The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company (reporting markSDAE) is a short-line Americanrailroad founded in 1906 as the San Diego and Arizona Railway (SD&A) by sugar magnate, developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels. Dubbed "The Impossible Railroad" by many engineers of its day due to the immense logistical challenges involved, the line was established in part to provide San Diego with a direct rail link to the east by connecting with the Southern Pacific Railroad lines in El Centro, California.
SD&AE took over the SD&A's operations in 1933 after financial troubles led Spreckels' descendants to sell their interests in the railroad to the Southern Pacific. Through the years, natural disasters and vandalism rendered sections of the line unserviceable, and portions of the line have been sold to various interests.
In 1979, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) bought the SD&AE from Southern Pacific to establish the San Diego Trolley, an intra-county light rail passenger line. The remaining track into Imperial County is available for freight service, as part of the sale condition to MTS by Southern Pacific.
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Fallen Southern Pacific Railroad cars in Carrizo Gorge, 2010.
Early 20th century
October 24, 1932: Financial problems force Spreckels' heirs to transfer their share of San Diego and Arizona (SD&A) ownership to the Southern Pacific Transportation Company for $2.8 million.
February 1, 1933: The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway is incorporated and assumes all operations of the SD&A.
1934: Operation of the three gasoline-electric units is discontinued.
January 11, 1951: The SD&AE ends passenger service after years of declining patronage.
1967: The railroad hauls 46 million ton-miles of revenue freight on its 136 mi (219 km) of line.
August 20, 1979: San Diego's Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) purchases the SD&AE Railway Company in restored condition for $18.1 million (the SP retains ownership to the Plaster City to El Centro segment). The ICC approves operation of freight service by Kyle Railways under contract to MTDB. The MTDB reorganizes the SD&AE as a Nevada nonprofit corporation.
Late 20th century
January 1980: Washouts caused by desert storms displace parts of the SD&AEDesert Line and S-BCTijuana y Tecate lines, in both the US and Mexico.
January 1983: With the Mexico damage repaired, Kyle Railways begins rail shipments between San Diego and Plaster City.
June 18, 1983: Fire destroys two bridges on the Desert Line.[4]
March 18, 1984: The MTDB signs agreement with the Texas firm RailTex to provide freight service. The new service operates as the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad (SD&IV) with the reporting mark SDIV.
April 25, 1984: The ICC denies Kyle Railways' request to abandon the railroad.
August 9, 1984: The ICC approves RailTex's application to operate freight service.
October 15, 1984: RailTex's San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad begins freight service from San Diego to El Cajon and San Diego to San Ysidro during nighttime hours when MTS' San Diego Trolley's LRV's are not in operation.
December 1, 1985: La Mesa-based Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, Association, Inc. (PSRM) reincarnates the San Diego & Arizona Railway (SD&A) and begins vintage 16-mile (26 km) roundtrip passenger excursion Golden State round-trips on the railway in Campo between Campo to Miller Creek and/or Division with steam and diesel vintage trains. The museum maintains equipment and corporate records of both the SD&A/SD&AE Railways.
August 1, 1986: The SD&IV enters into a multi-year agreement with Mexico's Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) to set tariffs and provide freight service into Baja California.
October 10, 1987: PSRM is invited by the city of Tecate to run a special train from Campo to Tecate, for the city's fair. The event is a success, and "Ticket to Tecate" excursion trains become regular once or twice a month.
July 14, 1989: SD&IV begins repairs on the Desert Line as a prelude to the start of freight service to Imperial County.
August 2, 1996: Southern Pacific (SP) is bought by Union Pacific (UP).
July 4, 1997: Lakeside based Carrizo Gorge Railway, Inc. (CZRY) is formed to operate and repair the Desert Line.
2000s
January 4, 2000: RailTex is acquired by RailAmerica and the railroad's reporting mark is changed to SDIY.
2000: FNM is privatized. Ownership of the Tijuana-Tecate line is transferred to SCT, and is administrated by the state of Baja California through the new Administradora de la Via Corta Tijuana-Tecate. ADMICARGA signs a new contract with SDIY.
July 1, 2001: ADMICARGA assigns Carrizo Gorge Railway, Inc. (CZRY) as the new railroad operator. After 16 years of operation in Mexico, RailTex's SD&IV retires. CZRY subcontracts the line's operation to Ferrocarriles Peninsulares del Noroeste, S.A. de C.V. (FPN), led by local businessman German Reyes Gil.
