   #copyright

San Diego and Arizona Railway

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Railway transport

                  San Diego and Arizona Railway
                              logo
    Reporting marks   SDA
         Locale       California and Mexico
   Dates of operation 1919 – 1932
      Track gauge     4  ft 8½  in (1435  mm) ( standard gauge)
      Headquarters    San Diego, California

   The San Diego and Arizona Railway was a short line American railroad (
   AAR reporting mark SDA) founded by "sugar heir," developer, and
   entrepreneur John D. Spreckels, and dubbed "The Impossible Railroad" by
   many engineers of its day due to the immense logistical challenges
   involved. Established in part to provide San Diego with a direct
   transcontinetal rail link to the east by connecting with the Southern
   Pacific Railroad (which secretly provided the funding for the endeavor)
   lines in El Centro, California, the 148- mile (238- kilometer) route of
   the SD&A originated in San Diego, California and terminated in the
   Imperial County town of Calexico.

   The company charter was executed on December 14, 1906, and the
   groundbreaking ceremony was held on the following September. Numerous
   delays (including government intervention during World War I) delayed
   the completion of the line to November 15, 1919. Damage to the lines
   from both natural disasters and sabotage exerted great financial
   pressure on the company, and in 1932 Spreckels' heirs sold their
   interests in the railroad to the Southern Pacific, which was theafter
   named the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE).

History

   The company was chartered on December 14, 1906, and groundbreaking
   ceremonies held at the intersection of San Diego's Main and 26th
   Streets on September 7, 1907. Construction delays, attacks by Mexican
   revolutionaries, and government intervention during World War I all
   served to push the construction completion to November 15, 1919 when
   the "golden spike" was finally driven by none other than John Spreckels
   himself.
   J.D. Spreckels drives the "golden spike" to ceremonially complete the
   San Diego and Arizona Railway on November 15, 1919.
   Enlarge
   J.D. Spreckels drives the "golden spike" to ceremonially complete the
   San Diego and Arizona Railway on November 15, 1919.

   The first through SD&A passenger train left Campo on the morning of
   December 30, and made the full run from El Centro to San Diego's
   downtown Union Station for the official opening of the line on December
   1, 1919. The total construction cost of the 146.4 miles of track laid
   was approximately $18 million, or some $123,000 per mile; the original
   estimate was $6 million. The 11-mile long segment through Carrizo Gorge
   (which included 13,385 feet of tunnels, 17 in all) alone cost over $4
   million to construct; the three miles of tunnels (21 total) along the
   entire line ran another $1.8 million. Almost 2.5 miles of bridges and
   trestles were built as well.

   The tracks departed downtown San Diego south where they crossed the
   U.S.-Mexico border at San Ysidro. From there the line traversed
   eastward through Tijuana, then headed northeast through Tecate and back
   over the border to the town of Campo. To construct and maintain the
   44-mile (72 kilometer) stretch through Mexico the SD&A formed the
   Tijuana and Tecate Railway, at the behest of the Mexican government.
   East of Campo the road traveled through Clover Flats, across the Coast
   Range (elevation 3,660 feet), then descended through the breathtaking
   but treacherous Carrizo Gorge, the builders' most significant obstacle.
   Though the SD&A line ended in Seeley, trackage rights gave the railroad
   the ability to run trains as far east as El Centro and as far south as
   Calexico. Branch lines ran from downtown to as far north and east as
   the community of Lakeside, with a separate line which circumvented San
   Diego Bay to service Coronado Heights, Coronado, and North Island.

   Damage to the lines from heavy rainstorms, landslides, and fires took a
   financial toll on the railroad, as did border closings with Mexico.
   Clashes with the IWW resulted in acts of vandalism as well. In 1932,
   financial difficulties forced Spreckels' heirs to sell their interests
   in the firm for $2.8 million to the Southern Pacific, which renamed the
   railroad the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE).

