Investigating a 1960's Train Derailment and Sketchy Tunnel #7

[@allenra530]

Those Coors trailers had those refrigeration units on them with 4 cylinder diesel engines in them. After the insurance company decided to write off the trailers and contents, locals went down to get the beer and eventually salvaged the engines. They brought the engines home, but they drank the beer there. Tunnel 7 was built through a fault and the mountain slid down over the south portal. The SP built a siding there to bring a diesel shovel in to dig for the covered tunnel, but the mountain kept sliding down over it and eventually they gave up. When we were working on Tunnel 8 for Carrizo Gorge RY, the boss took his Kobelco trackhoe around the mountain to do a little digging. He thought that he was really close to the tunnel opening, but the mountain was unstable and he quit without opening it.

[@muley180]

Just a heads up, the Coors crate as you called it was not a crate or car, it was in fact a semi trailer. In the early days of inter-modal transport the semi trailers were loaded on to flat cars. Cool video.

[@Hjerte_Verke]

Pffft, zoomers have a very very low vocabulary so they call things whatever and say "like" too much. But I for one appreciate the clarification and already know what you're talking about. Many thanks.

[@BattleshipOrion]

They still use 'em. I personally see 'em rarely, but they are common elsewhere. Amazon, FedEx, UPS, ABF, Walmart are a few examples.

[@BattleshipOrion]

​@@Hjerte_Verkeprojecting much? What makes your vocabulary so special as to put others down?

[@markshietze4783]

I'm just coming here to ask that same question ... A shipping container would have the two hinged 7-pin electrical connectors ... ...20- some years in the BigTruck , and I was certain it's a Shipping Container

[@haydargokcebay2285]

Well, maybe when he grows up, he wants to be a tractor-crate driver.

[@ralphpatrick3071]

I’ve watched other videos of this event but no one had the balls to climb down there. Kudos to you!

[@mobiltec]

I climbed down there in 1975. That's when we had our little motorized rail car that we built. Photos can be seen on my Community tab on my channel. We used to ride those tracks up and down all weekend during a full moon. Loads of fun.

[@ralphpatrick3071]

@@mobiltec Kudos to you too, Larry! Happy New Year!!

[@mobiltec]

You too Ralph..@@ralphpatrick3071

[@garyharrall4002]

That's a common practice having trains haul semi trailers like this. That's pretty neat that you went down to that train derailment. I've seen pics of it and seen other videos of it but nobody has ever gone down to it like that. Kudos

[@royreynolds108]

The Coors box is what is left of a refrigerated trailer that was on a TOFC(trailer on flat car) car meant for carrying trailers. The box car doors were the panels lying on the ground. The tunnel lining burned very hot to bend the rails like that.

[@Ganiscol]

Ok, why are you repeating what we saw in the video? 😅

[@Hjerte_Verke]

@@Ganiscol Tons of people, like hordes of them, only watch ten minutes or less of a video then read the comments because they have a "Too long, didn't watch" mentality. Repeating lines from clips and posting them in the comments is super widespread too but maybe we can consider Roy's comments a service to those people who are cursed with a short attention span?

[@CycolacFan]

@@Ganiscolat no point did I hear him call it a trailer, only a crate. So that’s useful info not included in the video. It would also be known as a refrigerated van.

[@83countryboy]

The piggyback car that the trailer was on was only a year old at the time of the derailment. You have super lucky to find a full beer can, since those were made of steel and not aluminium. Cool content though

[@edwardaustin740]

That was one sweet video to start off the New Year. Thank you sir.

[@KubotaManDan]

Dude not having any shin guards or gloves in a Rattlesnake habitat blows my mind, your really freak'n lucky. There is a cab ride of this line from Jacumba Hot Springs, CA to Plaster City also very interesting. You all should check it out.

[@StaYUTI420]

Not saying they aren't there, because they most certainly are, but I have yet to ever see a snake while out there.

[@OGRocker1]

Best wishes toward the New Year, thanks for all the entertainment in 2023, looking forward to more in 2024. Take care and stay safe. ⛏⚒⛏ Howdy from southwestern Oregon!