May 15, 2004: With repairs to Tunnels 8 and 16 complete and destroyed bridges rebuilt including the Goat Canyon Trestle, the CZRY officially reopens freight service to Plaster City and the Union Pacific Railroad interchange. Major shipments of sand from the Imperial Valley are used to supply ready-mixed concrete to the San Diego construction markets, and other carloads into Mexico as well, such as lumber and grain.
April 20, 2005: Tierra Madre Consultants create Tierra Madre Railway which buys a caboose (TMRX 1) and leases it to Tren Turistico del Noroeste, S.A. de C.V., a proposed tourist train operating from Tijuana to Tecate and from Mexicali to Puerto Penasco.
October 17, 2008: The Carrizo Gorge Railway suspends traffic on the Desert Line between Campo and Plaster City so it can rehabilitate tracks to serve the Port of Ensenada's intermodal terminal, a project of the government of Baja California.
December 25, 2009: A fire damages Tunnel 3 (Lindero), ending the "Ticket to Tecate" excursions.
2010s
January 1, 2012: Baja California Railroad, Inc. replaces the Carrizo Gorge Railway as the rail operator as a decision from ADMICARGA on the Tijuana-Tecate segment.
August 31, 2012: The Surface Transportation Board approves a Change in Operator Exemption, granting operational control of the 70.01-mile Desert Subdivision to the Pacific Imperial Railroad, Inc. (PIR). CZRY hands over its major operating control. PIR continues to operate jointly with the SD&IV railroad and plans to continue rehabilitation on the Desert Line and operate as a Class III railroad.[8]
December 2012: PIR signs a 50-year lease to operate freight trains on SD&AE track, ending CZRY's operating rights. Under the lease, PIR must complete certain operating goals and repairs by a specified time and make annual payments to SD&AE of $1 million or 15% of gross revenues, whichever is larger.[9]
January 2013: Pacific Southwest Railway Museum begins making a new operating agreement with MTS.
March 3, 2013: PIR verifies a notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to change operators of the Desert Line from the SDIY to PIR with the Surface Transportation Board.[10]
Late March 2013: PIR inspects the Desert Line segment.
March 27, 2013: PIR submits paperwork to the STDB to establish trackage rights on Union Pacific trackage from Plaster City to Seeley.[11]
June 9, 2016: Baja California Railroad subleases the Desert Line Railroad, cutting PIR out of most operations and repairs. The sublease terms require a $1 million or 7% of gross revenue annual payment (down from 15% in the previous lease) to MTS. The new lease terms also revised the schedule for line repairs, with a 10-mile stretch from Coyote Wells to Plaster City now slated to open by the end of 2017, with the section from the border to Coyote Wells to be repaired by April 15, 2018, and complete repairs by December 21, 2018.[12]
February 2017: Tunnel 6 has collapsed; boulders and weeds cover some tracks near Goat Canyon Trestle, the San Diego Reader reports.[14]
October 2017: PIR sells lease to operate freight for 99 years on the desert line to Baja California Railroad. MTS still owns the line and BJRR must pay MTS US$1 million per year for the rights to operate. BJRR has also announced a three-phase plan to rehabilitate the line. Phase 1 will cover the border crossing at Division to Jacumba. Phase two will cover Plaster City to Dos Cabezas. Phase three will be from Jacumba to Dos Cabezas. As of February 2019 no rehabilitation work had begun.
Summer 2020: BJRR stops making its lease payments to MTS.[15]
July 2021: Tunnel 3 (Lindero) fixed, side of mountain removed
November 2021: SD&AE cancels Baja California Railroad lease[16]
^"San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway Fact Sheet" (PDF). April 2013.
^"San Diego MTS determined to rehab 'Impossible Railroad' despite latest setback in the desert". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2021-11-13. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
^Gargrove, Dorian (10 September 2014). "Crazy Train". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
^Earl Spencer Pomeroy (21 October 2008). American Far West in the Twentieth Century. Yale University Press. p. 462. ISBN978-0-300-14267-9.
^"Genesee & Wyoming to pay $1.39B for RailAmerica". STL Today.com. Associated Press. July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.[permanent dead link]
^"UPDATE 4-Genesee & Wyoming to buy RailAmerica for $1.4 billion". Reuters. July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
^"Pacific Imperial Railroad, Inc.—Change in Operator Exemption—Rail Line of San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company" (PDF). Department of Transportation.
^(PDF). Metropolitan Transit System. December 13, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 25, 2015.
^Stewart, Joshua (June 9, 2016). "Border rail line to connect U.S., Mexico". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
^Hargrove, Dorian (2016-10-27). "Pacific Imperial Railroad opts for bankruptcy". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
^Hargrove, Dorian (2017-02-03). "MTS responds to Baja Rail charges". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
^"San Diego MTS determined to rehab 'Impossible Railroad' despite latest setback in the desert". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2021-11-13. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
^Smith, James Emerson (13 November 2021). "San Diego MTS determined to rehab 'Impossible Railroad' despite latest setback in the desert". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
Hanft, Robert M. (1984). San Diego & Arizona: The Impossible Railroad. Trans-Anglo Books, Glendale, CA. ISBN978-0-87046-071-5.
Further reading
Copenhaver, Geroge C. (6 May 2007). "Geology of the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway, San Diego and Imperial Counties, California, U.S.A. and Baja California, Mexico". Cordlilleran Section - 103 Annual Meeting. The Geological Society of America.
External links
MSS 438. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library.
January 06, 2023
diego, arizona, eastern, railway, confused, with, arizona, eastern, railway, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, includes, list, general, ref. Not to be confused with Arizona Eastern Railway This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations December 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information December 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company reporting mark SDAE is a short line American railroad founded in 1906 as the San Diego and Arizona Railway SD amp A by sugar magnate developer and entrepreneur John D Spreckels Dubbed The Impossible Railroad by many engineers of its day due to the immense logistical challenges involved the line was established in part to provide San Diego with a direct rail link to the east by connecting with the Southern Pacific Railroad lines in El Centro California San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway CompanyCarrizo Gorge trestleOverviewHeadquartersJames R Mills Building1255 Imperial AvenueSan Diego CAReporting markSDAELocaleCalifornia and MexicoDates of operation1932 PresentTechnicalTrack gauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm standard gaugeRoute mapThe SD amp A s 146 4 mile 235 61 km route originates in San Diego California and terminates in El Centro California The SD amp AE uses about 108 miles 174 km of the original SD amp A system broken into four segments 1 Main Line Runs 15 5 miles 24 94 km from Downtown San Diego south to San Ysidro Also used by the San Diego Trolley s Blue Line La Mesa Branch Runs 16 1 miles 25 91 km east to the city of El Cajon Also used by the San Diego Trolley s Orange Line Coronado Branch currently unused Splits from the Main Line in National City and runs 7 2 miles 11 59 km south to Imperial Beach Desert Line unused since 2008 2 Runs 69 9 miles 112 49 km from the Mexico United States border near Tecate to Plaster City SD amp AE took over the SD amp A s operations in 1933 after financial troubles led Spreckels descendants to sell their interests in the railroad to the Southern Pacific Through the years natural disasters and vandalism rendered sections of the line unserviceable and portions of the line have been sold to various interests In 1979 the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System MTS bought the SD amp AE from Southern Pacific to establish the San Diego Trolley an intra county light rail passenger line The remaining track into Imperial County is available for freight service as part of the sale condition to MTS by Southern Pacific As of 2021 the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad has exclusive trackage rights on the SD amp AE Main Line and La Mesa Branch to move railcars from the end of the BNSF Railway in Downtown San Diego to industrial customers in the San Diego area and the Mexico United States border at San Ysidro Contents 1 Timeline 1 1 Early 20th century 1 2 Late 20th century 1 3 2000s 1 4 2010s 2 See also 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External linksTimeline EditThis article is in list format but may read better as prose You can help by converting this article if appropriate Editing help is available October 2022 Fallen Southern Pacific Railroad cars in Carrizo Gorge 2010 Early 20th century Edit October 24 1932 Financial problems force Spreckels heirs to transfer their share of San Diego and Arizona SD amp A ownership to the Southern Pacific Transportation Company for 2 8 million February 1 1933 The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway is incorporated and assumes all operations of the SD amp A 1934 Operation of the three gasoline electric units is discontinued January 11 1951 The SD amp AE ends passenger service after years of declining patronage 1967 The railroad hauls 46 million ton miles of revenue freight on its 136 mi 219 km of line May 20 1970 The Southern Pacific Railroad