San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway

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San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company
San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway logo.png
Carrizo Gorge Railroad Trestle.jpg
Carrizo Gorge trestle
Overview
Parent company San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (1979-present)
Southern Pacific Transportation Company (1932-1979)
Headquarters James R. Mills Building
1255 Imperial Avenue
San Diego, CA
Reporting mark SDAE
LocaleCalifornia and Mexico
Dates of operation1932Present
Predecessor San Diego and Arizona Railway
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Route map
San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway map.png

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&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.

Contents

The SD&A's 146.4-mile (235.61 km) route originates in San Diego, California, and terminates in El Centro, California.

The SD&AE uses about 108 miles (174 km) of the original SD&A system, broken into four segments: [1]

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. Throughout 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.

As of 2021, the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad has exclusive trackage rights on the SD&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.

Timeline

Fallen Southern Pacific Railroad cars in Carrizo Gorge, 2010. Fallen Railroad Cars.jpg
Fallen Southern Pacific Railroad cars in Carrizo Gorge, 2010.

Early 20th century

Late 20th century

2000s

2010s

See also

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References

  1. "San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway Fact Sheet" (PDF). April 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Smith, James Emerson (November 13, 2021). "San Diego MTS determined to rehab 'Impossible Railroad' despite latest setback in the desert". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Background on the Infamous Goat Canyon Trestle Hike". The Last Adventurer. March 21, 2013. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  4. Gargrove, Dorian (September 10, 2014). "Crazy Train". San Diego Reader . Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  5. Earl Spencer Pomeroy (October 21, 2008). American Far West in the Twentieth Century. Yale University Press. p. 462. ISBN   978-0-300-14267-9. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  6. "Genesee & Wyoming to pay $1.39B for RailAmerica". Yahoo! Finance . Greenwich, Conn. Associated Press. July 23, 2012. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  7. "UPDATE 4-Genesee & Wyoming to buy RailAmerica for $1.4 billion". Reuters. July 23, 2012. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  8. "OpenDocument Decision, Case No. 42772". Surface Transportation Board . December 19, 2012.
  9. "Pacific Imperial Railroad, Inc.—Change in Operator Exemption—Rail Line of San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company" (PDF). Department of Transportation . Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  10. Board of Directors (December 13, 2012). "Board Meeting Final Package" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  11. 1 2 San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Board of Directors (April 16, 2013). "Board Meeting Final Package" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  12. Stewart, Joshua (June 9, 2016). "Border rail line to connect U.S., Mexico". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  13. Hargrove, Dorian (October 27, 2016). "Pacific Imperial Railroad opts for bankruptcy". San Diego Reader. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  14. Hargrove, Dorian (February 3, 2017). "MTS responds to Baja Rail charges". San Diego Reader. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.

Further reading