PHOTOS

A Night at Bakers Junction Haunted Train

Photos by Briana Pace

Design and development by Calvin Josenhans

Published Oct. 23, 2024

A blue paintbrush applies black and white facepaint to a small child.
A faded sign reads 'Hauted Train' Baker's Junction RxR Museum'
A girl in a pink shirt stands behind a boy in a beige jacket, as they look fearfully towards the camera.
An old man with white facial hair gets green facepaint applied by someone else's hand.
Two people come through a doorway, screaming in some combination of horror and glee.
A man wearing a skeleton shirt and black and white face paint uses a screwdriver to make repairs.
A figure in a striped black and white scary clown costume walks towards the camera.
A woman with pigtails in a yellow horror mask holds out her phone to take a selfie.
An actor wearing a blue hoodie over a scary mask signs a piece of paper with a black pen.
The head of a doll with the forhead missing lies on the ground amidst leaves and gravel.
Two teenagers stand facing away from the camera behind a steel counter. They are opening small plastic containers.
A man wearing a black and white face paint looks to the left by a white sign in the shape of a ghost that reads 'Chili tonight made by Stan'

Six-year-old Ellie Utterback's face is painted Oct. 11, 2024, before the Bakers Junction Haunted Train in Bloomington opened for the evening. Ellie's face was painted by her dad, Nick Utterback, who had painted his own face in a similar way.

A sign pointing to the haunted train is seen Oct. 11, 2024, at Bakers Junction Haunted Train in Bloomington. Bakers Junction Haunted Train announced that this year the train would be open every Friday and Saturday in October.

People walk through Bakers Junction Haunted Train on Oct. 11, 2024, in Bloomington. The train allowed customers to go through the train as many times as they like with the purchase of one ticket.

Bakers Junction Haunted Train owner John Baker's face is painted just before opening for the evening Oct. 11, 2024, in Bloomington. Baker opened the haunted train in 1993 after running a railroad museum in the same space for 17 years prior and being forced to close it. "I was in court three years," Baker said. "After we sold everything in the railroad museum we started the haunted train."

Visitors walk through the haunted train Oct. 11, 2024, at Bakers Junction Haunted Train in Bloomington. They had just entered the "maze of doors."

Nick Utterback fixes a sign before the haunted train opened Oct. 11, 2024, at Bakers Junction Haunted Train in Bloomington. Utterback and his family began acting in the haunted train three years ago, but his wife has known John Baker's youngest daughter since kindergarten.

Jason Chambers walks behind people as they go through the haunted train Oct. 11, 2024, at Bakers Haunted Train in Bloomington. Chambers, whose grandfather owns the haunted train, said he has been helping out with the train for as long as he can remember. "I like to help," Chambers said.

Lydia Scales takes a selfie in her costume while her friend and co-worker Bryana Walls looks at her Oct. 11, 2024, at Bakers Junction Haunted Train in Bloomington. Scales and Walls said their favorite part of working at the train is scaring people. "I love scaring college guys and their girlfriends when they act all big and tough," Walls said. "'Like oh don't worry babe,' then you scare him before you scare her."

Hanna Smith, an actor in the haunted train, signs out after the train closed for the evening Oct. 11, 2024, in Bloomington. The actors were mostly John Baker's family or friends of his family.

A doll head is seen Oct. 11, 2024, at Bakers Junction Haunted Train in Bloomington. Broken pieces of dolls were all around the area.

Whitley Laffin and Audrey Chambers prepare food for the concession stand before the haunted train opened Oct. 11, 2024, at Bakers Junction Haunted Train in Bloomington. Audrey's grandfather, John Baker, created and owns the haunted train. Audrey said she couldn't really remember when she started helping out with the haunted train.

Nick Utterback stands in line for food after the haunted train closed for the night Oct. 11, 2024, at Bakers Junction Haunted Train in Bloomington. The train closed at 10 p.m, as normal, that night, but sometimes they stay open later if new customers are still arriving.