Timeline

     * 1873: The Texas and Pacific Railroad fails in an attempt to
       estabish a direct rail link between San Diego and the East during
       the " Panic of 1873."
     * 1905: The San Diego and Eastern Railroad (SD&E) conducts a survey
       for a planned rail line to Arizona but folds prior to commencing
       track laying.
     * December 14, 1906: John D. Spreckels announces he will form the San
       Diego and Arizona Railway Company (SD&A) and build a 148-mile line
       between San Diego and El Centro. Spreckels has an agreement with
       the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) to silently fund the project
       (ironically, Spreckels later became an outspoken critic of the
       Southern Pacific Railroad and their monopolistic practices, and
       often used his newspaper interests as a platform to denounce the
       company and its officers).
     * September 7, 1907: Groundbreaking ceremonies for the SD&A are held
       in downtown San Diego at the foot of 26th Street (now known as
       Dewey Street) and Main Street. The line will follow in part the
       route surveyed by the defunct SD&E.

   The first SD&A passenger train on its way to San Diego on December 1,
   1919.
   Enlarge
   The first SD&A passenger train on its way to San Diego on December 1,
   1919.
     * 1909: The Mexican Government orders the SD&A to form the Tijuana
       and Tecate Railway Company, which will construct and hold a 99-year
       lease on the 44-mile Mexican rail segment.
     * July 29, 1910: The first passenger train on the SD&A enters Mexico.
     * 1911: Mexican revolutionaries mount several attacks on the SD&A
       construction crews to conscript soldiers and supplies, and cut
       telephone wires.
     * 1916: The "Great Flood" washes out several rail lines. World War I
       increases the cost of railway construction materials by 50 to 150
       percent.
     * 1917: The U.S. federal government seizes control of all railroads
       and stops construction of the SD&A as part of its war effort to
       conserve resources, but later grants Spreckels special exemption on
       the grounds the SD&A will serve a military installation. The SD&A
       absorbs the struggling San Diego and Southeastern Railway (SDSR),
       assuming operation of the company's steam divisions and
       gas-electric motor cars. The San Diego Electric Railway (SDERy)
       continues to operate the interurban line to Chula Vista under
       lease. The remaining SDSR tracks not damaged in the previous year's
       flooding function as a "bridge" line between the SD&A and SDERy,
       which allows for the interchange of freight traffic.
     * November 15, 1919: The "golden spike" is driven and construction of
       the SD&A is completed at a cost of $18 million (three times the
       original estimate).

   The first SD&A through passenger train "arrives" in San Diego on
   December 1, 1919 to officially open the line.
   Enlarge
   The first SD&A through passenger train "arrives" in San Diego on
   December 1, 1919 to officially open the line.
     * December 1, 1919: The first passenger train "arrives" in San Diego
       from El Centro for the official line opening ceremony.
     * December 10, 1919: Through Pullman service to Chicago is initiated;
       the cars are switched to the Southern Pacific's Golden State
       passenger train in Yuma.
     * 1922: A new emblem, depicting a scene in the Carrizo Gorge and
       lettered "San Diego Short Line," is adopted.
     * 1926, 1927, and 1929: Heavy rains take out large sections of
       trackage east of San Diego.
     * 1928: Motor service to La Mesa and Lakeside is discontinued.
     * January 1932: Fire breaks out in Tunnel 3 in Baja California, which
       leads to a collapse. Repairs take 45 days.
     * March 27, 1932: A huge mountain slide, loosened by heavy rains,
       blocks the line in the vicinity of Tunnel 15. Repairs are completed
       and freight and passenger services are re-established on July 6 and
       7th.
     * October 22, 1932: Tunnel 7 burns and is subsequently abandoned.
     * October 24, 1932: Financial problems force Spreckels' heirs to
       transfer their share of SD&A ownership to the Southern Pacific
       Transportation Company for $2.8 million.
     * January 23, 1933: A bypass track along the cliff at Tunnel 7 is
       completed and the line is reopened to traffic.
     * February 1, 1933: The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE)
       is incorporated and assumes all operations of the SD&A.

   Retrieved from "
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_and_Arizona_Railway"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
