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'''Goat Canyon Trestle''' is the world's largest curved wooden |
'''Goat Canyon Trestle''' is a wooden [[Trestle bridge|trestle]] in [[San Diego County]], California.<ref name=May2004NCT /> At a length of 597 to 750 feet, it is the world's largest curved wooden trestle.<ref name=May2004NCT /><ref name=JUL2017SDR /><ref name=AUG2013IVP /> Goat Canyon Trestle was built in 1933, as part of the [[San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway]], after one of the many tunnels through the Carrizo Gorge collapsed.<ref name=JUL2017SDR /><ref name=AUG2013IVP /> The railway had been called the "impossible railroad" upon its 1919 completion.<ref name="Innis2004" /> It ran through [[Baja California]] and eastern San Diego County before ending in [[Imperial Valley]].<ref name="Innis2004" /> It was made of wood, rather than metal due to temperature fluctuations in the Carrizo Gorge.<ref name=JUL2017SDR /> By 2008, rail traffic stopped utilizing the trestle.<ref name=SchadTurner2017>{{cite book|author1=Jerry Schad|author2=Scott Turner|title=Afoot and Afield: San Diego County: 282 Spectacular Outings Along the Coast, Foothills, Mountains, and Desert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GXDIDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT1020|date=20 February 2017|publisher=Wilderness Press|isbn=978-0-89997-802-4|page=1020}}</ref> |
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which became part of the railway when it was completed in 1933.<ref name=APR2017SDUT /> It was made of wood, rather than metal due to temperature fluctuations in the Carrizo Gorge.<ref name=JUL2017SDR /> By 2008, the trestle stopped being utilized for rail traffic.<ref name=SchadTurner2017>{{cite book|author1=Jerry Schad|author2=Scott Turner|title=Afoot and Afield: San Diego County: 282 Spectacular Outings Along the Coast, Foothills, Mountains, and Desert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GXDIDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT1020|date=20 February 2017|publisher=Wilderness Press|isbn=978-0-89997-802-4|page=1020}}</ref> |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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Under the direction of [[John D. Spreckels]], construction of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railroad began in 1907.<ref name=JUN2016SDUT /> It was backed by [[Edward Henry Harriman]] at the urging of President [[Theodore Roosevelt]].<ref name=JUN1956RHSSD>{{cite web |url = https://www.psrm.org/about-us/sda/ |title = San Diego’s 'Impossible Railroad' |last = Dodge |first = Richard V. |date = June 29, 1956 |journal = Dispatcher |publisher = Railway Historical Society of San Diego |access-date = February 15, 2018 }}</ref><ref name=DEC2001RHJ>{{cite news |last = Beck |first = Darrell |date = December 1, 2011 |title = On Memory's Back Trail: The Impossible Railroad |url = http://ramonajournal.com/on-memorys-back-trail-the-impossible-railroad-p3872-209.htm |work = Ramona Home Journal |location = [[Ramona, California]] |access-date = February 15, 2018 }}</ref> Engineers called the route "impossible" as it crossed the [[Colorado Desert]] and through the [[Jacumba Mountains]].<ref name="Innis2004">{{cite book|author=Jack Scheffler Innis|title=San Diego Legends: The Events, People, and Places that Made History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yZEBF_3ZOA0C&pg=PA233|year=2004|publisher=Sunbelt Publications, Inc.|isbn=978-0-932653-64-2|pages=233–236}}</ref> In 1919, the railroad was completed, connecting [[San Diego]] with the Imperial Valley, by way of [[Mexico]].<ref name=March2004LAT /> Before the construction of the railroad, the only rail connection to San Diego was from the north, via Los Angeles, which was only completed in the late 19th century.<ref>{{cite news |last = Carrico |first = Richard L. |date = January 23, 2011 |title = Book Review: Book on 'impossible railroad' well done |url = https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-book-review-book-on-impossible-railroad-well-done-2011jan23-story.html |work = San Diego Union-Tribune |access-date = February 17, 2018 }}<br/>{{cite journal |last1 = Price |first1 = James N. |editor-last1 = Scharf |editor-first1 = Thomas L. |date = April 1988 |title = The Railroad Stations of San Diego County |url = https://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/1988/april/railroad-6/images/page131.jpg/ |journal = The Journal of San Diego History |volume = 34 |issue = 2 |pages = 123–135 |doi = |access-date = February 17, |
Under the direction of [[John D. Spreckels]], construction of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railroad began in 1907.<ref name=JUN2016SDUT /> It was backed by [[Edward Henry Harriman]] at the urging of President [[Theodore Roosevelt]].<ref name=JUN1956RHSSD>{{cite web |url = https://www.psrm.org/about-us/sda/ |title = San Diego’s 'Impossible Railroad' |last = Dodge |first = Richard V. |date = June 29, 1956 |journal = Dispatcher |publisher = Railway Historical Society of San Diego |access-date = February 15, 2018 }}</ref><ref name=DEC2001RHJ>{{cite news |last = Beck |first = Darrell |date = December 1, 2011 |title = On Memory's Back Trail: The Impossible Railroad |url = http://ramonajournal.com/on-memorys-back-trail-the-impossible-railroad-p3872-209.htm |work = Ramona Home Journal |location = [[Ramona, California]] |access-date = February 15, 2018 }}</ref> Engineers called the route "impossible" as it crossed the [[Colorado Desert]] and through the [[Jacumba Mountains]].<ref name="Innis2004">{{cite book|author=Jack Scheffler Innis|title=San Diego Legends: The Events, People, and Places that Made History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yZEBF_3ZOA0C&pg=PA233|year=2004|publisher=Sunbelt Publications, Inc.|isbn=978-0-932653-64-2|pages=233–236}}</ref> In 1919, the railroad was completed, connecting [[San Diego]] with the Imperial Valley, by way of [[Mexico]].<ref name=March2004LAT /> Before the construction of the railroad, the only rail connection to San Diego was from the north, via Los Angeles, which was only completed in the late 19th century.<ref>{{cite news |last = Carrico |first = Richard L. |date = January 23, 2011 |title = Book Review: Book on 'impossible railroad' well done |url = https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-book-review-book-on-impossible-railroad-well-done-2011jan23-story.html |work = San Diego Union-Tribune |access-date = February 17, 2018 }}<br/>{{cite journal |last1=Eddy |first1=Lucinda |date=Summer 1995 |title=Visions of Paradise |url=http://sandiegohistory.org/journal/1995/july/ch10photo/ |journal=San Diego Historical Society Quarterly |volume=41 |issue=3 |access-date=18 March 2018 }}</ref><ref name=Price1988>{{cite journal |last1 = Price |first1 = James N. |editor-last1 = Scharf |editor-first1 = Thomas L. |date = April 1988 |title = The Railroad Stations of San Diego County |url = https://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/1988/april/railroad-6/images/page131.jpg/ |journal = The Journal of San Diego History |volume = 34 |issue = 2 |pages = 123–135 |doi = |access-date = February 17, 2018 }}</ref> The new railway provided a connection to the [[Southern Pacific Railway]], instead of going north on the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]].<ref name="Schwieterman2004">{{cite book|author=Joseph P. Schwieterman|title=When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kzk_m4P9Y6kC&pg=PA36|year=2004|publisher=Truman State Univ Press|isbn=978-1-931112-14-7|pages=36–38}}</ref> At the opening of the railway, and prior to the construction of the Goat Canyon Trestle, the most significant bridge on the route was the [[Campo Creek Viaduct]], which is {{convert|600|ft|m}} long and {{convert|200|ft|m}} high above the ground.<ref name=DEC2001RHJ /><ref>{{cite book |title = The Station Agent: Official Publication of the Order of Railroad Station Agents |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dEVZAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA9-PA37 |year = 1920 |publisher = Order of Railroad Station Agents |page = 9 }}<br/>{{cite book |first = Clarence Alan |last = McGrew |title = City of San Diego and San Diego County: The Birthplace of California |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nc8KiryvkdYC&pg=PA172 |year = 1922 |publisher = American Historical Society |page = 172 }}<br/>{{cite book|title=Earth Mover and Road Builder ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aQY0AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA6|year=1920|publisher=Traffic Service Corporation|page=6}}<br/>{{cite news |last=Randall |first=Laura |date=30 June 2016 |title=In Campo, California's Old West roots remain |url=https://www.stripes.com/travel/in-campo-california-s-old-west-roots-remain-1.417019 |work=Stars And Stripes |agency=Washington Post |access-date=20 March 2018 }}</ref> |
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[[File:Tunnel 15 North.jpg|thumb|North end of collapsed Tunnel 15.]] |
[[File:Tunnel 15 North.jpg|thumb|North end of collapsed Tunnel 15.]] |
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The San Diego and Arizona Railway experienced a series of difficulties, including collapsed tunnels and rock slides, which led to the periodic closure of the railroad.<ref name=March2004LAT /> One |
The San Diego and Arizona Railway experienced a series of difficulties, including collapsed tunnels and rock slides, which led to the periodic closure of the railroad.<ref name=March2004LAT /> One such difficulty was the collapse of Tunnel 15 in March 1932;<ref name=JUL2017SDR /><ref name=AUG2013IVP /> it had been caused by an [[List of earthquakes in California|earthquake]].<ref name=MAY2010SDR /><ref>{{cite web |url = http://theabf.org/goat-canyon-trestle-viewpoint-mortero-palms |title = Goat Canyon Trestle Viewpoint Via Mortero Palms |author = <!--Not stated--> |date = |website = |publisher = Anza Borrego Foundation |access-date = |quote = Goat Canyon trestle was built in 1932 after an earthquake collapsed one of the tunnels of the Carrizo Gorge section of the San Diego and Arizona Railway. }}<br/>{{cite web |url = https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/the-massive-goat-canyon-trestle-brilliantly-royalty-free-image/870324790 |title = The Massive Goat Canyon Trestle – Brilliantly Illuminated by a Nearly Full Moon |first = Kevin |last = Key |date = |website = |publisher = Getty Images |access-date = February 16, 2018 |quote = }}</ref> Its remnants can still be seen today.<ref>{{cite book |first1 = Phillip T. |last1 = Farquharson |first2 = David M. |last2 = Bloom |first3 = Carole L. |last3 = Ziegler |title = Geology and History of Southeastern San Diego County, California: San Diego Association of Geologists for 2005 and 2006 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PVtOAQAAIAAJ |year = 2006 |publisher = San Diego Association of Geologists |isbn = 978-0-916251-78-9 |page = 85 }}</ref> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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The trestle was built |
