Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago

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You may have heard of the many derailments in Cajon Pass, mainly from the years 1989, 1994 and 1996. Even the most recent one in 2023. Not to mention one of the most rare derailments in 1978. Or was it 1975? However, this one in particular, has a spooky twist, which occurred after a horrific train derailment back in 1937.

October 7th, 1937:
It was a very stormy night at the Mojave Yard, and SP X5032 with a freight train was ready to depart after a Lark train passes by on the furthest track. This train was bound for West Colton. Since the departure, it was going smoothly, until the train started descending towards the pass, then the inevitable happened. The only survivors of this wreck were the brakeman and the conductor who were in the caboose, far away from the lead engine sparing their lives from the inevitable.

After the crash, all the passenger trains (not shown in the video) have been rerouted while the tracks were being rebuilt. Freight trains would also be rerouted sharing trackage rights on the ATSF (now BNSF) right of way. Many train crews that go through the area still heard that mournful whistle from the derailment site.

October 12th, 1953
The ghost of the old 5032 was said to be lurking on the tracks where she ran on, but this train did not have such an encounter, which was one of a few trains which still made it through Cajon Pass, even past the old derailment site.

October 31st, 1975
It’s Halloween, and it was still raining cats and dogs that night. The ghost train was out on a prowl for her next victim, and this train 8534 East, was about to meet her worst fate yet. The whistle can be heard in the pass once again, and the engineer, knowing he might go insane, tried to respond back to the ghost by blowing his horn. Further on the descent, at the moment the engineer applied the brakes, then came the worst nightmare ever. Instead of slowing down, the train kept speeding up, further down the grade. It was going way too fast for the crew members to bail out, so both he and the brakeman at the head end would have to ride it out. It was no use. Then came every engineer’s worst nightmare. Unfortunately there were no survivors of this crash, not even the conductor at the caboose, about 25 cars behind the locomotives did not survive either. Another train taken by the old ghost.

Let this be a lesson to anyone, not just railroad employees, but to anyone who is in the area, railfans too, that Cajon Pass is notorious for the many train related accidents that could happen at any given time. But for every October, you’d best prepare yourselves for the inevitable. Who knows? Anyway, any time you’re near the derailment site along the former SP right of way, watch out. You will be next.

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