[@harpoonhunter1683]

Thank you for your time, effort and research!

[@ervinslens]

This was really enjoyable upload my friend! Great ambience 🔥🔥

[@casedoumasr656]

Great find in a some what remote area. The passenger cars what a shame they got torched . Any way what you call a crate is actually over the road trailer on a piggy back car so lets call it a piggy back trailer to 😂thank you for the adventure.🚂⛏️🤔🇺🇸 P.s. In the box car inside looks like the bulkhead door is still in place it might have part of the load behind the sliding door 🤔

[@butchdoane3419]

That was really cool stuff I would never get to see. Thanks

[@deuteronimus750]

Those old beer cans were made from steel rather than aluminum so they all rusted out over time.

[@Hjerte_Verke]

Indeed, plus they required a "church key" to open them, the pop top wasn't around back then. All it took was one pinhole of rust-through to drain all the beer out. They may have even cracked slightly from impact and the beer pissed out in short order.

[@MariuszSulek-Railfan]

That was really cool. Thanks for risking your life to bring us these sightings. I've walked the Carrizo Gorge from Tunnel #5 to the GC Trestle bridge, but I haven't ventured into the collapsed Tunnel #7, or down to those derailed cars yet, so I really enjoyed your video. It takes some serious guts to walk into an unprotected tunnel like that and all alone. I'd love to do some exploring of the abandoned mines in SoCal like the ones at Atolia Mining Camp, but I don't have any like-minded buddies to go with, not to mention any experience with that. Cheers!

[@dustbowlhammer7119]

Love this content, looking around places like this. It definitely tells a story, I don't know if I would have had the salt to go into that tunnel though, with no supports, and obvious evidence of collapse. Kind of a gamble.

[@short-fuse]

Super cool thanks for doing all that hard work for us.

[@MPWEST83]

Yay! Always look forward to a new video of yours, Jerith! Happy New Year to you and thank you so much for your service to this country! 😊

[@WesternMineDetective]

Thanks so much! Happy New Years to you. Appreciate the comtinuous support means alot

[@MPWEST83]

@@WesternMineDetective I would actually really love to explore a mine or two with you in the future. I would be honored. I'm starting to network with like-minded people, because I myself love to explore mines. Let me know if this is something that you would be willing to do in the future.

[@davec9244]

Young man you got balls of steal most won't go down to the wreck or go into the tunnel. thank you ALL stay safe

[@oleradiodudea.m.4735]

Seems fitting you should put a video up about empty Coors cans on New Year's day.

[@mikesskyranch]

Rode my KTM dirtbike all the way down to the desert from there through the tunnels. Awesome!

May 2024 be full of adventures for you to show us. Cheers mate.🦘👍

[@mason7778]

Das war mal richtig cool 😎👌 ganz besonders für mich, der ich Bahnbegeistert bin ! Danke für das Video! America ist einfach cool, hoffe ich schaffe das mal eine Reise zu machen in die USA ! Greetings from germany 😎

[@bluwtrgypsy]

Thank you for your research and adventure but, wish you did this kind of stuff with a buddy. Stay safe.

[@zippythinginvention]

Interesting that they salvaged the wheel assemblies from that box car.

[@BrianMiller-ci5bp]

My dad retired from coors and he made the cans here in golden it would be cool to have one of them cans with the labels still readable

[@867diesel]

thats what i was thinking , id have one on a shelf in my shop with all the other old cans and glass i find

[@NaomisAdventures]

It was really cool seeing those old cans. The tunnel looked creepy but cool

[@moonlightinlv]

Thank you for exploration of Goat Canyon!!

[@westerntraveler2835]

LOVED your video! The Tunnel # 7 intrigues me----thanks for going in as far as you did.

[@TheSubatomicCheese]

The three passenger cars are ex-AMT commuter cars from Montreal Quebec, originally built for the Canadian Pacific in the 1950's and used behind steam engines in Montreal commuter service. They retired in 2005 and were sold off or scrapped.

