The Ghost Train that Saved Lives - NMBS type 12 "De Spooktrein"

In today's video, we take a look at a ghost train, the war and one of the most annoying days a German soldier has ever had.
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Picture & Information References:
heldenvanhetve...
wwii-netherlan...
Brooksbank
Gerdessen, D.C. (Nederlandse Spoorwegen), fotograaf
Dr. E. Scherer
Hugh Llewelyn
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GrafVonEbbell

[@TrainFactGuy]

Delaying trains to save lives is all well and good, but could someone tell Northern Rail that the war is over and that they don't need to delay *every* service?

[@khuhruzhsvethmeorv8318]

REAL

[@terrier_productions]

I would but EMR is my local operator!

[@ChimpManZ1264]

Shots fired! 😂

[@jacobcave1587]

Bloody hell 😂

[@erikziak1249]

All jokes aside, there were many atrocities the railway was used for. This story is funny, because it has a happy ending. But most stories do not share this.

[@khuhruzhsvethmeorv8318]

This needs a film making about it, it's comedy gold. What legends

[@ConstantlyDamaged]

The issue is the only actor/director who could possibly do this justice, Buster Keaton, is no longer with us.

[@gfdx3214]

I havent seen it in a long while, but there’s a movie called “The train” with a similar premise, though with a train full of stolen french art

[@robertwilloughby8050]

​@@ConstantlyDamagedEither of the Andersons' perhaps? It seems that this would be up their street.

[@ConstantlyDamaged]

@@robertwilloughby8050 I was referencing probably the greatest stuntman and actor willing to work with trains that ever existed. For an example of his stuff, look up "Buster Keaton The General" and prepare to be stunned.

[@ShukakuTheCrazy1]

Id like to see a thomas parody of this, honestly

[@Racist_Railfan_Productions]

As gruesome and bloody as WWII was, you gotta admit these stories of railway sabotage are a lot of fun.

[@cudwieser3952]

Got to love the arrogantly Ignorant being played for the patsies they were.

[@Railhog2102]

Same especially when these stories were depicted in movies and especially games like Medal Of Honor and the early Call Of Duty series

[@tjmfarming9584]

This story sounds like it'd make a brilliant comedy film! I bet if trains with smiley faces were a real thing, no doubt the engines themselves involved would have joined in the confusion and delay.

[@drampadude9216]

Oh I can only imagine the confusion and delay a simple face with a personality could cause ;)

[@Parakeet-pk6dl]

I’m myself working for NMBS for quite some years now, and I can honestly say that sabotage is still a part of our daily operations. The only difference is that this time, the sabotage is coming from management levels instead of operational levels and due to ignorance instead of skill.

[@gamerfan8445]

This needs a 3/4 episodes on it.

[@DragonStar524]

Talk about massive "confusion and delay" This is comedy gold!

[@StationFilms12345]

This story should be a movie of how comically stupid it is 😂

[@TankEngineMedia]

Never did except a ghost train to save lives, the more you know. Maybe not a literal ghost train but still

[@drampadude9216]

Im so glad i get to see the positives of all the possible delays a beautiful steamer can cause

[@OfficialTrainzGod]

This is what I call “Confusion and Delay!”

[@nathanhunsecker7235]

This HAS to be just a Tuesday on every Class 1 😂

[@seppehens8459]

honestly nice to see this gorgeous belgian locomotive in a vid, its very underrated and honesly huge

[@TARDIS9]

Now this is a story that I think even the Reverend Awdry would enjoy! It’s not often you hear about people being Really Useful by causing Confusion and Delay! Also, funnily enough, I recall seeing an engine like 12002 at the railway museum in Brussels. It was 12004, a survivor and the focus locomotive of a graphic novel (‘The Beauty’, which I have read and loved!). I take it they were classmates?

[@florjanbrudar692]

Of course they were. Clearly the same exact engine.

[@ShadowDragon8685]

I would certainly enjoy more videos about railway shenanigans during The Sequel to The War to End All Wars.

[@nielsleenknegt5839]

I'm from Belgium, and if one thing I did think we were good at before, I now know for certain. We are the world champions at coordinating plots to create confusion and delays.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

The creativeness of the railways men to frustrate the movement of the train to the east is epic, they did so by risking their lives. Their own security would have been the knowledge by the guards that they wouldn't have a replacement crew soon if they executed the present crew.

[@Bompa1938]

Us Belgians never make it easy on others 😂❤🇧🇪 I love to hear story's from our railway in belgium

[@CowMaster9001]

Is that why the EU has their headquarters in Brussels? To spread misery to all of Europe?

[@QuintonMurdock]

Shout out to fellow good hearted railroad workers ❤

[@rubentreingames6466]

Quite neat since im going to train world at 30 october where a belgian Type 12 is located as well. Sadly 12.002 is scrapped : ( only 12.004 is preserved in train world-

[@McAttack21574]

I remember watching a documentary about this, so apparently the airmen managed to open the door and slipped in groups of 2 or 3 believing they were still surrounded by german soldiers. It’s somewhere on youtube

[@dvdvnr]

Brilliant video! I'd never heard of this, so many thanks for a good 10-minutes-plus of well-documented ghostly story!

[@trevorkarran732]

Finally a video on this train. I don’t know why I like this trains I guess it’s like a sports car on rails

[@brenlc1412]

I want a comedy movie about this, this sounds absolutely hilarious. 😂

[@sirmatsdubois2509]

It's a bit ironic and a big coincidence because I saw this video while I'm in the museum train world with the last surviving NMBS type 12. In fact I'm looking at it now. It's unfortunately not 12.002 the legendary ghost train but at least it's the exact same locomotive so we can relive a little bit of that history.

