The Cursed Trolley

Summary

The urban legend varies greatly, but its general premise follows a tale of a young child or an elderly woman who was struck and killed by one of the city's many trollies on a dark foggy night in the fall and died due to preventable injuries caused by others in the area thinking someone had already called for emergency services. With their dying breath, the individual, if an elderly woman, cursed the trolley and its passengers that all who boarded it would one by one fall ill and under misfortune until death, often by accident and the uncaringness of others similar to their own demise. In variations in which the person killed by the trolley was a child and not an old woman, the curse was instead given by the child's parents at the memorial erected at the site of the accident.

Historical Basis

There is little to no historical basis of the urban legend, thought by most to be a combination of rumors and campfire stories told purely for entertainment. The closest evidence for a real historical basis of the myth is tied to several influenza outbreaks in Nottingham's past, where in trollies, due to their frequent use, often became heavy transmission vectors, causing many individuals to fall ill during the epidemics, some seriously and requiring hospitalization. As the trollies are running at 24/7 and are a part of every suburb of the city, accidents involving them are statistically higher than many other forms of public transport, leading to some overlap with flu outbreaks.

Spread

The tale is often told among younger individuals, generally older children and young teenagers who often use the trolley system to get home from after school activities or from public works centers and libraries at night.

Date of Setting

Varies- Cold windy nights in autumn

Related Locations