The Signalman: Personification 1 key example

This instance of personification reveals how the narrator is affected by the signalman’s story despite his skepticism. To the reader, this may add further validity to the signalman’s accounts by suggesting that the cries of the ghosts he has been hearing are real. While the narrator doesn't attribute the wail to the ghosts, this description varies greatly from his earlier comparison of the sound of the wind and wires to a harp. The personification and description of the sound as a "wail" adds a living (or perhaps, undead) quality, which suggests that the narrator is coming closer to attributing the sounds to the ghosts. 

Having the wind and wires continue the signalman's story when he pauses also shows how the signalman has become an unwilling part of these phenomena. Even when he stops telling the story or tries to stop the deaths, the tragic events will continue to happen. In line with this, the personification of wind and wires also points to the power of industry and nature, primarily the nature of death. Just as the train will continue to run despite Tom or the signalman trying to stop it, the wind and wires will continue the story even when the signalman stops speaking. In both cases, humans are powerless against the almost living force of nature and industry.