The trestle was built in response to the collapse of Tunnel 15.<ref>{{cite interview |last = Angel |first = Milton |subject-link = |interviewer = Heather Thomson |title = 240 Years of Ranching: Historical Research, Field Surveys, Oral Interviews, Significance Criteria, and Management Recommendations for Ranching Districts and Sites in the San Diego Region |url = http://sohosandiego.org/warners/images/ranchinginterviews.pdf |publisher = Save our Heritage Organization |location = San Diego |date = July 30, 2001 |access-date = February 16, 2018 }}<br/>{{cite book |first = Charles M. |last = O'Herin |title = Prototypes for Modelers: Vol. 1, San Diego & Arizona Railway |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=0Y0QVSfY8YgC&pg=PA55 |year = 2006 |publisher = Link Pen Publishing |isbn = 978-0-9776279-0-5 |page = 55 }}<br/>{{cite web |url = http://www.sandiegogeologists.org/newsletters/2015-01_SDAG.pdf |title = SDAG Meeting Announcement |author = <!--Not stated--> |date = January 2015 |publisher = San Diego Association of Geologists |access-date = February 17, 2018 }}</ref> Construction began in 1932.<ref name=APR2017SDUT /><ref>{{cite journal |last1 = Robbins |first1 = Christine |date = January 2016 |title = The Bridges of San Diego County: The Art of Civil Engineering |url = http://www.sandiegohistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/V62_1Robbins.pdf |journal = The Journal of San Diego History |volume = 62 |issue = 1 |pages = 5–36 |issn = 0022-4383 |access-date = February 16, 2018 }}</ref> Sections of the trestle were assembled at the bottom of the canyon, then lifted into position. [[Redwood]] timber,<ref name=May2004NCT /> the same type used for railroad ties along the rest of the route,<ref name="Deutsch2011">{{cite book |first = Reena |last = Deutsch |title = San Diego and Arizona Railway: The Impossible Railroad |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ydaG_FbAVDoC&pg=PT22 |year = 2011 |publisher = Arcadia Publishing |isbn = 978-1-4396-4047-0 |pages = 22 178 }}</ref> was utilized because [[Carrizo Gorge]]'s considerable temperature fluctuations could have led to metal fatigue in a steel bridge. <ref name=JUL2017SDR /> It was built with a 14° curve.<ref name=APR2017SDUT /><ref>{{cite serial |title = Meet the Most Dangerous Wooden Railroad |episode = |url = https://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/mysteries-of-the-abandoned/videos/meet-the-most-dangerous-wooden-railroad |series = Mysteries of the Abandoned |credits = |network = Science Channel |station = |date = 2017 |number = |minutes = |transcript = |transcripturl = }}</ref> Construction was completed by 1933, leading to a realignment of the railroad route.<ref name=JUL2017SDR /> |
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[[File:Goat Canyon Trestle 2 of 8.jpg|thumb|Panoramic photograph of the area just north of, and of, the Goat Canyon Trestle]] |
[[File:Goat Canyon Trestle 2 of 8.jpg|thumb|Panoramic photograph of the area just north of, and of, the Goat Canyon Trestle]] |
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In 1951, scheduled passenger service over the trestle ended. Intermittent freight traffic continued when the railroad was not closed due to damage.<ref name=DEC2001RHJ /> In 1976, [[Hurricane Kathleen (1976)|Hurricane Kathleen]] damaged the trestle, as well as the rest of the line; repairs were not completed until 1981.<ref name=SchadTurner2017 /><ref>{{cite web |url = http://members.trainorders.com/cimascrambler/carrizo_gorge/index.htm |title = San Diego & Arizona Eastern's Carrizo Gorge |author = LunarLight |date = 2010 |website = Trainorders.com |publisher = Todd Clark |access-date = February 15, 2018 |quote = Goat Canyon Trestle itself was sagging in its center span, having had the lower tier of its tallest bent knocked away by a boulder that was sluiced down the canyon by the flood. }}<br/>{{cite book |title = Pacific Rail News |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=W7dnAAAAIAAJ |year = 1995 |publisher = Interurbans Publications |page = 44 }}</ref> Use of the railroad ended again in 1983 due to collapsed tunnels |
