I have just returned from a journey to Kiev on the train and would be interested to hear your thoughts on the following.

I have never had any problems with travelling by train and never had any fears about using any form of transport but for some reason whilst on the overnight train from Moscow to Kiev I was getting some worrying thoughts in my head when the train started rocking and rattling more than I had ever experienced before. I kept thinking any minute now the train would derail or something. Now I'm just confused as to where these kind of thoughts come from all of a sudden and could this be how phobias develop? It didn't cause me immense terror but it was still not nice. What's your view on this?

I have no train phobia.
I love Trains & train tracks!!!!

Was it simply because of the train's speed Jonny?

When I can, I love to travel by train for leisure. However on a couple of occasions on the same stretch of track, I've become alarmed at my train's speed and with the way the carriages shake and rattle as a result, thinking any second that an accident is about to happen.

Yes it seemed to be going faster than it ever had before and I'm also a railway engineer so I know what is the right amount of rattle and shake if you know what I mean and this seemed a little bit too much. I'm usually ok but this time it did freak me out a little and I wasn't able to sleep on the train.

How did I miss this thread?

I can relate to the feeling anyway John. I don't really have trouble with trains...but I have real trouble sleeping on night trains for the same reason you described. It seems that when you're lie in those train beds you feel every movement of the train much more than you normally would (maybe because I tend to sleep on the top bunk )
Sometimes it almost feels as if the train is leaning to the side, almost tumbling over
I've been on numerous night trains and I always have trouble sleeping because of that, like you said, I feel as if the train could derail at any moment.

As for that being how phobias develop...I think that it could be in some cases. I think most moments of fear could be enough for some people to develop a phobia. I guess the real question is why one person would develop a phobia from that situation why another one wouldn't?
Some people are more genetically predisposed to develop phobias than others...but still, why would one person with a predisposition get a phobia from the experience in the train why another predisposed person wouldn't?