it again if that was you.

- Yeah, it was definitely from over by 13:55.

- That, that way.

- Think you can hear the rough? - yeah.

- To me it sounds like people are working.

- Yeah.

- Like they're not paying attention to us

but they're doing their job.

[laughing]

- And they had a whistle out here for break time.

[whistle]

- I think with the engines under there

there may be some bears that are

attached to them.

- It was kind of eerie.

- My name is Dave. This is Gary, this is Kathy,

Rose.

- I've been doing this for a long time.

[laughing]

- Are there any workers here?

That would like to talk to us?

[pause]

- I'm sure they've had some little accidents there

as well banged up fingers or

somebody cut themselves

but I think they just continue to work.

- You can feel the energy.

[ominous sound]

- So when I'm watching this

there's three right now.

You can see three dots on there.

The closer something gets to that,

the more those dots will light up.

- What do you think about this museum?

How they're trying to restore this

and keep the history alive for you?

- It could be just be background - or it could be

you know they're trying to manifest enough

- to give us something

- enough strength to give us something, yeah.

- Do you like having all the volunteers here?

[ominous sound]

- No way.

- Okay.

- You could get words that go right along with

what you're doing and what you're investigating.

And the questions that you're asking,

and in other times is just a mixed bag of words

that just get thrown out.

Just depending on EMF levels.

[intense sound]

Something's going on over there

♫ Come by the station, early in the morning.

- Two or three volunteers were...

it was early evening

they were working on the steam locomotive

♫ faster, turning them away.

[ominous sound]

- And they had started to hear voices

and hammers

[ominous sound]

[background music]

- Don't think, they can be walking around.

- So they walked around the locomotive

and there was no one there.

[ominous sound]

But they saw footprints and the dust on the floor.

[thud]

♫ Go by the station at early in the morning

There's too the his...

- They had said that whoever was talking.

♫ Send the diamond stoker, warming up the smoker.

- Was talking about the side rods and the cylinders.

So they knew they were somebody that

knew railroad but there was no one there.

[eerie sound]

- And I feel like there's definitely a presence survive.

A lot of times went when you're not expecting it.

- I just dabble a little bit on my own

with different things and

you know uh

susceptible to things we'll just say that.

[ominous sound]

- Feeling of of just historical significance

where you went from something that was a

24/7 operation daily with so much work

so many so much activity to going down

to nothing in a matter of years.

- That, Right here.

- I actually had one earlier today.

Uh it's the only experience I've ever had.

I was alone and I could be wrong

but I thought I heard voices.

I was up on the rail right over there on that caboose

and so I thought I heard something.

Not murmuring

but it it was more like far away sound voices.

[ominous sound]

Like a conversation it was two very distinct people.

Right this way please

- Oh no! We couldn't do any of that

mischievous stuff not with my dad.

[laughing]

We couldn't even walk on rails

so he no that was not.

[indistinct shout]

We were taught to respect the railroad

and the locomotives and everybody.

♫ For the Anaheim, Azusa, And Cucamonga

We got to ride in the locomotives

when he was switching the engineer

will let us ride or we ride in the caboose.

[background music] [train sound]

[background music]

- I have some times felt like my dad

[ominous sound]

has left some stuff out here.

[boogie music]

He was always good at forgetting a tool

at someplace

[electric sound]

and I would find screwdrivers out here.

Uh hammers. So, yeah [laughter]

[background music continues]

If somebody is up on there roof. I can't...

- I know I wanna go up there.

- I wanna go up there so bad.

- Hey bud, are you messing with us?

[static sound]

[ominous sound]

- Even when we were way back here

and you look down here

and you can actually visualize the top of the roof.

All you see are the stacks that are up there.

-Yeah.

- Like there's nothing.

There's no way that a person would be up there

without you knows knowing that

somebody was up there

- Yeah.

Or sometimes I just hear a voice in my head

every now and then.

- Yeah.

[background music continues]

- Yeah.

- You could definitely feel something

and that was the kind of

the thought that kept run through my head like

is it okay? and I like kept telling myself, yeah.

This is okay and I don't know what that means

but that was the question that kept

popping in my head, so.

- Well. Well we're already dirty

Why not?

- Listen, on occasions that sometimes

you can hear things coming out.

