“The Signal-Man” is a short story by English author Charles Dickens, first published as part of the Mugby

Junction collection in the 1866 Christmas edition of Victorian periodical All The Year Round. A ghost story
loosely based on the tragic Clayton Tunnel crash that happened five years before, it centers on a railway
signal-man who is being haunted by a ghost. Every appearance of the ghost precedes a tragic event on the
railway he works on. While normally his fellow signal-men alert him of danger, three times he receives
phantom warnings of danger followed by the appearance of the ghost and, inevitably, a tragedy on the rails. A
darkly haunting tale, “The Signal-Man” explores themes of fate, solitude, and the plight of the working class
in Victorian England. Many of Dickens’ works explore these themes, and while “The Signal-Man” is one of
his lesser-known works, it is highly acclaimed and is still regularly included in collections of his work. It has
been adapted several times, most famously on the BBC’s Ghost Story for Christmas in 1976, as well as
multiple times for radio programs. It has been referenced on TV shows including Poltergeist: The
Legacy and Doctor Who.
“The Signal-Man” opens with the narrator calling out into a railway cutting. The signal-man standing on the
railway below does not look up, but instead turns and stares into the railway tunnel he is monitoring. As the
narrator calls down and asks permission to come down, the signal-man seems reluctant. The railway hole is
cold, dark, and gloomy. The other signal-man seems afraid of the narrator, who tries to put him at ease. The
signal-man feels he has seen the narrator before, but the narrator assures him this is impossible. The signal-
man is reassured and welcomes the narrator into his small cabin, where they talk about the signal-man’s work.
It is described as a dull, monotonous routine, but the signal-man says he feels this is his lot in life because he
wasted academic opportunities when he was young. The narrator describes the signal-man as a dutiful
employee, but he seems distracted by his signal bell when it is not ringing and seems troubled. He will not
speak of what is disturbing him. Before the narrator leaves, the signal-man asks him not to call for him when
he is back on top of the hill or if he sees him tomorrow.

The next day, the narrator returns and following the signal-man’s request, does not call on him. The signal-
man calls for him, instead, and tells him his story. He is being haunted by a recurring spirit that he has seen
several times at the entrance to the tunnel. With each appearance of the spirit, a tragedy soon follows. The first
time, the signal-man heard the same words the narrator had said and saw a man desperately waving. He ran
into the tunnel, but found no one. A few hours later, there was a terrible train crash where many died. The
second time, the figure was silent, with both hands held over its face in mourning. Then a young woman died
aboard a passing train. The signal-man says he has seen the figure several times over the last week. Although
the narrator is skeptical about the existence of ghosts and suggests the signal-man may be hallucinating, the
signal-man soon runs off when he sees the ghost and hears his bell ring. However, the narrator hears nothing.
The signal-man is sure that these incidents are foretelling a third tragedy to come, and is beginning to grow
sick with frustration. He does not know why he has been chosen to know about these tragedies and have no
power to stop them. The narrator believes his new friend has been driven insane and suggests he go to see a
doctor.

The next day, the narrator returns to the railway cutting and sees a mysterious figure at the mouth of the tunnel.
It is not a ghost, however—it is a group of officials investigating an incident on the line. The signal-man is
dead, having been hit by an oncoming train. He had been staring into the track, focused on something, and
failed to get out of the way. The driver of the train explains that he tried to warn him of the danger, and even
called for him to get out of the way and waved his arms. As the story ends, the narrator notices that this is
exactly what the poor signal-man saw the specter doing the night before. For the third time in a row, the spirit
had mimicked the tragedy that was soon to occur, and this time, it brought doom for the signal-man.

Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic, regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the
Victorian era and one of the most influential writers of all time. Wildly popular during his lifetime and the
creator of some of the most enduring fictional characters—including Ebenezer Scrooge and Oliver Twist,
among others—he was a former factory worker who went on to become a titan of literature despite a lack of
formal education. He edited a weekly journal for twenty years, and wrote fifteen novels, five novellas, and
hundreds of short stories and nonfiction articles. He was also politically active, campaigning for children’s
rights, public education, and labor reforms. The majority of his works are still widely read today, and the house
where he was born is now The Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum.