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Union Station (San Diego)

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography;
Railway transport

                San Diego
         Address 1050 Kettner Boulevard
                 San Diego, California 92101
          Routes Pacific Surfliner
   Other service San Diego Coaster Line
                 San Diego Trolley
            Code SAN
        Owned by ProLogis

   San Diego's Union Station was built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
   Fe Railway to replace the existing Victorian-style structure erected in
   1887 for the California Southern Railroad Company. The Santa Fe Depot
   (as it was originally designated) officially opened on March 8, 1915 to
   accommodate visitors to the Panama-California Exposition. The depot was
   completed during a particularly optimistic period in the City's
   development, and represents the battle waged by the City of San Diego
   to become the West Coast terminus of the Santa Fe Railway system’s
   transcontinental railroad, a fight that was ultimately lost to the City
   of Los Angeles.

   In its heydey, the facility not only handled Santa Fe traffic but also
   that of the San Diego and Arizona Railway (SD&A) and San Diego Electric
   Railway (SDERy). The designation was officially changed to San Diego
   Union Station in response to the SD&A's completion of its own
   transcontinental line in December of 1919. The Santa Fe resumed solo
   operation of the station in January, 1951 when the San Diego and
   Arizona Eastern Railway (successor to the SD&A) discontinued passenger
   service, the SDERy having ceased operation some two years prior.

   The historic Santa Fe Depot is located in Centre City (downtown) San
   Diego and is still an active transportation centre, providing services
   to Amtrak, the San Diego Coaster, the San Diego Trolley, and the MTS
   bus system.

Architecture

   The magnificent complex was designed by San Francisco architects
   Bakewell & Brown as a "monumental reminder" of California's Spanish
   heritage. The Mission Revival styling reflects the colonial Spanish
   history of the state, and was intended to harmonize with the Spanish
   Colonial Revival Style buildings of the Exposition. The size and
   grandeur far surpassed anything the Santa Fe had ever built in the
   West. The new edifice featured a covered concourse some 650 feet long
   by 106 feet wide, with a main waiting room measuring 170 feet by 55
   feet. A 27-foot by 650-foot-long arcade connected the passenger
   terminal with the baggage and express rooms. An enlarged bus depot was
   installed inthe southeast portico in 1942.

   The massive arch of the front entrance is flanked by twin campaniles,
   each topped by a colorful tile-covered dome and displaying Santa Fe's
   blue "cross" emblem on all four sides. The structure draws much more
   heavily from the architecturally distinctive Spanish, Moorish, and
   Mexican lines exhibited by the Mission San Luís Rey de Francia (located
   in the town of Oceanside in north San Diego County) than it does from
   the nearby Mission San Diego de Alcalá, some nine miles away. The grand
   interior space of the depot features natural redwood beam ceilings,
   highlighted by walls covered with brightly-colored ceramic tiles.

   An interior view of the preserved main lobby as it appeared in 1998.

   A detailed view of the ceramic wall tile pattern, including a stylized
   version of Santa Fe's "box" logo.

   This postcard was issued in 1920 to commemorate the completion of the
   SD&A's connection to downtown. A portion of the SDERy's streetcar loop
   is depicted at left.

   The station's arched portico was demolished in September, 1954 to make
   way for a parking lot.

History

Background

   On June 20, 1879 the Santa Fe Railway received a land grant from the
   Mexican government that allowed them to extend their reach through the
   valley of Sonora through to the coastal town of Guaymas on the Gulf of
   California. The Sonora Railway (an operating subsidiary) allowed the
   Santa Fe to effectively compete with the Southern Pacific Railroad for
   business on the West Coast of the United States. Traffic on the line,
   however, was light, and Santa Fe pushed further westward in search of a
   suitable Pacific terminus. Since 1845, the citizens of San Diego (then
   essentially a sleepy fishing village) had attempted to establish a
   direct rail link to the east without success. The Texas and Pacific
   Railway Company (known as the T&P) was created by federal charter in
   1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad
   between Marshall, Texas and San Diego. The T&P had a significant
   foothold in Texas by the mid 1880s but construction difficulties
   delayed westward progress until American financier Jay Gould acquired
   an interest in the railroad in 1879. The T&P never reached San Diego
   but instead met the Southern Pacific at Sierra Blanca, Texas in 1881.
   A map of "The Santa Fé Route" and subsidiary lines as published in an
   1881 issue of the Grain Dealers and Shippers Gazetteer.
   Enlarge
   A map of "The Santa Fé Route" and subsidiary lines as published in an
   1881 issue of the Grain Dealers and Shippers Gazetteer.

