The State - News from Aug. 12, 1986

Failure of a wheel assembly was blamed for the weekend derailment of nine Southern Pacific freight cars that forced evacuation of 3,000 residents of Grover City, near San Luis Obispo. Railroad authorities said three of the derailed cars were carrying explosive isobutane, a liquefied gas, but nobody was hurt, no leaks were reported, and evacuees were allowed to return home Sunday, after crews uprighted the freight cars. The fuel was later transferred to other tanker cars. Southern Pacific spokesman Bob Hoppe said the mishap occurred when part of a wheel assembly failed, causing the wheel to climb off the track and lead the cars behind it off the track.