[eerie sound]

- Holy shit [laughing]

- Good?

No, no, there's nothing in there.

- I heard a 'ru-ru' kind of thing in there but...

- Yeah, It's plenty.

- Hi!

[background music]

- This weighs um 144 ton.

[moving train sound]

The Great Northern Railway locomotive number 1355.

That was a landmark here in Sioux City.

This uh what really launched our museum effort

this locomotive did um

that's why we were originally formed

for us to preserve the locomotive

and then from this being our first major artifact

we decided to develop the River Museum.

Made out the original plans on a napkin

at Southern Hills Mall we were in the food court.

- I'm hoping that it turns out really well tonight.

- I'm hoping they will um see

if there's some energy sources that are around

the locomotive. [beeping]

either former uh engineers and firemen

that operated the locomotive during its time

or maybe some energy from our volunteers.

- I think that spirits are always gonna be around

whether it's ancestors or whether it's not um

that's just what we call duality.

- That's a photo of one shift, blues morning shift

where they call them chicks of just the

Roundhouse, the shopman crew.

- When I look at every time I look at the picture,

there's always my eye always draws to

the one guy.

See there's a guy, the middle guy

that's sitting down on the ledge

of the turntable pit.

Look straight up to the right of him

that guy has to be 6'8, 6'9

just huge.

You look at the faces you know

they don't smile you know there, but, yeah.

[ominous sound]

People are lying on trains

moving and bring things to them.

So it's one of those things you have to

get it done no matter what the cost.

- I think that's what's going on here

is the rural workers are wanting that story told

that's just my opinion.

- And when we're over there

Dave was asking questions

and I got an EVP with the word help.

[eerie sound]

- Dave was asking to try it how -

How do you get into this locomotive?

The locomotive stands about this high

off the ground [beeping]

And just after David asked up.

- Did you work here when this area opened up?

[eerie sound]

- The EVP comes across and says help.

Was it help me or was it help Dave get in there?

[eerie sound]

[laughing]

- She's scared. She's scared

She's the scaredy one. - So I'm not really scared.

- In the roundhouse?

- the roadhouse? Well, no.

- Ah the round [laughter]

The roundhouse that's where a lot

of the energy is.

- Can you tell me what needs to be fixed?

[ominous sound]

Can you come put some coal in?

[pause]

We're losing some steam.

[steam sound]

- I'm feeling light headed.

- Is that too much steam?

[continuous steam sound]

- I feel light headed.

- I don't know if it's like

someone trying to draw energy for me.

[ominous sound]

- There is. - It's weird.

- There is like a...

[background noise]

I'm, I'm like trying to figure out

if it's actual the wind.

[pause]

Because at times it does sound like footsteps.

[eerie sound]

[background noise]

Like that, right there does sounded like,

something on wood.

[ominous sound]

- Sounds like somebody's... - It's so quick and...

- ...sounds like somebody's walking on the woods.

- Sure it's just a bell name.

[laughing]

[background music]

- Did you... Did anyone drop money over there?

- I don't know who would that be.

[ominous sound]

- Shut the front door.

- That's a 20 dollar bill.

- Right on.

- And I thought it was kind of neat that

when I did go into that dark room over there um

I did feel something before

I found that money on the floor.

- Found a 20 dollar bill laying on the ground.

- That could be bad!

- I heard something dropping earlier

like something was dropping something.

- There was no 20 dollar bill on the floor.

[pause]

And no one was walking in that area.

- Did you just stand in here? - Or was it a movement

- And I walked around there a few times

to know that, I know myself,

I didn't drop anything cause'

I was holding 2 phones.

- Bud was a volunteer out here.

We swear he's here.

[background music]

Bud Smith was one of our really good volunteers

that like to greet visitors when they came in

and he'd be in this area over here

always to welcome the visitors.

Once a month he would bring

in a 20 dollar bill

that he would make a donation with.

[eerie sound]

- If you if you wanna try to talk to Bud,

let's see if he left the 20 dollar bill for us

and we'll see what word comes up.

- Hi Bud, are you with us?

Did you drop a 20 dollar bill for us?

Did you see the trip wire?

[ominous sound]

- I just noticed that. - Uh huh

- Bud was just grandfatherly

I guess is how you would call it very

very dedicated.

