Been thinking about this a lot lately actually. There's a real pattern here and it lines up with something I've been looking into around the old rail corridors in the Midlands - lots of abandoned lines cutting through woodland and nobody really goes near them at night.
My theory is it links back to ley lines. Old railways often followed the same natural contours and routes that ley lines track, so you're basically got a double corridor of weird energy running through remote terrain. Perfect conditions for something like a dogman to move around without being spotted.
The sightings in the US near old freight lines have been documented pretty well by a few researchers. Would be interested to know if anyone here has mapped UK sightings against the old Beeching cuts specifically, loads of those lines went through seriously isolated areas that have barely been touched since the 60s.
Anyone got specific locations they're willing to share?