I came across this story of an engineer on Marshall Pass in the early years and found quite entertaining--and since where I'm at its gloomy and raining it seems appropriate to share today.
"Scarcely had Edwards left the snowshed when a whistle echoed through the mountains, and the gong in his cab signalled that the conductor wanted the train stopped. When asked by the conductor why he stopped, Edwards replied, "Because you gave the signal."
The conductor said that he had done no such thing and told the engineer to "pull her open and hurry. We've got to pass Number 19 at the switches and there's a wild train behind us!" Edwards accordingly opened the throttle and moved down the grade.
Behind him the whistles came closer and closer, and when he rounded a curve, Edwards looked back and saw a train rushing at full speed toward him. He opened the throttle full and his fireman heaped on the coal, but still the other train continued to gain. Through the snow Edwards saw the engineer of the pursuing train give a haunting laugh. Then, ahead of him he saw a lantern telling him to stop, and he took a chance and did so.
Behind him, the runaway train seemed about ready to leap on his train when it rolled off the tracks and crashed into the canyon. There were no sounds of agony--only silence. On the track in front of Edwards, the red lantern had disappeared so the engineer continued down the grade and passed Number 19 at the switches without further incidence. The next morning when he finished his run, Edwards found a warning written in the frost on his cab window which read, "If you ever run here again, you'll be wrecked." No sign was ever found of the phantom train, but Edwards never ran over Marshall Pass again, going to work for the Union Pacific instead."
I guess its one of those stories that got more complex and mysterious as time went on, but we may never know for sure. Enjoy!!!
William
This was taken from "Marshall Pass Gateway to the Gunnison Country."