[background music]

Bud did the grounds look good?

[ominous sound]

- Just going around different areas by myself.

Kind of correlates with

some of the things that other people said

or we're going through, so.

- I think there's definitely a presence here.

[pause]

- He lived for this place um

I can I can tell you that

when him and his wife were fighting

he come out here. [laughter]

Our volunteers

they said if anybody they feel him out here.

[fading music]

[background music]

[the dining car is a place of leisurely luxury]

♫ Young to go my baby

tell me how do you know.

- Behind us we have two passenger cars

that are from um 1947 from the Ohio

from the Milwaukee Road.

♫ On the rail or on the shoulder.

- And the first one we're gonna go

look into will be the dining car.

And then the other one behind it

is that sun restored.

It will be a dormitory and baggage car.

♫ Then we meet the night special. Shining light on me.

- So we're gathered to have a meal

especially on long trips.

- The theory is if there are spirits around

they use any type of batteries

or power sources to help energize themselves.

[ominous sound]

- A lot of times when you have battery failures

it's a good indication there might be

something around.

Especially when you don't normally

have that happen. - Yeah.

- Everything's energy. - Mm-hmm.

- If you think about it this table is energy.

She's energy. I'm energy

She's energy. - Mm-hmm.

- When we did another museum

I sat between two pieces full of haunted objects.

And when I tell you I lost all control of my body.

[thud]

I couldn't move, I couldn't,

I felt like somebody literally came and sat

and I could not move and then it just lifted

[beeping sound]

- What was that?

[beeping sound]

Can you tell me about the ceiling.

The Ovilus had mentioned ceiling.

[eerie sound]

- The one thing about this car that we need to fix

is the ceiling. - Yeah.

-Yeah.

- I heard a buzzing in my ear.

It leaks right here.

- It gets chaotic to me out there.

[background music]

- Feel like somebody touched you?

[background music]

- I kind of felt like I was hearing some things

when we were in the dining car.

[indistinct chatter]

- The experience is in there.

- Just walking around

um you can kind of hear things,

feel things. Sometimes you think you hear voices

especially down the kitchen area.

Sometimes when you're in there

and sometimes when you're in the dining area.

You feel like you hear somebody calling our order.

- One thing that happened to me

that's never happened before

when I was over in the dining car.

I felt somebody touch me on the back.

♫ I want to be there with your heart again.

[ominous sound]

- Which I've never been touched before.

[continuing music]

And I was away from everybody else,

and I even turned around and looked

and there was nobody behind me.

But something touched me on the back.

[continuing music]

It's, it's strange, yeah.

It's like what was that?

You know, because I know there was

nothing around.

Nobody, there was no bugs, nothing like that

so, yeah. It's, it's weird.

But it doesn't really haunt me too bad.

[background music]

- This is calmer in here than it is out there.

- Like it's chaotic to me out there.

[eerie sound]

- Chris it says, it's Robert period.

[ominous sound]

Hi Robert!

- It's pretty, pretty cool.

- It says, it's uh, it's Robert.

- Is there a Robert? - Is there a Robert? - Robert?

[ominous sound]

- Robert Rise, right?

- He's still alive.

[ominous sound]

Worked out here for a number of years.

- Maybe in your app?

- Maybe they're asking for him.

- The name Robert coming across

and hearing that story.

Um so I do believe there's something here.

- I get it. Let's just go.

- I'll touch your butt.

[background music]

- Dormitory and baggage car.

So this has been for the train crew um

and the kitchen crew to sleep.

And when they're not on shift.

[background music continues]

Occasionally, they would throw mail on.

[Inside the mail car railway mail clerks]

[put together papers and letters for]

[for each town or city]

- Yeah they would throw mail on passenger trains.

[ominous sound]

- And shift at stitch.

- I heard somebody talking to Mel's voice.

[eerie sound]

- I saw somebody outside talking.

- Sounded like people were working.

Cause I had the headphones on and I can hear

real time.

It just sound like a bunch of commotion.

- Yeah, I didn't sense anything back there.

- This is kind of like a calmer,

relaxing, leisure vibe kind of feels like busy work.

[eerie sound]

- But I didn't sense anything again.

