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<\/a>After her death, it had other uses as a hen house and possibly other things. After a fire nearly burned the building and some others stored in Lakeside, PSRM volunteer Larry Rose recognized the depot in a newspaper story and spearheaded the effort to return it to La Mesa and restore it about 1979, Semelsberger explained.<\/p>\n
Lifetime PSRM member and volunteer Reena Deutsch has spent much time researching the SD&A and wrote \u201cSan Diego & Arizona Railway: The Impossible Railroad,\u201d which illustrates through vintage photographs and narrative about the history of the SD&A Railway, built by John D. Spreckels.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt describes the 12-year construction from 1907 to 1919 and its on-again, off-again operations over portions of the tracks right up to modern times. Early engineers stated that the railroad would never be built because of the steep, rocky, and hostile mountain and desert terrain of the route, so it was called the \u2018impossible railroad\u2019 starting even before it was built,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
However, all through its construction and 100 years of operations, it continues to face natural disasters and other calamities that it eventually overcomes and seems to re-earn its \u201cimpossible railroad\u201d nickname all through the years, Deutsch said.<\/p>\n
Deutsch said she contacted a publisher about writing a book on another topic, but, instead, she was asked to write \u201cSan Diego & Arizona Railway: The Impossible Railroad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had been presenting slide shows about the line for about a dozen years before that, and I always get excited to tell folks about the \u2018impossible railroad\u2019 and its fascinating history, so a book seemed like the natural next step for me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Deutsch added she finds Spreckels and the saga of how he endured all the challenges and financial setbacks he faced in building and operating his railroad very inspiring.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it would be good if others found inspiration in him and his persistence like I did,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
As for the La Mesa Depot, Deutsch said it also has an inspiring story.<\/p>\n
\u201cLa Mesa Depot is special because an all-volunteer nonprofit museum was able to \u2018rescue\u2019 it, have it moved, and restore it to its early condition as part of its mission to educate and interpret railroad history in our region to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deutsch said it sits right in downtown La Mesa for all to see, including passengers on the Orange line trolley that goes right by it, and it displays a full-size old steam locomotive and other railcars so people, especially children, can be exposed to some railroad equipment and history. Also, the interior of the depot is accessible on a regular Saturday afternoon schedule to immerse the public in what it was like to experience being in a train station of years gone by with some of its equipment, ticket booth, telegraph, and other artifacts and interpretive signs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving a docent there, as the museum does, raises the experience to a much higher level,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The PSRM Association is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of railroads as they existed in the Pacific Southwest. With more than 120 pieces of equipment and artifacts on display between two facilities in Campo and La Mesa, PSRM provides a unique learning experience for all ages. In Campo, visitors can enjoy vintage train rides aboard locomotives and cars from the early 20th century that are operated by all-volunteer train crews and support staff.<\/p>\n
For more information on PSRM, visit psrm.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n