[@nickmilhazes8611]

Bro I watch a ton of your vids LOVE em. Also love obsessing over old ass can's " bro its history" def me

[@gregmccambridge5883]

Coors was non pasteurized. Had to be transported cold. . Ot was there claim to fame for a while.

[@pariariver302]

Thanks, looking forward to next weeks venture. We like how varied your content is

[@michaelrybowicz3345]

The coors is a semi trailer stainless refer old school

[@junkyardsearcher6407]

It looks like an old Freuhauf stainless refrigerator trailer…

[@Nick_B_Bad]

I’m in Ohio born & raised. Haven’t been anywhere but Florida, it’s definitely a dream to go out west and see some history.

[@nickraschke4737]

If this had happened here in Australia, I could guarantee you wouldn’t find a full can.

[@MikeOrkid]

That tunnel at the end is very similar to some of the rock tunnels in the Anthracite mines around my area. Nothing but sketchy rockfall.

[@danlowe8684]

Real cool vid! Fun fact: Any railcar ID with the last letter being an 'X' designates it is privately owned and not RR owned. The story of this rail line is very interesting in that it overcame so many obstacles including the 1918 flu that ravished the man camps and countless storms and floods that required huge efforts to rebuild. Hurricane Kathleen in 1976 wiped out much of the line and took five years (by my memory) to rebuild under new ownership. The fire you mentioned was pretty much the final blow, I believe. Great stuff.

[@garyharrall4002]

No wonder it was called the impossible railroad! Don't they have excursion trains on some of the rails?

[@danlowe8684]

Not any longer. I believe the only reason for rebuilding after the '76 hurricane was for that purpose. It was responsible for San Diego's success as a city but proved tough to make money due to the steep grades involved and the constant flooding and washouts. There are YT vids regarding it. Fascinating!!!@@garyharrall4002

[@jeremyjohnson457]

​@garyharrall4002 yes they did have a tourist railroad from Campo Railroad Museum until the decomposing granite, which is decomposed too much around the curved Trestle

[@garyharrall4002]

@jeremyjohnson457 That's too bad.

[@jeremyjohnson457]

@@garyharrall4002 I've heard of some talks of trying to save the line and working out a deal with the Mexican Government because some of the line does go into Mexico

[@ivanferguson2509]

There is a video of them running a train through their before the tunnel burned. They where doing rehab work to put it back in service as a scenic run if memory serves correct. Pretty cool video. Thanks for hiking in there and showing us this footage.

[@paulmuscianisi8151]

great vid. hope to see more.

[@rolfathan]

Thanks for going all the way back in that tunnel to confirm it's a dead end. I went there probably 3 years ago, but after all the exploring we were doing, by the time we got to that tunnel we didn't have the energy to really climb in. I've been wondering where it went ever since.

[@Britcarjunkie]

Nice to see a boxcar that still has the handbrake & catwalk on top: those were phased out in the late '60's/early '70's. It would be a great museum piece if it were salvageable.

[@buckeyfan7623]

Never heard a semi trailer called a crate and never heard a coupler called a linkage lol. Very cool video thanks for exploring this for us couch potatoes!

[@mauserdave]

Kind of off topic but look at all those quartz pegmatite veins all over the place!! Thanks for doing the footwork and showing us all the cool stuff!

[@donnordstrom31]

Tin cans, probably rusted through in a very few years.

[@2dogsmowing]

I wonder what was behind the divider wall in the yellow car. That white wall was a bulk head divider. There might have been something still there.

[@donchandler755]

Yes, that 'crate' is a semi-trailer and the writing probably read,' Brewed with Rocky Mountain Spring Water". That was the phrase they used. The 'linkage' is a coupler. This is a fascinating video. I just discovered your channel so will subscribe.

[@artboy57]

Thanks for taking me places I wouldn't dare go anymore! I do worry about you when you're going solo though, hopefully your contact knows where you're headed. Have a safe New Year!

[@jdubble15]

Just found your channel and subscribed. Great content! Looking forward to watching all your videos.