[rattling metal sound]

[ominous sound]

- What a vibe that you get when you go in there

cause it's not restored.

So it feels like it's not restored,

it needs to be told.

- This used to be where people are working tremendously.

- And we just walk through there

that's that's creepy.

It's real dark and no lights, no nothing.

It's creepy in there.

Right here is where the conductor was.

This is where he'd sit in here and do his work.

See how much room there is.

Sit at the table right here and do his work.

And it was very active.

[ominous sound]

What? - Jeez, Denise.

- What?

- Yeah. - Back this way?

- What? Holy buckets!

- There's presence in there too

I just can't figure it out.

[electric sound]

- Definitely a vibe that's for sure. - Mm-hmm.

- Somebody's watching us. - Mm-hmm.

- Everything's a vibe

when you can't see what's in front of you.

[eerie music]

- I'm hearing a lot of, lot of lust right now.

[laughing]

- Most people don't like the dark

because they don't know what's in the dark.

It's not so much the dark itself.

They can't see what's in the dark,

waiting for them to...

[fading music]

-This is, it's it's about like that.

- And a lot of times what we do

is when we have that going and

like my stomach always gargles.

I always say okay that was my stomach,

you know, so.

- Yeah. - That way it's marked on the recorder.

So we don't think it's a demon or something.

[laughter]

- It's very important because it happens a lot.

- It does. - It does. It does.

- And it can sound like somebody's talking.

- Right. - Right. The stomach...

- The stomach demons. - that sounds like demons.

[background music]

- We're at Billy Boy's.

[background music continues]

- We go out there, it's winter time is cold.

It's hell out there.

- We take Tracy along.

- This is a place our volunteer really like to come.

We've been coming here since 1995.

- I believe in it but I've never had

experience myself.

So I'm not gonna say that I know it's real

but you know, I like the idea.

- We'll make you a believer right now

- Yeah, I hope so, I hope so.

- Tracy, - Good stuff. I'm hungry.

- I'm, I'm excited everything right now.

[sound of steaming train]

[background music]

[laughing]

- Well, that's the first time, you've tried. [siren sound]

- You want a tour? I'll help you at them. - Bravo!

[machine sound]

[eerie sound]

[laughing]

- I just feel things, like it was over here.

Not too much of anything

till' I got off of that first car over here.

I heard something but the whole time

I was up there, it was real quiet.

[ominous sound]

When I get over here on that sidewalk,

it's when it gets dark.

- It gave me an uneasy feeling.

- With all the noises and the birds and everything

it almost hit like a Halloween movie.

[laughter] Yeah. - That's what it felt like.

[ominous sound]

- The ash pit was around 200 feet long.

It was a concrete bunker style structure.

The hustlers would bring in the steam locomotives

[sound of steaming train]

which dropped the hot coals

that were in the firebox.

Down into the ash pit.

Charles Crawford he was a World War 1 veteran.

He was 23 years old.

He was assigned the job of dropping the fires

out of the steam locomotives.

So they would flood water

in to create a coal slurry.

Charles Crawford he stepped down on

what he thought was ground.

[ominous sound]

He had enough sinking into the coal slurry

which was like quicksand

and ended up drowning.

[boiling sound]

In order to retrieve his body,

they had to use grappling hooks

in order to find his body within this coal slurry.

And of course when they pulled him

out he, he was gone.

[ominous sound]

So we have had folks be out here

to take photographs

and there's a spirit orb that has shown up and

and a quite a few photographs

so that spirit orb led us to research into...

If there was an accident or death

and that's then how we learned

about Charles Crawford passing.

[background noise]

Where you're all standing as the ash pit

- Oh, we've had it, there you go - There you go.

- I think that happened at that ash pit.

I think Dave, - Be really quiet.

[exhales]

- I think the spirit of Charles reached out to him

and was able to communicate with him.

- Thought we might have heard somebody

over here making some noise.

- To the point where Dave may have been feeling

something of what Charles was feeling

at the time.

- I mean I just had a really really bad headache.

I was shaking, I was dizzy just wasn't feeling right

and I sat down and and tried to let it pass

but it didn't.

[beeping sound]

- Yes to my left.

- This is where he was found.

- It was right here?

- He was found by the water pipe.

Right there.

