Deceased mechanic reported on wooden roller coaster track at night
A caller who gives their name as [name withheld], from Quartz Hill, and says they are a ride mechanic at a Southern California amusement park, tells a ghost story about a wooden roller coaster. According to [name withheld], about a year after a mechanic died of a heart attack at home, an electrician checking track switches at night saw the dead man and heard him say the switches were good. A few workers later reportedly saw the glow of a cigarette on the track. The story ends unresolved.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 2000-2.mp3”, starting at 1:54:46). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
[name withheld], calling from Quartz Hill in Southern California, says they are a ride mechanic at a local amusement park. The caller tells Art Bell a ghost story about a big wooden roller coaster and a mechanic who had worked there, for whom the ride was reportedly a pet ride. According to [name withheld], that mechanic died not at the park but of a heart attack at his home. About a year later, [name withheld] says, one of the park's electricians was walking out at night to check the track and was checking proximity switches down between the tracks. The electrician reportedly looked up and saw the mechanic who had died, who told the electrician the switches at the trims were checked and they were good to go. [name withheld] says the electrician ran. The caller adds that no one has seen the man physically since, but that a few workers have seen what they took to be the glow of a cigarette out on the track area. The dead mechanic, the caller says, was well known for chain smoking. The host responds that the man is still checking out his ride, and the call ends.
Reported events, in order
- 0:02
Caller gives their name as [name withheld], in Quartz Hill.
- 0:05
[name withheld] says they are a ride mechanic at a local amusement park in Southern California.
- 0:15
The caller tells of a mechanic who worked there and for whom a ride was a pet ride.
- 0:26
The mechanic died of a heart attack at his home, not at the park.
- 0:26
The ride is identified as a big wooden roller coaster.
- 0:37
About a year later, an electrician went out to check the track at night.
- 0:50
The electrician was checking proximity switches between the tracks.
- 0:53
The electrician looked up and reportedly saw the mechanic who had died.
- 0:57
The figure said the switches at the trims were checked and it was good to go.
- 1:03
The electrician ran. Later a few workers reportedly saw a cigarette glow on the track area.
- 1:16
The dead mechanic was said to be well known for chain smoking.
- 1:22
The host remarks that he is still checking out his ride.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- hearsay· 0:53
An electrician checking the track at night looked up and saw the mechanic who had died.
- hearsay· 0:57
The dead mechanic spoke to the electrician about the switches being checked.
- observation· 1:03
A few workers have reportedly seen the glow of a cigarette on the track area, which is attributed to the dead mechanic.
- host statement· 1:22
The host reads the reported presence as the dead mechanic still checking his ride.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
The story is consistent and has some concrete workplace detail, but it is secondhand from an unnamed coworker, lacks names and dates that can be checked, and does not address an easy ordinary explanation for the cigarette glow. The secondhand cap applies.
Evidence for and against
- The sequence is consistent and includes workplace-specific details such as proximity switches and trims.
- The ride type and approximate timing are stated.
- The caller answers the host's question about the ride type.
- The central ghost is reported by an unnamed electrician rather than the caller.
- No names, dates, or precise location are given.
- A living smoker on the track could explain the cigarette glow, and the caller does not address this.
- It is not clear whether the caller personally saw the cigarette glow, though they say “us.”
- The exact interval after the death is given only as [quote withheld]
- The labels showing who is speaking in the transcript are unclear.
- 0:26
- 0:53
- 1:03
What the model inferred (not said on air): I treat the electrician's reported experience as the central event and the caller as passing it on. The score reflects that secondhand status and the absence of named people who back it up.
The story rests on assertions and claimed witnesses only. There are no names, dates, places, or examined documents that can be checked, and no second witness speaks on the air.
Evidence for and against
- The caller reports a claimed coworker witness and other claimed sightings.
- Some technical details are given, such as proximity switches and trims.
- No documentation, photograph, recording, or physical trace is claimed.
- No independent witness speaks on the air.
- The location and date are vague.
- The exact number of claimed witnesses is unstated.
- It is unclear whether the caller is among those who saw the glow.
- 0:53
- 1:03
What the model inferred (not said on air): Under the scoring guide, claimed witnesses do not independently back up a story unless they speak on the air or documentation is examined.
The story has a nighttime workplace setting and a sudden ghost, but the message is ordinary and no harm or threat is reported. It is mildly eerie rather than frightening.
Evidence for and against
- The encounter occurs at night on a roller-coaster track.
- A dead worker reportedly appears and speaks.
- The electrician reportedly ran away.
- The later cigarette glow suggests a continuing presence.
- No threat, injury, or lasting dread is reported.
- The reported message is routine maintenance language.
- The ending is unresolved rather than ominous.
- The transcript gives no description of the figure's appearance, which limits the atmosphere.
- 0:37
- 0:57
- 1:03
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is an entertainment-minded judgment about the story, not a claim about what happened.
The core idea is a familiar workplace ghost, but the roller-coaster maintenance setting, the routine switch-check message, and the cigarette-glow detail are distinctive. The provisional model score is 55.
Evidence for and against
- The setting is a wooden roller coaster with maintenance-specific equipment.
- The reported message concerns checking switches and being good to go.
- The cigarette glow and chain-smoking detail give the story a distinctive signature.
- A dead former employee haunting a workplace is a familiar ghost-story setup.
- The originality formula that compares with the rest of the archive would require a comparison that is not available here.
- 0:57
- 1:16
What the model inferred (not said on air): Newness compared with the rest of the archive is not assessed here. This score is provisional.
Scoring confidence 0.75 · analysis confidence 0.80 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: Caller's secondhand and group testimony; Claimed coworker witness (the electrician) and an unspecified “few of us”; No names, dates, records, photograph, recording, or second witness on the air. The originality score blends the model's score (55) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- Misidentification in low light, or another person on the roller-coaster track at night. · The electrician was checking the track at night, when a misidentification or an encounter with another person on the track could occur.
- A living smoker on or near the track producing the cigarette glow. · The reported cigarette glow may have come from a living person smoking in the track area. The caller notes the dead man was known for chain smoking.
What stands out
The reported ghost gives a routine maintenance all-clear about track switches, and his later presence is shown by the glow of a cigarette from a chain smoker. The roller-coaster maintenance setting is more specific than in many workplace-ghost stories.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.