After [[World War 2]], the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway was impacted by [[1950s American automobile culture|increased automobile]] travel.<ref>{{cite report |author=Pamela Daly |date=November 2015 |title=Draft Historic Resource Technical Report For the Chollas Creek Multi-Use Path To Bayshore Bikeway Project, San Diego, California |url=https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/drafthistoricalreport_1.pdf |publisher=City of San Diego |page=17 |docket= |access-date=10 April 2018 }}<br/>{{cite web |url=http://sdrm.info/history/sda/spbulletin/1957.html |title=Southern Pacific Bulletin 1957 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=5 December 2000 |website= |publisher=[[Pacific Southwest Railway Museum]] Association |access-date=10 April 2018 |quote=Let's imagine we are boarding a train for a ride over this amazing route in spring when the country is at its best. It will be a freight train, because all through passenger service was abandoned in January, 1951. Fast highways drained away the passenger traffic. }}</ref> In 1951, scheduled passenger service over the trestle ended.<ref name="Innis2004" /><ref name=DEC2001RHJ /><ref name=Price1988 /><ref>{{cite book|title=Journal of the Senate, Legislature of the State of California|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7VpKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA209|year=1953|publisher=California State Print. Office|page=209}}</ref> Intermittent freight traffic continued when the railroad was not closed due to damage.<ref name=DEC2001RHJ /> In 1976, [[Hurricane Kathleen (1976)|Hurricane Kathleen]] damaged the trestle, as well as the rest of the line; repairs were not completed until 1981.<ref name=SchadTurner2017 /><ref>{{cite web |url = http://members.trainorders.com/cimascrambler/carrizo_gorge/index.htm |title = San Diego & Arizona Eastern's Carrizo Gorge |author = LunarLight |date = 2010 |website = Trainorders.com |publisher = Todd Clark |access-date = February 15, 2018 |quote = Goat Canyon Trestle itself was sagging in its center span, having had the lower tier of its tallest bent knocked away by a boulder that was sluiced down the canyon by the flood. }}<br/>{{cite book |title = Pacific Rail News |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=W7dnAAAAIAAJ |year = 1995 |publisher = Interurbans Publications |page = 44 }}</ref> Use of the railroad ended again in 1983 due to collapsed tunnels.<ref name=1983LidsayAndUT>{{cite news |last = Ristine |first = Jeff |date = December 7, 2003 |title = Lakeside company hopes to move first freight by end of January |url = http://legacy.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/metro/20031207-9999_1m7carrizo.html |work = San Diego Union-Tribune |access-date = February 16, 2018 }}<br/>{{cite book|author1=Lowell Lindsay|author2=Diana Lindsay|title=Anza Borrego Desert Region: Your Complete Guide to the State Park and Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4PorDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT388|date=10 October 2017|publisher=Wilderness Press|isbn=978-0-89997-780-5|page=388}}</ref> In 1999, [[Huell Howser]] visited the trestle and filmed an episode about it for the [[public television]] series ''[[California's Gold]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/1999/01/08/trestle-californias-gold-1006/ |title = Trestle- California’s Gold (1006) |author = <!--Not stated--> |date = January 8, 1999 |website = Huell Howser Archives |publisher = [[Chapman University]] |access-date = February 15, 2018 }}</ref> Restoration of the railway did not resume until 2003.<ref name=1983LidsayAndUT /> During the [[Cedar Fire (2003)|2003 Cedar Fire]], crews working on the railway repairs assisted the California Department of Forestry by extinguishing fires set by arsonists along the railroad tracks.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.roadtripamerica.com/places/deanza.htm |title = The 'Impossible' Goat Canyon Trestle |author = <!--Not stated--> |date = November 2003 |website = Roadtrip America |publisher = Flattop Productions, Inc. |access-date = February 16, 2018 }}</ref> |
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The [[Carrizo Gorge Railway]] resumed service on the line after repairs were completed in 2004.<ref name=DEC2001RHJ /> [[Pacific Southwest Railway Museum]] provided trips on the railroad from [[Campo, California|Campo]].<ref name=DEC2001RHJ /> In 2008, the Desert line, which includes track north of Mexico including Carrizo Gorge closed indefinitely for repairs, ending revenue rail usage of the trestle.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dibble |first=Sandra |date=11 February 2013 |title=Rebuilding historic U.S.-Mexico rail link |url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/border-baja-california/sdut-tijuana-san-diego-railroad-tracks-2013feb11-htmlstory.html |work=San Diego Union Tribune |access-date=16 March 2018 |quote=The last operator, Lakeside-based Carrizo Gorge Railway, was able to re-establish limited service in 2004. Those operations stopped in 2008 after the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, which owns the Desert Line, raised concerns about its safety and demanded repairs that Carrizo Gorge could not afford. }}</ref> In early 2017, tunnel Number 6 near the trestle collapsed, and the route was obstructed.<ref>{{cite news |last = Hangrove |first = Dorian |date = February 3, 2017 |title = MTS responds to Baja Rail charges |url = https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2017/feb/03/ticker-mts-responds-baja-rail-charges/# |work = San Diego Reader |access-date = February 17, 2018 }}</ref> As of January 2018, [[Baja California Railroad]] was assessing the line before beginning repairs to allow it to return to operation.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Joshua Emerson|title=Will century-old Impossible Railroad finally thrive, delivering billions in economic activity?