   In the wake of this setback, the Santa Fe was approached by the
   Citizens Railroad Committee of San Diego, who had formed a syndicate
   for the purpose of building a rail line to connect with the A&P in
   eastern California. Santa Fe provided financial assistance to the
   group, which also founded the California Southern Railroad Company
   (CSRR) on October 23, 1880. A roundhouse, workshops, and classification
   yards were built in National City, a suburb of San Diego. A wharf was
   also constructed to accommodate ship traffic. Initial plans were made
   to construct 18 miles (29 km) of main line track extending north from
   the new complex. As of January 12, 1882 the California Southern
   commenced regular passenger and freight service between its National
   City terminus and Fallbrook Junction, just north of Oceanside.

   Tracklaying continued and proceeded steadily northward until August 14,
   1882 when a connection was made with the Southern Pacific's line in
   Colton. The California Southern's attempts to cross over the SP tracks
   a year later led to a frog war that ended on August 11, 1883 with a
   court order in the CSRR's favour. A track extension to San Bernardino
   was completed and the first regular passenger train arrived on
   September 13. The line became part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
   Railroad's transcontinental rail line in 1885 via an extension of the
   California Southern from Colton north over the Cajon Pass to Barstow.
   Santa Fe completed the "Surf Line" run between Los Angeles and San
   Diego under the auspices of its subsidiary, the Southern California
   Railway (a different subsidiary from the California Southern), on
   August 12, 1888. The route was initially referred to as the Los Angeles
   — San Diego "Short Line" as it replaced the circuitous inland route
   through Temecula Canyon.
   California Southern's San Diego passenger terminal as it appeared
   toward the end of the 19th century. An early predecessor of the San
   Diegan is waiting to depart.
   Enlarge
   California Southern's San Diego passenger terminal as it appeared
   toward the end of the 19th century. An early predecessor of the San
   Diegan is waiting to depart.

   A real estate boom in the spring of 1887 brought thousands of people to
   Southern California, many of them traveling on "The Santa Fé Route" to
   San Diego. The California Southern constructed a new Victorian-style
   depot to handle the throngs of people coming to the Southland. The
   structure sported dark red paint with dark green trim. Recurring
   washouts in the Temecula Canyon, however, often disrupted service; in
   response, the Santa Fe began construction of its 126-mile-long " Surf
   Line" between Los Angeles' La Grande Station and the National City
   depot. From 1886 to 1888, the Riverside, Santa Ana and Los Angeles
   Railway built a branch line from Highgrove southwest via Riverside, to
   Santa Ana and from Orange northwest to Los Angeles. Also in 1888, the
   San Bernardino and San Diego Railway completed its line from Oceanside
   north to Santa Ana, completing what was originally called the "Los
   Angeles-San Diego Short Line." The inland route was finally abandoned
   in 1891, leaving the newer, coastal route as the only line to San Diego
   from the north.

   It was generally felt that with the completion of the Panama Canal in
   1909, San Diego would logically become the principal port of call for
   the Atlantic-Pacific sea trade. To that end, the City decided to stage
   an international exposition in celebration of the opening of the Canal,
   and to tout San Diego as the first U.S. port for ships traveling north
   after passing through the facility. But San Diego, even with its
   natural landlocked harbour, was 100 miles farther south than Los
   Angeles, which translated into an additional day of travel for both
   freight and passenger trains; in order for Santa Fe to compete with the
   Southern Pacific Railroad, the company needed a port closer to its
   rival's transcontinental terminus. Santa Fe transferred most of its
   engine terminal yard to San Bernardino in 1887, then established an
   interim port facility in Redondo Beach the following year. But when the
   railroad relocated its port operations to San Pedro's newly-dredged,
   manmade harbour in 1911, it effectively ended San Diego's hopes to
   become the West Coast's southernmost commercial port.

Santa Fe Depot

   Though the elegant California Southern depot had served San Diego for
   nearly three decades, the station was not adequate to handle the
   expected flood of visitors through the "Silver Gate" in 1915. In fact,
   the Santa Fe had considered replacing the aging "D" Street station with
   a larger, more modern edifice. Plans were drawn up for a new station
   complex in the Mission Revival Style, befitting the upcoming
   Exposition. The large, graceful palm trees that graced the old depot
   were boxed and stored for re-planting alongside the new building.
   Construction began on a site just east of the existing structure on
   January 15, 1914, and was completed on December 31, at a total cost of
   $300,000. A Fred Harvey Company lunch counter and dining room were
   incorporated into the floor plan. The old wooden structure was razed
   during the few days before the opening; the clock tower was
   ceremonially toppled on March 7, 1915.

