Right so I've been down a proper rabbit hole on this lately and yeah, the railway connection keeps coming up way more than it should to just be coincidence. There's something about those old Victorian lines, especially teh abandoned ones, that seems to attract... whatever these things are.
My theory, completely amateur hour obviously, is that the old embankments and tunnels create these long undisturbed wildlife corridors and if something genuinely strange is moving around it would use those routes same as any animal would. Sheffield's got a few old lines that are now just overgrown paths and I've had some genuinely weird nights out there with my mate from the ghost hunting group.
Nothing I'd call a Dogman sighting but there's definitely something about those spots that feels wrong in a way a fox doesn't explain.
Anyone else actually been out to investigate specific locations near old lines? Would love to compare notes on what people are finding.