This beautiful poster has been re-mastered from a 1930’s Southern Pacific Railroad poster advertising their passenger service through the scenic Carisso (actual spelling Carizzo) Gorge in San Diego County, California.
The vibrant colors and detail of this classic image have been painstakingly brought back to life to preserve a great piece of history.
The high-resolution image is printed on heavy archival photo paper, on a large-format, professional giclée process printer. The poster is shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, and is ready for framing.
The 13"x19" format is an excellent image size that looks great as a stand-alone piece of art, or as a grouped visual statement. These posters require no cutting, trimming, or custom framing, and a wide variety of 13"x19" frames are readily available at your local craft or hobby retailer, and online.
A great vintage print for your home, shop, or business!
RAILROAD TRIPS THROUGH CARRISO (CARIZZO) GORGE
The San Diego and Arizona Railway was a 148-mile 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. The line linked San Diego, its western terminus, with El Centro, its eastern terminus, where passengers could connect with Southern Pacific's transcontinental lines, eliminating the need to first travel north via Los Angeles or Riverside.
The company charter was executed on December 14, 1906, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held the following September. Numerous delays (including government intervention during World War I) delayed the completion of the line to November 15, 1919. Damage to the lines from both natural disasters and sabotage exerted great financial pressure on the company, and in 1932 Spreckels' heirs sold their interests in the railroad to the Southern Pacific, which was named the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE).
The Southern Pacific Railroad was one of the earliest major railroads to promote tourist routes through scenic areas on its lines to increase passenger traffic. This poster was one of the railroad’s advertisements for a scenic route, which notably misspells the Carizzo Gorge as “Carriso.”
The sale was finalized in 1933, and the SD&AE operated with some success for several years. During the war years of the early 1940’s, there was a significant traffic from materiel and military personnel to the military bases and port around San Diego.
Passenger service on the line dropped off with the increase in automobile traffic. When US Route 80 was constructed, it followed the same general route as the railroad, and passenger service was further diminished. Following WWII, passenger traffic declined to the point where railroad opted to discontinue passenger service in 1952.
Freight service continued on the SD&AE, but not without problems, especially in Carrizo Gorge. Rough roadbeds and sharp curves made the line through this section prone to derailments.
Service on the line was interrupted from September 1976 to December 1982, due to damage from tropical storm Kathleen. Southern Pacific sold the SD & AE to San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit Development Board which wanted the line’s suburban rights of way for a light rail system that became the San Diego Trolley. Over the ensuing years, the line experienced major damage from flooding, fires, and landslides. The “Impossible Railroad” still has a large number of boosters and continues partial operation.