|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/transportation/sd-me-desert-line-20171221-story.html|accessdate=15 March 2018|work=[[San Diego Union-Tribune]]|date=15 January 2018}}</ref> The trestle remains a popular destination for [[hiking|hikers]].<ref name=March2004LAT /><ref name=JUL2017SDR /><ref name=MAY2010SDR>{{cite news |last = Baran |first = Robert |date = May 29, 2010 |title = Goat Canyon Trestle Trek |url = https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/may/29/goat-canyon-trestle-trek/ |work = San Diego Reader |access-date = February 15, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first = Tony |last = Huegel |title = California Desert Byways: 68 of California's Best Backcountry Drives |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1V3AI4lkWysC&pg=PA168 |year = 2006 |publisher = Wilderness Press |isbn = 978-0-89997-413-2 |page = 168 }}<br/>{{cite book |first1 = Lowell |last1 = Lindsay |first2 = Diana |last2 = Lindsay |title = Anza Borrego Desert Region: Your Complete Guide to the State Park and Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4PorDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT437 |year = 2017 |publisher = Wilderness Press |isbn = 978-0-89997-780-5 |page = 437 }}<br/>{{cite web |url = https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/goat-canyon-trestle-bridge-via-carrizo-gorge-road |title = Goat Canyon Trestle Bridge via Carrizo Gorge Road |author = <!--Not stated--> |date = September 2010 |website = Alltrails.com |access-date = February 15, 2018 |quote = }}</ref> |
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==Surrounding environment== |
==Surrounding environment== |
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==Replicas== |
==Replicas== |
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The [[San Diego Model Railroad Museum]] hosts a [[HO scale]] replica of the trestle.<ref>{{cite book |first = P. R. |last = Griswold |title = Railroads of California: Seeing the State by Rail |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iD9aa7Hh2eMC&pg=PA32 |year = 1992 |publisher = American Traveler Press |isbn = 978-1-55838-121-6 |page = 32 }}</ref> It stands {{convert|6|ft|m|spell=in}} off the floor<ref>{{cite magazine |title = Americana |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=H4gKAQAAMAAJ |year = 1990 |magazine = Americana Magazine |page = 57 }}</ref> is {{convert|10|ft|m}} tall in total.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://lifestylemags.com/2013/09/07/all-aboard-san-diegos-railroad-museum/ |title = All Aboard San Diego’s Railroad Museum |author = <!--Not stated--> |date = September 7, 2013 |website = Coronado Lifestyles |publisher = Coronado Lifestyle Magazine |access-date = February 17, 2018 |quote = There’s even a 10-foot-high model of the Goat Canyon Trestle that crosses over the Carrizo Gorge. }}<br/>{{cite magazine |last = Radcliff |first = Chris |date = May 28, 2007 |title = Geeky Places To Take Your Kids: San Diego |url = https://www.wired.com/2007/05/geeky-places-to/ |magazine = Wired |location = |publisher = Condé Nast Publications |access-date = February 17, 2018 }}</ref> It is older than the museum itself, having been built in 1941.<ref>{{cite magazine |last = Voss |first = Paul |last2 = Schaumberg |first2 = William C. |date = March 2001 |title = 20 years of the San Diego Model R.R. Museum |url = http://www.sdmrra.org/RMC_0301/RMC-text.html |magazine = Railroad Model Craftsman |publisher = White River Productions |access-date = February 17, 2018 }}</ref> The museum also |
The [[San Diego Model Railroad Museum]] hosts a [[HO scale]] replica of the trestle.<ref>{{cite book |first = P. R. |last = Griswold |title = Railroads of California: Seeing the State by Rail |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iD9aa7Hh2eMC&pg=PA32 |year = 1992 |publisher = American Traveler Press |isbn = 978-1-55838-121-6 |page = 32 }}</ref> HO Scale is 1:87 scale.<ref name="Johnson1998">{{cite book|author=Kent J. Johnson|title=Basic Model Railroading: Getting Started in the Hobby|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4633V-K0ZQcC&pg=PA6|year=1998|publisher=Kalmbach Publishing, Co.|isbn=978-0-89024-334-3|page=6}}</ref> It stands {{convert|6|ft|m|spell=in}} off the floor<ref>{{cite magazine |title = Americana |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=H4gKAQAAMAAJ |year = 1990 |magazine = Americana Magazine |page = 57 }}</ref> is {{convert|10|ft|m}} tall in total.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://lifestylemags.com/2013/09/07/all-aboard-san-diegos-railroad-museum/ |title = All Aboard San Diego’s Railroad Museum |author = <!--Not stated--> |date = September 7, 2013 |website = Coronado Lifestyles |publisher = Coronado Lifestyle Magazine |access-date = February 17, 2018 |quote = There’s even a 10-foot-high model of the Goat Canyon Trestle that crosses over the Carrizo Gorge. }}<br/>{{cite magazine |last = Radcliff |first = Chris |date = May 28, 2007 |title = Geeky Places To Take Your Kids: San Diego |url = https://www.wired.com/2007/05/geeky-places-to/ |magazine = Wired |location = |publisher = Condé Nast Publications |access-date = February 17, 2018 }}</ref> It is older than the museum itself, having been built in 1941.