What's Happening On the Rail In San Diego
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San Diego Rail Organizations Amtrak Andy’s Hobby Headquarters Balboa Park Railroad (BPRR) This 16" gauge railroad is over 51 years old in San Diego at the San Diego Zoo. The first ride was given on 13 November 1948 and ticket prices then were $0.09 for Children and $.11 for Adults. The ˝ mile track is adjacent to the parking lot of the World Famous San Diego Zoo. Originally the Swope Railways owned this railroad. Through the years ownership has changed and the current owner is the San Diego Zoo. The current operator, Dave Weir, has been doing this for the last 20 years and has a real dedication to the operation. There are two triansets at BPRR, #510 and #554. #510 is as original from the factory as you can get. The #554 was purchased for parts and has now been refurbished and put into service at the park. Both trainsets were painted in 1992/1993 and were overhauled in 1996. The future of this railroad is not as clear as some would like it to be. The reason the San Diego Zoo bought the railroad was to be able to roll the property into their expansion plans. This has been known for several years now and as best as we can tell, there is no specific plan in place at this time. Bell Gardens Farm Bell Gardens Railway operating hours are Saturday and Sunday from 10 – 3, weather permitting. Bell Gardens is a model produce farm and philanthropic endeavor owned by Glen W. Bell, Jr., retired founder of Taco Bell. It is located in Valley Center, CA, north of San Diego. Our 115 acres include cultivated fields, creek beds, walking trails, and lawns for picnics and play. We offer fresh produce picked daily, seasonal events, activities, farm-related classes and workshops, plus rides aboard a tractor-pulled hay wagon and quarter-scale train. We especially welcome families, field trips, garden clubs and senior groups. Several miles of narrow-gauge track wind throughout the property. Visitors are often given the chance to take a ride on the Bell Gardens Farm Railway. Directions: From San Diego take I-15 North, exit right onto Via Rancho Pkwy/Via Rancho which will turn into Bear Valley Pkwy near Orange Glen H.S. Stay right at the fork in the road and go straight until the road ends. Turn Right on Valley Parkway which becomes Valley Center Road. Once in Valley Center turn left at the second stop light at Cole Grade Road. Bell Gardens is 3 miles down on the right. From Oceanside take Hwy 78 east to the end of the freeway. Turn right onto Broadway and left at the second light onto Washington to the very end. Turn left on S6 to Valley Center. Once in Valley Center turn left at the second stop light at Cole Grade Road. Bell Gardens is 3 miles down on the right. From Fallbrook take I-15 south, exit on Gopher Canyon/Old Castle. Turn left under the freeway, take a right and the first quick left onto Old Castle to the very end to the light on Valley Center Road. Turn left and then take a left at the stop light at Cole Grade Road. Bell Gardens is 3 miles down on the right. Burlington-Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Carrizo Gorge Railway (CGRy) Since 1997, Carrizo Gorge Railway, Inc. has been a key supporter in the promotion and expansion of the tourist rail system in southern California and Baja. Chula Vista Live Steamers The Chula Vista Live Steamers is a non-profit educational organization interested in building and safely operating scale model equipment. Rides are offered on the second weekend of the month at Rohr Park located at 4548 Sweetwater Road. Directions: Coming south on the 5-freeway take the E Street off-ramp and go east. E Street becomes Bonita Road after crossing under the 805 freeway. Turn left on Willow Street, cross the bridge and turn right on Sweetwater Road and proceed for 0.6 miles to CVLS. Coming south on the 805, take the E Street / Bonita Road exits and turn left to go east. Follow the above directions. Coaster The Coaster is operated by the North County Transit District and provides passenger rail service between Oceanside and San Diego with 8 stations. Descanso, Alpine and Pacific Railway This narrow gauge private railway is operated by LeRoy W. Athey and is located in the hills of Alpine. It is really a must see operation. It is professionally operated with a published timetable and all. The fares are published as: "Adult….willingness to ride"; "Child (12 and under….a smile"; "Kid (60 and over)………….young at heart." How can any train fan not fit in here somewhere? Directions: From downtown San Diego take Interstate 8 east to Tavern Road. At the end of the off-ramp turn right and head south to South Grade Road and turn right and head west to Alpine Heights Road where you will turn left. Discount Hobby Warehouse Frank The Trainman Historical Rail Associates (HRA) This is a consortium of three organizations who have come together to promote the operation of historical rail activities in the South Bay. The three organizations are the Carrizo Gorge Railway, the San Diego Electric Railway Association, Inc., and the San Diego Railroad Museum. Currently they are providing rides on the Coronado Belt Line that runs from National City through Chula Vista to the Salt Works. Plans are to revive as much of the original line that ran from San Diego down the inside of the bay into Imperial Beach and back up to Coronado on the Silver Strand. LGB of America Inc. That’s right, LGB is right here in our hometown. Metropolitan Transit Development
Board (MTDB) The MTDB, created in 1975 by passage of California Senate Bill 101, came into existence on January 1, 1976. It has a 15-member board. MTDB owns the San Diego Trolley, Inc., the San Diego Transit Corporation (the regions largest bus operator), and the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway Co. The MTDB operates the San Diego Trolley, Incorporated, as well as the bus system for the greater San Diego area. MTDB has a rail yard behind their building at 12th Street and Imperial Avenues where all of the Light Rail Vehicles (LRV) are housed and maintained. North County Transit District (NCTD) Operation Life Saver (OLS) Poway-Midland Railroad Volunteers