SP relinquishes its interest in the 44 mile 71 km Tijuana and Tecate Railway to one of Mexico s national railways Ferrocarril Sonora Baja California S A de C V September 10 1976 Hurricane Kathleen destroys major sections of track and bridges on the Desert Line 1978 The Interstate Commerce Commission ICC denies SP s request to abandon the railway 3 August 20 1979 San Diego s Metropolitan Transit Development Board MTDB purchases the SD amp AE Railway Company in restored condition for 18 1 million the SP retains ownership to the Plaster City to El Centro segment The ICC approves operation of freight service by Kyle Railways under contract to MTDB The MTDB reorganizes the SD amp AE as a Nevada nonprofit corporation Late 20th century Edit January 1980 Washouts caused by desert storms displace parts of the SD amp AE Desert Line and S BC Tijuana y Tecate lines in both the US and Mexico January 1983 With the Mexico damage repaired Kyle Railways begins rail shipments between San Diego and Plaster City June 18 1983 Fire destroys two bridges on the Desert Line 4 March 18 1984 The MTDB signs agreement with the Texas firm RailTex to provide freight service The new service operates as the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad SD amp IV with the reporting mark SDIV April 25 1984 The ICC denies Kyle Railways request to abandon the railroad August 9 1984 The ICC approves RailTex s application to operate freight service October 15 1984 RailTex s San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad begins freight service from San Diego to El Cajon and San Diego to San Ysidro during nighttime hours when MTS San Diego Trolley s LRV s are not in operation December 1 1985 La Mesa based Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association Inc PSRM reincarnates the San Diego amp Arizona Railway SD amp A and begins vintage 16 mile 26 km roundtrip passenger excursion Golden State round trips on the railway in Campo between Campo to Miller Creek and or Division with steam and diesel vintage trains The museum maintains equipment and corporate records of both the SD amp A SD amp AE Railways August 1 1986 The SD amp IV enters into a multi year agreement with Mexico s Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes SCT to set tariffs and provide freight service into Baja California July 1 1987 Ferrocarril Sonora Baja California S A de C V and major Mexican railroads merge into a single system now Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico FNM October 10 1987 PSRM is invited by the city of Tecate to run a special train from Campo to Tecate for the city s fair The event is a success and Ticket to Tecate excursion trains become regular once or twice a month July 14 1989 SD amp IV begins repairs on the Desert Line as a prelude to the start of freight service to Imperial County August 2 1996 Southern Pacific SP is bought by Union Pacific UP July 4 1997 Lakeside based Carrizo Gorge Railway Inc CZRY is formed to operate and repair the Desert Line 2000s Edit January 4 2000 RailTex is acquired by RailAmerica and the railroad s reporting mark is changed to SDIY 2000 FNM is privatized Ownership of the Tijuana Tecate line is transferred to SCT and is administrated by the state of Baja California through the new Administradora de la Via Corta Tijuana Tecate ADMICARGA signs a new contract with SDIY July 1 2001 ADMICARGA assigns Carrizo Gorge Railway Inc CZRY as the new railroad operator After 16 years of operation in Mexico RailTex s SD amp IV retires CZRY subcontracts the line s operation to Ferrocarriles Peninsulares del Noroeste S A de C V FPN led by local businessman German Reyes Gil May 15 2004 With repairs to Tunnels 8 and 16 complete and destroyed bridges rebuilt including the Goat Canyon Trestle the CZRY officially reopens freight service to Plaster City and the Union Pacific Railroad interchange Major shipments of sand from the Imperial Valley are used to supply ready mixed concrete to the San Diego construction markets and other carloads into Mexico as well such as lumber and grain April 20 2005 Tierra Madre Consultants create Tierra Madre Railway which buys a caboose TMRX 1 and leases it to Tren Turistico del Noroeste S A de C V a proposed tourist train operating from Tijuana to Tecate and from Mexicali to Puerto Penasco October 17 2008 The Carrizo Gorge Railway suspends traffic on the Desert Line between Campo and Plaster City so it can rehabilitate tracks to serve the Port of Ensenada s intermodal terminal a project of the government of Baja California December 25 2009 A fire damages Tunnel 3 Lindero ending the Ticket to Tecate excursions 2010s Edit January 1 2012 Baja California Railroad Inc replaces the Carrizo Gorge Railway as the rail operator as a decision from ADMICARGA on the Tijuana Tecate segment July 2012 Genesee amp Wyoming agrees to purchase RailAmerica owner of SDIY for 1 39 billion 5 6 The U S Surface Transportation Board approves the deal on December 19 2012 7 August 31 2012 The Surface Transportation Board approves a Change in Operator Exemption granting operational control of the 70 01 mile Desert Subdivision to the Pacific Imperial Railroad Inc PIR CZRY hands over its major