Localizacion Definitiva del Ferrocarril de San Diego y Arizona Entre El Valle de Jacumba y Tijuana. Kil. 0 a Kil. 10 en el Territorio de Baja California San Diego & Arizona Railway Antique Maps

San Diego & Arizona Railway / 1907 / Localizacion Definitiva del Ferrocarril de San Diego y Arizona Entre El Valle de Jacumba y Tijuana. Kil. 0 a Kil. 10 en el Territorio de Baja California (Rolled Maps 16, 31233) Pen and ink map on drafting linen. Black and red ink. Mild wear throughout. Small tear on lower right. Slight offsetting on right where folded. Unbuilt Section of the "Impossible Railroad" - South of Jacumba into Baja California Manuscript survey map of part of the San Diego & Arizona Railway, showing a section from Jacumba south into Mexico, just south of border monument no. 232. Orientation with north to the left of the sheet. Apparently, an unbuilt section of the so-called "Impossible Railroad." Shows the route on the Mexican side south from Jacumba, skirting the William Denton ranch (Rancho Jacum ). Blank spaces to be signed by John Spreckels, owner of the San Diego & Arizona Railway, and his Chief Engineer, Edmund J. Kallright, along with an "Inspector Oficial." While the SD&A did ultimately choose the ruinously expensive Carrizo route (because of its controlled grade (~2.2%) to the desert floor), the present map, dated in 1907, appears to be part of an alternative Mexican route and was made while surveys and concessions were being assembled. The map is very detailed, showing right of way, noting location of William Denton rancho property on the Mexican side, railroad line and topographical details for the SD&A's rail line in the section of the line which was to cross into Mexico at Jacumba, thereby requiring special permission from the Mexican authorities. It also has a profile map showing the change of elevation along the line. San Diego and Arizona Railway The San Diego and Arizona Railway was a short line U.S. railroad founded by entrepreneur John D. Spreckels, and dubbed "The Impossible Railroad" by engineers of its day due to the immense logistical challenges involved. Established in part to provide San Diego with a direct transcontinental rail link to the east by connecting with the Southern Pacific Railroad (which secretly provided the funding for the endeavor) lines in El Centro, California, the 148-mile route of the SD&A originated in San Diego, California and terminated in El Centro, California. The company was chartered on December 14, 1906, and groundbreaking ceremonies held at the intersection of San Diego's Main and 26th Streets on September 7, 1907. Construction delays, attacks by Mexican revolutionaries, and government intervention during World War I all served to push the construction completion to November 15, 1919 when the "golden spike" was finally driven by none other than John Spreckels himself. The first through SD&A passenger train left Campo on the morning of November 30 and made the full run from El Centro to San Diego's downtown Union Station for the official opening of the line on December 1, 1919. The total construction cost of the track laid was approximately $18 million, or some $123,000 per mile; the original estimate was $6 million. The 11-mile-long segment through Carrizo Gorge (which included 13,385 feet of tunnels, 17 in all) alone cost over $4 million to construct; the three miles of tunnels (21 total) along the entire line ran another $1.8 million. Almost 2.5 miles of bridges and trestles were built as well. The tracks departed downtown San Diego south where they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border at San Ysidro. From there the line traversed eastward through Tijuana, then headed northeast through Tecate and back over the border to the town of Campo. To construct and maintain the 44-mile stretch through Mexico the SD&A formed the Ferrocarril Tijuana y Tecate, S.A. de C.V., at the behest of the Mexican government. East of Campo the road traveled through Clover Flats, across the Coast Range (elevation 3,660 feet), then descended thr.