- Okay.

- It's like, right.

And that's kind of where Dave was standing.

- I could show you.

- You got hype, it's ringing?

[ominous sound]

- I don't ever have to say that happen to me.

- No. - Ever.

- But I think it just did.

[background music]

- It feels uneven to me.

- Yeah.

- Like you're in a fun house.

- What time is it?

[ominous sound]

- 8:56. - Cause he passed about 9:00.

It's when he stepped down off the road, - oh.

[awkward laughing]

- Gonna say I feel like

a bunch of people are just running this way.

- Uh-huh.

[background noise]

- My head started hurting.

- I think that,

Charles was just trying to reach out to him.

He realized someone was there

and he's trying to get his word out.

[background noise]

- If it's kind of what Charles probably

went through um as he was, you know,

sucked further down and being suffocated

[boiling sound]

- 8:58 right now. - Yeah.

- 8:58 right now.

- It's just kind of scary watching that stuff happen

but you it just happened a lot so.

[background music]

- One of the reasons why they had to use

grappling hooks was cause it was dark.

[background music continues]

- Would be a bad thing to have a seizure tonight.

- Yeah. Yeah.

- No seizures tonight.

- He's had other seizures and stuff as a recent.

So.

- Just get still a little bit. - Sit down.

- Had to affect me

to the point where it triggered a seizure, so.

[background music]

- We're not having excitement tonight

just this investigation.

- Look listen

- So he needs to cut it off

- I, I don't normally have stuff

like that happen to me.

- I haven't ran, I haven't ran a code for a while.

[ominous sound]

- That never happens that doesn't happen to

to me.

It happens to other people.

[background noise fading]

- Whatever is in the back over there I can't see.

- It's dark.

- I think that David

getting affected the way that he did.

- In the back?

- Mm-hmm.

- And me being here is testimony

to how the railroad workers

and the natives.

[The Osage, the pony, the Dakota]

- Here that are in this area coexist.

[one of the planes drives the suit]

I just find it kind of an odd coincidence.

- Before the railroad took over the property in 1915,

1916 um

this was more of a riparian wood timber area

that was part of the river system.

The Valley of Native Americans

use this land for hunting and fishing.

On the hill above us is a burial ground

for the Native Americans that's been um

cataloged and researched

by the Office of State Archaeology in Iowa City.

They believe that there was temporary camps

set up here by the Native American cultures

to really fish and hunt on in this area.

[moving train sound]

- After the ash pit, they called Larry the next day

and told him I think that

Charles is kind of feeling forgotten.

Might need to do some type of flag

or something for him in that area

to let him know that he's not forgotten

that he's still part of this place

and I might put some things at ease for him.

[sound of steaming train]

Hopefully, hopefully

what we did for our Veterans Day kind of helps that so

[background music]

- For Veterans Day,

for the first time had a veterans ceremony.

[indistinct chatter]

They honored the veterans that volunteered here

and had worked here

and they did do a speech about

Charles Crawford, a worker that was here

and that was also a veteran as well.

[cannon fire]

He had been injured in the war pretty severely

and then when he came back here

he always wanted to work at the railroad

and it just turns out that on his first day

that he was here, he ended up dying.

[background music]

- Here,

you can have that feeling of the presence

of somebody but

[pause]

I don't think they wanna,

they wanna come out here.

[pause]

- It doesn't matter if they want to be known,

they'll be known.

[beeping sound]

- Wow.

- Holy moly!

[ominous music]

- Yep and so sometimes um

even when we've been in here before

where we've been down here with Ray,

visiting with Ray.

And we hear the same kind of thing

over here doors.

[background noise]

- No way!

- There's a path behind here

where workers are blocked

to and from work every day.

- Thought we might have heard somebody

over here making some noise.

- Anybody over here on this side?

That would like that,

let us know they're here.

[ominous sound]

[slamming sound]

- You could feel like there something

happened here.

- Mm-hmm.

- So did you use to work for the railroad?

[ominous sound]

Some really cool trains in here

some really cool models.

[background music]

You ever play with them?

[toy train noise]

- You guys were back there

and you were coming this way

[ominous sound]

I thought I heard a little person's voice.

[eerie sound]

Did you guys?

