4x4abc
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4290
Registered: 4-24-2009
Location: La Paz, BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: happy - always
|
|
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
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
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]
|
|
|
BajaNomad
|
Thread Moved
7-21-2020 at 05:51 AM |
wilderone
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3824
Registered: 2-9-2004
Member Is Offline
|
|
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?
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
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.
|
|
|
JZ
Select Nomad
Posts: 10564
Registered: 10-3-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Very interesting.
|
|
|
BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13197
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
Member Is Offline
|
|
Really interesting. I so wish there were a train from TJ all the way to Cabo.
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
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!
|
|
|
Marc
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2802
Registered: 5-15-2010
Location: San Francisco & Palm Springs
Member Is Offline
Mood: Waiting
|
|
| 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.
|
|
|
John Harper
Super Nomad
Posts: 2289
Registered: 3-9-2017
Location: SoCal
Member Is Offline
|
|
Is the locomotive still on the bottom of the bay?
John
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
As far as I know, yes!
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
The Peninsular Railway: San Quintín 1891-1909
[Edited on 7-29-2020 by David K]
|
|
|
mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 18389
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot n spicy
|
|
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
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
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]
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
| 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?
|
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.
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
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.
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
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!
|
|
|
amigobaja
Nomad
Posts: 151
Registered: 6-3-2009
Member Is Offline
|
|
Blanca I'm sure Californication has a train they would probably give you if you'd haul it off.
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
There was a recent question about the Old English Flour Mill (Molino Viejo) at San Quintín.
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