[@barbararoberto1258]

Great video very interesting place thumbs up

[@leighsayers2628]

You have to wonder what mentality wants to burn and graffiti .

[@jeffhowland867]

Really you don't think burning stuff and vandalizing things is freaking fun as hell? Like you never did at any point in your life? I've grown up and matured and I don't vandalize or recreationally start fires anymore (well, mostly... far as fires concerned...) but I still really want to and always really enjoyed it when I was young. And I'm constantly thinking about it. I consider myself to be a pretty swell fella for a frame of reference. Wow I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go round

[@leighsayers2628]

Yeah nah ..never wanted to burn people's property etc ..​@@jeffhowland867

[@Glen.Danielsen]

Yah, Leigh. Yet I also see that this graffiti is the art form type. Artsy!

[@onionhead5780]

Never understood graffiti. Thought it ruined pristine, natural or nostalgic beauty of a place. As a kid I built model airplanes, tanks and stuff then burned them or made them look like crash scenes by charring them. When I became a teenager I left my model building and burning behind and spent most of my time messing around with girls. 😂

[@Glen.Danielsen]

@@onionhead5780 Onion brother, remember though to treat the girl with respect and honor. Lips are okay; yet from the rest stay away, good guy. 🙏🏽💛

[@DukeCronenwerth]

The Wagons sag quite well. It's a Wonder they haven't broken up long ago.

[@donengle9125]

Any links to a map on where you were and how far in you were? Great trek, but dangerous too inside that tunnel in some places!

[@SharonMiller-po6rp]

Ah! Rocky Mountain Spring Water! Coors shipped refrigerated to maintain quality.

[@wavesnbikes]

Come visit us in the museum in Campo. I'll show you around. We have a few coors beers from that derailment.

[@rodsmith3911]

Nice to see those old cars in the valley. I have often wondered about them as they have been on many videos but I have never seen anyone go down to look at them before. One video a couple of years ago showed a smashed car including the trucks and running gear but I think it was somewhere further along the line. Thank you for your efforts getting down there and for the look into the burned out tunnel. Sad to see the extent of the damage in there. I think that it will likely be the end of any plans to reopen the line which is a real shame after all the efforts of the team who built the line. They called it the impossible railway so it is sad to see it going to rack and ruin.

[@allenra530]

That tunnel (7) is not on the actual rail line. It has been out of service for around 80 or 90 years and the tracks go around the mountain there. The rule was that the engineer should not make any changes to his throttle after getting up into the Gorge, to avoid "stringlining" his train. Adding power could have the effect of pulling the cars sideways off the track on some of the tighter curves and that is what happened to all of those cars that were down in the canyon. I was told by the old Section Foreman in 2001 that a recently transferred engineer was on his first solo trip up the Gorge with those Coors TOFCs in the middle of the train when he pulled another notch on the throttle and pulled a dozen cars off the track. Most of them were salvaged, but those trailers and flats were too damaged and they were shoved over the side to slide down to where they are now.

[@rodsmith3911]

Thanks for the info. I presume it must be the tunnel that collapsed in the earthquake? It's a line that has fascinated me for many years though it's a very long way from me in the UK!

[@jasondillon6577]

Where did the wheels to the boxcar go? Were they salvaged?

[@repromark]

i'd HAVE to keep one can as a momento!

[@GRosa250]

When you were at the end of the tunnel, where it was totally collapsed and you were shining your light around at 28:28, it looked like there were reflections from eyes looking at you. I’m guessing they were bats but did you notice that when you were in there?

[@Hjerte_Verke]

I didn't see any bats but there's tons of minerals that are shiny, my guess is those shiny eyes were bits of quartz winking back at us.

[@allenra530]

The bats were in there when I went to the end of the tunnel in 1998.

[@michaelf6232]

A old timer told me that when you are in a tunnel if your voice echoes you don't need to worry much. But when it seems like your voice is absorbed it's not good.

[@drewconrad7093]

That was about a 40' trailer that was attached to a truck. It would be pretty hard to get them out of the canyon.