operating control PIR continues to operate jointly with the SD amp IV railroad and plans to continue rehabilitation on the Desert Line and operate as a Class III railroad 8 December 2012 PIR signs a 50 year lease to operate freight trains on SD amp AE track ending CZRY s operating rights Under the lease PIR must complete certain operating goals and repairs by a specified time and make annual payments to SD amp AE of 1 million or 15 of gross revenues whichever is larger 9 January 2013 Pacific Southwest Railway Museum begins making a new operating agreement with MTS March 3 2013 PIR verifies a notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150 31 to change operators of the Desert Line from the SDIY to PIR with the Surface Transportation Board 10 Late March 2013 PIR inspects the Desert Line segment March 27 2013 PIR submits paperwork to the STDB to establish trackage rights on Union Pacific trackage from Plaster City to Seeley 11 June 9 2016 Baja California Railroad subleases the Desert Line Railroad cutting PIR out of most operations and repairs The sublease terms require a 1 million or 7 of gross revenue annual payment down from 15 in the previous lease to MTS The new lease terms also revised the schedule for line repairs with a 10 mile stretch from Coyote Wells to Plaster City now slated to open by the end of 2017 with the section from the border to Coyote Wells to be repaired by April 15 2018 and complete repairs by December 21 2018 12 October 2016 PIR files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy 13 February 2017 Tunnel 6 has collapsed boulders and weeds cover some tracks near Goat Canyon Trestle the San Diego Reader reports 14 October 2017 PIR sells lease to operate freight for 99 years on the desert line to Baja California Railroad MTS still owns the line and BJRR must pay MTS US 1 million per year for the rights to operate BJRR has also announced a three phase plan to rehabilitate the line Phase 1 will cover the border crossing at Division to Jacumba Phase two will cover Plaster City to Dos Cabezas Phase three will be from Jacumba to Dos Cabezas As of February 2019 no rehabilitation work had begun Summer 2020 BJRR stops making its lease payments to MTS 15 July 2021 Tunnel 3 Lindero fixed side of mountain removed November 2021 SD amp AE cancels Baja California Railroad lease 16 See also Edit Trains portalSan Diego and Arizona Railway Baja California Railroad San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad Carrizo Gorge Railway Pacific Imperial Railroad San Diego Electric Railway San Diego TrolleyReferences Edit San Diego amp Arizona Eastern Railway Fact Sheet PDF April 2013 San Diego MTS determined to rehab Impossible Railroad despite latest setback in the desert San Diego Union Tribune 2021 11 13 Retrieved 2021 11 16 Gargrove Dorian 10 September 2014 Crazy Train San Diego Reader Retrieved 10 April 2018 Earl Spencer Pomeroy 21 October 2008 American Far West in the Twentieth Century Yale University Press p 462 ISBN 978 0 300 14267 9 Genesee amp Wyoming to pay 1 39B for RailAmerica STL Today com Associated Press July 23 2012 Retrieved July 23 2012 permanent dead link UPDATE 4 Genesee amp Wyoming to buy RailAmerica for 1 4 billion Reuters July 23 2012 Retrieved July 23 2012 OpenDocument Decision Case No 42772 Surface Transportation Board December 19 2012 Pacific Imperial Railroad Inc Change in Operator Exemption Rail Line of San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company PDF Department of Transportation Meeting of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Board of Directors PDF Metropolitan Transit System December 13 2012 Archived from the original PDF on February 25 2015 MTS SD amp AE Board Document http www sdmts com MTS documents 2013 4 16FinalPkg pdf permanent dead link MTS SD amp AE Board Document http www sdmts com MTS documents 2013 4 16FinalPkg pdf permanent dead link Stewart Joshua June 9 2016 Border rail line to connect U S Mexico The San Diego Union Tribune Retrieved June 10 2016 Hargrove Dorian 2016 10 27 Pacific Imperial Railroad opts for bankruptcy San Diego Reader Retrieved 2017 02 04 Hargrove Dorian 2017 02 03 MTS responds to Baja Rail charges San Diego Reader Retrieved 2017 02 04 San Diego MTS determined to rehab Impossible Railroad despite latest setback in the desert San Diego Union Tribune 2021 11 13 Retrieved 2021 11 16 Smith James Emerson 13 November 2021 San Diego MTS determined to rehab Impossible Railroad despite latest setback in the desert San Diego Union Tribune Retrieved 13 November 2021 Hanft Robert M 1984 San Diego amp Arizona The Impossible Railroad Trans Anglo Books Glendale CA ISBN 978 0 87046 071 5 Further reading EditCopenhaver Geroge C 6 May 2007 Geology of the San Diego amp Arizona Eastern Railway San Diego and Imperial Counties California U S A and Baja California Mexico Cordlilleran Section 103 Annual Meeting The Geological Society of America External links EditMiddlebrook Photographs of San Diego amp Arizona Railway Locomotives MSS 438 Special Collections amp Archives UC San Diego Library Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway amp oldid 1114452786, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
