Derailments, Champagne, and the River Below

This episode explores three strange and memorable railway incidents that unfolded along the rugged banks of the Susquehanna River during the late 20th century—moments when heavy industry collided with unpredictable terrain and left lasting marks on both the landscape and local lore.

The first story centers on a dramatic 1981 derailment near Safe Harbor, where a massive boulder tumbled onto the tracks and sent a Conrail freight train off the rails. Much of the wreckage still lies scattered along the river, visible today to hikers who stumble upon the twisted remains. Another tale shifts downstream to Pequea, where a 1985 derailment spilled cases of sparkling wine into the water—an accident that quickly transformed into one of the Susquehanna’s most lighthearted pieces of folklore.

The episode concludes with a lingering mystery from the mid-1970s: the unexplained loss of a grain hopper car that was ejected from a moving train and vanished into the river, where it remains submerged to this day. Together, these stories reveal how the Susquehanna’s wild geography has shaped not only rail operations, but also the strange, sometimes celebratory legends that linger long after the trains have passed.

To learn more, visit UnchartedLancaster.com.

Learn about other unique people and places like this when you step off the beaten path with Uncharted Lancaster: Field Guide to the Strange, Storied, and Hidden Places of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by Adam Zurn. This one-of-a-kind 239-page guidebook uncovers 56 fascinating sites, from the county’s very own fountain of youth to the oldest continuously operating short-line railroad in the western hemisphere. Order your copy here.