4x4abc
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San Quintin railway
read to day about a 20 mile old railway in San Quintin
where was it running to and from?
still visible?
Harald Pietschmann
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David K
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It was to bring flour, milled at San Quintín, from all the wheat they hoped to grow. You can see the attempted crossing of the bay at the Old Mill
Restaurant. They installed about 18 miles of railroad track before the project collapsed. The flour was to be transported to Yuma. The train line was
going to cross over via Valle de Trinidad.
It is all in this book:
The 1927 AAA map shows some of the railroad line out to the fields:
Photo 1:
San Quintin Railroad train engine and crew. Railroad photos from Baja California Railroads by John A. Kirchner, 1988.
Photo 2:
Railroad bridge on a causeway across San Quintin Bay, next to Old Mill, 1908.
Here's what I had written about it in the past:
San Quintin: Around 1885, an American and later English land company attempted large-scale wheat farming. Heavy rains in the 1880s gave a false hope
for the project. A flour mill (location is now a restaurant and motel called Molino Viejo or Old Mill), a nearby pier, and 18 miles of railroad were
all constructed before the lack of rain in the 1890s ended the project. In 1909, the rails were removed and sent to be used in Arizona for a mine. The
train engine was lost, falling into the outer bay while being hoisted onto the ship. A Japanese diver was employed to attach lines but failed.
[Edited on 3-19-2021 by David K]
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BajaNomad
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Thread Moved
7-21-2020 at 05:51 AM |
wilderone
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Baja has some crazy history - big ideas - big dreams. Send flour to Yuma? Was there a need for flour in Yuma? What then? Why not just grow wheat
around Yuma?
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David K
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Quote: Originally posted by wilderone  | | Baja has some crazy history - big ideas - big dreams. Send flour to Yuma? Was there a need for flour in Yuma? What then? Why not just grow wheat
around Yuma? |
Yuma was the railroad hub to connect to the rest of the United States. A train to Yuma was more doable than a train to San Diego because of the
topography and Yuma was more direct to the biggest markets for the flour.
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JZ
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Very interesting.
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BajaBlanca
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Really interesting. I so wish there were a train from TJ all the way to Cabo.
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David K
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Well, in rereading the chapter on the San Quintín Railroad, there was discussion of going to San Diego via the El Alamo gold mines.
Maybe I need to show you guys some maps and more photos from the book? It is an intense book and if you have any love for Baja History and Railroads,
it is a must-have!
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Marc
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| Quote: Originally posted by David K | Well, in rereading the chapter on the San Quintín Railroad, there was discussion of going to San Diego via the El Alamo gold mines.
Maybe I need to show you guys some maps and more photos from the book? It is an intense book and if you have any love for Baja History and Railroads,
it is a must-have! |
Like my Daddy said; "you should something new every day".
Exercise regularly. Eat sensibly. Die anyway.
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John Harper
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Is the locomotive still on the bottom of the bay?
John
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David K
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As far as I know, yes!
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David K
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The Peninsular Railway: San Quintín 1891-1909
[Edited on 7-29-2020 by David K]
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mtgoat666
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in this photo, it appears that the bridge is collapsing,... also looks like swift water flowing under the bridge. what is the story of this pic?
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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David K
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Where the train engine was loaded onto the barge...
Here, a photo shows the barge in front of the Old Mill, used to ferry the railroad materials and train engine out to the deep-sea ship.
In the background is the bridge on the causeway across the bay.
[Edited on 3-19-2021 by David K]
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David K
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| Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666 |
in this photo, it appears that the bridge is collapsing,... also looks like swift water flowing under the bridge. what is the story of this pic?
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The caption under that photo reads:
Construction of the bridge over the narrows cost the railroad far more than anticipated. In this 1908 view, the partially collapsed
structure has been brought up to grade with the use of ties.
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David K
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Correction!!!
The train engine was lost when being hoisted onto the ship, outside the bay... not in front of the Old Mill. The train lies in 43 feet of water.
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David K
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The Peninsular Railroad 1891-1909
| Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc | read to day about a 20 mile old railway in San Quintin
where was it running to and from?
still visible? |
The exact distance was 27 kilometers.
The reason it crossed the bay at the Old Mill using the causeway and bridge was the future town was going to be there.
Details on the route are provided. A most interesting story!
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amigobaja
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Blanca I'm sure Californication has a train they would probably give you if you'd haul it off.
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David K
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There was a recent question about the Old English Flour Mill (Molino Viejo) at San Quintín.
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