San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway

San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway

Company type	Public
Industry	Railroad
Predecessor	San Diego and Arizona Railway
Founded	1932
Founder	John D. Spreckels (founder of predecessor)
Headquarters	San Diego , United States
Area served	San Diego County, Imperial County, California, United States
Products	Freight rail transport, passenger rail transport (historical)
Owner	San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board (since 1979)
Parent	San Diego Metropolitan Transit System

The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway is a short-line railroad in the United States, established in 1932 as the successor to the San Diego and Arizona Railway (SD&A), which was originally launched in 1906 by businessman John D. Spreckels. Often referred to as "The Impossible Railroad" because of the formidable obstacles encountered during its construction, it was designed to offer San Diego a direct rail route eastward by connecting with the Southern Pacific Railroad at El Centro, California. Since 1979, ownership has been under the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board and its successor entity, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System.

Network

At its height, the SD&A operated a continuous line from San Diego to El Centro. Presently, the SD&AE oversees approximately of this route divided into four distinct sections:

• Main Line: Extends from downtown San Diego southward to San Ysidro, also utilized by the San Diego Trolley's Blue Line.
• La Mesa Branch: Runs eastward to El Cajon, serving as the corridor for the San Diego Trolley’s Orange Line.
• Coronado Branch (currently out of service): Diverges at National City and continues south to Imperial Beach.
• Desert Line (inactive since 2008): Stretches from the Mexico–United States border near Tecate to Plaster City.

History

The origins of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway trace back to December 14, 1906, when entrepreneur John D. Spreckels announced his intention to establish the San Diego and Arizona (SD&A) Railway. This project aimed to create a direct rail connection from San Diego eastward by linking with the Southern Pacific (SP) lines at El Centro, California. Spreckels maintained a discreet financial arrangement with SP. Construction commenced on September 7, 1907.

In 1909, an agreement was reached with the Mexican Government permitting track construction across the border. This led to the formation of the Tijuana and Tecate Railway, which secured a 99-year lease for the Mexican portion of the line.

The building process encountered significant obstacles that earned it the moniker "The Impossible Railroad." These included revolutionary conflicts in Mexico and wartime restrictions imposed by U.S. authorities that caused delays. The line was completed on November 15, 1919, with total expenditures reaching $18 million (equivalent to $ million today).

Following completion, operational challenges persisted: severe flooding in the late 1920s inflicted extensive damage requiring costly repairs, culminating in over $600,000 spent after disasters in 1932. After Spreckels passed away in 1926, his heirs sold their holdings to SP in 1933. Passenger operations ceased on January 11, 1951. In 1970, SP transferred its stake in the Tijuana and Tecate Railway to Mexico's Ferrocarril Sonora–Baja California.

In 1976, Hurricane Kathleen devastated critical segments east of San Diego. Although SP petitioned for abandonment of service, this request was denied by the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1978. Subsequently, in 1979, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) acquired the SD&AE for $18.1 million following SP’s commitment to undertake necessary repairs.

This purchase granted MTDB vital rights-of-way: transforming the SD&AE Main Line into what is now known as the Blue Line of the San Diego Trolley and converting the La Mesa Branch into the Orange Line.

SP retained ownership of the Desert Line between Plaster City and El Centro (currently part of Union Pacific's El Centro Subdivision), maintaining freight service responsibilities. In 1984, MTDB entered into a contract with the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad to continue freight operations extending from downtown San Diego to industrial clients and across the Mexico–United States border at San Ysidro.

Freight traffic between San Ysidro and Plaster City has faced ongoing difficulties due to natural disasters and border-related complexities, resulting in multiple shutdowns since 1979; this segment has remained inactive since 2008. In November 2021, MTDB terminated its lease with the most recent operator, Baja California Railroad. The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum currently operates on a portion near Campo.

External resources

• Middlebrook Collection of Photographs Featuring San Diego & Arizona Railway Locomotives MSS 438. Held by the Special Collections & Archives at the University of California, San Diego Library.