[@kadenrobinson7067]

Remind me of the movie The train 1964

[@AppalachianRailfan99]

Or Von Ryan's Express

[@primrosevale1995]

Something tells me Sir Robert Charles Norramby’s fellow soldiers in the Sodor Regiment were involved in this.

[@garryferrington811]

Marvelous. I really enjoyed this.

[@dfishpool7052]

Thank you for this fascinating presentation - very interesting indeed.

[@eliotreader8220]

thank goodness the Germans didn't know that much about steam engines

[@BotherRed]

This is the stories I live for

[@jacksnorth4074]

Ghost trains that saved lives?? Yes please 😍

[@AnonOmis1000]

This needs to be a movie

[@pietersnackaert]

FINALLY someone who says NMBS (dutch) and not SNCB (french), we apreciate you!!!

[@T3ki1a_]

Both are correct...

[@pietersnackaert]

@@T3ki1a_ i know, but if you buy a model train from marklin, roco or fleischmann for example its always SNCB, never NMBS

[@T3ki1a_]

@@pietersnackaert weird they don't just put both....

[@rottenroads1982]

In the end, this is a story of how people were fighting against Evil. People knew what would happen when those people crammed into those Cattle Cars were brought to the camps.

[@justandy333]

Sounds like the benny hill theme would be rather appropriate in a cinematic retelling of this story!

[@asteroidrules]

Sounds like the plot to an episode of Hogan's Heroes, just generally making a nuisance in such a way that grinds the German war effort to a halt.

[@TorridPrime217]

So... like 'The Great Escape', but with Belgian steam engines

[@CycolacFan]

Wonderful story. Network Rail apparently based their entire business plan on it…

[@cudwieser3952]

Really should do a short movie of the events. Rare you get a good benny hill, Bust Keaton-esque caper in times of war and still be historically accurate :)

[@firstnamlastnam2141]

Yakety sax goes well with this

[@LBSC70]

Confusion And Delay at it's finest

[@carltonleboss]

A fascinating story.

[@AppalachianRailfan99]

It also goes to show that confusion and delay can also be a good thing when needed

[@sam-ej7sq]

Belgium mentioned, woooooo

[@tencents6]

Somewhere, The Fat Controller isn't sure whether he should be proud or triggered.

[@harrisonallen651]

Belgium, you have caused confusion and delay!

[@Spitfiresammons]

SS German Officers: I f**king hate ghost trains!. Allied prisoners: Hooray!!.

[@vsvnrg3263]

that's a real good story. how come its never been made into a movie?

[@844SteamFan]

1:17 I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that one, if it’s the one in Dayton, OH.

[@BHuang92]

How about an interesting story about a time traveling train!

[@altermike3197]

This is awesome

[@westinbridges7321]

These cheeky twits.

[@formulahbupz9211]

Great story but can we talk about the strange designs of some of the engines featured in the video like at 3:08 and 3:14

[@thequesomanishere]

If you like this story, you need to watch the movie The Train with Burt Lancaster.

[@robertbalazslorincz8218]

No darn way none of the German soldiers knew how a locomotive worked! Epic story.

[@myra0224]

Oh, I clicked so quick seeing it's about Belgium! I absolutely love the type 12 train though so curious what this us going to be about Edit: While NMBS/SNCB sadly did tons of things for Germany during that time, we cannot forget the names of these extremely brave workers who risked their lives for the "prisoners"

[@Trainmanproductions]

this was just a normal day on the penn central lol

[@HanhiEmo]

And modern times you dont even need sabotage. Snow, -10c and pendolino do the same trick. You aint going nowhere.

[@s-altenburg]

kind of funny☺

[@clockworkgiant9070]

It must have been very strange for the railroad workers, who had spent their careers trying to keep the railway working safely and efficient, spending the years of nazi occupation trying to make every mistake they could think of.

[@irvgiles1482]

Wonderful story

[@MsMariGaming]

Biggest game of charades ever

[@Double_D__]

The thing I learn from these videos is that railway workers more often than not, as spiteful mfs that love to fuck eith authority figures, and I'm all about it.

[@PTB_BE]

We do like to Joke about our railroads, but goddamn are they patriots and hero’s

[@ChristopherDennie-tc5jt]

Is it just me or does the type 12 look an awful lot like Axel from TTTE (happy 40th tv anniversary blue boy)

[@spyfan62591]

2:07 ]:) he said the thing

[@ComengProductions]

What a story

[@Kepler42BMP]

Where the spooky intro??!?!

[@bingbongwong4567]

can you talk about NSWGR in the next video pleas and thank you

[@Train_Tok_Man]

Sign up for his patreon.

[@jordandorsett3106]

So Axel is a Ghost Train?!

[@SONICX1027]

They need to make this in Trainz with the Thomas Faces on the Engines that participated and make it real, because this is too good

[@1020dane]

Axel

[@smyset1112]

hyce citation needed ass story

[@hadeishadeis7462]

This video is non sense. This is just normal railway operation, there is always something broken or wrong or not working or some driver missing. This has nothing to do with war time resistance. If it does... Someone should tell them the war ended long ago and they can stop sabotaging public transport.

[@zamazenta2023]

It is takel a GTOT video

[@sebastianthomsen2225]

👻🚂🚃🚃🚃🤪👍

[@wondermenel2811]

the french love to mess around with trains

[@florjanbrudar692]

It's Belgium this video is about.

[@wondermenel2811]

@@florjanbrudar692 shut

[@flippydafox3313]

This needs to be a movie