This silent promotional film for the San Diego & Arizona Railway (also known as the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company) was founded in the 1906. The film was preserved thanks to the efforts of railroad enthusiast Jack White. The SD&A railroad was the first modern line between San Diego and the East, and one of the most expensive ever built in the U.S., costing almost $19 million in 1919 ($325m in today’s dollars). Built by sugar magnate John D. Spreckles, the right-of-way rises over 3700 feet from San Diego to El Centro, and in the Carrizo Gorge (spelled “Carriso Gorge in the film at :44) crosses 14 trestles and goes through 21 tunnels in the space of only 11 miles. At (8:22) the “international tunnel” is shown, as the train crosses from the USA into Mexico on the way to the Tecate Valley. At (8:58) a train is shown arriving in Tijuana, Mexico, and at San Diego at (10:20). At (11:08) the famed Hotel del Coronado is shown on Coronado Island. At (11:42) the U.S. Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton is shown as well as Balboa Park (12:07).
The SD&A was 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. In 1932, financial problems forced Spreckels’ heirs to transfer their share of SD&A ownership to the Southern Pacific The passenger line operated until the 1950s, and the right of way remained in use up until the 1980s when portions fell into disrepair. In 2001, the Carrizo Gorge Railway (CZRY) was created to provide freight service (primarily sand hauling) along the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway line between Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, and Plaster City, California, United States. CZRY no longer operates, but the right of way remains valuable and may be utilized by the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad or the Baja California Railroad.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
