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A Dream Come True! A Trip Into The Carrizo Gorge 12/5-6/2003

Once upon a time, a railroad was built east from San Diego to Seeley (El Centro) as the San Diego & Arizona, known as The Impossible Railroad, which was completed on November 15, 1919. It ran from San Diego south to the border with Mexico at San Ysidro and crossed into Mexico through Tijuana to Tecate. Northeast of Tecate, the railroad crossed back into the United States to Campo then east of there, it ran through Clover Flats then across the high 600 foot long Upper Campo Creek viaduct before crossing the Coast Range at Hipass at an elevation of 3,660 feet and descending the grade to Jacumba and Dubbers.

From Hipass to the desert floor 3440 feet below, the railroad builders faced their greatest challenge, the Carrizo Gorge, in order to complete the line. In order to maintain the 2.2 percent gradient and keep the curvature down, the need existed for extensive tunnels and trestle work. The line was built to a 2.2 percent grade and hung on a ledge 1,000 feet above the normally-dry stream. The 17 tunnels in the Carrizo Gorge, if combined, have a total length of 13,385 feet. The whole 11 miles through the Carrizo Gorge cost $4 million dollars in 1919 and some of the final costs of building the San Diego & Arizona came from the 21 tunnels which covered almost three miles of the line at $1.8 million. There was nearly 2.5 miles of bridgework and the total per mile cost came to $129,000, which would be very high for building a railroad in those days.

The railroad struggled on in its early days facing avalanches, blocking Tunnel 7 on May 10th, 1920, border closings with Mexico in 1929 and a tunnel fire at Tunnel 3 in Mexico in January 1932. Damage from rainstorms came in 1926, 1927 and 1929, then on March 27, 1929, a slide blocked Tunnel 15. The company had had enough of problems with Tunnel 15 and eliminated part of it, building the 636 foot, 185 foot high wood-pile Goat Creek Trestle. The trestle was made out of wood because steel would have expanded and contracted in the extreme temperatures of the Carrizo Gorge from below freezing in the winter to the over 110 degree temperatures in the summer.

Months later, on October 22, 1929, Tunnel 7 burned and this time was bypassed by a seven degree curve. On October 24, 1932, the Southern Pacific Railroad gained control of the railroad, changing its name to the San Diego & Arizona Eastern. The last passenger train ran on January 11, 1951. The SP operated the line with little problem until 1951, when washouts and floods near Tunnel 8 and 10 shut down the line once more until repairs could be made. Things returned back to normal with no more large operating problems until September 10, 1976, when the final major disaster hit the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railroad, Tropical Storm Kathleen, which wiped out the line in the desert. Three trestles were completely destroyed and five others damaged, as well as 50 washouts and slides.

The SP announced that it would cost $1.27 million dollars to repair the line and they were not about to go out and repair the railroad with a long history of problems with little profit, if any, to be made. However, they were willing to sell the line if a buyer came forward. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit Board wanted the SD&AE right-of-way in San Diego County for its future light rail lines and Tropical Storm Kathleen had actually done the SDMTB a favour, making the whole SD&AE available at a price of $18.1 million, with the SP agreeing to restore the line to service. In 1979-1980, Tijuana suffered its worst flooding, damaging the railroad once again in Mexico.

However, it was restored again through the Carrizo Gorge in 1980 and through service resumed. Kyle Railways operated the railroad as the San Diego & Arizona Eastern until 1984 the line was shut down when a fire closed the line at Tunnel 6 in the Carrizo Gorge and it looked as though it might never be repaired as the years continued to roll by. In March 1984, the SDMTB signed an agreement with RailTex to operate the line as the San Diego & Imperial Valley and started service on October 15, 1984. RailTex was then acquired by RailAmerica on January 4th, 2000 and the Mexican segment was subcontracted to the Carrizo Gorge Railroad on July 1, 2001 after a failed shortline privatization of the Tijuana and Tecate, which was acquired by the state government of Baja California Norte. In February 2002, the CZRY received permission to operate into Campo from Mexico and east.

The Carrizo Gorge Railroad had a goal in mind when they started to operate trains on this historic railroad. They wanted to re-open the line through the Carrizo Gorge to through freight train service and started with Tunnels 2 and 3 in Mexico, returning them to service in 2001. However, in the gorge, the trestle at MP 97.94 had a left side cave-in and Tunnel 6 had collapsed since 1983. Tunnel 8 had major problems due to a landslide and Tunnel 14 had an obstruction inside. The Goat Creek Trestle, the world's largest wooden trestle, had been a victim of vandalism, mostly by para-military types, dropping rocks onto the wooden supports below. Tunnel 16 had over 100 feet of debris inside from cave-ins over the years since trains operated. Additionally, boulders had fallen onto the tracks over the years and with the wildfire and other acts of vandalism, the crews had a huge repair job to return the line to service.

