Arcata Trainwreck (1976)

Arcata Trainwreck 1976 Genetics

The world famous Arcata Trainwreck is one of the most rare and desired cannabis clones on the planet. Created by crossing Thai Sativa, Mexican Sativa and Afghani, the Trainwreck is a time capsule into the spirit of the homesteader hippie movement which altered the world’s view of cannabis as a plant medicine. Cultures like those in Humboldt County, home of the Arcata Trainwreck, reduced the unrealistic narcotic labeling created by history’s corrupt and racist political agendas. 

Dating back to 1976, this Arcata Trainwreck clone is one of the most accurately labeled, morphologically and chemically Sativa dominant hybrid cannabis strains remaining on the planet. Challenging to grow, the Trainwreck has a weak and flimsy branching system, requiring tender care as well as balanced soil health to achieve the plant’s highest quality expressions. As an heirloom cultivar, Arcata Trainwreck can truly only be the Trainwreck when grown outdoors under the natural sun in it’s place of origin. The relationship of the plant to it’s sacred home it one steeped in tradition and authenticity of environmental and cultural importance. 

Arcata Trainwreck 1976 Cannabinoid Profile

Trainwreck is synonymous with terpinolene, one of the most dominant terpenes expressed by the Cannabis: C. sativa plant species. With a distinct flavor and aroma that all Boomers and Gen X-ers identify with as the smell of teen spirit, cannabis enthusiasts use Trainwreck as a descriptive term of other strains dominant in terpinolene. “Smells like Trainwreck” one might say to generalize strains like Jack Herer, XJ13, Glazed Apricot Gelato, and countless others cultivars and chemovars often classified as “Sativa” hybrids. But what does Trainwreck smell like? Trainwreck has a minty, piney, earthy aroma with deeper notes of turnips, radishes, carrots, and general root vegetables. Herbal and complex Trainwreck has slight spicy, peppery, flavor which burns hot and fast. The smell of radishes and turnips could resonate with science, given the recent research into volatile organic sulfur compounds and cannabis with contributing citations crediting Sherbinski and Josh D as co-authors, linking volatile sulfur compounds to “Skunk” smell in cannabis (Oswald 2021 et al). Similarly, many vegetables, turnips included, contain contain sulfur compounds that contribute to their flavor. These compounds can be isothiocyanates, nitriles, epithionitriles, thiols, sulfides, and polysulfide (Marcinkowska 2022 et al).

Arcata Trainwreck 1976 Origin Story

Bred in Arcata California, the heirloom Trainwreck strain received it’s name from the cultivar’s direct location of origin, the abandoned Redwood lumber industry’s train tracks which weave through the domestic coastal community and cultural beacons of Humboldt County. This was the location of the first crops of Trainwreck giving it the full name: Arcata Trainwreck, located in Arcata California in Humboldt County.

HENDRX preserves this cultivar with the help and the necessary support of the community, specifically Trainwreck Jim, a retired botany professor from Cal Poly Humboldt who has spent years working with HENDRX to maintain and validate this sacred clone. Photo pictured here grown by Jim demonstrates Trainwreck in the final days of September on a bright sun-shinny day.