<ref>{{cite magazine |last = Voss |first = Paul |last2 = Schaumberg |first2 = William C. |date = March 2001 |title = 20 years of the San Diego Model R.R. Museum |url = http://www.sdmrra.org/RMC_0301/RMC-text.html |magazine = Railroad Model Craftsman |publisher = White River Productions |access-date = February 17, 2018 }}</ref> The museum also contains a smaller [[N scale]] replica of the trestle, based on a 1855 surveyed route.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://sdsons.org/mis%20docs/pdl.html |title = Pacific Desert Line |author = <!--Not stated--> |date = January 8, 2018 |website = |publisher = San Diego Society of N Scale |access-date = January 17, 2018 |quote = Parts of our layouts coincide, and as a result, the museum now has two versions of the Goat Canyon Trestle. }}<br/>{{cite book |first = Fay |last = Crevoshay |title = A Parent's Guide to San Diego and Baja California |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=bksMiKwLWTsC |year = 2003 |publisher = Mars Publishing, Incorporated |isbn = 978-1-931199-28-5 |page = 32 }}</ref> N Scale is 1:160 scale.<ref name="Johnson1998" /> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 02:21, 11 April 2018
Goat Canyon Trestle | |
|---|---|
 Trestle as seen from the southeast in 2016 | |
| Coordinates | 32°43′45″N 116°11′00″W / 32.72917°N 116.18333°W |
| Crosses | Goat Canyon[1] |
| Locale | Anza-Borrego Desert State Park[1][2] |
| Owner | San Diego Metropolitan Transit System[2][3] |
| Characteristics | |
| Material | Redwood[1] |
| Total length | 597[4]–750[1][5] ft (182–229 m) |
| Height | 186[2][4]–200[1][6][7] ft (57–61 m) |
| History | |
| Construction start | 1932[6] |
| Construction end | 1933[4] |
| Replaces | Tunnel number 15[4] |
| Location | |
 | |
Goat Canyon Trestle is a wooden trestle in San Diego County, California.[1] At a length of 597 to 750 feet, it is the world's largest curved wooden trestle.[1][4][5] Goat Canyon Trestle was built in 1933, as part of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway, after one of the many tunnels through the Carrizo Gorge collapsed.[4][5] The railway had been called the "impossible railroad" upon its 1919 completion.[8] It ran through Baja California and eastern San Diego County before ending in Imperial Valley.[8] It was made of wood, rather than metal due to temperature fluctuations in the Carrizo Gorge.[4] By 2008, rail traffic stopped utilizing the trestle.[9]
Background
Under the direction of John D. Spreckels, construction of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railroad began in 1907.[3] It was backed by Edward Henry Harriman at the urging of President Theodore Roosevelt.[10][11] Engineers called the route "impossible" as it crossed the Colorado Desert and through the Jacumba Mountains.[8] In 1919, the railroad was completed, connecting San Diego with the Imperial Valley, by way of Mexico.[2] Before the construction of the railroad, the only rail connection to San Diego was from the north, via Los Angeles, which was only completed in the late 19th century.[12][13] The new railway provided a connection to the Southern Pacific Railway, instead of going north on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.[14] At the opening of the railway, and prior to the construction of the Goat Canyon Trestle, the most significant bridge on the route was the Campo Creek Viaduct, which is 600 feet (180 m) long and 200 feet (61 m) high above the ground.[11][15]
The San Diego and Arizona Railway experienced a series of difficulties, including collapsed tunnels and rock slides, which led to the periodic closure of the railroad.[2] One such difficulty was the collapse of Tunnel 15 in March 1932;[4][5] it had been caused by an earthquake.[7][16] Its remnants can still be seen today.[17]
History
The trestle was built in response to the collapse of Tunnel 15.[18] Construction began in 1932.[6][19] Sections of the trestle were assembled at the bottom of the canyon, then lifted into position. Redwood timber,[1] the same type used for railroad ties along the rest of the route,[20] was utilized because Carrizo Gorge's considerable temperature fluctuations could have led to metal fatigue in a steel bridge. [4] It was built with a 14° curve.[6][21] Construction was completed by 1933, leading to a realignment of the railroad route.[4]
After World War 2, the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway was impacted by increased automobile travel.[22] In 1951, scheduled passenger service over the trestle ended.[8][11][13][23] Intermittent freight traffic continued when the railroad was not closed due to damage.[11] In 1976, Hurricane Kathleen damaged the trestle, as well as the rest of the line; repairs were not completed until 1981.[9][24] Use of the railroad ended again in 1983 due to collapsed tunnels.[25] In 1999, Huell Howser visited the trestle and filmed an episode about it for the public television series California's Gold.[26] Restoration of the railway did not resume until 2003.[25] During the 2003 Cedar Fire, crews working on the railway repairs assisted the California Department of Forestry by extinguishing fires set by arsonists along the railroad tracks.[27]
