In the 1900s The then booming town of Fairmont had Train Tracks running on both sides of the Monongahela River . The one closest to downtown the B&O across from Palatine Park still does .and this is the setting for a ghost tale told by many.
Seems under the Jefferson St Million Dollar Bridge at one time sat the Railroad Station for Downtown Fairmont and in the early 1900s a set of chains known as a tale tell device was hung over the tracks to alert oncoming trains they where approaching the station as top of train went under causing a clacking noise . it also warned brakeman who may be on top of cars as well
These chain gates where often used to warn trains where approaching tunnels and under passes as well and where fairly common .
https://www.american-rails.com/tell-tales.html
In 1915 a Railroad Brakeman supposedly lost his head when he was atop the cars having it torn off by those very warning chains.
After the accident the chains where removed and a short time later people walking along the tracks
on dark and foggy nights claim to have seen a man dressed like a railroader carrying a lantern but he had no head and was apparently looking for it.
Now is there any truth to it who knows I have looked thru local papers to see if they mention it and found nothing so far. But that does not mean it did not happen as railroad accidents where so frequent they where hardly ever all reported.
I can tell you this much I work in Fairmont and go thru that area with Broadcast Engineer work I do at LHTC Media so you never know its very isolated and very spooky down along those tracks even in day time.