[@briannave7326]

New subscriber here, interesting video.

[@mattwedelich347]

🎉🎉 Happy New year great video Great channel 😊

[@mikewilliams8510]

Great video. The crate is an old semi trailer. On the box car I see there is a load divider still intact. I wonder what is behind it. Good video.

[@TransAm-Jack]

Noticed that also may still be something behind it but I kind of doubt it after all this time

[@Brian-HistoricMineExplorations]

Enjoying seeing all of your explores of these less visited aspects of this historic location, especially your explore of the Beggars of Life wreckage. My understanding is there's still housing ruins in the gorge from the rail woker's who were part of the initial construction. Have you come across any? If so that would be a pretty cool explore to do as well.

[@stanleybest8833]

The crate is a reefer trailer (semi). It's probably 48 feet long. The Thermo King unit probably had a 20 or so horsepower diesel engine, and possibly in running shape. It would have a refrigerator compressor on it's end. The fuel system closes and completely seals when it shuts off. There would be a brace to hold the truck end of the trailer and a "landing gear" that got ripped off. The box car may have been a fruit reefer. You would see a different diesel slide-in unit on the uphill side. The boxcar stood on two round pads, by gravity, and the two wheel chassis' probably launched way down the hill like sleds. The two diesel engines probably ran until the coolant spilled and shut them down or the oil pickups breached. Sensors may have shut them and left them intact.

[@williammcgeehan3424]

What is that ?? The Carrizo Gorge railroad ex -Southern Pacific ?? If it is there was an excellent article on it in the July 1976 Rail Classics magazine.

[@forrealforreal7203]

01:37 Could've been an inside job burned to keep people from living in them in or could've been vandals...either way it's a shame.

[@duanewhite3184]

Look like there was something still in half of that boxcar it had a storage wall still in it

[@RefugeintheWild]

Thats pretty cool. I've heard of that railroad and tunnels before really want to visit it some time. Have you ever been mine exploring in the Santa Ana Mountains? Lots of small mines, not many good shafts for most of them. One I did find though found a huge stope/room 10-20 feet it seems in all directions however there is only a crack to see into it, but another shaft goes back a little ways don't know if it connects. Also found a bunch of cool artifacts there used to be tram and found several giant ore chutes as well as some kind of tram trolley thing.

[@theogdirkdiggler]

You mean the Silverado mines on the way to Saddleback mountain. I went into one mine to find a Coleman lantern on a bed and stove. I left in quick order. The road is closed now just like Black Star canyon. Because of vandals. Always someone has to screw things up for everyone else.

[@RefugeintheWild]

@@theogdirkdigglerNo it was a mine a few miles north of Silverado, but still in the Santa Ana range. Yeah your right, it’s too bad someone has always go to screw things up

[@RoxanneRichards-ox7rq]

My father worked for Denver & Rio Grand Western Railroad and was on the wrecking crew for this wreck I believe. A car full of sugar went into the ravine as well. I think this the one. Winter, severe weather conditions made it hard to clean up.

[@BattleshipOrion]

Do you have co-ordinates to the derailment? Finding them on Google maps aint as easy as finding a Admiral Hipper class heavy cruiser in the South Pacific.

[@Romans--bo7br]

Great Video.... I wonder if the "trucks" are still under the rail car that the semi was riding on? Anyway, great video and lots of things to explore. From what I see in the tunnel, it looks like it was a Dual Gauge railroad.... definitely Narrow Gauge.

[@duanewhite3184]

I like how they can get away with dumping their garbage and cans and box cars anywhere they want to

[@LTD347]

Wonder if there’s still any items in the front of that boxcar since it is still walled off.

[@alonzovillarreal4666]

It was party time for all of the little creatures for quite awhile 😂

[@villagelightsmith4375]

I'm sorry to see the graffitists have been there. It is not "art", but destructive vandalism.

