Imperial Valley press., 1919-11-18
SCHEDULE Of
Of S.O.& A. IS
ANNOUNCED
BY P0NT|0US

Complete plans for the San Diego
Il Arizona railway have been announc-
ed today by General Manager d. w.
Pontius, following the driving of the
golden spike in Carriso gorge on Sat-
urday.
The San Diego & Arizona is a COM
pleted line. The rails run continu-
ously from the Union station into the
city of Ell Centre. Through the Car
rso gorge, the last link of the line
to be built, ballast and safety rails on
the curves alone are lacking. By De-
cember this work will be complete,
Manager Pontius asserts, ready for
the first through trains.
On December 1, regular through
freight and passenger service between
San Diego and Ell Centre will be estab-
lished
On December. 10, through freight
and passenger service between, San
Diego and Yuma will be inaugurated.
Unless all plans fail, at that time
through Pullman service from Chi
cago to San Diego without change will
be provided.
Beginning December /, there will
be one passenger train day each
way, leaving both San Diego and Ell
Centre at 7:15 a. m. These trains will
be thoroughly modern, with first-class
rolling stock. Huge San Diego & Ari-
zona engines will pull them; Southern
Pacific modern coaches will be carried,
and fine new observation-ca car,
made especially for the San Diego &
Arizona, will be carried on each train.
Later, more rolling stock, made
especially for this road, will replace
the Southern Pacific coaches.
The running time from San Diego
to Ell Centro will be six hours and 30
minutes. Between Ell Centro and San
Diego six hours and five minutes. AS
soon as the roadbed is thoroughly
settled and schedules altered, about
an hourwill be clipped from this time,
going each way
Running Time
So at the start, passengers will
board the train at 7:15 a. m. daily
and arrive at Ell Centre at 1:45 p. m.
The Ell Centre train will arrive at
go p. m. daily at San Diego.
When through Pullman service from
Chicago is arranged for, probably in
December, the schedule on the San
Diego & Arizona will be altered, if
necessary to provide direct connec-
tions, without loss of time at Yuma.
Then it will be possible for passengers
to step into their Pullman car in Chi
cago and step off at San Diego about
four days later, making one of the
fastest trips across the western Unit
ed States.
Three features of the new road will
attract thousands Of tourists annually.
The Features
The first is the fact that it passes
through the Imperial valley, probably
the best advertised community in the
United States today. And this line is
the only one that offers this attrac-
tion.
The second will be the fact that the
trains twice run through Mexico. All
easterners are curious to see Mexico
and to travel for once outside their
own country. Many will choose the
San Diego & Arizona for this reason.
The third is the wonderful Carriso
gorge. San Diegans have no idea of
the grandeur of this wonderful pass
and the engineering masterpiece that
is provided ir the new railway.
Everyone has heard of the tunnel
work, and difficult railway building
encountered there, but on the spike
driving trip Saturday, the Carriso
gorge fairly took the breath away
from the eXeursionists.
Mere word. cannot begin to do this
"wonder pass" justice. There is
scarcely bit of railway work in the
United States that just compares with
it. Lacking the heavy timber of the
Feather River canyon and similar
journeys, it makes up for this in Won
derful rock formations, and tunnel
after tunnel through solid rock. one
tunnel being mile in length.
Most Talked OF
1t is safe to say that the Carriso
gorge will soon be the most-talked-of
railway Journey in the West, which
means that more people will be
brought to see it each year.
After a trip through this gorge,
it is easy to see where $1S,OO0,0O0
went into the San Diego & Arizona
railway.
And so with the golden spike driven,
the two ends of the road linked, and
plans under way for great week of
celebration in December, Ell Centre is
looking forward to the day of the first
regular train service. On December
passenger train loaded to the
guards with Imperial valley people
and carrying the special car of Presi-
dent John d. Spreckels, of the road,
will pull into San Diego, amid the