The Carrizo Gorge Railway resumed service on the line after repairs were completed in 2004.[11] Pacific Southwest Railway Museum provided trips on the railroad from Campo.[11] In 2008, the Desert line, which includes track north of Mexico including Carrizo Gorge closed indefinitely for repairs, ending revenue rail usage of the trestle.[28] In early 2017, tunnel Number 6 near the trestle collapsed, and the route was obstructed.[29] As of January 2018, Baja California Railroad was assessing the line before beginning repairs to allow it to return to operation.[30] The trestle remains a popular destination for hikers.[2][4][7][31]
Surrounding environment
Since at least the 1970s, there has been a population of bighorn sheep, an endangered species, living near the trestle.[2][32] Another endangered species in the area of the trestle is the Bell's vireo.[33]
Replicas
The San Diego Model Railroad Museum hosts a HO scale replica of the trestle.[34] HO Scale is 1:87 scale.[35] It stands six feet (1.8 m) off the floor[36] is 10 feet (3.0 m) tall in total.[37] It is older than the museum itself, having been built in 1941.[38] The museum also contains a smaller N scale replica of the trestle, based on a 1855 surveyed route.[39] N Scale is 1:160 scale.[35]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Cowan, Ernie (May 2, 2004). "World's largest wooden trestle is in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park". North County Times. San Diego County. Archived from the original on May 1, 2004. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g Japenga, Ann (March 30, 2004). "Rail renegades". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b Stewart, Joshua (June 9, 2016). "Border rail line to connect U.S., Mexico". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The Canyoneers (July 19, 2017). "Get close but not too close to Carrizo Gorge trestle". San Diego Reader. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Rangel, Alexis (August 12, 2013). "San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway, the 'Impossible Railroad,'". Imperial Valley Press. El Centro, California: El Centro Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Bell, Diane (April 19, 2017). "Science Channel spotlights marvel in San Diego's back yard". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c Baran, Robert (May 29, 2010). "Goat Canyon Trestle Trek". San Diego Reader. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Jack Scheffler Innis (2004). San Diego Legends: The Events, People, and Places that Made History. Sunbelt Publications, Inc. pp. 233–236. ISBN 978-0-932653-64-2.
- ^ a b Jerry Schad; Scott Turner (February 20, 2017). Afoot and Afield: San Diego County: 282 Spectacular Outings Along the Coast, Foothills, Mountains, and Desert. Wilderness Press. p. 1020. ISBN 978-0-89997-802-4.
- ^ Dodge, Richard V. (June 29, 1956). "San Diego's 'Impossible Railroad'". Dispatcher. Railway Historical Society of San Diego. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Beck, Darrell (December 1, 2011). "On Memory's Back Trail: The Impossible Railroad". Ramona Home Journal. Ramona, California. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Carrico, Richard L. (January 23, 2011). "Book Review: Book on 'impossible railroad' well done". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
Eddy, Lucinda (Summer 1995). "Visions of Paradise". San Diego Historical Society Quarterly. 41 (3). Retrieved March 18, 2018. - ^ a b Price, James N. (April 1988). Scharf, Thomas L. (ed.). "The Railroad Stations of San Diego County". The Journal of San Diego History. 34 (2): 123–135. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- ^ Joseph P. Schwieterman (2004). When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment. Truman State Univ Press. pp. 36–38. ISBN 978-1-931112-14-7.
- ^ The Station Agent: Official Publication of the Order of Railroad Station Agents. Order of Railroad Station Agents. 1920. p. 9.
McGrew, Clarence Alan (1922). City of San Diego and San Diego County: The Birthplace of California. American Historical Society. p. 172.
Earth Mover and Road Builder ... Traffic Service Corporation. 1920. p. 6.
Randall, Laura (June 30, 2016). "In Campo, California's Old West roots remain". Stars And Stripes. Washington Post. Retrieved March 20, 2018. - ^ "Goat Canyon Trestle Viewpoint Via Mortero Palms". Anza Borrego Foundation.
Goat Canyon trestle was built in 1932 after an earthquake collapsed one of the tunnels of the Carrizo Gorge section of the San Diego and Arizona Railway.
Key, Kevin. "The Massive Goat Canyon Trestle – Brilliantly Illuminated by a Nearly Full Moon". Getty Images. Retrieved February 16, 2018. - ^ Farquharson, Phillip T.; Bloom, David M.; Ziegler, Carole L. (2006). Geology and History of Southeastern San Diego County, California: San Diego Association of Geologists for 2005 and 2006. San Diego Association of Geologists. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-916251-78-9.
- ^ Angel, Milton (July 30, 2001). "240 Years of Ranching: Historical Research, Field Surveys, Oral Interviews, Significance Criteria, and Management Recommendations for Ranching Districts and Sites in the San Diego Region" (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by Heather Thomson. San Diego: Save our Heritage Organization. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
O'Herin, Charles M. (2006). Prototypes for Modelers: Vol. 1, San Diego & Arizona Railway. Link Pen Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-9776279-0-5.