   The facility opened for business on March 8. Oliver J. Stough, the last
   surviving veteran of the Mexican-American War, was given the honour of
   purchasing the first ticket. At the outset, the Santa Fe had three
   daily local trains and one express train running between Los Angeles
   and San Diego. During the exposition nine scheduled trains ran on
   during the week (eight only made stops at Fullerton and Santa Ana,
   while the ninth was a local that stopped at all of the "Surf Line"
   stations). Twelve trains operated on weekends, many running in multiple
   sections. Four helper locomotives were assigned to the Sorrento Grade
   to help trains over the hill for the duration of the Exposition.

   The clock tower of the original Santa Fe depot at Bay and Broadway is
   pulled to the ground by a steel cable attached to two yard locomotives
   as part of the grand opening celebration on March 7.

   The first SD&A through passenger train "arrives" in San Diego on
   December 1, 1919 to officially open the line.

   The station platform at San Diego in the early days of World War II.
   The Valley Flyer train, filling in as Train No. 70, the San Diegan, is
   at the right. The local train from Los Angeles is just pulling in with
   #3749 in the lead.

   A July, 1997 trackside photograph catches both Amtrak San Diegan and
   trolley traffic making station calls.

   John D. Spreckels' San Diego Electric Railway (SDERy) made regular
   stops at the station since its opening, and continued to do so until
   April 24, 1949 when San Diego adopted an all- bus transit system.
   Spreckels' other rail-related concern, the San Diego and Arizona
   Railway (built in part to provide San Diego with a direct
   transcontinental rail link to the east by connecting with the Southern
   Pacific Railroad lines in El Centro) was invited to make use of the
   facility. The first SD&A passenger train arrived in downtown on
   December 1, 1919. In 1936 the Santa Fe ordered a six-car trainset from
   the Budd Company specifically for the initiation of a new, streamlined
   named train between the LAUPT and San Diego. On March 27, 1938 the
   company inaugurated the San Diegan route, operating on a two hour and
   45 minute schedule. A second San Diegan consist entered service on June
   8, 1941, doubling the schedule to four daily round trips. Freight
   service consisted of one scheduled overnight train per day, though
   extras were run as required (sometimes numbering as many as 10–12 per
   day). The United States' entry into World War II saw a significant
   increase in rail traffic to and from San Diego, both in the form of
   troop movements and transport of military vehicles and supplies.
   The San Diegan, pulled by a pair of back-to-back ALCO PA units, reaches
   the end of the line at San Diego's Union Station on October 26, 1963.
   Enlarge
   The San Diegan, pulled by a pair of back-to-back ALCO PA units, reaches
   the end of the line at San Diego's Union Station on October 26, 1963.

   While freight shipments dropped precipitously after the War, passenger
   demand remained high, and traffic on the "Surf Line" ran second only to
   the Pennsylvania Railroad's New York–Philadelphia corridor. Passenger
   service on the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway (a successor to
   the SD&A) ended on January 11, 1951 due to years of continued declining
   patronage. The front portico was removed in September of 1954 to allow
   for the construction of a parking lot. On May 1, 1971 Amtrak took over
   operation of the San Diegan. Thought the name was retired on June 1,
   2000 after more than sixty years of service, the Pacific Surfliner
   (which runs between San Diego and San Luis Obispo) still makes daily
   visits.

   Today, a variety of bus, light rail, and commuter rail services call
   the station "home." The structure has retained most all of its original
   features, including the large blue-and-white "Santa Fe" sign (which was
   added in the mid-1950s as a nod to its heritage). The San Diego
   Trolley, a modern version of the SDERy, commenced operations on July
   26, 1981. Relocation of the Santa Fe mainline between the depot and Old
   Town San Diego in 1991 allowed for an extension of line to Mission
   Valley. The Trolley continues to expand its scope. The San Diego
   Coaster began weekday commuter service on February 27, 1995. Though
   some have claimed that the facility was built merely to appease the
   citizens of San Diego, the Santa Fe Depot remains an important part of
   the City's history, culture, and economy.

Historic designations

     * National Register of Historic Places #NPS–72000248

Current services

   Amtrak

   Preceding station Amtrak Lines Following station
   San Diego-Old Town Pacific Surfliner (San Diego-San Luis Obispo)
   Terminus

   San Diego Coaster
   Preceding station San Diego Coaster Line Following station
   San Diego-Old Town Coaster (San Diego-Oceanside) Terminus

   San Diego Trolley
     * Blue Line service
     * Special Event service

   MTS bus system

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   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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