They started the work slowly making their way into the Carrizo Gorge with repairs to Tunnel 8 completed in September 2003 and with all other work completed, that left only Tunnel 16 to be finished. It looked as though it would be done by the end of December and after a few test trains, freight service could resume again in the first quarter of 2004 after more than twenty years, if all went according to plan.

It started when I bought "San Diego & Arizona - the Impossible Railroad" by Robert M. Hanft, which is where I obtained some of the above information. Reading the book made me want to ride this railroad some day and I started with the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum's train at Campo on their train ride east to Miller Creek in 1983. Next was the trip from Campo to San Diego via Tecate and Tijuana on March 30th, 1984. I became sober on January 18th, 1995 and to prove to myself and my parents that I could ride a train in Mexico sober, I rode a San Ysidro-to-Tecate excursion train on February 24th, 1996.

A train ride later that year to Campo provided a steam train to Miller Creek behind former Southern Pacific 4-6-0 2353 on September 21st, 1996. My fifth trip on the railroad on April 26th, 1997 with the the Jacumba and Beyond excursion which took me east of Miller Creek, over the Upper Campo Creek viaduct to a point near Dubbers near the entrance to the Carrizo Gorge. I had ridden this far on the San Diego & Arizona Railroad, but knew it would take something truly special to happen so that I could ride into the Gorge and the name of was the Carrizo Gorge Railroad.

I saw a posting on Altamont Press' Railroadnews.net on November 17th, 2003 that ran in the Imperial Valley News called "Tour underscores tenacity needed to complete link". In that article, they mentioned future excursions to be operated. Richard Elgenson, a good friend and fellow Trainweb.com reporter, called the Carrizo Gorge Railroad and spoke with Geoffrey Shuerman, who invited Richard and I aboard a special train from Jacumba to Tunnel 16 on December 6th, 2003. Planning started for this very special trip and Richard took care of the hotel and we were set to leave on December 5th.

Richard picked me up and we were on the highway by 3:00 PM, driving south towards the San Diego area, encountering rush hour traffic first on southbound Interstate 5 near Del Mar, which took us onto Interstate 805, although that was not any better. We drove east on California Highway 52 which finally broke loose and we turned south on California Highway 126 but had more stop-and-go traffic after the ramp for the transition to Interstate 8. We decided to find the In and Out in El Cajon for dinner and enjoyed our meals then once we resumed our journey, traffic was much better as we made our way east on Interstate 8 the remaining 14 miles to Alpine, where we stayed the night at the very rustic Country Inn.

12/06/2003 After an excellent rest, we drove east once more with Richard putting on U2's "Beautiful Day", the perfect song for this most wonderful day of my life. We went down Interstate 8 to Boulevard, where we turned onto California Highway 94, taking us to Jacumba then left onto Railroad Street and crossed the dry Boundary Creek before arriving at the parking area behind the still-standing SD&A depot.

The consist of our train was Carrizo Gorge Railway GP9 5911, ex. San Diego and Imperial Valley 5911, exx. Kyle Railways 5921, nee Denver and Rio Grande Western 5921 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1955 and Carrizo Gorge 56-seat coach 5601, ex. Amtak 5601, exx. Seaboard Coast Line 5061, nee Atlantic Coast Line 201 built by Budd Company in 1939. The coach was filled with all seats taken and a few standees for this special excursion which was destined to go further than the location to which I rode in April 1997.

We departed Jacumba at 9:05 AM with everyone onboard having a sense of excitement of the views we would be seeing in just a few minutes and the conductor sought questions before explaining the history of the Goat Creek Trestle. We proceeded along at a nice slow pace which gave everyone great views through the large windows. The train rounded a hill before passing Titus siding filled with ballast cars then crossed Boundary Creek and passed Round Mountain to the west before ducking under the Interstate 8 bridge and passing the De Anza Springs Campground, where I travelled on the 1997 journey. I then ventured into the vestibule to find a television interview occuring and chose the left-hand vestibule window for the future Carrizo Gorge pictures as I started my new mileage. We crossed Carrizo Creek on a 316 foot low wooden trestle as the land started to become more rocky in nature. Large boulders could now be seen so I knew we were getting close to the beginning of the gorge.

