May 3, 2005

Going East: History Of San Diego's "Impossible Railroad"

By Barry Jagoda

Reena Deutsch, historian of the San Diego & Arizona Railroad, will present a slide show and lecture on the 100 years of the train through the desert May 17 when she is hosted by the University of California, San Diego Urban Studies and Planning Program in a public presentation that will also focus on current and future operations of the transportation enterprise that was designed to connect San Diego to the railroad network east.

Professor Deutsch, a biostatistician in the UCSD Medical School, is well-known also as an outdoors leader and naturalist who organizes excursions in the Anza-Borrego desert as well presents frequent lectures on local and international topics. She has published numerous articles on history of the San Diego & Arizona Railroad using historic photos which help to explain why the line earned the nickname of “the impossible railroad.”

Construction of the line lasted from 1907 to 1919 and the railroad operated until the mid-1980s over many bridges, tunnels and through desert passage. Deutsch will explain how she was able to organize rail trips to the landmark Goat Canyon Trestle in the last few years, the first passenger trips into Carrizo Gorge in almost 50 years, and will describe possibilities forthcoming excursions.

The lecture is free and open to the public, beginning at 7pm in Robinson Audtorium at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies on the UCSD campus. For more information, or directions, contact Adrienne Keiper at (858) 534-1689.

Media contact, Barry Jagoda (858) 534 8567