Drive-By
Roadside Viewing
View the historic Big Tunnel and its setting from public roads. The tunnel itself is active rail property and must not be entered.
- Duration:
- 30 min
Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domain Outdoor / Natural Site
The Tunnelton Train Tunnel (Big Tunnel)
An 1857 limestone railroad tunnel near Tunnelton, Indiana, still used by CSX freight trains, long rumored to be haunted by a lantern-carrying watchman and a decapitated railroad worker.
Big Tunnel, near Tunnelton Rd, Tunnelton, IN 47467
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
No admission, but the tunnel is active CSX railroad property; entering the tunnel or right-of-way is trespassing and extremely dangerous.
Access
Limited Access
Rural, uneven ground near an active rail line; viewing only from public vantage points.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1857 · Completed 1857 for the Ohio & Mississippi Railway · Once the longest railroad tunnel in Indiana · Official CSX designation Ritner Tunnel; still an active freight line
The Big Tunnel was constructed in the mid-1850s to carry the Ohio and Mississippi Railway through the limestone hills of Lawrence County, Indiana. Crews bored roughly 1,731 feet through solid rock, completing the tunnel on April 15, 1857; for a time it was the longest railroad tunnel in the state. The community that grew up around the engineering feat was platted in 1859 and named Tunnelton in its honor.
The tunnel carries the official CSX designation Ritner Tunnel, named for Michael Ritner, the construction foreman who supervised its building. Today the line is owned and operated by CSX Transportation and remains an active freight corridor, which makes the tunnel both a working piece of nineteenth-century infrastructure and a serious hazard to trespassers.
The difficulty and danger of mid-century tunnel construction, combined with the everyday risks of railroad work in the era, gave rise over generations to stories of deaths in and around the tunnel. These accounts, passed down locally and amplified by regional ghost-lore media, form the basis of the tunnel's haunted reputation rather than a single documented incident.
The Big Tunnel has become one of southern Indiana's best-known spooky landmarks, covered by outlets including OnlyInYourState and regional radio, while remaining a fully operational rail tunnel.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnelton,_Indiana
- https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/experiences/indiana/unique-tunnel-in-indiana
- https://www.indianahauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/tunnelton-tunnel.html
Bobbing lantern light near the tunnel entranceApparition of a headless or lantern-carrying figurePhantom train sounds and metal-on-stone noisesReported screams attributed to a buggy accident
The Big Tunnel's reputation rests on several long-circulated stories. The most widely repeated, according to OnlyInYourState and Indiana Haunted Houses, is that a railroad worker or conductor was decapitated in an accident inside the tunnel during the line's early decades and that his lantern-bearing figure is still glimpsed searching for his head. Some tellings name a watchman who was found dead at his post with a head wound and his lantern beside the tracks; this figure is named in various aggregator accounts but cannot be tied to a verified historical individual, so it is presented here strictly as folklore.
Visitors over the years have reported a yellowish, bobbing light near the tunnel mouth, resembling an old railroad lantern, when no one should be present, along with sounds of metal scraping stone and the rumble of phantom trains.
A secondary thread of the legend, echoed in the original rural report, claims a small graveyard sat atop the tunnel and that caskets fell through into the bore during construction, and that the screams of a family killed when their horse and buggy plunged toward the river below can still be heard. These claims are undocumented and survive only in oral tradition and ghost-lore listings; they are not corroborated by historical record.
Notable Entities
The decapitated railroad worker (legend)The lantern-carrying watchman (legend)
Plan Your Visit
1 way to experienceSources & Further Reading
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Tunnelton Train Tunnel (Big Tunnel) family-friendly?
The decapitation legend is grim, and the genuine danger of an active rail tunnel makes this unsuitable for a hands-on family visit. Appreciate the history from a safe distance only. Overall family fit: Low.
How much does it cost to visit The Tunnelton Train Tunnel (Big Tunnel)?
No admission, but the tunnel is active CSX railroad property; entering the tunnel or right-of-way is trespassing and extremely dangerous. This location is free to visit.
Do I need to book in advance?
No advance booking is required, but checking availability is recommended.
Is The Tunnelton Train Tunnel (Big Tunnel) wheelchair accessible?
The Tunnelton Train Tunnel (Big Tunnel) has limited wheelchair accessibility. Terrain: Rural, uneven ground near an active rail line; viewing only from public vantage points..