Wrong Side of the Tracks: How to Pass the Most Notorious Mission in GTA San Andreas

Love it or hate it, the GTA Remastered Trilogy has sparked a new wave of interest in the stories that built the franchise. But along with revisiting the expansive story and lore, many players are experiencing the same frustrations with the classic missions that OG fans first experienced in 2004.

Despite being the most well-known mission of any GTA game, Wrong Side of the Tracks isn't the hardest to complete by far. In fact, Supply Lines is unanimously the most infuriating mission of all time–so infuriating that most players don't bother to complete it at all. However, WST is a main story mission, meaning you'll need to complete it in order to progress and unlock the rest of the map.

As with most classic games, there are almost always simple hacks to ensuring completion every time. These tips are compatible with every console and every version of the game, including the Definitive Edition.

Setup

Carl Johnson arrives at Big Smoke's house to see Officers Tenpenny and Pulaski leaving through the garage. Tenpenny tells Carl that he knows everything about him and that he's keeping a close eye out.

Smoke says that C.R.A.S.H. (a police unit founded by Tenpenny to fight gang crime) won't leave him alone, and asks CJ for a ride.

On the drive with Big Smoke to Unity Station, he tells CJ of a deal between the Vagos and Northern Mexican gang San Fiero Rifa. He intends to break up the deal in order to gain some street cred.

CJ and Smoke arrive too late to bust the deal. In the last cutscene before the mission begins, four Vagos jump from the rooftop and onto the top of the train.

Your goal is to shoot all the Vagos members off the top of the train before it reaches the bridge. This mission is worth failing at least once, if only to hear this infamous one-liner:



To begin the mission, hop on the orange motorbike that materializes beside Smoke’s car, and “Follow that train!”

Method 1:

As CJ, you have very little shooting to do, if any. As you make your way to the left around the first bend, the train will drive into a car parked on the tracks. You'll want to hang back to avoid the explosion and dodge any vehicle that tries to cross the intersection.

When approaching the first tunnel, Smoke will warn you of an oncoming train. You can move in any direction around it, though it may be difficult to steer between the trains or to catch up if you move to the right side. If you can maintain enough speed, it works to move to the leftmost side and to cut back in front of the first train once the second one passes.

From this point on, position your bike so that you’re at the front or slightly ahead of the train. This makes it easy to adjust your speed and line up with each enemy exactly.

Keep far enough to the side of the train that Smoke can get an angle on the Vagos. If the bike is too close to the train, Smoke’s bullets will hit the top of the car instead of the enemy gang members.

Upon exiting the tunnel in Red Country, you can see that the road is blocked. Take the grass path on the ride side of the screen. You'll have to steer close to the left edge for Smoke to land his shots. Keep to the right as the path divides above the train so that you have early access as it exits.

The train approaches a second tunnel, and at this point you should be to the right of the train on the opposite track. If you are still to the left of the train you will not have room to enter the tunnel. You may attempt to drive over the tunnel, but you will most likely not have time to kill the remaining Vagos.

Method 2:

This method is the fastest way to eliminate the Vagos, but requires more precise execution that may take a while to master.

Leave the train behind for now. After turning the first corner, drive up the side of the bridge railing and wait until the train arrives to hop down onto it. You'll need a decent amount of speed to avoid missing the train and falling into the crack, so it's best to follow the railing all the way onto the building it's attached to before jumping off.

Once on the train, you can remain stationary while Smoke caps the Vagos one by one, or nudge them off yourself with the bike.

You don't have to worry about the car explosion as the blast can't hit you.

If everything has been done correctly up to this point, the Vagos should be dead before ever reaching the first tunnel.



“Let’s get out of here before the cops show up.” Once all the Vagos are dead, you'll be left with a 1-star wanted level. You're unlikely to run into any trouble, as your only remaining objective is to return the way you came and take Smoke back to his home in Idlewood.