The Ghost Train: a disappearing fairground entertainment

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Ghost Train on the fairground connects pre-mechanized ghost shows (such as the Phantasmagoria and Dr. Pepper’s Ghost type illusions) that had been popular in Britain in the latter half of the 19th century, with the increasingly mechanized rides that came to dominate the British fairground circuit during the 20th century. Intriguingly, although customers were moved along a track, the showmen themselves considered the Ghost Train to be a “show” (shocking the paying public by the unexpected multisensory stimulation of their eyes, ears, and skin), rather than a ride (the latter providing primarily proprioceptive pleasures and kinaesthetic thrills). The heyday of the Ghost Train on the fairground was during the middle decades of the 20th century. Nowadays, those interested in giving themselves a fright are more likely to seek their entertainment in a physically thrilling ride (such as a rollercoaster) or else at the cinema (a medium that also emerged out of the late 19th century ghost shows).