I genuinely feel sorry for this dog. | 1989 Cajon Pass runaway

Trains Magazine
1

This left me furious and heartbroken

Screenshot from The Tragedy at Cajon Pass.
Screenshot from The Tragedy at Cajon Pass.1440×1080 116 KB

Screenshot from The Tragedy at Cajon Pass.

I just saw footage from May 12, 1989, and I was shocked, spooked and extremely hurt, specifically at this scene, and the sound itself makes it even more horrifying, I GOT GOOSEBUMPS! Whoever owned this dog, at the time this happened, must have felt shattered and scared.

I really feel bad for this dog, and I feel anger toward the people that built this village near those tracks.

No wonder why Southern Pacific got a lawsuit for the accident, I wonder if the lawsuit SP got was for animal abuse/animal cruelty, because uh, one of their trains ALMOST KILLED AN ACTUAL DOG! A LOYAL PET THAT I LOVE A LOT!

Please tell me that dog was rescued and made it out alive, or did it die from his/her injuries? If it died from his/her injuries, there better be an animal abuse lawsuit for that.

Does anyone know what breed of dog this was? What was the dog’s name? What pronoun this dog was?

2

Update on this, went through some of the video, and found out the dog made it out alive. :face_holding_back_tears:

The dog has been rescued!
The dog has been rescued!1440×1080 82 KB

(Timestamps: 6:14 - 6:42)

And also found out it was a boy.

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3

Many towns nationwide were built in close proximity to rail lines specifically so the residents could easily access the trains. And the railroads were built between population centers. Things have changed, of course. The folks here, and many other places, could not have imagined this type of situation.

OTOH, many rail stations were built “out side of town,” and the town was built up around them.

4

All forms of animals are killed daily on the rail lines of the world. Animals of all varieties get on railroad rights of way and make the wrong choices when they observe a train coming at them or they are overtaken by a train from behind.

It is unfortunate, but it is reality in the USA and every place else that has trains. Don’t forget we in our daily vehicles kill myriad animals daily.

5

We live by a double track main. Our neighbors two dogs got out and headed across our yard to the tracks. One got on the track and was killed. Apparently, the vibration makes them freeze in their tracks. The surviving dog had problems for awhile every time a train went by, which was probably 30-40 times a day.

6

Does anyone know what breed this dog is? Because I used google, and it doesn’t say what dog this was.

7

It’s sad to see a dog get injured, but that overlooks 4 people dying as a direct result of the derailment and 2 people dying later from the CalNev pipeline failure.

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8

I doubt anyone cared at the time, and the dog’s owners knew before any news coverage would have asked.

Looks like a shepherd mix to me, but I’m not much of a dog person apart from certain breeds.

9

We used to call them “Heinz 57” or “Detroit Alley Dogs” when I was growing up.

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The term of art used in my childhood for the sort of animal pictured was ‘brindle dog’.

Likely an example of Hybrid Vigor.