On Friday September 12, 2008 at 4:22:23PM a Metrolink commuter passenger train and Union Pacific Railroad freight train collided head-on in a Chatsworth neighborhood. The collision occurred a little over a mile north of the Chatsworth train station after the Metrolink train had dropped off passengers before continuing on towards Simi Valley. The NTSB determined the crash was caused because the Metrolink train engineer was distracted by sending text messages and blew through a red signal. The Metrolink train entered a single section of track where the freight train had already been given the right-of-way. While the freight train applied the brakes 2 seconds before impact, both trains were doing about 40 MPH when they collided. 25 people died as a result of the collision with over 100 additional passengers injured. This still remains the deadliest train crash in Metrolink's history, and let's hope it stays that way.
The plaza at GZ is known as the Metrolink Memorial Plaza and was dedicated 1 year after the crash on September 12, 2009 to all those that perished. The plaza features 11 columns, one each for the 10 deceased passengers from Simi Valley and an additional column representing the 14 deceased passengers from other cities. There are also 25 markers on the ground to memorialize each passenger specifically. You will also find benches and a plaque in remembrance of the 2005 Glendale train crash a few years earlier. This place is special to me as I typically took this exact train home from work on Friday’s during that period, and would have been traveling in the first train car where most of the fatalities occurred. It was by sheer luck that at the last minute I didn’t go into the office and worked from home on that fateful day.
NOTE: The plaza is near the train tracks but there is no need to go beyond where the plaza ends. These are active tracks in which several Metrolink, Amtrak, and freight trains pass through every day. Please stay away from the tracks and keep an eye on your children if you bring them along.
There are 2 ways to get credit for this Virtual cache:
1) Preferred - Take a picture of yourself (or a piece of paper with your caching name, GPS, or something similar if you do not want to be in the picture) at GZ. There should be some recognizable section of the plaza in your picture. Nothing to send in if you choose this approach.
OR
2) Email or message me a couple of details about the plaza:
a) In the center of the plaza there is a circle of black markers built around a tall column and lights built into the ground between the makers. How many lights are there?
b) At the very southwest corner of the plaza there is a single sole column. At the base of that column what picture appears in the black plaque instead of a name?
Failure to meet the above requirements will result in a deleted log.
Virtual Rewards 5.0 - 2026-2027
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between February 3, 2026 and February 3, 2027. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 5.0 on the Geocaching Blog.