Abandoned Train Crash from “The Fugitive”

A Little Detour from the Blue Ridge Parkway

In October 2020 Goran and I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway to check out the fall colors. I wanted to find a place to explore that was off the beaten trail and unique, so I jumped on Atlas Obscura and searched the area around Asheville. I was excited to discover that the train wreck from the abandoned train crash film “The Fugitive” was located forty five minutes away! We decided to check it out after we explored Graveyard Fields on the Parkway. We followed Google Maps to the location in Slyva, North Carolina. The maps brought us to the parking lot of an electrical company. We could see the train crash through the trees at the bottom of the hill, but it seemed to be surrounded by barbed wire with no apparent access. But we were determined to find a way to explore this abandoned site.

How the Studio Filmed the Train Wreck

The Fugitive was released in 1993 and was a box office hit. The train crash scene is one of the most important parts of the film so it had to be done right. Warner Brothers Studios had only one chance to get it right. Check out this video to see how they did it!

How to Find this Site

Want to find this abandoned train crash? First, check out Atlas Obscura’s information page on this unique site. There you will find all the background you need. Follow the Google Maps directions from the website. Once you get to the parking lot of the electrical company, head north on Haywood a little bit until you see an unmarked driveway that goes down the hill. Park on the side of the road next to this driveway and WALK down the hill. There will be random garbage strewn about and it looks a little sketchy, but it is the only way down.

Follow the path almost to the barbed wire fencing, keeping an eye out on your right for a tamped down path that will lead you down to the train tracks. There is a yellow pole right near this path. Walk down to the train tracks on this path and turn left, and there you will see the train wreck! Be sure to comment below if you have explored this awesome site!