[eerie sound]

[ominous sound]

- So normally what we'll do is we'll tell them like

if they cross it that means yes,

If it's apart it's no

Is there anybody here with us?

- There's anybody here with us

go and cross those two.

[Ominous sound]

- Thank you, Charles. Thank you.

I think when uh

we investigate in there

and we're communicating with people that were

communicating with former employees

people who work there.

And they're just letting us know that

"Hey, we're still here we're still working."

[ominous sound]

- A little bit further keep going

Thank you.

[fading background music]

[background music]

- Do you find any controversy between anybody?

[laughing]

- You can tear by not getting along?

- Yeah. I know. I definitely don't get that vibe at all

I feel like everybody is pretty peaceful.

[background music]

- I know there's a lot of death

um a lot of tragic death and that creates...

[rumbling sound]

...that you know perfect storm if you will.

It's just a really active, peaceful place, really.

[horse running]

- Kind of experienced you know

afar what you guys do.

[background music]

- And then I saw that.

- I think there's definitely a presence here

and I'm glad that I got to be here.

[background noise]

- Some people yeah.

- What are they saying?

- They're surprised about it at first but

they're not really like we do not know anything by it.

[indistinct chatter]

Where's Maddox at? We should ask him.

Actually Derek and Maddox

went to school together.

- I just love history

I've always loved ever since I was young uh

My mom used to work here for

a work study program

and she really introduced me to history.

And this is a great opportunity for me

to start my career in history overall.

[background music]

- Thomas.

- I don't think I would have been as much

into trains if it wasn't for shows like

Thomas Train.

Uh I think, I think

shows and movies have a lot of impacts

on what people think as they grow up as well.

[background music]

[moving train noise]

- That was the place. - It's the place.

- Yes I have helped my dad out here a lot.

He passed a couple years

after we got the property

and it wasn't in any real good condition.

[ominous sound]

and he spent most of his time working

down on that South End so

that's where I feel him.

[background music]

- So I do believe there's something here.

[ominous sound]

- Um in here it's a different,

[laughing]

different atmosphere. It's hard to tell what is what

but it's very, I love it.

[laughter]

- The history is following us around the whole night

and that was great.

- Um it exceeded my expectations for sure

and I do think energies were really active tonight.

What you experience is the industriousness

of the site from its past.

- You've definitely done a great job.

- Absolutely, - Yeah, it's amazing.

- I love it.

- Somebody's walking.

- We heard something earlier

and it can't get out. - Yeah it's it's not windy.

It's their's footsteps.

- There it goes again. - And again.

[laughing]

- It's been awesome just see the transformation

and all the things that you are along the way.

[background music]

[background music fading]

[background music]

♫ Will you be ready?

Will you be ready?

One day it's gonna happen when you least expect it to.

A solid golden train is gonna come down after you.

It's gonna happen suddenly and then before you know.

You'll hear that old conductor shouting all aboard let's go.

Will you be ready? Will you be ready?

When you hear that who you, you.

Will you be ready? Will you be ready?

When that solid golden train comes after you.

Will you be ready

Will you be ready

You'll find yourself a pullman car and stretch out in a birth

You're lying there and thinking of the life you lit on earth.

You're wondering if you're heading up above or down below

And if your friends are glad or if they're sad to see you go, so

Would you be ready

Would you be ready

When you hear that who you, you

Would you be ready

Would you be ready

When that solid golden train comes after you

It's time to prepare yourself

That's gold for me too. Yes, gold

The train comes to a stop and disappears beneath your feet

And all at once you're standing right in front of old St. Pete

He read your wreckage to you by the time that he is through

It's pretty clear to see the old boy's got a lot on you. Now,

Will you be ready

Will you be ready

When you hear that who you, you

Will you be ready

Will you be ready

When that solid golden train comes after you

That's right.

There's nothing you have ever done that he is overlooked

Unless somehow you get a break, you know your goose is cooked

You make a solemn promise, it won't happen anymore

Pete shakes his head and says my son I've heard that one before

Now you better be ready, ooh.

You better be ready

When that solid golden train comes after you. ♫

- Definitely a fury feeling

just standing right here with no lights on at all

- Yeah. - It definitely a...

- Yeah. - You could feel like

there something happened here

- Mm-hmm.

[END]