Carrizo Gorge Railway
Encyclopedia
The Carrizo Gorge Railway is a freight operator on the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway
from Tijuana, Mexico to Plaster City, California
(Desert Line), San Diego, California
to La Mesa, California
(Orange Line) and San Diego, California
to Santee, California
(Green Line). The other freight operator on the SD&AE, the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad
, did not want to invest the $5.5 million necessary to repair the collapsed tunnels and bridges in the Carrizo Gorge.
The owners of CZRY, however, believed that the investment would be worthwhile and negotiated trackage rights on the line. The agreement required a fee of 6.9% of the gross revenues from any freight on the SD&AE's Desert Line to Plaster City and $200 per car on any car that would have been brought by the SD&IV to the Coast Line.
Sand hauling is the primary business for the CZRY. The sand is used in making ready-mixed concrete
for the construction markets in San Diego County. There is also minor traffic of other goods between the U.S. and Mexico. Rail car storage is another revenue source.
Usually, you can see a Union Pacific engine pulling a freight. This is because CZRY closely switches with the main Union Pacific line at Plaster City and El Centro.
Additional information regarding the Carrizo Gorge Railway locomotive roster can be found at TrainWeb.org
San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway
The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway is a short-line American railroad originally founded in 1906 as the San Diego and Arizona Railway by sugar heir, developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels...
from Tijuana, Mexico to Plaster City, California
Plaster City, California
Plaster City is an unincorporated community in Imperial County in the U.S. state of California. It is located west of El Centro, at an elevation of 105 feet .United States Gypsum operates a large gypsum quarry and plant there, and owns the town....
(Desert Line), San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
to La Mesa, California
La Mesa, California
La Mesa is a city in San Diego County, California. The population was 57,065 at the 2010 census, up from 54,749 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1869 and officially incorporated as a city on February 16, 1912. Its official flower is the bougainvillea....
(Orange Line) and San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
to Santee, California
Santee, California
Santee is a suburban city in San Diego County, California with a population of 53,413 at the 2010 census. Although it is a part of the East County region, Santee is located just from the Pacific Ocean. The city is connected to the coastline by State Route 52, a six-lane freeway that runs from...
(Green Line). The other freight operator on the SD&AE, the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad
San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad
The San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad is a freight operator on the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway from San Diego, California to San Ysidro, California . The SD&IV has been owned and operated by RailAmerica since 2000; it had been previously owned by RailTex and operated with the...
, did not want to invest the $5.5 million necessary to repair the collapsed tunnels and bridges in the Carrizo Gorge.
Sand hauling is the primary business for the CZRY. The sand is used in making ready-mixed concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
for the construction markets in San Diego County. There is also minor traffic of other goods between the U.S. and Mexico. Rail car storage is another revenue source.
Motive power
- Two EMD F7AEMD F7The EMD F7 was a Diesel-electric locomotive produced between February 1949 and December 1953 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors and General Motors Diesel . It succeeded the F3 model in GM-EMD's F-unit sequence, and was replaced in turn by the F9. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La...
s - One EMD F7BEMD F7The EMD F7 was a Diesel-electric locomotive produced between February 1949 and December 1953 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors and General Motors Diesel . It succeeded the F3 model in GM-EMD's F-unit sequence, and was replaced in turn by the F9. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La...
- Two EMD GP9EMD GP9An EMD GP9 is a four-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division in the United States, and General Motors Diesel in Canada between January, 1954, and August, 1963. US production ended in December, 1959, while an additional thirteen units were built in Canada, including...
s - One EMD GP40M-2
- One Alco S-4 switcher locomotive, ex-RELCO, nee SP.
Usually, you can see a Union Pacific engine pulling a freight. This is because CZRY closely switches with the main Union Pacific line at Plaster City and El Centro.
Additional information regarding the Carrizo Gorge Railway locomotive roster can be found at TrainWeb.org
See also
- San Diego and Arizona Eastern RailwaySan Diego and Arizona Eastern RailwayThe San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway is a short-line American railroad originally founded in 1906 as the San Diego and Arizona Railway by sugar heir, developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels...
- San Diego and Imperial Valley RailroadSan Diego and Imperial Valley RailroadThe San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad is a freight operator on the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway from San Diego, California to San Ysidro, California . The SD&IV has been owned and operated by RailAmerica since 2000; it had been previously owned by RailTex and operated with the...
- San Diego TrolleySan Diego TrolleyThe San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. The operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. , is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System ...
- San Diego & Arizona Railway
- United States GypsumUnited States GypsumUSG Corporation , also known as United States Gypsum Corporation, is a Fortune 500 company that manufactures construction materials. USG Corporation was organized on January 1, 1985 as the holding company of its subsidiaries...
operates a narrow-gauge railroad at Plaster City, California. - List of Mexican railroads
External links
- Carrizo Gorge Railway official website
- Carrizo Gorge Railway Police Dept. official website
- "Binational Implications of Recent Developments on the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway", a position statement issued by the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce
- "Long-blocked rails on track for reopening", an article in the December 7, 2003 issue of the San Diego Union Tribune
- Pacific Southwest Railway Museum official website
- Mexlist, list of currently operating Mexican railways