San Diego and Arizona Railway
The Impossible Railroad
Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Transportation, Railroads, History, Art & Architecture, Photography, Pictorials, Travel
| Author: | Ph.D., Reena Deutsch | ISBN: | 9781439640470 |
| Publisher: | Arcadia Publishing Inc. | Publication: | January 10, 2011 |
| Imprint: | Arcadia Publishing | Language: | English |
| Author: | Ph.D., Reena Deutsch |
| ISBN: | 9781439640470 |
| Publisher: | Arcadia Publishing Inc. |
| Publication: | January 10, 2011 |
| Imprint: | Arcadia Publishing |
| Language: | English |
Surveyors called the San Diego and Arizona Railway (SD&A) �The Impossible Railroad� because of its jagged, mountainous, and brutal desert route. The financier and driving force behind building this binational 148-mile rail connection to the east from San Diego, California, was businessman John D. Spreckels. Because of his perseverance, the jinxed 1907�1919 construction overcame a series of disasters, including the Mexican Revolution, a prolonged lawsuit, floods, World War I, labor shortages, a tunnel cave-in, and a lethal pandemic. Once up and running, the line was intermittently in and out of service and later sold and renamed the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway. While �The Impossible Railroad� still faces constant challenges and partial closures, freight and trolley service currently operate on its right-of-way, and tourist excursions are offered at its Campo, California, depot.
Surveyors called the San Diego and Arizona Railway (SD&A) �The Impossible Railroad� because of its jagged, mountainous, and brutal desert route. The financier and driving force behind building this binational 148-mile rail connection to the east from San Diego, California, was businessman John D. Spreckels. Because of his perseverance, the jinxed 1907�1919 construction overcame a series of disasters, including the Mexican Revolution, a prolonged lawsuit, floods, World War I, labor shortages, a tunnel cave-in, and a lethal pandemic. Once up and running, the line was intermittently in and out of service and later sold and renamed the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway. While �The Impossible Railroad� still faces constant challenges and partial closures, freight and trolley service currently operate on its right-of-way, and tourist excursions are offered at its Campo, California, depot.
