Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Thirteen classic stories set on or around trains or the railway network in the age of steam, including detective puzzles, ghost stories and other tales of mystery and suspense, ranging in date from the 1860s to the 1920s. Curated and narrated by Simon Stanhope. See below for timestamps and story teasers.
00:00:00 Introduction and Contents
00:01:26 The Mystery of the Boat Express, by Victor L. Whitechurch
00:28:17 A Railway Panic, by Amelia B. Edwards
00:51:30 In the Tube, by E. F. Benson
01:32:53 The Riddle of the 5.28, by Thomas W. Hanshew
02:32:50 The Spectre of the Severn Tunnel, by E. Thurlow
02:44:57 The Affair of the Corridor Express, by Victor L. Whitechurch
03:13:39 Lost in the Fog, by J. D. Beresford
03:29:45 The Name-Day, by Saki
03:43:59 The Man with the Watches, by Arthur Conan Doyle
04:26:13 The Suitcase, by A. J. Alan
04:37:46 The Story-Teller, by Saki
04:51:11 The Tragedy of a Third Smoker, by C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne
05:17:23 The Bruce-Partington Plans, by Arthur Conan Doyle
06:29:53 Credits, thanks & further listening
If you enjoy this content and would like to help me keep creating, there are a few ways you can support me:
* Occasional/one-off support via Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/bitesizedaudio
* Monthly support on Patreon: patreon.com/bitesizedaudio
* Donate via PayPal: paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=HMMUWZ7URN26A
* Visit my Bandcamp page to hear more of my performances of classic stories, and you can purchase and download high quality audio files to listen offline: bitesizedaudio.bandcamp.com
* Become a Bitesized Audio Classics member on YouTube, from $1 / £1 / €1 per month:
youtube.com/c/BitesizedAudioClassics/join
The Mystery of the Boat Express, by Victor L. Whitechurch | 00:01:26
On a gusty January morning, with few passengers wanting to risk the channel crossing, a body is discovered in a locked compartment of the boat train to Porthampton (1912)
A Railway Panic, by Amelia B. Edwards | 00:28:17
A traveller is annoyed to find himself sharing a compartment with a man who will not stop talking. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that he may be in serious danger (c.1860)
In the Tube, by E. F. Benson | 00:51:30
A traveller on the Piccadilly Tube has a series of unsettling and inexplicable experiences while awaiting the last train home; but are they shadows of the past – or the future? (1922)
The Riddle of the 5.28, by Thomas W. Hanshew | 01:32:53
As the packed 5.28 steams into Anerley station, one compartment is seen to be in darkness. Inside the locked compartment the stationmaster discovers evidence of a baffling crime (1910)
The Spectre of the Severn Tunnel, by Editha Thurlow | 02:32:50
An eerie and frightening encounter aboard the Newport to London train (1899)
The Affair of the Corridor Express, by Victor L. Whitechurch | 02:44:57
A teacher at an exclusive private school seeks the assistance of Thorpe Hazell, "the railway detective", after one of his pupils disappears on board a moving express train, apparently the victim of a gang of kidnappers (1905)
Lost in the Fog, by J. D. Beresford | 03:13:39
A traveller misses his connection and finds himself stranded at a tiny unmanned station surrounded by dense fog. He has no idea where he is, but on encountering a local he hears of the extraordinary events taking place in a village nearby (1916)
The Name-Day, by Saki | 03:29:45
John James Abbleway, a naturally timid man, embarks upon a train journey across eastern Europe, with the possibilities of romance and adventure, or even misadventure, jostling at his elbow (c.1913)
The Man with the Watches, by Arthur Conan Doyle | 03:43:59
Two men and a woman disappear from a moving train between London and Manchester, and the body of another young man is discovered in their carriage. Who is he, how did he get there, and what became of the original travellers? (1898)
The Suitcase, by A. J. Alan | 04:26:13
A shaggy dog story from the popular 1920s radio raconteur, A. J. Alan, in which he relates an odd encounter on the Plymouth Express from Paddington involving a garrulous young woman and a suspicious man dressed all in brown (c.1928)
The Story-Teller, by Saki | 04:37:46
A long train journey on a hot day is not an ideal environment for bored children. Luckily one of their fellow passengers knows how to keep them entertained (c.1914)
The Tragedy of a Third Smoker, by C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne | 04:51:11
An eminent Q.C. relates events when he, as counsel for the defence, had to turn private detective to investigate a mysterious death in a third-class railway carriage, to save his client from a capital charge (1899)
The Bruce-Partington Plans, by Arthur Conan Doyle | 05:17:23
One of the finest Sherlock Holmes short stories, a Holmesian masterclass of deduction and reasoning to uncover a tale of treason, espionage and murder (1908)
Compilation © Bitesized Audio 2026
Thirteen classic stories set on or around trains or the railway network in the age of steam, including detective puzzles, ghost stories and other tales of mystery and suspense, ranging in date from the 1860s to the 1920s. Curated and narrated by Simon Stanhope. See below for timestamps and story teasers.
