The Phantom Train of Medicine Hat
In 1908, two trains collided just outside of Medicine Hat, killing seven men. The event has since become part of a classic piece of Canadian folklore with elements of fortune telling, forerunners, and fate. Today, over a century later, the lines between history and legend are starting to blur. In this episode you’ll hear the original story told by a man who narrowly escaped the crash, and learn how one man's ghost story has become a true Canadian legend.
Sources
Liddell, Ken. I’ll Take the Train. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Western Producer Prairie Books, 1971.
Ferguson, Ted. Sentimental Journey: An Oral History of Train Travel in Canada. Toronto, Ontario: Doubleday Canada Limited, 1985. P 81-84.
Bommersbach, Jana. “Alberta’s Ghost Train.” True West Magazine, September 8, 2017. Web. Accessed 2019.
Scholsser, S. E. “Ghost Train: An Alberta Ghost Story.” AmericanFolklore.net. Accessed 2019
“Seven Dead in ‘Hat Wreck.” The Daily Phoenix. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, July 10, 1908. Page 1.
“Five Men Killed in Collision on the C. P. R. Close to Medicine Hat.” The Lethbridge Daily Herald. Lethbridge, Alberta, July 9, 1908. Page 1.
“Seven Killed in Wreck and Five Were Injured.” The Vancouver Daily Province. Vancouver, BC, July 10, 1908. Page 1.
“Operator’s Error Led to Seven Deaths at the Hat.” Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta, July 10, 1908. Page 3.
Moriarty, C. F. “The Phantom Train.” The Province. Vancouver, BC, March 21, 1953. Page 13.
Liddell, Ken. “Strange tale of the wreck of 1908.” The Medicine Hat News. Medicine Hat, Alberta, March 23, 1966. Page 2.
Liddell, Ken. “Ken Liddell’s column” Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, October 13, 1971. Page 5.
Liddell, Ken. “The ‘Phantom’ Wreck.” Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta, October 18, 1971. Page 5.
“Great train crash of ’08 predicted by fortune teller.” The Medicine Hat News. Medicine Hat, Alberta, March 29, 2000. Page A13.
“Head-on collision takes two lives.” The Medicine Hat News. Medicine Hat, Alberta, March 29, 2000. Page A13.
“Candidates for Street Names Within the City of Medicine Hat.” Undated PDF. Accessed 2018. https://www.medicinehat.ca/home/showdocument?id=12249