(PMRRV) Rides are offered on the weekends (dark the second Sunday of the month) on a 42" scale railroad that travels around Old Poway Park. Rolling stock includes steam, trolley and speeder with ore cars. Reed’s Hobby Shop Reed’s Hobby Shop is located in La Mesa and is open 7 days a week for all gauge hobby supplies. San Diegan Club (SDC) Meetings: The last Saturday of the month at noon generally at one of the Amtrak stations along the San Diegan / Pacific Surfliner route. The San Diegan Club is for people who like to ride the rails, mainly passenger railroads or Amtrak. The club generally meets at a station along the Southern California rail line that Amtrak runs on. The Amtrak operations were at one time called the San Diegans and are now called the Pacific Surfliner. Amtrak operations go from San Diego on the south up the coast through Los Angeles and further up to San Luis Obispo. San Diego 3-Railers Meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum. San Diego Electric Railway Association,
Inc. (SDERA) SDERA is a light rail (LRV), or electrified, focused association. SDERA operates the National City Depot as a museum. Meetings are the second Saturday of the month at the National City Depot at 7:30PM. San
Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE) The SD&AE is owned by the MTDB and has 4 segments of rail in the San Diego area. The first segment runs from downtown San Diego east to City of El Cajon. The second segment runs from National City south to Otay. The third segment runs from Centre City San Diego south to the Mexican border at San Ysidro. The fourth segment runs north and east from the Mexican border junction called Division to Plaster City. The third and fourth segments are connected through Mexico and these are all part of the original main line. San Diego & Imperial Valley
Railroad (SD&IV) San Diego Garden Railroad Society Mike Pfulb San Diego Model Railroad Museum The Museum is located in Balboa Park and has various train scales and scenery on display. San Diego Railroad Museum The San Diego Railroad Museum, operated by the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association, is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of railroads as they existed in the Pacific Southwest. SDRM operates the Campo Depot, the La Mesa Depot and a library. The Museum offers an on-line history of railroads in general, with detailed attention paid to the San Diego area and to the San Diego and Arizona Railway in particular. SDRM is also a member of the Border Californias Museum Association. Please support our sister organizations when you next visit the Campo area. San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI) The SDTI was formed in 1980 to be the regional light rail transit (LRT) operator. The first trolley ran on July 26, 1981 on the South Line, which is now called the Blue Line. This line ran from downtown to the San Ysidro border crossing into Mexico. Currently the SDTI system consists of 46.8 miles of mostly double tracked routes with 49 stations. SDTI operates two routes, the Blue Line and the Orange Line. In FY 00 there was a weekly average of 90,000 riders for an annual total of 27 Million riders in FY 00. SDTI now has two lines that operate in and around the San Diego metropolitan area. The Blue Line runs from the south, San Ysidro, through downtown, through Old Town and currently stops at Mission San Diego or Qualcomm Stadium. The Orange Line begins at the 12th and Imperial Transfer Station and goes along the Convention Center and Gaslamp Quarter around through downtown back to 12th and Imperial and out eastward to Santee. The two styles of LRT vehicles used on the lines are both from Siemens / DueWag. The U2 model cars are numbered #1001 through #1071. The SD100 model cars are numbered #2001 through #2052. Their top speeds are over 50 miles per hour and both operate on a 600VDC system. SDTI has one active project and three planned projects. The one active project broke ground on November 17, 2000 and is the Mission Valley East LRT project. Construction is expected to be underway on the whole project by late 2001. The second proposed project is the Mid-Coast Segment. This proposed expansion would extend the current Blue Line from Old Town up through UCSD and around to University Towne Centre. The third proposed project is the South Bay Extension. This proposed expansion would create two segments off of the current Blue Line which would travel east to Otay Mesa Border. The first segment would separate just south of the 24th Street station and head east to the 805 freeway and turn south to Telegraph Canyon Road. It would then continue east to the SR125 alignment and turn south to Otay Mesa from there. The second segment would separate at Iris Avenue and go straight east along the 905 freeway alignment to meet the first segment just north of Otay Mesa Border station. Save Our Heritage Organization (SOHO) SOHO is California's oldest continuously operating preservation organization founded in 1969. The SOHO mission is to preserve the links to the past that are significant in our history and contribute to the special identity, depth and character of our region. Some of these links include historic structures, cultural landscapes, signs, ships, railroads, trains and trolleys. SOHO's primary area of focus includes all of San Diego County and Northern Baja California. SOHO has recently taken over operation of the Whaley House Museum Complex in Old Town, San Diego. Operation of the Whaley House complex will enable SOHO to reach a broader audience with our message about the benefits of historic preservation. Stuart Mesa Facility This facility serves as a yard and maintenance facility for the NCTD. Coaster and Metrolink as well as Amtrak and BNSF can be found there. Vista Antique Gas and Steam Engine
Museum One of the great little secrets of Southern California nestled in the Guajome Regional Park near San Diego. This open 40 acre museum is a treat to visit. Book your event here and enjoy. Directions: From the North; Take either the 5 or 15-freeway south to the 76 freeway. If you are on the 5 freeway, go east on 76, if you are on the 15 freeway, go west on 76. Turn south on Santa Fe Avenue to the museum. From the South; Take either the 5 or 15-freeway north to the 78 freeway. If you are on the 5 freeway, go east on 78, if you are on the 15 freeway, go west on 78. Turn north on Santa Fe Avenue to the museum. Whistle Stop Model Trains |
