During the mid-1970’s., my legislative office was across from the Crystal Lake train station.

At about 9:10 or 20 an empty train arrived from the east.

I wondered why there were no passengers, since this was the earliest train to come from Chicago (or at least that’s where I figured it originated).

I discovered it was an “equipment” train–one being positioned for a trip, in this case, back to Chicago.

I had a lot of fun wondered why these ghost trains didn’t allow passengers.

Yesterday I was reminded of them by a derailment of an equipment train in Chicago.

As in the derailed train, in the Crystal Lake ghost trains there were a conductor and engineer.

I never did figure out why these commuter trains couldn’t pick up passengers at the stations they passed.