San Diego & Arizona Eastern 175

This car was used on the San Diego & Arizona Railway’s inaugural passenger train from El Centro to San Diego on December 1st 1919. It went on to serve the railroad for another 40 years. The 175 is a combination coach/baggage car, designed to carry passengers as well as baggage and package-express shipments.

Despite its name, the San Diego & Arizona never reached Arizona, although it did run through Mexico. It ran from San Diego south to Tijuana, Mexico, and then east to El Centro, California where it connected with the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP). The 148-mile line traversed some very rugged country along the California- Mexico border, including the spectacular Carrizo Gorge.

SP acquired the line in 1932 and the name was changed to San Diego & Arizona Eastern. In 1951, passenger service was discontinued in the U.S., but the Mexican government forced the railroad to continue passenger service in Mexico. As a result, this car or one of its sisters was attached to the otherwise freight-only train while in Mexico, and then removed from the train at the U.S. border. The 175 was retired in 1959, and was purchased for preservation by OERM founding member Ray Ballash.

The car was repainted in 2007 for an appearance in a Hollywood movie production.

Links

http://www.sphts.org/

http://www.psrm.org/history/sda/history.html

http://www.psrm.org/