The Carrizo Gorge started just over this ridge. We crossed another couple of trestles, the second one at 135 feet, before reaching Dubbers spur, where maintenance-of-way equipment was on hand.

We were almost to the ridge.

Entering the 398.6 foot long Tunnel 5 with the Carrizo Gorge beyond and my anticipation of at an all-time high.

The Carrizo Gorge started.

We exited from Tunnel 5 finding where Carrizo Creek meets Walker Canyon from the west. The valley we had been riding in suddenly started to become the Carrizo Gorge as the stream bed has eroded down through the years into the start of the great chasm we entered.

A closer view of the trestle as the gorge deepened. The rails were now on a ledge cut out along the rock wall and in places, four trestles were required to make the route possible. The third one has several grates missing and the fourth has the left side partially caved in.

The Carrizo Gorge was so unspoiled by man!

Does it get any better than this?

One very impressive natural location on God's great earth.

A speeder followed our train all the way to Tunnel 6.

Riding on the edge!

About to enter the 382.4 foot long Tunnel 6, after which the tracks snaked high above the gorge before we crossed two more short trestles, a 90 foot long one and a shorter one. We stopped for a photo opportunity and this location has one of the greatest views inside the Gorge.

While a vestibule is good for pictures, having to share it meant I might miss something. I asked Geoffrey Shuerman if it would be possible to ride on the locomotives's walkway, thus allowing ease in photography. He responded that that was what he wanted all the press to do, so I made my way to the gorge side of the engine and minutes later, Richard found me before we resumed our rail adventure. Standing there, looking out and down into the Carrizo Gorge, it was true that I was really living one of my railroad dreams.

What would this look like in a flash flood?

What a fantastic view from the front of the locomotive.

"God's Country!" This was a much better view as the train started moving again since it was now easier to look up, across and down into the Carrizo Gorge.

"Words just can't describe!" I detrained for a quick picture of our fellow travellers during our five-minute stop here.

Unique streaks in the rocks.

The remains of a construction camp.

From the bottom to the top, it was all spectacular!

Rails along a ledge.

Looking ahead of the train.

From the top all the way to the bottom.

The Carrizo Gorge was becoming deeper and deeper.

Tunnels were the only choice to build this line. We passed the location of Tunnel 7, which collapsed on October 22, 1932, as the train went around the rocky point high above the gorge.

The 2,527 foot long Tunnel 8, the one tunnel that the railroad reopened the south entrance using gunite, a concrete mixture under pressure over steel reinforcements, which has stabilized the tunnel.

The remains of an empty Coors Beer boxcar from a derailment in 1953.

Tunnel 8. Talk about one long tunnel and the dusty world inside the tunnel's darkness. Of course, the locomotive's headlight and ditch lights showed the way to the northern exit. There was a spring above the tracks to the right of the northern entrance.

Love those rocks!

Love those rocks to the power of ten.

From the wash all the way to the sky. We crossed a 15 foot trestle as we made our way to Tunnels 9 and 10, which are in line.

The side canyon coming into the gorge.

Tunnel 9 is 925 feet long.

Tunnel 10.

Our train snaked its way to Tunnel 11, which is 381 feet long. Beyond this tunnel is the Carrizo Gorge siding, which is only 863 feet long, but was the only place that a siding could be built. The view from here was spectacular as well and while the views were ever-changing, the whole Carrizo Gorge was one of the most stunning places I had visited by rail in North America.

The Carrizo Gorge was a magical place.

Tunnel 12 at the 342 feet long.

Tunnel 13 at a length of 299 feet.

A few more curves with fabulous views took us to Tunnel 14, which is the longest tunnel we would pass through today, at 2,597 feet.

We continued to curve along our ledge to the former location of Tunnel 15, which collapsed on March 27th, 1932, and its north portal.

We travelled through Tunnel 15A to the Goat Creek Trestle; this tunnel closure led to the construction of the Goat Creek Trestle.

We passed through the 177.7 foot long Tunnel 15A then stopped just short of the trestle.

Here it was announced that all press members could walk across the Goat Creek Trestle in order to photograph our train crossing the trestle. Richard and I detrained and started to walk over this 185 foot tall and 633 foot long wood-pile bridge. This was was a defiantly a highlight of my train-riding career. Everyone who detrained went to the shady side of the trestle, while Richard followed me down the tunnel spur to the end, then continued to a point that almost reached a ninety degree angle. Off to the left on the slope was the remains of the Tunnel 15 portal on about a 15 degree angle. With the bridge now in front of us, what a scene!

This was most extensive wooden bridge I have ever seen. It looked impressive in pictures but seeing it in person was completely different. One could see into the gorge looking through the pilings.