[@dannyjones3840]

That's not a "crate" it's a semi trailer, riding piggy back on that flat car. Great video, I've always wanted to go there

[@360Nomad]

If it weren't for the constant mishaps, this would make a great scenic tourist railroad

[@jerryguillen6572]

I would love to go see this! I am in the high desert

[@Carl-ux2fu]

Rails in tunnel are standard gauge. Inner set of rails are guard rails to keep derailed cars centered on the trackage. This is standard practice on bridges and trestles also.

[@theogdirkdiggler]

I was wondering if they were running narrow gauge thru that canyon being from the 20's

[@OldGeezerstoolbox]

The lacquer on the inside of those old steel cans was never thick enough to survive decades with any content. It'd degrade quickly and develop pinholes in the steel. Kinda brings back old memories of cans before aluminum became the standard though. Smashing the old steel cans was an effort.

[@markm-ci6rj]

Interesting as always. When did the line close? How come the rails are still there, they seem in good condition.

[@allenra530]

The rail line is not really abandoned and the track workers come down there periodically to do assessments and to keep the falling rocks off the track. That is why so many people have been able to take their homemade rail carts down from I-8 or up from Dos Cabezas or Ocotillo.

[@brianevans6146]

All the bat eyes looking at you at the total collapse lol, you didn't see or intentionally ignored lol

[@MichalOlender]

I recognize the place!

[@WesternMineDetective]

Mmm haha I'm sure you do 😉 One of my fave go to spots!

[@6firefightin]

Do they still use the railroad today? Btw really kewl video! Looking at the size of the track I’d say the gauge of the track is smaller then normal too.

[@Britcarjunkie]

No, that line ceased operation decades ago. It was a very problematic & labor intensive line: aside from many bridges & tunnels (due to the mountainous terrain), the line also crossed the border into Mexico in at least two locations. I believe it was supposed to run from San Diego into Yuma, but due to tunnel collapses & the economic turns at the time of construction, the line never went past Plaster City. There is a railroad museum that occupies the workshops, and they operate a short scenic line that they want to expand, but again, the cost of making the existing line safe for travel again...

[@DavidGreenwood-rj9fd]

Thats a Coors refer trailer.. Those 2 little caps are for the semi electric hook up.. I saw a vampire at the dead end filing his fangs for you...

[@consanna]

It would have been nice if you would had started with the railroad that carried the Coors from Golden and how it go to this section of track

[@Hjerte_Verke]

10:01 "1-63" might be a manufacture date and it would be period correct for the era of the derailment

[@bajavisitor]

Another great video! I got to ask what type of boots are you wearing to go on these explorations?

[@WesternMineDetective]

The brand is BearPaw I got them at Big 5 Sporting Goods. On the cheaper side but they've lasted me a while and get the job done!

[@michaelmorgan7893]

Its hard to believe that track (due to its radius) would support an 89 Ft. TOFC flat and refrigerated trailer.

[@DavidHuber63]

The beer can came home ;)

[@mercedithcompala8148]

Cool stuff, thanks

[@moonlightinlv]

I'm Sorry, but that is a 40' trailer NOT a Crate!! FYI

[@alpharaptor7510]

Where is this place Because I’m interested in to see if there any pictures of the accident on the day that happened

[@MrLuckytrucker21]

That's a semi-trailer, not a crate, it was being piggy-backed when derailed! The cooler up front is called a refer unit!

[@geraldbrunckhorst8291]

Looks like good snake country!

[@bebeandjohnnotsonomadiclif5287]

Thank you ! Add "Railfan" or other "Rail" words, to your description you will get many more views!!

[@dancundiff2058]

I'm retired from the SP/UP and take it from a loco engineer, from the bottom of my heart, STOP GOING INTO CLOSED TUNNELS!!!!! Ur alone..in shorts...without proper gear and do u know what eles goes into closed tunnels? Bears!!! Mountain lions!!!! I fear for ur safety cause u are in SOOOOO much danger without a clue.

[@jamescooley5744]

It's also on the Mexican Border, so you may have "2-legged" hazards as well.

[@corbettmanley932]

Most crates in my day were made of WOOD or Plastic. These are COORS reefer trailers!