About San Bernardino Train Crash: What Caused This 100mph Runaway Train?
On May 12, 1989, Southern Pacific freight train 7551 rocketed down California’s Cajon Pass at over 100 mph before derailing into a San Bernardino neighborhood. Caused by fatal weight miscalculations and failing brakes, the crash killed four people and destroyed seven homes. But thirteen days later, a second catastrophe struck the exact same street when a damaged underground pipeline ruptured, igniting a massive inferno. This documentary investigates the series of tragic human errors, mechanical failures, and oversight lapses that led to one of the most disastrous chain reactions in American transportation history. You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more. This channel is part of the History Hit Network. Any queries, please contact owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com
San Bernardino Train Crash: What Caused This 100mph Runaway Train? is presented by Timeline - World History Documentaries. Its listed runtime is 50 minutes. The source link and publisher attribution are provided with the embedded film.
As a transport & logistics documentary, San Bernardino Train Crash: What Caused This 100mph Runaway Train? uses bernardino, train, crash as its central frame. Transport films uncover systems that normally remain invisible until something fails. Look for the coordination between people, vehicles, control technology, maintenance and contingency planning.
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Topics covered in this documentary
Documentary details and original source
- Title
- San Bernardino Train Crash: What Caused This 100mph Runaway Train?
- Category
- Transport & Logistics
- Runtime
- 50 minutes
- Language
- English
Free Documentary Vault provides independent discovery, organization and editorial context. The film remains hosted by its original publisher, who controls availability and playback.