Our train passing slowly over the trestle. We walked back over to the train, now stopped beyond the Tunnel Spur.

Our train laying over at Tunnel 16.

Looking back at Tunnel 16. Once a San Diego Union Tribune reporter finished, I had the opportunity to talk with Carrizo Gorge Railway President Gary Sweetwood and having listened to the interview prior to talking to Gary, I learned US Representative Bob Filner, Democrat, San Diego, had secured 10 million dollars to restore this line. Once the line re-opened, the railroad expected to take care of all the small items, including upgrades to the rail line. Some of the rail was 75 pounds and laid in 1917 when the line was built, which needed to be replaced to today's standard of 115 pounds so it is able to handle the modern freight cars. Future traffic bases, propane gas, sand and gravel, were also discussed and the railroad should be successful if it lands them. I enjoyed my visit with Gary before Richard had a nice chat.

Richard and Gary in conversation. A few minutes later, after an 'all aboard' and a toot of the horn, Richard joined me again on the locomotive as we started the journey back to Jacumba.

Loving the view!

Flora, fauna and rocks!

I would never tire of this view. Our locomotive was now pushing our coach back to Jacumba and we went past the tunnel spur then out onto the Goat Creek Trestle, this time everyone was riding the train, then entered Tunnel 15A and as we curved inside this tunnel, my view of the trestle disappeared.

While I was focused on the Carrizo Gorge on the way out, I now found myself looking at the rocks, gorge walls and the vegetation.

Rails on the edge.

I have always liked cacti and the various type of cacti found here were amazing. I did not spot any big horn sheep, although Gary said the sheep do come down to the construction area.

Looking out of Tunnel 8.

The way out of the Carrizo Gorge.

Beauty is never hidden in the desert.

Those white veins in the rocks wer fantastic.

The east end of the gorge siding.

The west end.

Another way to hike out?

Cut right out of the rocks.

Here is a curve, here is a bridge. With the sun in a different location, the lighting in the gorge was slightly different than earlier and looking towards the sun, the shadows were less-pronounced. I was really enjoying myself and what an incredible journey this was.

The return trip seemed a lot quicker and as we neared the upper reaches of the Carrizo Gorge, I began to feel sad that this experience was coming to an end. Then it hit me that what an incredible occurence I had just lived.

Always a view of a ridge.

What a route!

Would you model this railroad?

Imagine if you had to build this railroad.

Nearing the upper end of the gorge.

I love those colours!

On the approach to Tunnel 5 and our exit from Carrizo Gorge. I was certainly glad Richard had made that phone call and thought about asking me to join him.

On the way back to Jacumba. The biggest thanks goes to the Carrizo Gorge Railway for having me here representing Trainweb.com. This was a spectacular trip and one I will never forget. We exited the gorge and returned to Jacumba at 12:50 PM.

The Trip Home

Once we arrived, there were several photographs to take before we left.

The Jacumba San Diego & Eastern Railroad station built in 1919 and used by the Carrizo Gorge Railway.

Carrizo Gorge Railway F7A 100, ex. Washington Central 100, exx. Texas Southern 100, exxx. United States Steel 723A, nee Bessemer and Lake Erie 723A built by Electro-Motive Division in 1952. It operated on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train out of Renton.

The fire train.

Amtrak chair-observation car 4462, ex. Santa Fe 2960, nee Santa Fe 3245, built by Budd Company in 1941.

Former Amtrak baggage car, nee New York Central 91xx built by American Car and Foundry in 1946.

Carrizo Gorge Railway F7B 101, ex. Washington Central 101, exx. Texas Southern 101, nee Bessemer and Lake Erie 723B built by Electro-Motive Division in 1953.

Southern Pacific wooden open-vestibule coaches which were maintenance-of-way worker dormitories during construction of the Desert Line at the beginning of the last century.

Trackside buildings.

Looking east down the railroad tracks through Jacumba.

Our train resting in front of the depot.

Carrizo Gorge Railway F7A 102, ex. Texas Southern 102, nee Bessemer and Lake Erie 724A built by Electro-Motive Division in 1952.

Carrizo Gorge Railway S4 1464, ex. Relco 1065, exx. Stanley Claster Incorporated 1733, exx. Southern Pacific 1733, nee Texas and New Orleans 45, built by American Locomotive Company in 1947, brought us to the conclusion of our visit here.

Richard and I drove back to Santa Ana, stopping only for petrol in Oceanside. This return home brought to a climactic end to one of the most unusual and unique rail adventures I had experienced.

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