00:00:00 Introduction and Contents
00:01:26 The Mystery of the Boat Express, by Victor L. Whitechurch
00:28:17 A Railway Panic, by Amelia B. Edwards
00:51:30 In the Tube, by E. F. Benson
01:32:53 The Riddle of the 5.28, by Thomas W. Hanshew
02:32:50 The Spectre of the Severn Tunnel, by E. Thurlow
02:44:57 The Affair of the Corridor Express, by Victor L. Whitechurch
03:13:39 Lost in the Fog, by J. D. Beresford
03:29:45 The Name-Day, by Saki
03:43:59 The Man with the Watches, by Arthur Conan Doyle
04:26:13 The Suitcase, by A. J. Alan
04:37:46 The Story-Teller, by Saki
04:51:11 The Tragedy of a Third Smoker, by C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne
05:17:23 The Bruce-Partington Plans, by Arthur Conan Doyle
06:29:53 Credits, thanks & further listening
If you enjoy this content and would like to help me keep creating, there are a few ways you can support me:
* Occasional/one-off support via Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/bitesizedaudio
* Monthly support on Patreon: patreon.com/bitesizedaudio
* Donate via PayPal: paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=HMMUWZ7URN26A
* Visit my Bandcamp page to hear more of my performances of classic stories, and you can purchase and download high quality audio files to listen offline: bitesizedaudio.bandcamp.com
* Become a Bitesized Audio Classics member on YouTube, from $1 / £1 / €1 per month:
youtube.com/c/BitesizedAudioClassics/join
The Mystery of the Boat Express, by Victor L. Whitechurch | 00:01:26
On a gusty January morning, with few passengers wanting to risk the channel crossing, a body is discovered in a locked compartment of the boat train to Porthampton (1912)
A Railway Panic, by Amelia B. Edwards | 00:28:17
A traveller is annoyed to find himself sharing a compartment with a man who will not stop talking. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that he may be in serious danger (c.1860)
In the Tube, by E. F. Benson | 00:51:30
A traveller on the Piccadilly Tube has a series of unsettling and inexplicable experiences while awaiting the last train home; but are they shadows of the past – or the future? (1922)
The Riddle of the 5.28, by Thomas W. Hanshew | 01:32:53
As the packed 5.28 steams into Anerley station, one compartment is seen to be in darkness. Inside the locked compartment the stationmaster discovers evidence of a baffling crime (1910)
The Spectre of the Severn Tunnel, by Editha Thurlow | 02:32:50
An eerie and frightening encounter aboard the Newport to London train (1899)
The Affair of the Corridor Express, by Victor L. Whitechurch | 02:44:57
A teacher at an exclusive private school seeks the assistance of Thorpe Hazell, "the railway detective", after one of his pupils disappears on board a moving express train, apparently the victim of a gang of kidnappers (1905)
Lost in the Fog, by J. D. Beresford | 03:13:39
A traveller misses his connection and finds himself stranded at a tiny unmanned station surrounded by dense fog. He has no idea where he is, but on encountering a local he hears of the extraordinary events taking place in a village nearby (1916)
The Name-Day, by Saki | 03:29:45
John James Abbleway, a naturally timid man, embarks upon a train journey across eastern Europe, with the possibilities of romance and adventure, or even misadventure, jostling at his elbow (c.1913)
The Man with the Watches, by Arthur Conan Doyle | 03:43:59
Two men and a woman disappear from a moving train between London and Manchester, and the body of another young man is discovered in their carriage. Who is he, how did he get there, and what became of the original travellers? (1898)
The Suitcase, by A. J. Alan | 04:26:13
A shaggy dog story from the popular 1920s radio raconteur, A. J. Alan, in which he relates an odd encounter on the Plymouth Express from Paddington involving a garrulous young woman and a suspicious man dressed all in brown (c.1928)
The Story-Teller, by Saki | 04:37:46
A long train journey on a hot day is not an ideal environment for bored children. Luckily one of their fellow passengers knows how to keep them entertained (c.1914)
The Tragedy of a Third Smoker, by C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne | 04:51:11
An eminent Q.C. relates events when he, as counsel for the defence, had to turn private detective to investigate a mysterious death in a third-class railway carriage, to save his client from a capital charge (1899)
The Bruce-Partington Plans, by Arthur Conan Doyle | 05:17:23
One of the finest Sherlock Holmes short stories, a Holmesian masterclass of deduction and reasoning to uncover a tale of treason, espionage and murder (1908)
Compilation © Bitesized Audio 2026
