The Impossible Mission to Rescue a Polar Explorer's Lost Ship

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

The War Train Built to Do the Impossible | Trains At War | Season 1 Episode 3 examines the specific people, events and evidence presented in this documentary. Trains at War takes you deep into the fascinating history of trains on the battlefield, revealing how railways became a powerful weapon of war. From transporting soldiers and weapons to moving vital supplies, trains played a crucial role in military operations and changed the way wars were fought. Discover the incredible world of armored trains, military railways, troop transports, and wartime locomotives. Explore how nations used rail networks to move armies across vast distances, support major offensives, and keep their forces supplied under the most challenging conditions. Trains at War brings together military history, railway technology, and dramatic wartime stories in one fascinating journey. If you enjoy war documentaries, military history, historic trains, and untold stories from the past, this documentary offers a unique look at the machines and railways that helped shape modern warfare.

In this episode of Outback Murder Highway, 19-year-old hitchhiker Tony Jones disappears while travelling across the notorious Flinders Highway, never to be seen again. More than 40 years later, investigators uncover new witnesses, alleged murder confessions and a possible burial site linked to one of Australia's most haunting missing person cases. As fresh evidence emerges, the search for Tony enters a dramatic new chapter, raising shocking questions about what really happened in 1982. Could this finally solve one of Australia's greatest unsolved disappearances?

In this episode of Outback Murder Highway, Robin Hvil Bartram and Anita Cunningham set out to hitchhike across Australia in 1972—but only one of them was ever found. More than 50 years later, investigators reopen one of Australia's most haunting cold cases, uncovering new witnesses, possible links to serial killer Ivan Milat, and a potential burial site hidden along the infamous Flinders Highway. Could this finally solve one of Australia's greatest unsolved murder mysteries?

Step inside the epic journey of moving a 200-ton WWI railway howitzer - the world's largest surviving railway gun - across 400 miles and two countries! In this gripping documentary, follow a team of engineers, soldiers, and heavy hauliers as they attempt the impossible: relocating a colossal British Army railway howitzer from Larkhill, England to the Dutch National Railway Museum in Utrecht. Watch as they face nail-biting obstacles, from splitting the 195-ton beast in two, battling stubborn bolts and rusted pins, to racing against the tides and navigating jammed roads and tight city streets. Every step is a race against time and a test of nerves, as the crew must avoid disaster to deliver this historic weapon for a landmark exhibition on railways in warfare. Discover the incredible history of this 18-inch railway gun - a giant that could hurl one-ton shells over 13 miles - and the untold stories behind its survival after most were lost to scrap. See behind-the-scenes teamwork as the Royal Artillery restores the howitzer to pristine condition, and witness the last-minute scramble when transport plans

Beneath the surface of the Netherlands' vital waterways, hundreds of sunken ships pose a silent threat to modern maritime trade. This is the story of the extraordinary 2013 campaign to clear these underwater obstacles, following elite salvage companies as they use massive machinery, advanced technology, and sheer expertise to raise rusting giants from the seabed and secure Europe's economic lifeline.