San Antonio Ghost Tracks
Park on the railroad tracks and ghostly children push your car to safety—leaving handprints in the dust. The legend persists despite evidence it never happened.
At an obscure railroad crossing in San Antonio, Texas, a legend persists: park your car on the tracks, and the ghosts of children killed in a bus accident will push you to safety. Visitors for decades have reported their cars moving uphill and finding small handprints in the dust.
The Legend
According to local tradition:
- A school bus stalled on the tracks in the 1930s or 1940s
- A train struck the bus, killing the children aboard
- The children’s spirits remain at the crossing
- They push vehicles across the tracks to protect others from their fate
The streets in the area—like Shane Road, Cindy Sue Way, and others—are said to be named after the dead children.
The Experience
Visitors to the ghost tracks report:
- Putting their car in neutral on the tracks
- The car moves—apparently uphill—across the tracks
- After crossing, small handprints appear in talcum powder or dust sprinkled on the car
- The handprints are child-sized
The phenomenon has attracted visitors for decades, becoming one of San Antonio’s most famous legends.
The Investigation
When researchers investigated the legend, they found problems:
No Accident Record: Despite extensive searches, no documentation of a school bus accident at this location has ever been found. Texas railroad records, newspaper archives, and school records show no such incident.
The Streets: The streets with children’s names were actually named after the developer’s children and grandchildren—living people, not accident victims.
The “Uphill” Push: Engineering measurements show the tracks are not actually level—the apparent push “uphill” is actually a slight downgrade. Cars roll with gravity, not against it.
The Handprints: Experiments show that pre-existing handprints on a car (from anyone who touched it) become visible when covered with powder.
Yet People Keep Coming
Despite the debunking, the ghost tracks remain popular:
- Visitors still come nightly
- Many still report the experience as supernatural
- The emotional power of the legend persists
- Some argue that even if the story is false, something paranormal still happens
Psychological Factors
The persistence of the legend demonstrates:
- The power of storytelling and expectation
- How easily natural phenomena can seem supernatural
- The human desire to find meaning in death
- How legends become self-reinforcing
Once someone expects a supernatural experience, they’re more likely to interpret ordinary events as paranormal.
Safety Concerns
The ghost tracks became a safety hazard:
- People would stop on active railroad tracks
- Some trains still use the crossing
- Alcohol was often involved in late-night visits
- The city eventually took measures to discourage visitors
Legacy
The San Antonio ghost tracks represent how:
- Urban legends can create their own reality
- Expectations shape experience
- Communities embrace their haunted heritage
- Some “hauntings” have entirely mundane explanations
True or not, the ghost children of Shane Road have become part of San Antonio’s identity—proof that a good ghost story can be more powerful than the truth.