"SDAG Meeting Announcement" (PDF). San Diego Association of Geologists. January 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2018. - ^ Robbins, Christine (January 2016). "The Bridges of San Diego County: The Art of Civil Engineering" (PDF). The Journal of San Diego History. 62 (1): 5–36. ISSN 0022-4383. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Deutsch, Reena (2011). San Diego and Arizona Railway: The Impossible Railroad. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 22 178. ISBN 978-1-4396-4047-0.
- ^ Meet the Most Dangerous Wooden Railroad. Mysteries of the Abandoned. 2017. Science Channel.
{{cite serial}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|transcripturl=and|transcript=(help) - ^ Pamela Daly (November 2015). Draft Historic Resource Technical Report For the Chollas Creek Multi-Use Path To Bayshore Bikeway Project, San Diego, California (PDF) (Report). City of San Diego. p. 17. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
"Southern Pacific Bulletin 1957". Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association. December 5, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2018.Let's imagine we are boarding a train for a ride over this amazing route in spring when the country is at its best. It will be a freight train, because all through passenger service was abandoned in January, 1951. Fast highways drained away the passenger traffic.
- ^ Journal of the Senate, Legislature of the State of California. California State Print. Office. 1953. p. 209.
- ^ LunarLight (2010). "San Diego & Arizona Eastern's Carrizo Gorge". Trainorders.com. Todd Clark. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
Goat Canyon Trestle itself was sagging in its center span, having had the lower tier of its tallest bent knocked away by a boulder that was sluiced down the canyon by the flood.
Pacific Rail News. Interurbans Publications. 1995. p. 44. - ^ a b Ristine, Jeff (December 7, 2003). "Lakeside company hopes to move first freight by end of January". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
Lowell Lindsay; Diana Lindsay (October 10, 2017). Anza Borrego Desert Region: Your Complete Guide to the State Park and Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert. Wilderness Press. p. 388. ISBN 978-0-89997-780-5. - ^ "Trestle- California's Gold (1006)". Huell Howser Archives. Chapman University. January 8, 1999. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ "The 'Impossible' Goat Canyon Trestle". Roadtrip America. Flattop Productions, Inc. November 2003. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Dibble, Sandra (February 11, 2013). "Rebuilding historic U.S.-Mexico rail link". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
The last operator, Lakeside-based Carrizo Gorge Railway, was able to re-establish limited service in 2004. Those operations stopped in 2008 after the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, which owns the Desert Line, raised concerns about its safety and demanded repairs that Carrizo Gorge could not afford.
- ^ Hangrove, Dorian (February 3, 2017). "MTS responds to Baja Rail charges". San Diego Reader. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- ^ Smith, Joshua Emerson (January 15, 2018). "Will century-old Impossible Railroad finally thrive, delivering billions in economic activity?". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- ^ Huegel, Tony (2006). California Desert Byways: 68 of California's Best Backcountry Drives. Wilderness Press. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-89997-413-2.
Lindsay, Lowell; Lindsay, Diana (2017). Anza Borrego Desert Region: Your Complete Guide to the State Park and Adjacent Areas of the Western Colorado Desert. Wilderness Press. p. 437. ISBN 978-0-89997-780-5.
"Goat Canyon Trestle Bridge via Carrizo Gorge Road". Alltrails.com. September 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2018. - ^ Raftery, Miriam (March 17, 2014). "Experts Voice Alarm Over Survival of Local Bighorn Sheep". East County Magazine. La Mesa, California: Heartland Coalition. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ "Eastern San Diego County Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision" (PDF). El Centro Field Office. Bureau of Land Management. October 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Griswold, P. R. (1992). Railroads of California: Seeing the State by Rail. American Traveler Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-55838-121-6.
- ^ a b Kent J. Johnson (1998). Basic Model Railroading: Getting Started in the Hobby. Kalmbach Publishing, Co. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-89024-334-3.
- ^ "Americana". Americana Magazine. 1990. p. 57.
- ^ "All Aboard San Diego's Railroad Museum". Coronado Lifestyles. Coronado Lifestyle Magazine. September 7, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
There's even a 10-foot-high model of the Goat Canyon Trestle that crosses over the Carrizo Gorge.
Radcliff, Chris (May 28, 2007). "Geeky Places To Take Your Kids: San Diego". Wired. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved February 17, 2018. - ^ Voss, Paul; Schaumberg, William C. (March 2001). "20 years of the San Diego Model R.R. Museum". Railroad Model Craftsman. White River Productions. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- ^ "Pacific Desert Line". San Diego Society of N Scale. January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
Parts of our layouts coincide, and as a result, the museum now has two versions of the Goat Canyon Trestle.
Crevoshay, Fay (2003). A Parent's Guide to San Diego and Baja California. Mars Publishing, Incorporated. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-931199-28-5.
Further reading
- Dodge, Roger V (1960). Rails of the Silver Gate: The Spreckels San Diego Empire. Golden West Books. ISBN 0870950193.