The Tehachapi train wreck occurred on January 20, 1883, near

Tehachapi, California Tehachapi (; Kawaiisu: ''Tihachipia'', meaning "hard climb") is a city in Kern County, California, United States, in the Tehachapi Mountains, at an elevation of , between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. Tehachapi is east-southeast ...

, when a runaway train rolled down a slope into a curve and derailed. The accident resulted in the deaths of 15 people, including former

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

Charles H. Larrabee and Maria Guirado, the wife of the former

California Governor The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, th ...

John G. Downey. Governor Downey was also injured in the wreck.

Incident

On January 20, 1883, a 4-8-0 steam locomotive had just climbed a steep peak in Tehachapi, California. However, when the train was left unattended, it became a

runaway Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to: Engineering * Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable * Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...

and derailed along the same track that it had previously climbed. Both sleeper cars, an express car, and the mail and baggage coaches derailed and ignited a fire. Fifteen were killed. Investigation into the incident revealed that two strangers had boarded the train. It is believed that these two men were robbers that had lost control of the train and would also die in the disaster.

References

Railway accidents in 1883 Accidents and incidents involving Southern Pacific Railroad 1883 in California 1883 disasters in the United States {{Rail-accident-stub